Dear All,
The Manda Boubou Paper is published in the latest Bulletin of the
British Ornithologists Club (BBOU) under the title of “Redefining the
taxonomy of the all-black and pied boubous (Laniarius spp.) in coastal
Kenya and Somalia.”

We are not permitted to place the paper on a web-site for a year,
however we can send over a single unit on request to Nigel or myself.

The gist of the Paper is that the all Black Boubou of Manda Island
(nigerrimus) and nearby mainland is not remotely related to the East
Coast Boubou (sublacteus), although up to now having been treated as a
black morph of that form (which itself used to be Tropical Boubou). It
is exactly the same species as Erlanger’s (was erlangeri) and Bulo
Burti Boubou  (was liberatus) of Somalia. This now represents a new
bird for Kenya and East Africa.

The East Coast Boubou (sublacteus) is found from Boni Forest on the
Kenya/Somalia border to the south of Mombasa, whilst the identically
appearing East Coast Boubou (currently also sublacteus) in Tanzania is
something else entirely, but it is probably the bird we have been
calling East Coast Boubou that is found in inland Kenya at Mt Kasigau,
Taita Hills, Ngulia and possibly Chyulus and Ol Donyio Orok (Namanga).
This is still awaiting resolve.
The bird called Somali Boubou (somaliensis) up to now, has been
treated as a pied form of Erlanger’s (now Manda Boubou), but it is
nothing to do with it, and we found it to be identical to the Kenyan
form of East Coast Boubou (sublacteus).

More work was recommended to confirm the positions of the pied species
of Boubous.

This work to be undertaken, has already commenced and it is hoped to
produce a definitive paper covering the pied forms in East Africa.

With the problem of two different species called East Coast Boubou and
sharing the same scientific name, we must find each forms ranges and
for this seek some assistance.
We would appreciate recordings for the Kenyan East Coast Boubou from
south (but not north) of Mombasa. Sites like Diani, Shimba, Shimoni,
Msambweni thence all the way to Lunga Lunga. If by any chance you are
able to obtain recordings of pied Boubous in Tanzania from Lunga Lunga
to as far as Tanga, this could also be invaluable towards finding if
the Kenyan bird ranges into NE Tanzania, or if the Tanzanian bird
penetrates into Kenya along the coast, and maybe a zone of overlap.
We also require pied Boubou vocalisations from Kasigau, Taita, Kitovu
Forest, Ngulia Mountain, Kibwezi, Chyulus, Makindu, Hunter’s Lodge and
Oldonyio Orok (Namanga), also the groundwater forests of Loitokitok
and Kimana. These place names are just to give an idea of the zones
where the form of pied Boubou requires confirmation, and we are
interested in all within their vicinity, as it appears that
vocalisations may go along way towards proving which Boubou is where.

Further south in Tanzania we would appreciate recordings of pied
Boubous from the east side of the Rift Valley south of the Usambaras,
Tanga and Zanzibar, all the way to the Mozambique border, to have a
clearer picture of the range of the southern East Coast Boubou. Please
at this point don’t send any recordings from in the Rift or west of
it, as this must be followed up only after the eastern problems are
sorted.

Thanks for your help in this project to learn more about this
extremely interesting but until very recently, neglected group.

Please send any recordings to Brian on birdfinch@gmail.com with a copy
to Nigel at nigelhunter@timbale.org

Very best
Brian