Biometric data for ten species from the families Malaconotidea, Platysteridae and Laniidae based on museum specimens and ringing data

Abstract

Biometric data is vital for species identification, recognition and classification. Museum collections and ringing data sets are important sources of biometric data for birds. We present biometric data for nine selected species from the families Malaconotidae, Platysteridae and Laniidae based on 271 museum specimens and 184 ringing records. The species reported on are Bokmakierie, Brown-crowned Tchagra, Crimson-breasted Shrike, Brubru, Cape Batis, Chinspot Batis, Pririt Batis, Magpie Shrike, Southern Fiscal and Red-backed Shrike. The biometric data were compared between the sexes and to literature. The biometric data presented represents the first records for some of the subspecies included.