The white-tailed shrike (Lanioturdus torquatus) is a small passerine bird from the family Platysteiridae.

The very short tail, with a small black mark at the tip of the central two feathers, is always carried down, never sticking up.

This curious bird, which some consider to have close affinities with the batises and others the bushshrikes, was discovered in 1837 by James Edward Alexander in the Naukluft Mountains of Namibia.

It is a common, endemic, breeding resident in the region, small seasonal migrations taking place.

Nests are deep, neat well-moulded cups incorporating spider-web and placed about 3 metres above ground.