It has black upper parts with a white flash on the wing, and bright scarlet underparts.

The generic name Laniarius was coined by the French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot and was meant to call attention to the butcher-like habits of the group.

In South West Africa its colours reminded Germans of their homeland flag and it therefore became the Reichsvogel ("Empire bird").

[4] This shrike is extremely nimble and restless, its penetrating whistles often being the first sign of its presence, although it is not a shy species.

[4] The crimson-breasted shrike is non-migratory and occurs in a broad swathe from southern Angola to the Free State province in South Africa and Northern Cape.