NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Swamp Boubou
Laniarius bicolor (Hartlaub, 1857)
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 swamp boubou (Laniarius bicolor), also known as the Gabon boubou, is a species of bird in the Malaconotidae or bushshrike family. It is native to western and southern Central Africa. In the north of their range, savannah thickets constitute an important part of their habitat, while in the south they are strongly associated with river systems and marshes, for which they are named. The pair bond appears to be maintained by duetting, which in the south is generally synchronous or overlapping. It is most similar to L. major major, with which it perhaps hybridizes, but the underpart plumage is immaculate white, while the female contributes a ratchet-like note to the duet.
Wikipedia contributors, Swamp boubou; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T02:55:34.382358+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Laniarius bicolor (Hartlaub, 1857)
- Name authority
- (Hartlaub, 1857)
- Common name
- Swamp Boubou
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Malaconotidae
- Genus
- Laniarius
- 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
- genusLaniarius Vieillot, 1816
- speciesLaniarius bicolor (Hartlaub, 1857)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Laniarius. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Ethiopian BoubouLaniarius aethiopicus (J. F. Gmelin, 1789) | MalaconotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Crimson-breasted ShrikeLaniarius atrococcineus (Burchell, 1822) | MalaconotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Yellow-crowned GonolekLaniarius barbarus (Linnaeus, 1766) | MalaconotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Braun's BushshrikeLaniarius brauni Bannerman, 1939 | MalaconotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Fülleborn's BoubouLaniarius fuelleborni (Reichenow, 1900) | MalaconotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Lühder's BushshrikeLaniarius luehderi Reichenow, 1874 | MalaconotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Tropical BoubouLaniarius major (Hartlaub, 1848) | MalaconotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Papyrus GonolekLaniarius mufumbiri Ogilvie-Grant, 1911 | MalaconotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Red-naped BushshrikeLaniarius ruficeps (Shelley, 1885) | MalaconotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| East Coast BoubouLaniarius sublacteus (Cassin, 1851) | MalaconotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Turati's BoubouLaniarius turatii (J. Verreaux, 1858) | MalaconotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Yellow-breasted BoubouLaniarius atroflavus Shelley, 1887 | 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 |
|---|---|
| Dryoscopus bicolor Hartlaub, 1857 Hartlaub, 1857 | 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=560696 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:3S76G. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.