Bokmakierie

Telophorus zeylonus

The Bokmakierie (Telophorus zeylonus) is a bird found in South Africa. Scrub and gardens in southern Africa. It eats insects and other small invertebrates, reptiles and frogs and fruit. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

See the Bokmakierie on the 3D globe →

Scientific name	Telophorus zeylonus
Region	Africa
Found in	South Africa

🏡 Where the Bokmakierie lives

Scrub and gardens in southern Africa.

🍽️ What it eats

🐛 Insects & bugs70%
🦎 Reptiles & frogs10%
🍎 Fruit10%
🌰 Seeds & nuts10%

A rough guide to its diet over a year. Source: EltonTraits (Wilman et al. 2014).

Conservation status

LCNTVUENCREWEX

Least ConcernThere are plenty of these birds.

💡 Its name copies its call: "bok-bok-ka-keeee".

Hear the Bokmakierie

Recorded by Walter Wallner (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), xeno-canto XC1154033. Trimmed to a few seconds.

Questions about the Bokmakierie

Where does the Bokmakierie live?

The Bokmakierie lives in South Africa. Scrub and gardens in southern Africa.

What does the Bokmakierie eat?

insects and other small invertebrates (about 70%), reptiles and frogs (about 10%), fruit (about 10%), seeds and nuts (about 10%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the Bokmakierie endangered?

There are plenty of these birds. Its IUCN Red List category is Least Concern.

More birds from Africa

Sources: IUCN Red List (via Wikidata), EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014), GBIF sightings for countries, Wikipedia. Last updated 2026-10-19.