Western Senegal (Casamance), northern, south-western and south-eastern Guinea, north-eastern Sierra Leone, north-western Liberia, southern Mali (Baoulé-Sud, Farako), central Ivory Coast, north-east, central and southern Ghana, Togo, Benin (southern from Bétérou), central and southern Nigeria, central and eastern Cameroon, southern Chad and south-western and central Central African Republic east to southern Sudan, Uganda, Kenya (east to Rift Valley), Tanzania (eastern in north to Loliondo and Essimingor, in south to Njombe and Mahenge), northern, eastern and south-eastern DRCongo and R Congo (from Lukolela south to Kinshasa), central and eastern Angola, north-western and northern Zambia and extreme northern Malawi.
Rarity Status
Currently this species is not classified as a rarity in this country OR information has not been updated.
Population
Estimated population is unknown (2011).
Tropical Boubou (Laniarius major) [XC530253]
by Magnus Wadstein from Mbam et Djerem National Park, WCS headquarters, Cameroon (song)
Tropical Boubou (Laniarius major) [XC41606]
by Rory Nefdt from South Luangwa National Park Home, Zambia (duet, song)
Subspecies
Laniarius liberatus (Sibley and Monroe 1990, 1993; Dowsett and Forbes-Watson 1993) is now treated as a synonym of erlangeri of Ethiopian Boubou (Laniarius aethiopicus) following Nguembock et al. (2008) who also recommend splitting Laniarius aethiopicus into Ethiopian Boubou (Laniarius aethiopicus), Manda Boubou (Laniarius nigerrimus), Zanzibar Boubou (Laniarius sublacteus) and Tropical Boubou (Laniarius major), proposals that are currently under review by the BirdLife Taxonomic Working Group.
Considered by some authors to be a subspecies of Ethiopian Boubou (Laniarius aethiopicus).
The following 4 subspecies are recognised:
major (Hartlaub, 1848) - Western Senegal (Casamance), north, south-western and south-eastern Guinea, north-eastern Sierra Leone, north-western Liberia, southern Mali (Baoulé-Sud, Farako), central Ivory Coast, north-east, central and southern Ghana, Togo, Benin (southern from Bétérou), central and southern Nigeria, central and eastern Cameroon, southern Chad and south-western and central Central African Republic east to southern Sudan, Uganda, Kenya (east to Rift Valley), Tanzania (eastern in north to Loliondo and Essimingor, in south to Njombe and Mahenge), north, eastern and south-eastern DRCongo and R Congo (from Lukolela south to Kinshasa), central and eastern Angola, north-western and northern Zambia and extreme northern Malawi. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Tropical Boubou (Laniarius major). Considered by some authors to be a subspecies of Ethiopian Boubou (Laniarius aethiopicus).
ambiguus Madarász, 1904 - Highlands east of Rift Valley in Kenya (southern from Mt Kulal and Mt Marsabit) and north-eastern Tanzania (south to Mt Meru and Mt Kilimanjaro and Arusha and Moshi). Considered by some authors to be a subspecies of Ethiopian Boubou (Laniarius aethiopicus).
limpopoensis Roberts, 1922 - South-eastern Zimbabwe (area bordered by Sabi, Runde and Limpopo rivers) and extreme northern South Africa (northern Limpopo Province). Considered by some authors to be a subspecies of Ethiopian Boubou (Laniarius aethiopicus).
mossambicus (Fischer, GA & Reichenow, 1880) - Zambia and Malawi, extreme north-eastern Namibia (Caprivi Strip), northern and eastern Botswana, Zimbabwe (except south-eastern lowveld) and Mozambique. Considered by some authors to be a subspecies of Ethiopian Boubou (Laniarius aethiopicus).
BirdLife International Species Factsheet