Which sub-species of desert grey shrike, Mauritania (3 Viewers)

[BirdingRob]

Seen in Nouakchott today. The two pictures may represent two birds but they look like the same sub species.

They are dark birds with little white. To my eye, they look more akin to algeriensis than elegans.

So which sub species of southern grey shrike (or as it is split by some: desert grey shrike) is here please?

Rob

 

[Nutcracker]

Not seen elegans myself, but agree with your thesis, going by pics and descriptions, this looks much more like algeriensis with that grey underside.

Maybe some algeriensis migrate south in autumn??

 

[tconzemi]

Not seen elegans myself, but agree with your thesis, going by pics and descriptions, this looks much more like algeriensis with that grey underside.

Maybe some algeriensis migrate south in autumn??

Agree on algeriensis, my idea is that birds close to the atlantic sea may be darker even that much south, but never read anything like that

 

[Nutcracker]

my idea is that birds close to the atlantic sea may be darker even that much south,

Reasonable (per Gloger's rule) with the increased humidity / fog close to the coast :t:

 

[BirdingRob]

Thank you to you both. I am confident it is algeriensis now. However things are obviously complicated as this picture labelled elegans and taken on the coast 5 kilometres west of Nouakchott shows http://www.africanbirdclub.org/afbid/search/birddetails/species/1987/26556

Rob

 

[tconzemi]

Thank you to you both. I am confident it is algeriensis now. However things are obviously complicated as this picture labelled elegans and taken on the coast 5 kilometres west of Nouakchott shows http://www.africanbirdclub.org/afbid/search/birddetails/species/1987/26556

Rob

it's a cline anyway, birds on Djerba in Tunisia look like the bird in the link and they are considered elegans too but on the dark end of the subspecies
and the OP bird is a juvenile moulting to adult btw

 

[Simon Wates]

Reasonable (per Gloger's rule) with the increased humidity / fog close to the coast :t:

You're a mine of information - new to me, just had a read - so interesting!

 

[P.Sunesen]

it's a cline anyway, birds on Djerba in Tunisia look like the bird in the link and they are considered elegans too but on the dark end of the subspecies
and the OP bird is a juvenile moulting to adult btw

With retrices extremely worn and half the wing already moulted to adult?
To me looks more like a 2cy in complete moult to adult......

Peter

 

[tconzemi]

With retrices extremely worn and half the wing already moulted to adult?
To me looks more like a 2cy in complete moult to adult......

Peter

you are right Peter