Cape Shoveler - Anas smithii - Endemic - Spatulate black bill, orange/yellow legs, mottled dark brown body. A common resident. Can be seen on the following Aves Tours / Safaris: -
Aves Arid Tour / Safari.
Aves Eastern Cape Tour / Safari.
Aves Highlands / Tembe Tour / Safari.
Aves KZN Tour / Safari.
Aves North East Tour / Safari.
Aves North West Tour / Safari.
Aves Western Cape Tour / Safari.
Aves West Coast Tour / Safari.
Cape Sugarbird - Promerops cafer - Endemic to the Western Cape - Long ribbon like tail, undertail covert's bright yellow, decurved bills, drink nectar and catch insects. A common resident. These beautiful birds can be seen on the following Aves Tours / Safaris: -
Aves Western Cape Tour / Safari.
Aves West Coast Tour / Safari.
African Penguin -Spheniscus demersus - Endemic - Black face, white half-moon shaped border and black band on chest. Localised resident. These beautiful birds can be seen on the following Aves Tours / Safaris: -
Aves Western Cape Tour / Safari.
Aves West Coast Tour / Safari.
Broad-billed Roller - Eurystomus glaucurus - Bright yellow broad bill, rich brown above, violet below. Very vocal. Fairly common breeding migrant.
Can be seen on the following Aves Tours / Safaris : -
Aves North East Tour / Safari.
Aves North West Tour / Safari.
Cape Shoveler - Anas smithii - Endemic - Spatulate black bill, orange/yellow legs, mottled dark brown body. A common resident. This bird can be seen on the following Aves Tours / Safaris: -
Aves Eastern Cape Tour / Safari.
Aves Highlands / Tembe Tour / Safari.
Aves KZN Tour / Safari.
Aves North East Tour / Safari.
Aves North West Tour / Safari.
Aves Western Cape Tour / Safari.
Aves West Coast Tour / Safari.
Cape Teal - Anas capensis - A pale duck with speckled head and a rosepink bill. A common resident in western arid regions. This Teal can be seen on the following Aves Tours / Safaris: -
Aves Eastern Cape Tour / Safari.
Aves Highlands / Tembe Tour / Safari.
Aves KZN Tour / Safari.
Aves North East Tour / Safari.
Aves North West Tour / Safari.
Aves Western Cape Tour / Safari.
Aves West Coast Tour / Safari.
Crested Francolin - Dendropederdix sephaena -Mottled brown above, Buff below heavily streaked chestnut on chest, finely barred on belly, bill black, legs red. A very common resident. This bird can be seen on the following Aves Tours / Safaris: -
Aves Highlands / Tembe Tour / Safari.
Aves KZN Tour / Safari.
Aves North East Tour / Safari.
Aves North West Tour / Safari.
Dark-capped Bulbul - Pycnonotus tricolor -Dark eye and eye-ring. Overall brown with a yellow vent. A very common resident. This bird can be seen on the following Aves Tours / Safaris: -
Aves Eastern Cape Tour / Safari.
Aves Highlands / Tembe Tour / Safari.
Aves KZN Tour / Safari.
Aves North East Tour / Safari.
Aves North West Tour / Safari.
Maccoa Duck - Oxyura maccoa - Sits low in water, body bright chestnut, head black, bill blue. Often with tail cocked. An uncommon resident. This bird can be seen on the following Aves Tours / Safaris: -
Aves Eastern Cape Tour / Safari.
Aves Highlands / Tembe Tour / Safari.
Aves North West Tour / Safari.
Aves Western Cape Tour / Safari.
Aves West Coast Tour / Safari.
Orange-breasted Sunbird - Anthobaphes violacea - Endemic - Metallic geen head, back and throat. Orange/yellow chest and belly. Elongated central tail feathers. A common resident. This beautiful bird can be seen on the following Aves Tours / Safaris: -
Aves Western Cape Tour / Safari.
Aves West Coast Tour / Safari.
African Jacana - Actophilomis africanus - Body rich chestnut,foreneck white,very long toes. A common resident. The African Jacana can be seen on the following Aves Tours / Safaris : -
Aves Eastern Cape Tour / Safari.
Aves Highlands / Tembe Tour / Safari.
Aves KZN Tour / Safari.
Aves North East Tour / Safari.
Aves North West Tour / Safari.
Bateleur – Terathopius ecaudatus – Red legs and facial skin, chestnut brown back, tawny wing covert’s. Short tail. A common resident in conservation areas. This striking bird can be seen on the following Aves Tours / Safaris : -
Aves Arid Tour / Safari.
Aves KZN Tour / Safari.
Aves North East Tour / Safari.
Aves North West Tour / Safari.
Photographed by P. Sievers
Double-banded Sandgrouse – Pterocles bicinctus – Near Endemic – Double white bands on forehead of the male. A black and white bar on lower chest. Fine black barring on the belly of both male and female. A common resident. This striking bird can be seen on the following Aves Tours / Safaris: -
Aves Arid Tour / Safari.
Aves North East Tour / Safari.
Aves North West Tour / Safari.
Photographed by P. Sievers
Green-backed Heron - Butorides striata - A small heron with grey neck and underparts, metallic grey/green back, scaled pattern to wings and black cap. Yellow legs and feet. A common resident. This small heron can be seen on the following Aves Birding Tours / Safaris : -
Aves Eastern Cape Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves KZN Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves North East Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves North West BirdingTour / Safari.
Glossy Ibis – Plegadis falcinellus – Long decurved grey bill, bronze brown with iridescent green wings. A locally common resident. These striking birds can be seen on the following Aves Birding Tours / Safaris : -
Aves Eastern Cape Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves Highlands / Tembe Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves KZN Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves North East Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves North West Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves Western Cape Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves West Coast Birding Tour / Safari.
Lesser Swamp-Warbler – Acrocephalus gracilirostris – A sparrow sized warbler, dark plain upperparts, pale underparts, dark brown legs and white eyebrow. A distinctive call, an inquisitive bird. A common resident. This warbler can be seen on the following Aves Birding Tours / Safaris : - Aves Eastern Cape Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves Highlands / Tembe Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves KZN Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves North East Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves North West Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves Western Cape Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves West Coast Birding Tour / Safari.
Grey-headed Bush-Shrike – Malaconotus blanchoti – A large Bush-Shrike with heavy black bill, yellow underparts with orange wash, grey head, white eye patch in front of a yellow eye. A fairly common resident. This striking Bush-Shrike can be seen on the following Aves Tours / Safaris : -
Aves Eastern Cape Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves Highlands / Tembe Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves KZN Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves North East Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves North West Birding Tour / Safari.
Photographed by P. Sievers
African Pygmy-Goose - Nettapus auritus - A small goose, white face, yellow bill with black tip, male has a green patch on neck, dark green upperparts and orange/brown body. A locally common resident.
This beautiful bird can be seen on the following Aves Birding Tours / Safaris : -
Aves KZN Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves North East Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves North West Birding Tour / Safari.
Red-billed Hornbill - Tockus erythrorhynchus - Red bill, white eye-brow which extends down the neck and white speckling on wings. A common resident. This hornbill can be seen on the following Aves Birding Tours / Safaris : -
Aves KZN Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves North East Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves North West Birding Tour / Safari.
Red-eyed Dove - Streptopelia semitorquata - A large dove with black collar, pale forehead, grey on top of head, red eye, red eye-ring and pinkish chest. This dove can be seen on the following Aves Birding Tours / Safaris : -
Aves Arid Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves Eastern Cape Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves Highlands / Tembe Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves KZN Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves North East Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves North West Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves Western Cape Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves West Coast Birding Tour / Safari.
African Sacred Ibis - Threskiornis aethiopicus - A bare black head and neck with decurved black bill. A white bird with loose black feathers covering the back and tail. A common resident. This large pied Ibis can be seen on the following Aves Birding Tours / Safaris : -
Aves Eastern Cape Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves Highlands / Tembe Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves KZN Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves North East Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves North West Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves Western Cape Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves West Coast Birding Tour / Safari.
Southern Bald Ibis - Geronticus calvus - Endemic - Large Ibis, bare red head, red bill and pink legs. Glossy green/black plumage with coppery patches. A locally common resident. This bird can be seen on the following Aves Tours / Safaris: -
Aves Highlands / Tembe Tour / Safari.
Aves KZN Tour / Safari.
Southern Pochard - Netta erythrophthalma - The male has glossy blackish/brown color, dark long neck and head, bright red eye and a blue/grey bill. A common resident. This striking duck can be seen on the following Aves Birding Tours / Safaris : -
Aves Eastern Cape Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves Highlands / Tembe Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves KZN Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves North East Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves North West Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves Western Cape Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves West Coast Birding Tour / Safari.
Cape Bulbul - Pycnonotus capensis - Endemic to Western Cape - A overall brown appearance with a white eye-ring and yellow vent. A common resident. Can be seen on both the Aves Western Cape Tour / Safari and Aves West Coast Tour / Safari.
Cape Cormorant - Phalacrocorax capensis - Endemic - Greenish blue eyes, crestless head, face and throat bright yellow. Short tail. Abundant resident and nomad. These birds can be seen on the following Aves Tours / Safaris: -
Aves Western Cape Tour / Safari.
Aves West Coast Tour / Safari.
Burchell’s Coucal – Centropus burchellii- Near Endemic – Red eye, black head and neck. Pale underparts. Barred rump and upper tail coverts. A common resident. This bird can be seen on the following Aves Tours / Safaris: -
Aves Eastern Cape Tour / Safari.
Aves Highlands / Tembe Tour / Safari.
Aves KZN Tour / Safari.
Aves North East Tour / Safari.
Aves North West Tour / Safari.
Aves Western Cape Tour / Safari.
Aves West Coast Tour / Safari.
Photographed by P. Sievers
Golden Breasted Bunting – Emberiza flaviventris – Boldly striped head, yellow underparts, with orange breast, white stripe below the eye, brown/chestnut mantle. A common resident. This striking bird can be seen on the following Aves Tours / Safaris: -
Aves Arid Tour / Safari.
Aves Eastern Cape Tour / Safari.
Aves Highlands / Tembe Tour / Safari.
Aves KZN Tour / Safari.
Aves North East Tour / Safari.
Aves North West Tour / Safari.
Photographed by P. Sievers
Violet-backed Starling – Cinnyricinclus leucogaster – Males have a glossy violet plumage and white chest and belly. Yellow eye. A common summer visitor. This striking starling can be seen on the following Aves Tours / Safaris : -
Aves Highlands / Tembe Tour / Safari.
Aves KZN Tour / Safari.
Aves North East Tour / Safari.
Aves North West Tour / Safari.
Photographed by P. Sievers
African Pygmy-Goose - Nettapus auritus - A small goose, white face, yellow bill with black tip, male has a green patch on neck, dark green upperparts and orange/brown body. A locally common resident.
This beautiful bird can be seen on the following Aves Birding Tours / Safaris : -
Aves KZN Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves North East Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves North West Birding Tour / Safari.
Arrow-marked Babbler – Turdoides jardineii- A brown babbler with whitish, arrow-like streaks above and below. Bright orange-red eyes. A common resident. These gregarious babblers can be seen on the following Aves Tours / Safaris : -
Aves Highlands / Tembe Tour / Safari.
Aves KZN Tour / Safari.
Aves North East Tour / Safari.
Aves North West Tour / Safari.
Photographed by P. Sievers
Green-backed Heron – Butorides striata – Black cap, grey/green upperparts, grey neck and underparts with yellow legs and feet. A common resident. This small heron can be seen on the following Aves Tours / Safaris : -
Aves Highlands / Tembe Tour / Safari.
Aves KZN Tour / Safari.
Aves North East Tour / Safari.
Aves North West Tour / Safari.
Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill – Tockus leucomelas – Near Endemic – Large yellow bill and bare red facial skin. Black and white patterning on the upperparts. A common resident. This conspicuous hornbill can be seen on the following Aves Birding Tours / Safaris : -
Aves Arid Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves KZN Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves North East Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves North West Birding Tour / Safari.
Black-shouldered Kite - Elanus caeruleus - is a small raptor with a wide distribution in Africa, Madagascar, Iberia and Tropical Asia. It is found in varied habitats, from desert to open woodland, being most common in open grassland.
A small almost
Owl-faced raptor, with large head, long pointed wings that project beyond the
tip of the tail which is short and square-ended.
Genders look alike but females are slightly larger.
Adults have pale grey upperparts, crown and nape, the wings grey with diagnostic
black shoulder patch. The
leading edge of the inner wing is black. They have a white
foreheads, eyebrow, sides of head and underparts. The eye is red, bill black, cere
and legs yellow. Juveniles
have a rusty brown head, upper breast, and the back and wings are mottled buff
or brown with prominent white tips. The young birds eyes are brown.
Black-shouldered Kites are generally silent, except in the breeding season. They utter a clear whistled 'chee, chee, chee' in flight and while hovering, or a hoarse wheezing 'skree-ah' when perched.
They roost and nest in trees and is on the wing early in the morning. It spends most of each day perched often on telegraph posts and dead trees. "Tail flicking" on landing. The tail is flicked up and lowered and the movement repeated persistently is thought to be a possible territorial display.
Black-shouldered Kites live almost exclusively on mice, foraging from either a perch or by hovering. Once they spot something they drop down in stages. They also feed on Insects, Lizards and small Birds.
Aerial courtship displays involve single and mutual high circling flight, and the male may fly around slowly with stiff exaggerated flaps. Courting males dive at the female, feeding her in mid-flight. Females select males based on the quality of his territory. They form monogamous pairs, with a breeding season is throughout the year, peaking Spring and Autumn. Both sexes build the nest, which is a untidy shallow cup of sticks usually in the foliage near the top of trees. Between 2 and 6 eggs are laid, which are mainly incubated by the female for about 30 days. The chicks are brooded mainly by the female, while the male brings the food. The young make their first flights after 33 days and become fully independent after about 60 days.
Black-shouldered Kites are not threatened in Southern Africa, in fact they have greatly benefited from agriculture and the introduction of alien trees used for nesting in otherwise treeless areas.
This striking small kite can be seen on the following Aves Birding Tours / Safaris / Adventures: -
Aves Arid Birding Tour / Safari /Adventure.
Aves Eastern Cape Birding Tour / Safari /Adventure.
Aves Highlands / Tembe Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves KZN Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves North East Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves North West Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves Western Cape Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves West Coast Birding Tour / Safari /Adventure.
Pied Kingfisher – Ceryle rudis – Black and white large kingfisher, long black bill, males have two black chest bands. A common resident. This black and white kingfisher can be seen on the following Aves Birding Tours / Safaris : -
Aves Eastern Cape Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves Highlands / Tembe Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves KZN Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves North East Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves North West Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves Western Cape Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves West Coast Birding Tour / Safari.
Little Bee-eater – Merops pusillus – A small bee-eater, yellow throat, black collar, yellow-brown underparts and a square tail. A common resident. This beautiful small bee-eater can be seen on the following Aves Birding Tours / Safaris : -
Aves KZN Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves North East Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves North West Birding Tour / Safari.
White-fronted Bee-eater – Merops bullockoides – White forehead and upper throat, red lower throat, cinnamon-brown underparts and a dark blue vent. Back green. A common resident. This beautiful bee-eater can be seen on the following Aves Birding Tours / Safaris : -
Aves KZN Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves North East Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves North West Birding Tour / Safari.
Bokmakerie - Telephorus zeylonus - Endemic - Back bright olive green, below bright yellow with black breastband. A common resident.
The Bokmakierie can be seen on the following Aves Tours / Safaris : -
Aves Arid Tour / Safari.
Aves Eastern Cape Tour / Safari.
Aves Highlands / Tembe Tour / Safari.
Aves KZN Tour / Safari.
Aves North East Tour / Safari.
Aves North West Tour / Safari.
Aves Western Cape Tour / Safari.
Aves West Coast Tour / Safari.
Karoo Korhaan – Eupodotis vigorsil – Endemic – Plain face, lack of facial markings, plain crown and black throat. Female has smaller black throat patch. A common resident. This korhaan can be seen on the following Aves Birding Tours / Safaris : -
Aves Western Cape Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves West Coast Birding Tour / Safari.
Cape Bulbul - Pycnonotus capensis - Endemic to Western Cape - A overall brown appearance with a white eye-ring and yellow vent. A common resident. These bulbul's can be seen on the following Aves Birding Tours / Safaris: -
Aves Western Cape Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves West Coast Birding Tour / Safari.
Woodland Kingfisher – Halcyon senegalensis – Red and black bill, lower mandible black, black band through the eye, upperparts bright blue, underparts white. A common summer visitor. This striking kingfisher can be seen on the following Aves Birding Tours / Safaris : -
Aves Highlands / Tembe Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves KZN Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves North East Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves North West Birding Tour / Safari.
Photographed by P. Sievers
Cape Rock-Thrush – Monticola rupestris – Endemic – The male has a blue/grey head, rich orange upper breast and mottled brown upperparts. A common resident. This striking Rock-thrush can be seen on the following Aves Birding Tours / Safaris : -
Aves Eastern Cape Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves Highlands / Tembe Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves KZN Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves North East Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves North West Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves Western Cape Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves West Coast Birding Tour / Safari.
Little Bee-eater – Merops pusillus – A small bee-eater, yellow throat, black collar, yellow-brown underparts and a square tail. A common resident. This beautiful small bee-eater can be seen on the following Aves Birding Tours / Safaris : -
Aves KZN Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves North East Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves North West Birding Tour / Safari.
Barn Owl – Tyto alba – A medium sized owl, pale/whitish underparts, pale brown patches in upperparts and a white shaped facial disc. A common resident. This slim built owl can be seen on the following Aves Tours / Safaris : -
Aves Arid Tour / Safari.
Aves Eastern Cape Tour / Safari.
Aves Highlands / Tembe Tour / Safari.
Aves KZN Tour / Safari.
Aves North East Tour / Safari.
Aves North West Tour / Safari.
Aves Western Cape Tour / Safari.
Aves West Coast Tour / Safari.
Streaky-headed Seedeater - Crithagra gularis - Streaked Crown, Pale Eyebrow, grey/brown cheeks and plain underparts. A common resident.
This seedeater can be seen on the following Aves Birding Tours / Safaris : -
Aves Eastern Cape Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves Highlands / Tembe Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves KZN Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves North East Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves North West Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves Western Cape Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves West Coast Birding Tour / Safari.
Caspian Tern – Hydroprogne caspia- Largest tern in Southern Africa with a massive red bill. Black cap in breeding plumage and streaked white non breeding. Rump, tail underparts and underwing white, upperparts grey. A common resident. This very large tern can be seen on the following Aves Tours / Safaris : -
Aves Eastern Cape Tour / Safari.
Aves KZN Tour / Safari.
Aves Western Cape Tour / Safari.
Aves West Coast Tour / Safari.
Great Egret – Egretta alba – The largest white egret, legs and toes black, yellow gape extends behind the eye, bill, orange/yellow non-breeding and black breeding. A long neck. A fairly common resident. This very large white egret can be seen on the following Aves Birding Tours / Safaris : -
Aves Highlands / Tembe Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves KZN Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves North East Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves North West Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves Western Cape Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves West Coast Birding Tour / Safari.
Yellow-billed Egret – Egretta intermedia – Yellow bill, yellow upper legs, lower legs black, yellow gape finishes below the eye. An uncommon resident. This medium sized egret can be seen on the following Aves Birding Tours / Safaris : -
Aves Eastern Cape Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves Highlands / Tembe Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves KZN Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves North East Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves North West Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves Western Cape Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves West Coast Birding Tour / Safari.
Little Egret – Egretta garzetta – Plumes on back of head, pointed slender black bill, black legs with yellow feet. A fairly common resident. This small to medium white egret can be seen on the following Aves Birding Tours / Safaris : -
Aves Arid Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves Eastern Cape Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves Highlands / Tembe Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves KZN Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves North East Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves North West Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves Western Cape Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves West Coast Birding Tour / Safari.
Barn Swallows – Hirundo rustica- Chestnut forehead and throat with dark chest band, off-white belly, upperparts metallic blue. An abundant summer visitor. This beautiful swallow can be seen on the following Aves Birding Tours / Safaris : -
Aves Arid Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves Eastern Cape Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves Highlands / Tembe Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves KZN Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves North East Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves North West Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves Western Cape Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves West Coast Birding Tour / Safari.
Brown-throated Martin – Riparia paludicola – A slender brown martin, which occurs in a white bellied form and a completely brown form. A common resident. This beautiful martin can be seen on the following Aves Birding Tours / Safaris : -
Aves Arid Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves Eastern Cape Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves Highlands / Tembe Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves KZN Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves North East Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves North West Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves Western Cape Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves West Coast Birding Tour / Safari.
Grey Plover – Pluvialis squatarola – A medium sized plover. A dark patch behind the eye. Upperparts mottled brownish grey and white. Breeding plumage the underparts and face are black. A common summer visitor, some overwinter. This robust plover can be seen on the following Aves Birding Tours / Safaris / Adventures: -
Aves Eastern Cape Birding Tour / Safari / Adventures.
Aves KZN Birding Tour / Safari / Adventures.
Aves Western Cape Birding Tour / Safari / Adventures.
Aves West Coast Birding Tour / Safari / Adventures.
African Snipe – Gallinago nigripennis – Long straight bill, shortish yellow legs, white belly, uppertail feathers rufous, dark brown eye. A common resident. This strking snipe can be seen on the following Aves Birding Tours / Safaris / Adventures: -
Aves Eastern Cape Birding Tour / Safari / Adventures.
Aves Highlands / Tembe Birding Tour / Safari / Adventures.
Aves KZN Birding Tour / Safari / Adventures.
Aves North East Birding Tour / Safari / Adventures.
Aves North West Birding Tour / Safari / Adventures.
Aves Western Cape Birding Tour / Safari / Adventures.
Aves West Coast Birding Tour / Safari / Adventures.
Glossy Ibis – Plegadis falcinellus – Long decurved grey bill, bronze brown with iridescent green wings. A locally common resident. These striking birds can be seen on the following Aves Birding Tours / Safaris : -
Aves Eastern Cape Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves Highlands / Tembe Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves KZN Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves North East Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves North West Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves Western Cape Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves West Coast Birding Tour / Safari.
Malachite Kingfisher – Alcedo cristata – A small aquatic kingfisher with blue upperparts, orange-brown underparts, white throats and red legs. Adults have red bills, immature’s have black bills. A common resident. This strikingly beautiful kingfisher can be seen on the following Aves Birding Tours / Safaris / Adventures: -
Aves Eastern Cape Birding Tour / Safari / Adventures.
Aves Highlands / Tembe Birding Tour / Safari / Adventures.
Aves KZN Birding Tour / Safari / Adventures.
Aves North East Birding Tour / Safari / Adventures.
Aves North West Birding Tour / Safari / Adventures.
Aves Western Cape Birding Tour / Safari / Adventures.
Aves West Coast Birding Tour / Safari / Adventures.
Namaqua Dove – Oena capensis – A small dove, identified by long pointed tail, male has black face, neck and breast with red bill with yellow tip. A common resident. This beautiful dove can be seen on the following Aves Birding Tours / Safaris / Adventures: -
Aves Arid Birding Tour / Safari / Adventures.
Aves Highlands / Tembe Birding Tour / Safari / Adventures.
Aves KZN Birding Tour / Safari / Adventures.
Aves North East Birding Tour / Safari / Adventures.
Aves North West Birding Tour / Safari / Adventures.
Aves Western Cape Birding Tour / Safari / Adventures.
Aves West Coast Birding Tour / Safari / Adventures.
Laughing Dove – Streptopelia senegalensis – A medium sized dove with pinkish head, cinnamon neck with black spots, rusty coloured back. White outer tail feathers. A common to abundant resident. This dove can be seen on the following Aves Birding Tours / Safaris / Adventures: -
Aves Arid Birding Tour / Safari / Adventures.
Aves Eastern Cape Birding Tour / Safari / Adventures.
Aves Highlands / Tembe Birding Tour / Safari / Adventures.
Aves KZN Birding Tour / Safari / Adventures.
Aves North East Birding Tour / Safari / Adventures.
Aves North West Birding Tour / Safari / Adventures.
Aves Western Cape Birding Tour / Safari / Adventures.
Aves West Coast Birding Tour / Safari / Adventures.
Secretarybird
The Secretarybird - Sagittarius serpentarius - is a large, mostly terrestrial bird of prey Endemic to Africa. It is usually found in the open grasslands and savannah in sub-Saharan Africa. The majestic Secretarybird is in serious decline and is now classified as Globally Vulnerable.
The Secretarybird is instantly recognizable as having an eagle-like body on crane like legs. They have rounded wings and in flight it resembles a crane more than a bird of prey. The bird gets its name from its crest of long feathers that look like the quill pens of 19th century office workers used to tuck behind their ears. It is basically dove-grey in color, with black on the wings, thighs and elongated central tail feathers. It has an eagle like head with a short, down-curved bill is backed by an area of bare, red and yellow skin. The tail has two elongated central feathers that extend beyond the feet during flight. Sexes exhibit very little sexual dimorphism, although the male has longer head plumes and tail feathers.
The Secretary bird walks well on its long legs, and will walk roughly 40km per day. It finds most of its food on the ground and will stamp on grass tussocks to scare up lizards, grasshoppers, and small mammals or birds.
Adults hunt in pairs, stalking through the habitat with long strides. Prey consists of insects, snakes, other reptiles, amphibians, tortoises, rats and other small mammals as well as young game birds. It also waits near fires, eating anything it can that is trying to escape. Secretary Birds have two distinct feeding strategies that are both executed on land. They can either catch prey by chasing it and striking with the bill, or stamping on prey until it is rendered stunned or unconscious enough to swallow.
Secretary birds pair for life and are remarkably faithful to their nest site. The nest is generally placed on top of a tree, usually an acacia. During courtship, they exhibit a nuptial display by soaring high with undulating flight patterns and calling with guttural croaking. Males and females can also perform a grounded display by chasing each other with their wings up and back, much like the way they chase prey.
Secretary birds lay two to three oval, rough textured, pale-green/white eggs over the course of two to three days. The eggs are incubated primarily by the female for 45 days. Both the parents feed the young and are fed liquefied and regurgitated insects directly by the male or female and are eventually weaned to small mammals and reptile fragments regurgitated onto the nest. At 60 days, the young start to flap their wings, and by 65 to 80 days are able to fledge.
The Secretary Bird has traditionally been admired in Africa for its striking appearance and ability to deal with pests and snakes. Africans sometimes call it the Devil's Horse. As such it has often not been molested, although this is changing as traditional observances have declined.
Conservation Status: - Globally Vulnerable.
These majestic birds can be seen on the following Aves Birding Tours/Safaris/Adventures: -
Aves Arid Birding Tour / Safari /Adventure.
Aves Eastern Cape Birding Tour / Safari /Adventure.
Aves Highlands / Tembe Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves KZN Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves North East Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves North West Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves Western Cape Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves West Coast Birding Tour / Safari /Adventure.
Cape Weaver
The Cape Weaver - Ploceus capensis - is Endemic to South Africa. This common species occurs in grassland, agricultural and fynbos habitats, often near rivers. A large weaver with a long, pointed black bill. Male less brilliant yellow than other ‘golden’ weavers. The face and throat has a brown to orange wash. Breeding male’s eye is pale. Females and non-breeding males are olive to olive-brown above and pale yellow below; juvenile and females have brown eyes.
The male call includes a harsh alarm “chack” a long sequence of chattering, swizzling, bubbly notes and a soft “chack” contact call.
The flight is fast and direct. These birds bathe frequently and are always found in flocks and form large roosts throughout the year.
Forages mostly on the ground where it will turn over stones, cow patties and search tree bark for insects. They feed on a wide variety of seeds, grain and insects. Nearly equal parts animal and vegetable matter. Also known to eat flowers and drink nectar.
It breeds in noisy colonies in trees and reed-beds. This weaver builds a large coarsely woven nest made of grass and leaf strips with a downward facing entrance which is suspended from a branch or reed. A Male may have up to 7 female in one breeding season. Males build the nest and females will inspect it and will not solicit copulation until she has decided on a nest which she will then line with fine grass, down and feathers. The nest is an oblong kidney shape. The breeding season is from June to February, in summer rainfall areas, earlier from August to October in the Western Cape. Two to Five eggs are laid which only the female will incubate for between 13 to 14 days. Normally the female does most feeding of young, predominantly insects, however, some males may share almost equal feeding duties. On average nestling period lasts 17 days.
Conservation Status – Least Concern.
These large striking weavers can be seen on the following Aves Birding Tours/Safaris/Adventures: -
Aves Eastern Cape Birding Tour / Safari /Adventure.
Aves Highlands / Tembe Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves KZN Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves North East Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves North West Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves Western Cape Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves West Coast Birding Tour / Safari /Adventure.
The Common Swift - Apus apus - is special in many ways, the body is the perfect development for flying in the air. It does everything in the air, except breeding. It finds its prey there and feeds on the wing. It preens and plays in the air. It sleeps there most of the time. It mates and collects nesting material on the wing. It drinks while flying or takes showers when its bill dives and splashes water.
The Common Swift is blackish-brown except for a small white or pale grey patch on the chin. They have a short forked tail and very long swept-back wings. These birds have very short legs which they use only for clinging to vertical surfaces.
Common Swifts are migratory and in midsummer they are found in the UK and Europe and winter in Southern Africa. These swifts have been known to live for as long as 21 years and can survive bad weather by entering what is called torpor, a coma-like condition in which its metabolism slows to almost nothing.
The call is a loud scream in two different tone pitches, of which the higher one is from the female and the lower one from the male. They often form 'screaming parties' during summer evenings where about 10-15 gather and fly around in circles calling.
Common Swifts spend most of their lives in the air, living on the insects they catch in their beaks. It feeds exclusively on arthropods, especially insects, foraging at much higher altitudes than local-breeding swifts, often reaching heights of 1500-3000 m above ground. It usually flies at 36-90 km/hr, but it has been known to reach 216 km/hr in certain conditions! If it is cold and wet it descends lower, often feeding on termite alate emergences. Interestingly, it is permanently airborne in its non-breeding grounds, roosting on the wing.
Common Swifts fly at least 560 miles per day during the nesting season.
It is faithful to its breeding place arriving around the 1st May in Central Europe. It's the last to arrive at its northern breeding grounds and the first to leave. They build their nests in all suitable hollows in buildings, under window sills, in the corner rafters of wooden buildings, in chimneys, and in smokestacks. They also breed in holes of caves or hollows of trees. Nowadays they mostly use holes in walls or a free space under the eves of houses. They accept nest boxes too and don't fear humans. A swift will return to the same nesting site year after year, rebuilding its nest when necessary. Swifts lay 2-3 eggs and incubate and hatch the chicks together. Young swifts in the nest can drop their body temperature and become torpid if bad weather prevents their parents from catching insects nearby. At the end of July the young will leave the nest. Around the 1st of August the parents will leave Central Europe for Africa.
Common Swift nests commonly support populations of the Chewing Louse and the Louse fly.
Conservation Status: - Least concern.
Not threatened, in fact has a stable estimated population of 25 million individuals.
These very special birds can be seen in the southern summer months on the following Aves Birding Tours/Safaris/Adventures: -
Aves Arid Birding Tour / Safari /Adventure.
Aves Eastern Cape Birding Tour / Safari /Adventure.
Aves Highlands / Tembe Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves KZN Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves North East Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves North West Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves Western Cape Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves West Coast Birding Tour / Safari /Adventure.
Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk - Meierax canorus - Mostly light grey, rump broadly white, belly finely barredgreyand white. Cere and legs red, underwing plain white. A very common resident. This bird can be seen on the following Aves Tours / Safaris: -
Aves Arid Tour / Safari.
Aves Highlands / Tembe Tour / Safari.
Aves North West Tour / Safari.
Aves Western Cape Tour / Safari.
Aves West Coast Tour / Safari.
The Cape White-eye - Zosterops pallidus, is Endemic to Southern Africa. Traditionally, the Cape White-eye and the Orange River White-eye have been treated as separate species. It is found in a wide range of densely to lightly wooded habitats. Most populations are resident, but some perform minor seasonal movements. This is a sociable species forming large flocks outside the breeding season.
This bird has a conspicuous ring of white feathers round the eye. The upperparts are green, the throat and vent are bright yellow, the breast and belly grey.
They are very vocal. The song consists of repeated long jerky phrases of sweet reedy notes, varying in pitch, volume and temp, usually starting off with teee teee or pirrup pirrup notes, then becoming a fast rambled jumble of notes, which may incorporate mimicked phrases of other birdcalls.
The breeding season is from September to December. Both sexes construct the nest in about 5 to 9 days. It is a small cup built of materials collected near the nest site. The nest is typically concealed in the foliage of a tree or bush, slung between a few branches and well hidden. The egg-laying season peaks from October to December. Two or four unspotted pale blue eggs are laid and incubated by both sexes. The eggs hatch between 11 and 13 days and the young fledge in another 12 to13 days. Both parents brood and feed the chicks that remain in the foliage surrounding the nest for some time. During this period they are very vulnerable to predator attacks.
The Cape White-eye feeds mainly on insects, but also soft fleshy flowers, nectar, fruit and small grains. It readily comes to bird feeders. It eats a variety of invertebrates (especially aphids), fruit and nectar, foraging in pairs or small parties year-round. It mainly gleans prey from leaves and branches, occasionally plucking an insect from the air or ground.
Not threatened, in fact it has benefited from the introduction of suburban gardens.
The White-throated Swallow - Hirundo albigularis, is common species, found in southern Africa, which has benefited from the increased nesting opportunities presented by the construction of bridges and dams.
It has glossy dark blue upperparts and a bright chestnut crown. A dark blue-black breast band separates the white throat from the greyish white underparts and underwing coverts. The upper wings, underwing flight feathers and forked tail are blackish-blue, but the undertail has white patches near the feather tips. The white throat and blackish breast band are distinctions from the Barn Swallow. The outer feathers are slightly longer in the male than the female. Juveniles are duller than the adult, with shorter outer tail feathers and a browner crown.
This is a bird of open country and grassland, with a preference for highlands and nearby water. It is often found around man-made structures.
It exclusively eats airborne insects, doing most of its foraging close to the ground, hawking prey aerially.
This swallow breeds in Southern Africa. It builds a bowl-shaped mud nest with a soft lining of grass or hair. It is usually near or over water, and is built on a ledge under an overhang on a rock face or on a man-made structure such as a building, dam wall, culvert or bridge. Uninhabited buildings are preferred to houses. The nest may be reused for subsequent broods or in later years. It is a monogamous, solitary nester, with one breeding pair producing multiple broods in a single breeding season.
The egg-laying season is from August to March, peaking between October and December. They lay 2 to 5, white with brown and blue blotched eggs, usually 3 eggs which are incubated by the female for 15 to 18 days. The young are fed by both parents. The chicks fledge between 18 and25 days, but roost in the nest for at least 2 weeks.
Not threatened, in fact its range and population have increased in the Western Cape due to the increasing availability of man-made nest sites.
Barn Swallows – Hirundo rustica- is the most widespread species of swallow in the world. Adults migrate long distances to their wintering grounds. An abundant summer visitor to Southern Africa. Adults may live to10 years. Its preferred habitat is open country with low vegetation, such as pasture, meadows and farmland, preferably with nearby water.
Description
The adult male has steel blue upperparts and a rufous forehead, chin and throat, which are separated from the off-white underparts by a broad dark blue breast band. The outer tail feathers are elongated; giving the distinctive deeply forked "swallow tail." There is a line of white spots across the outer end of the upper tail.
The female is similar in appearance to the male, but the tail streamers are shorter, the blue of the upperparts and breast band is less glossy and the underparts paler. The juvenile is browner and has a paler rufous face and whiter underparts. It also lacks the long tail streamers of the adult.
Call
The song of the Barn Swallow is a cheerful warble, often ending with su-seer with the second note higher than the first but falling in pitch. Calls include witt or witt-witt and a loud splee-plink when excited.
Food
Mainly insects caught on the wing. A diverse range of insects including Mosquitoes, flies and moths. These swallows also drink on the wing, dipping beaks into the water in flight.
Breeding
The male Barn Swallow returns to the breeding grounds before the females and selects a nest site, which is then advertised to females with a circling flight and song. The breeding success of the male is related to the length of the tail streamers, with longer streamers being more attractive to the female.
Females build cup shaped nests out of mud and grasses usually against a hard vertical surface, such as eaves of buildings or under bridges. They often choose the same nest site year after year. Females lay three to five eggs that they incubate for two to three weeks. After hatching, the chicks will remain in the nest for another three to four weeks before fledging. Adults will rear two broods each year, depending on the weather and supply of insects.
Birdwatching
This beautiful swallow can be seen on the following Aves Birding Tours / Safaris/Adventures: -
Aves Arid Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves Eastern Cape Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves Highlands / Tembe Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves KZN Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves North East Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves North West Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves Western Cape Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves West Coast Birding Tour / Safari.
The Chaffinch - Fringilla coelebs - is widespread and very familiar throughout Europe. It is the most common finch in Western Europe, and the second most common bird in the Britain. Its range extends into western Asia, northwestern Africa. It was introduced from Britain into a number of its overseas territories in the 18th and 19th centuries. In New Zealand it is a common species. In South Africa a very small breeding colony in the suburbs of Tokai, Constantia, Houtbay, Newlands and Rondebosch, is the only remnant of the introduction. It uses a range of habitats, but open woodland is favored, although it is common in gardens and on farmland. This bird is not migratory in the milder parts of its range, but vacates the colder regions in winter. In South Africa it almost exclusively occupies plantations, alien woodlands, parks and gardens, rarely moving into mountain fynbos.
Description
The Chaffinch's large double white wing bars, white tail edges and greenish rump easily identify this species. The breeding male is unmistakable; it has a pink breast and cheeks, blue-grey crown and nape, and chestnut brown back. In summer, its bill is grey-blue, turning to pale brown in the winter. The female has an olive-brown back, and grey-brown underparts becoming almost white towards the rump, which is greenish. The juveniles are similar to the female but lack the greenish rump. The bill is brown in both the female and juveniles.
Call
You'll usually hear chaffinches before you see them, with their loud song and varied calls. The song can be remembered by the phrase: "chip chip chip chooee chooee cheeoo". Males typically sing two or three different song types. The Chaffinch is well known for its "rain" call which is a repetitive short trill, and a loud "pink pink" call.
Food
The main food of the chaffinch is seeds, but unlike most finches, the young are fed extensively on insects, and adults also eat insects in the breeding season.
Breeding
It builds its nest in the fork of a tree or shrub and decorates the exterior with moss or lichen to make it less conspicuous. The female lays 3 to 6 eggs, which are greenish-blue with purple speckling. Incubation by the female for 13 to 16 days. The newly-hatched young are fed by both adults and fledge after 14 to 18 days. Breeding in the UK starts in April with 1 or 2 clutches per season. The egg-laying season is from September-November in South Africa.
Conservation Status –Least Concern
In Europe and the UK. In South Africa the range does not seem to be expanding.
Bird watching
These striking finches can be seen on the following Aves Birding Tours/Safaris/Adventures: -
Aves Western Cape Birding Tour/Safari/Adventure
Aves West Coast Birding Tour/Safari/Adventure
Aves Day Tours In the Western Cape.
The Speckled Pigeon - Columba guinea - is a resident breeding bird in much of Sub Saharan Africa. It is a common and widespread species in open habitats over a good deal of its range. This bird occurs from Senegal to Ethiopia south to Tanzania, with a separate population in south-western Angola and southern Africa. The Speckled Pigeon is frequently seen around human habitation and cultivation. Its flight is quick, with the regular beats and an occasional sharp flick of the wings which are characteristic of pigeons in general.
Description
This is a large pigeon with rufous back and wings, the latter heavily speckled with white spots. The rest of the upperparts and underparts are blue-grey, and the head is grey with red patches around the eye. The neck is brownish, streaked with white, and the legs are red. Sexes are similar, but immatures are browner than adults.
Call
The call is a loud doo-doo-doo, which may be repeated up to twenty times.
Food
It feeds mostly on seeds, rarely eating small fruits and flowers. It typically forages on the ground, usually on farmland, lawns or roads.
Breeding
This species builds a large stick nest. The nest is usually placed on ledges, gullies or buildings, and is built by the female, with the male collecting the material. It lays 1 to 3 eggs, which are incubated by both sexes. The chicks are brooded for the first 6 days of their lives, after which brooding ceases. The nestling period is between 21 and 37 days.
Conservation Status – Least Concern
Not threatened, in fact, common across southern Africa. It has adapted very well to living with humans.
Birdwatching
It usually lives in rocky, mountainous areas, but can also be found in buildings and gardens.
This striking Pigeons can be seen on the following Aves Birding Tours/Safaris/Adventures: -
Aves Arid Birding Tour/Safari/Adventure.
Aves Eastern Cape Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves Highlands / Tembe Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves KZN Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves North East Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves North West Birding Tour / Safari Adventure.
Aves Western Cape Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves West Coast Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
The Swee Waxbill - Estrilda melanotis – is a Southern African Endemic. It is a common and tame bird typically seen in small parties, and does not form large flocks. It generally prefers edges of montane and coastal forest, wooded valleys in fynbos, bushy hillsides, grassy clearings in woodland, plantations and gardens.
Description
It has a grey head and breast, pale yellow belly, olive back and wings, red lower back and rump, and a black tail. The upper mandible is black and the lower red. The male has a black face, but the female's face is grey. Juveniles are much duller than the female and have an all-black bill.
Call
The contact call is a soft swee, swee. Song, a nasal, musical yet very soft whistled notes.
Food
They forage on ground or more often, directly from plants. It mainly eats seeds taken directly from grasses, supplemented with insects caught on the ground and in vegetation.
Breeding
The breeding season is from October to April. A monogamous, solitary nester. The nest is built by both sexes and normally placed in a tree, bush or creeper. Three to nine eggs are laid, which are incubated by both sexes for between 12 to 13 days. The young are fed by both parents, leaving the nest after about 19 to 22 days. They become fully independent in about 15 to 19 days.
Conservation Status – Least Concern
The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats. Not threatened, although illegal capture for cage-bird trade is cause for concern.
Birdwatching
Edges of Afromontane and coastal forest; also alien plantations, gardens, bushy hillsides, farmyards, thick streamside bush, wooded valleys in fynbos and grassy clearings in moist woodland [
Swee Waxbill Birding Hotspots
Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens
Harold Porter Botanical Gardens
To see these beautiful waxbills contact Aves Birding Tours
The African Paradise Flycatcher - Terpsiphone viridis - is a common resident breeder in Africa south of the Sahara Desert. It occurs across sub-Saharan Africa, absent only from very arid areas. In southern Africa, it is common from Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Botswana to large areas of South Africa. This species is usually found in open forests and savannah habitats.
Description
The adult male African Paradise Flycatcher has very long tail streamers. It has a black head, neck and underparts, and chestnut wings and tail. There is a prominent white wingbar. The female has a browner tint to the underparts and lacks the wingbar and tail streamers. Young birds are similar to the female but duller.
Call
The song is a loud “twee-tiddly-te-te.” Territorial song of male can vary between individuals and especially geographically. Call a simple “zeet-zwayt.” Alarm call, “zwayt,” shorter, higher pitched and raspier than call note
Food
It mainly eats invertebrates, such as moths, termite alates, beetles and flies, occasionally eating small berries. It uses a variety of foraging techniques, catching most of its prey on the wing.
Breeding
The nest is built by both sexes. It consists of a small cup of twigs and bark held together with spider web, decorated with lichen and often a "trail" of spider web and leaves dangling from its base. The breeding season peaks between October and December.
They lay 1 to 4 eggs, which are incubated by both sexes for between 11 to 19 days. The female often does most of the incubating at night. The chicks leave the nest at about 10 to 16 days. They stay in a family group with their parents until another clutch of eggs is laid, at which point they become fully independent.
Conservation Status – Least Concern
Not threatened, in fact common in large areas of sub-Saharan Africa.
Birdwatching
The paradise-flycatchers inhabit a range of habitat types, from rainforest to montane forest, woodlands, savanna, mangroves, riparian forest, deciduous forests and bamboo groves, some species will also move into gardens and cultivated habitat.
The Red-winged Starling - Onychognathus morio - is endemic to eastern Africa, from Ethiopia to the Western Cape, South Africa. This species has a wide habitat tolerance. It generally prefers rocky outcrops and gorges in highland grasslands, occasionally visiting forests for fruit.It is now common in many urban areas, due to the similarity between the structure of tall buildings and houses as nest sites with the cliffs of its original habitat. It also nests in residential areas.
Description
The male has a mainly iridescent black plumage, with chestnut flight feathers, which are particularly noticeable in flight. The female has an ash-grey head and upper breast. The juvenile resembles the male, but is less glossy than the adults, and has brown rather than dark red eyes.
Call
This species has a number of whistled calls, but the most familiar is the contact call, cher-leeeoo.
Food
Red-winged Starling is an omnivore, taking a wide range of seeds, berries, nectar from plants and invertebrates. Fruit species that this species may feed on include figs, date palm fruit, berries from species such as wild olive and commercial fruit. In rural areas, Red-winged Starlings are often spotted perching on livestock and game and may take insects and ticks, much like Oxpeckers. It may take nestlings and adults of certain bird species and will also scavenge on carrion and human food scraps.
Breeding
They are territorial, aggressive and intolerant when nesting, and will attack other species, including domestic animals and humans. It is monogamous with pairs staying together for several years, possibly for life. When not breeding, Red-winged Starlings are highly gregarious and will associate with other members of their species in large flocks. This starling is a cliff nester, breeding on rocky cliffs, outcrops and gorges. It builds a lined nest of grass and twigs, and with a mud base, on a natural or structural ledge. The Egg-laying season is from September-March. It lays 2 to 5, usually three, blue eggs, spotted with red-brown. The female incubates the eggs for between 13 to 14 days to hatching. They fledge in another 22 to 28 days. It may be parasitized by the Great Spotted Cuckoo.
Conservation Status – Least Concern
They are not endangered and it can be a pest in some areas, raiding orchards and attacking people that wander too close to their nests.
Birdwatching
This striking Starling can be seen on the following Aves Birding Tours/Safaris/Adventures: -
Aves Eastern Cape Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves Highlands / Tembe Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves KZN Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves North East Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves North West Birding Tour / Safari Adventure.
Aves Western Cape Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves West Coast Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
The Cape Gannet, - Morus capensis - is a large seabird with black and white plumage and distinctive yellow crown and hindneck. This bird is a Southern Africa Breeding Endemic. They are restricted to the coast of Africa and generally sticks fairly close to the coastline. They are found in waters off the Western Sahara, around Cape Agulhas to the Gulf of Zanzibar, Tanzania and occasionally to Mombasa, Kenya. The world population was estimated in 1996 to number about 340,000 birds, with 12% in Namibia and 88% in South Africa. The largest colony of this bird, with over 140,000 birds, is found on Malgas Island, South Africa.
Description
When seen in flight the snow-white body with the black tail, primaries and secondaries, and dark bill makes them easy to identify. At closer range the distinctive golden crown and nape, which gradually becomes white on the neck, is noticeable. There are also distinctive black lines around the beak and on the face. The powerful, pale blue bill is pointed with fine serrations near the tip, and the large feet are webbed between each toe Juveniles and Immatures are dark brown with a pale bill, The pale blue bill is pointed with fine serrations near the tip.
Call
A noisy “warrra-warra-warra” at breeding colonies and when feeding at sea.
Food
They are fish-eating birds that plunge-dive from considerable height. Depending on the height they hit the water at speeds of between 40 and 120 kilometers per hour. Food consists of Anchovy, Pelagic goby, Hake, Snoek, Mackerel, Sardine, Herring and Chokka squid.
Breeding
The breeding range of Cape Gannet is restricted to Southern Africa. They breed on three islands off the Namibian Coast and three islands off the South African coast. These birds nest in large and dense colonies on flat islands. The world population was estimated in 1996 to number about 340,000 birds, with 12% in Namibia and 88% in South Africa. The largest colony of this bird, with over 140,000 birds, is found on Malgas Island, South Africa.
Conservation Status – Vulnerable
Its population has decreased by at least 20% in three generations, and is especially in trouble in Namibia. Numbers at the Namibian islands have declined considerably between 1956 and 2000 from 114,600 to 18,200 breeding pairs respectively, an 84% decrease in less than fifty years. This is largely due to the collapse of Sardine (Sardinops sagax) and other fish stock, as well as occasional oil spills which cause hundreds of deaths. This contrasts with the trends at the South African islands where numbers have increased about 4.3 times during the same period, from 34,400 to 148,000 breeding pairs. All breeding colonies of the Cape Gannet are under some form of protection.
Birdwatching
Public access to Bird Island, Lambert's Bay where visitors are able to view the fenced off colony from state-of-the-art observation facilities and Malgas Island, to which guided tours organized by the West Coast National Park and Pelagic Trips from Simonstown and Houtbay.
Gannet Hotspots
Bird Island, Lamberts Bay
Malgas Island, West Coast Park.
Pelagic Trips from Simonstown and Houtbay
The Red-faced Mousebird - Urocolius indicts - Occurs from southern Angola, Zambia and Malawi to southern Africa, where it is common in non-arid areas. It generally prefers Acacia savanna and thickets, gardens, woodland with nearby rivers, strandveld, gardens and orchards. This is a social bird outside the breeding season, feeding together in small groups, normally of about half a dozen birds, but sometimes up to 15 or more. It engages in mutual preening and roosts in groups at night. It is more wary than other mousebirds
Description
This bird has a long tail comprising approximately half the birds total length. The crested head and breast are pale cinnamon with a red bill and eye mask. The rest of the upperparts and tail are blue-grey apart from a paler grey rump. The belly is whitish. The sexes are similar, but juveniles lack the crest and have a green mask.
Call
The Red-faced Mousebird has a whistled tsee-tee-tee call.
Food
It is a frugivore. Its diet is dominated by fruit, supplemented with nectar, flowers and leaves. It typically forages in groups of 3-10, landing in trees and bushes to forage.
Breeding
These sedentary birds breed between June to February. The nest is a large untidy cup of plant material lined with material such as sheep wool, is built by both sexes. The breeding pair are assisted by helpers. Courtship involves preening and a "bouncing display", in which one bird bounces up and down on its perch, the tempo increasing as its mate gets closer. It is typically placed 2-8 metres above ground, in a tree or shrub. It lays 1 to 7 eggs, which are incubated by both sexes and sometimes helpers, for 10 to 15 days. The chicks are brooded for the first few days of their life, sometimes by both adults at once. They stay in the nest for 14 to 20 days, after which they become fully independent.
Conservation Status – Least concern
The population is not believed to be decreasing.
Birdwatching
The red-faced Mousebird is widespread and common. This striking mousebird can be seen on the following Aves Birding Tours/Safaris/Adventures: -
Aves Arid Birding Tour/Safari/Adventure.
Aves Eastern Cape Birding Tour/Safari/Adventure.
Aves Highlands/Tembe Birding Tour/Safari/Adventure.
Aves KZN Birding Tour/Safari/Adventure.
Aves North East Birding Tour/Safari/Adventure.
Aves North West Birding Tour/Safari/Adventure.
Aves Western Cape Birding Tour/Safari/Adventure.
Aves West Coast Birding Tour/Safari/Adventure.
The Cape Robin-Chat - Cossypha caffra - is a resident breeder in southern and eastern Africa. It is a common species at forest edges and in scrub, fynbos, Karoo, plantations, gardens and parks.
Description
The adult’s upper-parts are grey, and the face sides in front of and behind the eye are blackish, separated from the crown by a white supercilium. The chin, throat, central breast, rump, under-tail coverts and outer tail feathers are orange, and the central tail feathers are greyish-brown. The belly is pale grey. The black bill is short and straight, with a slightly down-curved upper mandible. The legs and feet are pinkish grey, and the eye is brown. The sexes are similar, but the juvenile is dark brown above and buff below, heavily marked with buff on the upperparts and grey-brown on the breast.
Call
Its song is a series of melodious phrases, usually starting with ‘cheroo-weet-weet-weeeet’ and also often mimics other birds.
Food
It mainly eats insects and other invertebrates, supplemented with fruit and seeds plucked from bushes, trees or the ground. It does a lot of its foraging in leaf litter, flicking through plant debris in search of food and occasionally aerially hawking an insect.
Breeding
The Cape Robin-Chat builds a cup-shaped nest of coarse vegetation, lined with animal hair, rootlets and other fine material. The egg-laying season is from about June-January, peaking around October - November. The nest is usually built solely by the female in about 1 to 14 days. The female lays 2 to 3 pale blue eggs, which are incubated solely by the female for about 14 to 19 days. They are fed by both parents, eventually leaving the nest at about 14 to 18 days, remaining dependent on their parents for about 5 to 7 weeks more.
Conservation Status – Least Concern
Not threatened, in fact it has adapted to well to the introduction of man-made habitats.
Bird watching
These beautiful birds can be seen on the following Aves Birding Tours/Safaris/Adventures: -
Aves Arid Birding Tour/Safari/Adventure.
Aves Eastern Cape Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves Highlands / Tembe Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves KZN Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves North East Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves North West Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves Western Cape Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves West Coast Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
The Black-winged Stilt - Himantopus himantopus – is the bird that has the longest legs. It is a widely distributed very long-legged wader. In southern Africa it is common across much of the region. It generally prefers inland and coastal wetlands, such as commercial salt pans, flooded fields, flood plains, papyrus swamps and sewage works.
Description
They have long pink legs, a long thin black bill and are blackish above and white below, with a white head and neck with a varying amount of black. Males have a black back, often with greenish gloss. Females' backs have a brown hue, contrasting with the black remiges. Immature birds are grey instead of black and have a markedly sandy hue on the wings, with light feather fringes appearing as a whitish line in flight.
Call
Black-winged Stilts give a repeated high-pitched “Kek” call and a “Kee-ack” alarm call.
Food
It mainly eats insects, other invertebrates and fish, doing most of its foraging by locating prey visually before plucking them from the water surface, or by immersing its head in the water while locating prey with touch.
Breeding
The nest is built by both sexes, consisting of a mound of mud usually with incorporated pieces of weed. It is typically placed on damp mud, mats of vegetation or some other structure at the edge of the waterline. Egg-laying season is year-round and the female lays 2 to 5 eggs, which are mainly incubated by the female for about 24 to 27 days. The chicks leave the nest and are capable of self-feeding with 24 hours of hatching. The young can fly in 28 to 32 days and become fully independent between 14 to 28 days later.
Conservation Status – Least Concern
The Black-winged Stilt has a very large range that includes scattered locations in southern and western Europe, central, eastern, and southern Asia, and a great deal of sub-Saharan Africa. Not threatened in Southern Africa.
Bird watching
These striking birds can be seen on the following Aves Birding Tours/Safaris/Adventures: -
Aves Arid Birding Tour/Safari/Adventure.
Aves Highlands / Tembe Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves KZN Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves North East Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves North West Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves Western Cape Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves West Coast Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
The Common Waxbill - Estrilda astrild - is native to sub Saharan Africa. It has been introduced to many parts of the world. Common Waxbills inhabit open country with long grass and rank vegetation. They are often found near water in marshes and among reeds... They can become tame and will enter gardens, parks and farmland.
Description
It is a small bird, with a slender body, short rounded wings and a long graduated tail. The bright red bill of the adult gives the bird its name. The plumage is mostly grey-brown, finely barred with dark brown. There is a red stripe through the eye and the cheeks and throat are whitish. There is often a pinkish flush to the underparts and a reddish stripe along the centre of the belly. The rump is brown and the tail and vent are dark/black. Black undertail coverts, with black legs and feet. Females are similar to the males but are paler with less red on the belly. Juveniles are duller with little or no red on the belly, fainter dark barring and a black bill.
Call
The Common Waxbill has a variety of twittering and buzzing calls and a distinctive high-pitched flight-call. Only the cock sings. Two low, harsh notes followed by a "throaty bubbling" note with a rising inflection.
Food
The diet consists mainly of grass seeds but insects are also eaten on occasions, especially during the breeding season when more protein is needed. These waxbills typically forage in flocks. They usually feed by clinging to the stems with their long, spindly claws and picking from the flower heads but they will also search for fallen seeds on the ground. They need to drink regularly as the seeds contain little water.
Breeding
The nest is a large ball of criss-crossed grass stems with a long downward-pointing entrance tube on one side. The nest is built the male, consisting of a horizontal pear-shaped structure with a tubular entrance tunnel, made of stems and inflorescences of green grass, while the egg chamber is lined by the female with fine grass and feathers. Additionally a partially enclosed cup may be built on top of the main structure, possibly to confuse predators. It is typically placed on the ground, with the entrance overlooking a small patch of bare soil, although it may also be concealed in thick vegetation about 1-3 metres above ground. The egg-laying season is year round, peaking from September-October in the Western Cape. Four to seven white eggs are laid. They are incubated for 11 to 13 days and the young birds fledge 17 to 21 days after hatching. Both parents take part in incubating the eggs and feeding the chicks.
Conservation Status – Least Concern
Not threatened. This species has an extremely large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion. The species is widespread and common.
Bird watching
These beautiful little birds can be seen on the following Aves Birding Tours/Safaris/Adventures: -
Aves Arid Birding Tour/Safari/Adventure.
Aves Eastern Cape Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves Highlands / Tembe Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves KZN Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves North East Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves North West Birding Tour / Safari Adventure.
Aves Western Cape Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves West Coast Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
The African Fish Eagle - Haliaeetus vocifer- is a large species of eagle that is found throughout sub-Saharan Africa. They are found wherever large bodies of open water occur that have an abundant food supply. The African Fish Eagle is usually seen in pairs and they evenly share the kills. It is the national bird of Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Description
The African Fish Eagle is a large bird, and the female is larger than the male. The adult is very distinctive in appearance with a mostly brown body and large, powerful, black wings. The head, breast, and tail of African Fish Eagles are snow white, with the exception of the featherless face, which is yellow. The eyes are dark brown in colour. The hook-shaped beak, ideal for a carnivorous lifestyle, is yellow with a black tip. The plumage of the juvenile is brown and the eyes are paler compared to the adult. The feet have rough soles and are equipped with powerful talons in order to enable the eagle to grasp slippery aquatic prey.
Call
Its distinctive cry has become synonymous with the sound of Africa. It has two distinct calls - in flight or perched, the sound is something like the American Bald Eagle. When near the nest, its call is more of a 'quock' sound - the female is a little shriller and less mellow than the male. The call is a weee-ah, hyo-hyo or a heee-ah, heeah-heeah.
Food
The African Fish Eagle feeds mainly on fish. It is an opportunistic feeder and may take a wider variety of prey such as water-birds, reptiles and carrion. They may also raid colonies of nesting waterbirds for young and eggs.
Breeding
Breeding season for African Fish Eagles is during the dry season when water levels are low. African Fish Eagles are believed to mate for life. Pairs will often maintain two or more nests, which they will frequently re-use.
The female lays 1 to 3 eggs, which are primarily white with a few reddish speckles. Incubation is mostly done by the female, but the male will incubate when the female leaves to hunt. Incubation lasts for 42 to 45 days before the chicks hatch. The eggs will often hatch a few days apart, and the eldest chick will usually kill any younger chicks. Fledging lasts for 70 to 75 days and after about 8 weeks the chick is capable of feeding itself and will usually begin to venture outside of the nest 2 weeks later.
Conservation Status – Least Concern
The estimated population size is about 300,000 individuals
Bird watching
Widespread in Southern Africa, its habitat is usually limited to larger rivers, lakes, pans and dams, with enough large trees for it to perch on. These eagles are also found near coastal lagoons and estuaries. It is most frequently seen sitting high in a tall tree from where it has a good view of the stretch of river, lakeshore or coastline, which is its territory.
To see these magnificent birds of prey book on one of these Aves Birding Tours/Safaris/Adventures: -
Aves Eastern Cape Birding Tour / Safari /Adventure.
Aves Highlands / Tembe Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves KZN Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves North East Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves North West Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves Western Cape Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves West Coast Birding Tour / Safari /Adventure.
The Greater Flamingo - Phoenicopterus roseus - is the most widespread flamingo. It is found in Africa, Southern Asia and Southern Europe. The preferred habitat is mudflats and shallow coastal lagoons. It is the state bird of Gujarat, India.
Description
This is the largest species of flamingo. Most of the plumage is pinkish-white, but the wing coverts are red and the primary and secondary flight feathers are black. They have long, lean, curved necks and black-tipped bills with a distinctive downward bend.
The bill is pink and the legs are entirely pink. Their bent bills allow them to feed on small organisms—plankton, tiny fish, fly larvae, etc. In muddy flats or shallow water, they use their long legs and webbed feet to stir up the bottom. They then bury their bills, or even their entire heads, and suck up both mud and water to access the tasty morsels within. A flamingo's beak has a filter-like structure to remove food from the water before the liquid is expelled. Shrimplike crustaceans are responsible for the flamingo's pink color.
Call
Greater Flamingos have a loud, deep honking call that is similar to that of a goose. They call loudly during courtship but they have a quieter call while they are feeding.
Food
It mainly eats small invertebrates, such as brine shrimps (Artemia), brine flies (Ephydra), molluscs and diatoms, foraging by holding its bill upside down in waist-high water. Its large tongue pumps water in and out, while small filaments at the edge of its bill filter out food.
Breeding
Greater flamingos also breed while gathered in groups. Egg-laying season starts in November, peaking from January-February. Once mating is complete, a pair takes turns incubating their single chalky-white egg for roughly 27 to 31 days. The nest built mainly by the male is a mud mound. The chicks are brooded for the first 3 to 4 days of their lives, leaving the nest at 5 to 10 days old to join a crèche. They are fed by both parents with a glandular secretion and take first flight at about 75-80 days old. Young flamingos are born gray and white and do not turn pink for two years. In years when wetlands and pools are dry and food scarce, flamingoes may not breed.
Conservation Status – Least Concern
Not threatened globally, although Near-threatened in South Africa and Vulnerable in Namibia, largely due to lowering water tables at major breeding sites and collision with power lines.
Birdwatching
These striking birds can be seen on the following Aves Birding Tours/Safaris/Adventures: -
Aves Highlands / Tembe Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves KZN Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves North East Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves North West Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves Western Cape Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves West Coast Birding Tour / Safari /Adventure.
The Blue Crane
The Blue Crane - Anthropoides paradiseus - is our national bird, yet it is threatened. Of the 15 species of crane, the Blue Crane has the most restricted distribution of all.
Description
Body plumage is silvery bluish grey becoming darker on the upper neck and the lower half of the head and nape. Blue Cranes have a long neck supporting a rather bulbous head, short pink bill and black legs. The primary feathers are black or slate grey. The tertial feathers of the wing are long, dark and dangle nearly to the ground, giving this crane an elegant appearance. Males and females are virtually indistinguishable. Juveniles are slightly lighter blue gray than adults, and lack the long wing tertials.
Call
It is usually quiet, but has a distinctive rattling croak, ‘kraaaarrrk’.
Food
The blue crane is primarily vegetarian and eats small bulbs, seeds and roots. They do, however, eat a variety of insects (locusts, termites, caterpillars, grasshoppers, beetles, etc.), worms, crabs, fish, frogs, reptiles, and small mammals.
Breeding
A pair of blue cranes is said to mate for life and display a wonderful courtship dance which comprises of the two individuals jumping up and down with their wings extended. They usually lay two eggs with an incubation period of 30 to 33 days and both male and female incubate the eggs. Both chicks are frequently reared with each attempt and are fed on an initial diet of insect larvae and worms. The chicks are able to fly at about three to five months.
Birdwatching
Ask Aves Birding Tours/Safaris/Adventures to create a tour for you or book on one of the following Aves scheduled tours: -
Aves Eastern Cape Birding Tour / Safari /Adventure.
Aves Highlands / Tembe Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves KZN Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves North East Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves North West Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves Western Cape Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves West Coast Birding Tour / Safari /Adventure.
Little Crake
The Little Crake - Porzana parva – breeds in Europe, mainly Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It winters in north east Africa and parts of West Africa.
Description
Male has blue-grey face and underparts, with narrow white bars on rear flanks and black and white barring on undertail-coverts. Female has blue-grey replaced by buff except for pale ash grey lupercilium, lores and cheeks, and whitish chin and throat. They have a short straight yellow bill, with a red base. The legs are green with long toes, and a short tail which is barred black and white underneath. The chicks are downy black.
Call
Contact calls include soft, rhythmic tapping and a yapping kua call. Alarm call is a sharp "Tyicuk".
Food
Food consists mainly of insects, especially water beetles and also Hemiptera, Neuroptera, and adult and larval Diptera, and also seeds and aquatic plants, worms, gastropods, spiders and water mites.
Breeding
Breeds from May to August. Monogamous and territorial, pair-bond maintained only during breeding season. Nest a shallow, made of plant stems and leaves, placed in thick vegetation near or over water, often raised on tussock or platform of dead material. Between 4 and 9 eggs are laid. The incubation period is between 21 to 23 days.
Conservation Status – Least Concern
This species has a large range, with an estimated global population between 100,000-1,000,000 individuals.
Birdwatching
Ask Aves Birding Tours/Safaris/Adventures to create a custom tour for you.
The Great Egret or Great White Egret – Egretta alba – is the largest egret in the Old World. It is the symbol of the National Audubon Society and represents a conservation success story. The Great White Egret is a large white heron and is found across much of the world, from southern Canada southward to Argentina, and in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. The species inhabits all kinds of inland and coastal wetlands, river margins, lake shores, marshes, flood-plains etc.
Description
A large all-white Egret with large yellow bill, long black legs and feet. In breeding plumage, delicate ornamental feathers are borne on the back and the bill becomes black. Males and females are identical.
Call
A deep loud croak when disturbed and low croaking cuk cuk cuk at the nest.
Food
Feeds mainly on fish, frogs, mammals, reptiles and insects.
Breeding
Nests in colonies with other herons. The nest is constructed from sticks and other vegetation. It is normally positioned over water. The clutch size is between 2 to 4 pale greenish-blue eggs. Both parents incubate the eggs. The young egrets are aggressive towards one another in the nest, and the stronger siblings often kill their weaker kin.
Conservation Status – Least Concern
Plume hunters in the late 1800s and early 1900s reduced North American populations by more than 95 percent. The populations recovered after the birds were protected by law. No population is considered threatened, but the species is threatened by wetland habitat degradation and loss.
Birdwatching
Ask Aves Birding Tours/Safaris/Adventures to create an Aves custom tour for you or book on one of the following Aves Birding Tours/Safaris/Adventures: -
Aves Eastern Cape Birding Tour/Safari/Adventure.
Aves Highlands / Temba Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves KZN Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves North East Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves North West Birding Tour/Safari/Adventure.
Aves Western Cape Birding Tour/Safari/Adventure.
Aves West Coast Birding Tour/Safari/Adventure.
Magpie Shrike
The Magpie Shrike - Corvinella melanoleuca - is found in Central, Eastern and Southern Africa. Its natural habitats are dry savanna, moist savanna, and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland. It favours open savanna woodland with short grass clumps and bare ground, also occurring in broad-leaved woodland and disturbed areas with Acacia tree stands, such as in suburban gardens and town parks.
Description
The adult male has black and white plumage with very long, graduated tail. Head and mantle are glossy black. The scapulars are white. The rump is V-shaped and greyish-white, conspicuous in flight. On the black upperwing, tertials, secondaries, some primaries and the greater upperwing-coverts are black with white tips. In flight, the white patch near the primary bases is well visible. The long tail is black. The bill, legs and feet are black, the eyes are brown. The female is very similar, but she has white patches on flanks. The immature is browner and duller, with rather buffy-white areas than pure white. The underparts are dark brown with white-tipped feathers.
Call
It utters loud, melancholy whistles “kee-oo, kee-oo” as territorial calls. The alarm call is a scolding “chack” or “tchzzrrr”. A breeding pair often calls in duet, “teeloo” by the male, and a higher-pitched “tleeu” by the female.
Food
It mainly eats insects, spiders, ticks and small reptiles. It often perches in a prominent position, searching for a food item. Once it spots something it dives to the ground and catches it. It also gleans prey from leaves and branches, and sometimes searches for them at ground level.
Breeding
A cooperative breeder. The nest is constructed by both sexes and consists of an untidy cup made of twigs, grass stems and roots, typically placed in the upper branches of an Acacia tree. The breeding season peaks from October to January with the female laying 2 to 6 eggs. They are incubated solely by the female for about 16 days, the male and group members providing her with food. The chicks are cared for both parents and group members, leaving the nest after about 15 to 19 days.
Conservation Status – Least Concern
This species is not threatened. It has an extremely large range and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion. The global population size has not been quantified, but the species is described as uncommon to locally common.
Birdwatching
Ask Aves Birding Tours/Safaris/Adventures to create an Aves custom tour for you or book on one of the following Aves scheduled tours: -
Aves Highlands / Tembe Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves KZN Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves North East Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves North West Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Striped Pipit
The Striped Pipit - Anthus lineiventris is found in patches from southern Kenya through Tanzania, Zambia, southern DRC and Malawi to southern Africa. Here it is uncommon to fairly common in northern Mozambique, Zimbabwe, south-eastern Botswana, eastern South Africa and Swaziland. Its natural habitat is dry savanna. It generally prefers woodland on the steep slopes of mountains, hills and gorges.
Description
The striped pipit is a large pipit with bold markings and a long buffy supercilium. It can be distinguished by yellow-edged wing-feathers, well streaked underparts and speckled face. The legs are pink, bill and eyes brown.
Call
It has a loud , whistling, thrush like song.
Food
Food consists of insects and other invertebrates, including ticks.
Breeding
The breeding season is from September to January. The nest is a cup, placed on level ground against a rock or dead grass tuft. The clutch consists normally of 2 to 3 white eggs, heavily speckled with brown and grey.
Conservation Status – Least Concern
This species has an extremely large range and the global population size has not been quantified, but the species is reported to be uncommon. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.
Birdwatching
Ask Aves Birding Tours/Safaris/Adventures to create an Aves custom tour for you or book on one of the following scheduled Aves Birding Tours/Safaris/Adventures: -
Aves Eastern Cape Birding Tour / Safari /Adventure.
Aves Highlands / Tembe Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves KZN Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves North East Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves North West Birding Tour / Safari /Adventure.
African Crowned Eagle
The African Crowned Eagle - Stephanoaetus coronatus - is a very large, powerful, crested bird of prey which is found in Africa south of the Sahara. In South Africa it is found in the Eastern parts, where there is suitable habitat. It inhabits dense forests, heavily wooded hillsides, dense woodland and rocky outcrops throughout its range. Owing to lack of suitable habitat, the eagle's range is discontinuous. They are non-migratory and largely sedentary.
Description
It has dark grey upperparts with rufous and white below; its belly and breast are heavily mottled with black. This eagle has relatively short, broad and rounded wings for added maneuverability in its environment. The rufous underwing coverts and strongly barred white and black outer wings and tail are all diagnostic in flight. The large crest and this bird's large size make the adult near-unmistakable at close range. The legs are extremely powerful and the eagle possesses formidably large, strong talons, used for killing and dismembering prey. The female is larger than the male.
Call
Pairs are fairly vocal in their territory – the call – “cheeep chereep chereep”.
Food
Its diet is mostly mammalian, with primates being the most commonly taken prey. It will also take hyraxes, duikers and other small antelope, but will hunt guineafowl and domestic livestock when mammalian food sources are scarce. Pairs sometimes hunt cooperatively, using a clever technique whereby one bird flies above the canopy overhead of a monkey troop, eliciting alarm calls from them which exposes their position. The eagle's mate then follows a short while later, killing from behind any monkey unfortunate enough to be caught out in the open. It usually strikes the skull or diaphragm of prey with its talons in a downward motion, a movement powerful enough to kill instantly.
Breeding
The pair collaborate in building a massive nest in a fork of a large forest tree. A nest built from scratch may take several months to construct, however existing nests are often repaired and re-used during successive breeding seasons.
Crowned Eagle pairs breed once every two years. A single breeding cycle is approximately 500 days.
Breeding season / egg laying is from July to May and normally 2 eggs are laid which are usually incubated by the female for between 49 to 51 days. The chick is fed by both adults and remains reliant on the parents for about 11 months.
Conservation Status – Least Concern
The Crowned Eagle is fairly common in suitable habitat, though its numbers show decline in sync with deforestation. It is far more common in protected areas and reserves than elsewhere in its range, though is still recorded consistently outside of these areas. They are Near-threatened in South Africa, largely due to persecution by small stock farmers and destruction of forest habitats.
Birdwatching
Ask Aves Birding Tours/Safaris/Adventures to create an Aves custom tour for you or book on one of the following scheduled Aves Birding Tours/Safaris/Adventures: -
Aves Eastern Cape Birding Tour / Safari /Adventure.
Aves Highlands / Tembe Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves KZN Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves North East Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves North West Birding Tour / Safari /Adventure.
hort-clawed Lark
The Short-clawed Lark - Certhilauda chuana - is endemic to Southern Africa, occurring from south-eastern Botswana to the North-west Province, Free State and Limpopo Province. It prefers open habitat, sparsely vegetated with short grass and scattered trees or bushes, particularly where grass has been severely grazed.
Description
The head is cream while the bill is black. It has a white throat, brown legs and a brown coloured back. The eyes are brown. The long, broad, creamy eyebrow is conspicuous. It has buff-fringed feathers on its back with broad blackish centres.
Call
The call is a loud descending peeeeuuuu.
Food
Food consists of insects, mainly termites and ants.
Breeding
The nest is built solely by the female, consisting of open cup built of grass and lined with finer plant material. It is typically placed in a scrape in the ground beneath a grass tuft or small shrub. The egg-laying season is between September and March, with 2 to 3 eggs in a clutch. They are incubated by the female for between 14 to 16 days. They are fed by both parents, leaving the nest after about 11 to 12 days. They remain dependent on their parents for food up to about 4 weeks of age, only dispersing about another 4-12 weeks later.
Conservation Status – Least Concern
It has two disjunct populations. The one on the Pietersburg Plateau in the Limpopo Province,South Africa, and a larger population in south-eastern Botswana and the North-west Province, South Africa. The South African population numbers 500 to 5,000 individuals, and there may be over 20,000 pairs in Botswana. The species currently appears to be stable.
Birdwatching
Ask Aves Birding Tours/Safaris/Adventures to create an Aves custom tour for you or book on one of the following scheduled Aves Birding Tours/Safaris/Adventures: -
Aves North East Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves North West Birding Tour / Safari /Adventure.
Giant Kingfisher.
The Giant Kingfisher - Megaceryle maxima - is the largest Kingfisher in the world. It is found across much of sub-Saharan Africa and is fairly common in South Africa.
Description
The Giant Kingfisher has a long, large black bill, large crest and finely spotted white and black upperparts. The male has a chestnut breast band and otherwise white underparts with dark flank barring, and the female has a white-spotted black breast band and chestnut belly.
Call
The call is a loud wak wak wak.
Food
They feed mainly crabs, with fish and frogs making up the rest of the diet. Prey is caught in the typical kingfisher way by a dive from a perch.
Breeding
The breeding season is normally between July to January. The nest is excavated by both sexes, into a vertical sandbank close to the waterline. It consists of a long tunnel, ending in a chamber. The female lays 3 to 5 eggs, which are incubated for 25 to 27 days by both sexes. The chicks are fed mainly by the male every one to four hours and stay dependent on the parents for between 56 to 60 days.
Conservation Status – Least Concern
This species has an extremely large range and is fairly common in protected areas. The population is suspected to be in decline owing to pesticide run-off from adjacent farmland. It is shot as a pest at some trout hatcheries.
Birdwatching
Ask Aves Birding Tours/Safaris/Adventures to create a tour for you or book on one of the following Aves Birding Tour/Safaris/Adventures scheduled tours to see these large kingfishers: -
Aves Eastern Cape Birding Tour / Safari /Adventure.
Aves Highlands / Tembe Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves KZN Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves North East Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves North West Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves Western Cape Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves West Coast Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Photographed by Peter Sievers
