NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Black-backed Puffback
Dryoscopus cubla (Latham, 1802)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The black-backed puffback (Dryoscopus cubla) is a species of passerine bird in the family Malaconotidae. They are common to fairly common sedentary bushshrikes in various wooded habitats in Africa south of the equator. They restlessly move about singly, in pairs or family groups, and generally frequent tree canopies. Like others of its genus, the males puff out the loose rump and lower back feathers in display, to assume a remarkable ball-like appearance. They draw attention to themselves by their varied repertoire of whistling, clicking and rasping sounds. Their specific name cubla, originated with Francois Levaillant, who derived it from a native southern African name, where the "c" is an onomatopoeic click sound. None of the other five puffback species occur in southern Africa.
Wikipedia contributors, Black-backed puffback; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:48:19.135261+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Dryoscopus cubla (Latham, 1802)
- Name authority
- (Latham, 1802)
- Common name
- Black-backed Puffback
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Malaconotidae
- Genus
- Dryoscopus
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyMalaconotidae Swainson, 1824
- genusDryoscopus F. Boie, 1826
- speciesDryoscopus cubla (Latham, 1802)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Dryoscopus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Northern PuffbackDryoscopus gambensis (M. H. C. Lichtenstein, 1823) | MalaconotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Red-eyed PuffbackDryoscopus senegalensis (Hartlaub, 1857) | MalaconotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Pink-footed PuffbackDryoscopus angolensis Hartlaub, 1860 | MalaconotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Pringle's PuffbackDryoscopus pringlii F. J. Jackson, 1893 | MalaconotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Sabine's PuffbackDryoscopus sabini (J. E. Gray, 1831) | MalaconotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Lanius cubla Latham, 1802 Latham, 1802 | synonym |
| Lanius cubla Shaw, 1809 Shaw, 1809 | synonym |
| Dryoscopus cubla (Shaw, 1809) (Shaw, 1809) | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=916818 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:37Y7J. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.