Northern Puffback
Dryoscopus gambensis
Kerio Valley, Baringo Co., Kenya. Dec. 2015.
The common name refers to a feather display structure (not seen in this photo) presented by males during breeding courtship: A large, pure white pompom of feathers on the back side. These are concealed much of the time but are quite extraordinary when displayed. Puffbacks are predatory on a variety of mostly insect live. They inhabit trees and scrub at the mid to lower elevations in Kenya.
Malaconotidae -- Bush-Shrike Family
Books:
- Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania by Zimmerman et al.
- Birds of East Africa by Stevenson and Fanshawe