Archive for September, 2011
Cycling the Coast-to-Coast
September 28th, 2011 | 
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Bird of the Week – Week 90 – Double-banded courser
In the drier areas of southern Africa, particularly in the semi-desert of the Kalahari spreading from Namibia into Botswana and central South Africa, the Double-banded courser is not an uncommon sight. Preferring open plains with short grass and the bare ground of dry pans, they are fairly easy to see, although their cryptic colouring provides limited camouflage. Because of their preferred habitat they seem to have benefitted from the overgrazing and erosion which has increased the availability of this habitat. They are largely absent from the wetter eastern side of the region.
Males and females are alike in both size and plumage colouration. The two breast bands are very distinctive. Head and neck are pale sandy-brown, finely streaked with black; back and wings are brown; under parts are pale sandy-brown becoming white on the belly; bills are black; legs and feet greyish-white; eyes are dark brown.
They feed mainly on ants, termites, and beetles, which they pick from the ground while walking, preferring to feed in the early morning and late evening. They are, to some extent, nocturnal and may feed during the night, especially when the moon is bright.
The call of the Double-banded courser is a whistled “peeu-weee“, although it also has an assortment of alarm calls and also courtship calls.
Double-banded coursers are usually found singly or in pairs. They are monogamous and the female lays a single egg directly on the ground, without the benefit of a nest, although a ring of pebbles or animal dung may designate the site. The egg hatches after and incubation period of approximately 26 days and the chick is able to leave the “nest”after 24 hours, which is probably a good thing under the circumstances!
The scientific binomial for the Double-banded courser is Rhinoptilus africanus; Rhinoptilus from the Greek  for “feathered nostril” and africanus from the Latin for “from Africa”. Thus a bird from Africa with feathered nostrils.
Tags: Bird of the Week – Week 89 – Black-collared Barbet
Whenever we leave Windhoek and travel north to the wetter part of Namibia, one of the sounds that is guaranteed to bring a smile to our faces, and a flood of memories to mind, is the distinctive call of the Black-collared barbet. It is a sound that we heard almost daily when we lived near Durban, on the east coast of South Africa, as a pair of the squat little birds was resident in our garden. But the birds are not found in the central part of Namibia and we are the poorer for their absence. Best written as “too-puddly, too-puddly, too-puddly“, their call is a loud duet performed by the male and female, who alternate the notes in a well synchronized rendition, often perched side by side and bobbing up and down as they call.
Although found throughout large areas of sub-Saharan Africa, within the southern African region their distribution is limited to the wetter north and west. They prefer areas with forests and a selection of fruiting trees.
Black-collared barbets are fairly small and stocky birds, with a length of approximately 28 cm. Males and females are similar in both size and plumage colouration. They have red heads and throats; black collars; brown backs and creamy-white under parts. Bills, legs and feet are black; eyes are red.
They feed mostly on insects, fruits and nectar. They are quite gregarious birds and although they may be found in pairs, larger groups are also fairly common.
Black-collared barbets are monogamous and nest in holes in trees, usually in the trunk of the tree a few metres above the ground. The nests may be used for several years. The female lays a clutch of between two and five white eggs that hatch after an incubation period of approximately 18 days.
The scientific binomial for the Black-collared barbet is Lybius torquatus; Lybius being a bird mentioned by the Greek philosopher Aristotle, possibly in reference to one of the woodpeckers; and torquatus from the Latin for “wearing a collar or necklace”. Thus a collared woodpecker (possibly!), which is a pretty accurate description.
A Southern Vine Snake Drops In
There are a number of tented lodges in Namibia that give guests the experience of camping, but on a more luxurious scale, with proper beds and usually a nice bathroom attached to the tented room. Whist we were camping at Shamvura, in the Caprivi in northern Namibia, guests in one of these luxury tents heard a thud on the roof and when they went out to investigate, found that a Twig, or Southern Vine snake had dropped onto the canvas from the tree above. This obviously caused great excitement!
Twig snakes are rather beautiful with their distinctive markings, but they are not to be messed with as their venom is dangerous. Being haemotoxic, the venom can cause life-threatening symptoms (internal bleeding) for which there is no known antivenom and some fatalities have been recorded. Fortunately our host at Shamvura was an expert on snakes and was thus able to show us the snake in a safe manner. He explained that these snakes are usually quite timid unless disturbed, but they will inflate their necks and stiffen when they feel threatened.
There are two species of this snake in southern Africa – the Southern Vine snake that is found all the way from Kwazulu Natal in South Africa to northern Namibia and Botswana; and the Eastern Vine snake that mainly occurs in Mozambique and some areas north of the sub-region. The Eastern variety is different from its Southern counterpart in that it has a plain green head with speckled markings on its crown.
Vine snakes grow to a length of approximately 1.2 meters. Females lay clutches of up to eighteen eggs. Their diet consists mainly of lizards, chameleons, frogs and small mammals, snakes and birds. They are well camouflaged and are not easily detected as they remain motionless in trees or shrubs for long periods whilst waiting for prey.
We were pleased that we were given the opportunity to see one of these beautiful snakes up close, without having come upon one in more dangerous circumstances.
Bird of the Week – Week 88 – Chinspot batis
The beautiful little Chinspot batis is a fairly common bird, found throughout large parts of Africa south of the Sahara Desert. In the southern Africa region it is found in the wetter west and north of the region, but is absent from the very dry regions. It enjoys a wide variety of habitats, ranging from dry forests to tropical moist forests and even fairly dry savannah.
Although it is quite similar to other species of batis; in southern Africa its range is fairly exclusive, with not a lot of overlap with similar species, and this, together with its distinctive call, aids in its identification. The males and females are similar in size, with a length of approximately 13 cm, but have quite different markings. The males have a distinct and quite broad black bib. Females have a chestnut-coloured breast band and have a chestnut-coloured chinspot that gives the species its name. Both sexes have grey upperparts; black and white wingbars; wide black eye-stripes and white eyebrows. Bills, legs and feet are black; eyes are yellow.
The Chinspot batis is insectivorous and feeds mainly on insects and spiders that it gleans from the surface of leaves, but it may fly forth from its perch and hawk insects from the air. A pair of birds is generally found together, although small groups are sometimes seen.
The call of the Chinspot batis is a great aid in identifying the little bird, and consists of three clear notes that are often represented as “Three blind mice“.
The Chinspot batis is monogamous and builds a small cup-shaped  nest of plant material, often bound together with spider webs and located on a horizontal branch or in the fork of the branches of a large tree. Lichens may be used to camouflage the nest. The female lays a small clutch of two or three heavily blotched eggs that hatch after an incubation period of about 16 days.
The scientific binomial for the Chinspot batis is Batis molitor; Batis being a bird mentioned by the Greek philosopher Aristotle, but not positively identified as any particular bird, and molitor from the Latin for a “miller”, apparently a reference to the bird’s call that is likened to stones rubbing together.
