Stresemann's bushcrow (Zavattariornis stresemanni), also known as the Abyssinian pie, bush crow, Ethiopian bushcrow, or by its generic name Zavattariornis, is a rather starling-like bird, which is currently thought to be member of the crow family, Corvidae, though this is uncertain. It is slightly larger than the North American blue jay and is a bluish-grey in overall colour which becomes almost white on the forehead. The throat and chest are creamy-white with the tail and wings a glossy black. The black feathers have a tendency to bleach to brown at their tips. The iris of the bird is brown and the eye is surrounded by a band of naked bright blue skin. The bill, legs, and feet are black.
Feeding is usually in small groups and the bird takes mainly insects. Breeding usually starts in March, with the birds building their nest high in an acacia tree. The birds usually lay five to six cream eggs with lilac blotches. The nest itself is globular in shape with a tubular entrance on top. It is possible that more than just the breeding pair visit the nest and that the young of previous years help in rearing the young.
The range of this species is quite restricted, it being confined to thorn acacia country in southern Ethiopia near Yavello (Javello), Mega, and Arero. It can be curiously absent from apparently suitable country near these areas; the reasons for this were formerly unclear, but are now thought to be related to the species requiring a "bubble" of lower temperature for proper foraging, which is only present within its small range, making it one of the few warm-blooded animals whose survival is wholly dependent on temperature (along with the sympatric white-tailed swallow). This requirement makes it extremely vulnerable to climate change, and massive declines and even potential extinction in the wild are projected in the future, making it one of the birds most threatened by climate change.[2]
The Stresemann's bushcrow was described by Edgardo Moltoni in 1938.[3] This species has been placed in several bird families since its description.[3] It has long been considered a member of the crow family Corvidae; however, several atypical features, such as its lice being from the suborder Mallophaga, its bare facial skin being capable of movement, and the structure of its palate, have suggested that it may belong in another family.[3] Some authors placed the species within the starling family Sturnidae due to the bushcrow's similarities in behavior and size with the wattled starling.[3] Other authors have placed it in its own monotypic family, Zavattariornithidae.[3] DNA-sequencing analysis supports its placement in the corvids, with its closest relatives being the ground jays, magpies, and the piapiac.[3] It has been suggested that the bushcrow is a surviving relict ancestor to several of these relatives.[4] However, its taxonomic situation is still considered to be in flux.[3]
This species has numerous common names, including Stresemann's bushcrow, bush-crow, Ethiopian bushcrow, Abyssinian bushcrow, and Zavattariornis.[3]
The genus name Zavattariornis commemorates Edoardo Zavattari, an Italian zoologist and explorer who served as the director of Rome University's Zoological Institute between 1935 and 1958.[5] Its name commemorates Erwin Stresemann, a German ornithologist.[6]