In flight the Southern pale chanting goshawk, when seen from below, appears to be white (it is in fact very pale grey) with black primary flight feathers.

The Southern pale chanting goshawk, near-endemic to the southern African region, prefers open semi-desert areas, where the bushes and thorn trees are fairly low. It is usually a somewhat quiet bird, but it has a melodious whistling chant “kleeu-kleeu-kleeu”  that has given it both its common name and its scientific name.

This little raptor eats mainly small mammals, lizards and insects, but will also take small birds or small reptiles. It may hunt from a perch, but is often seen on the ground and may run after its prey. Sometimes it will follow smaller mammals, like jackals, to feed on the insects and other suitable prey that is flushed by their passing.

The female Southern pale chanting goshawk might pair up with a single male, or two males and a female may form a polyandrous trio. They build a relatively small cup-shaped nest of sticks, usually well above the ground in an acacia tree, and the female lays a clutch of one or two pale blue or pale green eggs that hatch after an incubation period of about 35 days. It is common for only one youngster to be raised even if two eggs are laid.

The scientific binomial for the Southern pale chanting goshawk is Melierax canorus; Melierax from the Greek for a “melodious hawk”; and canorus from the Latin meaning “to sing”. Someone was certainly impressed with this birds vocalizations!

A Red-billed teal lay dead amongst the vegetation in the murky water and was being eaten by a small group of turtles!

The sunbirds were forgotten for the moment as I stood and watched in amazement as the turtles gathered, sometimes as many as five appearing to feed at the same time, pushing at the teal so that it twisted and turned in the water, sometimes presenting as just a pile of feathers, at other times its full duck-shape being obvious. In the gloom of the dirty water the turtles could only be seen when they were near the surface and there could have been more nudging the teal from below.

I watched several of the turtles swim away from the teal, only either to return after a short interval or to be replaced by others. It wasn’t therefore possible to see just how many turtles were taking advantage of this bonanza, but the most that were clearly in view simultaneously, either at the teal itself or swimming nearby, was seven.

I watched the activity for some time before I went back to trying to photograph the uncooperative Dusky sunbirds, but returned to the same spot the following morning to find no trace whatsoever of either the teal or the turtles. The teal could have been out of sight deep beneath the surface of the water, but there wasn’t so much as a feather to be seen.

I should imagine that the turtles were not instrumental in the death of the teal, as, although omnivorous turtles are known to feed on carrion, duck eggs, and even to take young ducklings, this had looked like an adult teal. I did, however come across this rather amazing video clip on You Tube of a turtle taking a pigeon, so who knows what is possible?

Take a look …

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhGZ5XUW27E&feature=player_embedded

 

The bill of the Greater flamingo is a distinctive shape, curving downwards, and is pink with a black tip. In flight their long necks are stretched out in front and their long legs trail behind, once again rendering them very distinctive. Young birds lack the pink or red of their elders and are a rather dull grey and white.

Greater flamingoes have a very extensive range, being found in Africa, Asia and parts of southern Europe. Their preferred habitat is shallow coastal lagoons and mudflats, where they use their feet to stir up the mud. They suck water into their bills, using their tongues as a pump, and have filters to retain the shrimps, worms, algae and other tiny organisms on which they feed. They feed with their heads submerged and upside down and sweep their heads from side to side, presenting a very odd picture.

They are very sociable birds and, where feeding conditions are suitable, may be found in very large groups of up to hundreds or even thousands of birds. They often stand on one leg, with the other well tucked up against the body, but the reason for this is not clearly understood. They have a loud honking call, not unlike that of a goose, but may also call much more softly when they are feeding.

Greater flamingoes are monogamous and their nest is a simple mound of mud scraped together in shallow water. The females lay a single chalky-white egg that hatches after an incubation period of about 30 days.

The scientific binomial for the Greater flamingo is Phoenicopterus ruber; Phoenicopterus from the Greek for “bright red wings”; and ruber from the Latin for “red”. Thus a bird with bright red wings. With a bird as exotically shaped as a flamingo (used as a live croquet stick in Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland”),  you would think they could have done better than that!

They are medium sized birds, with a length of about 24 cm and derive their name from the plumage on their head and breast, which is brownish-grey with white tips to the feathers that give the characteristic “arrow-marked” effect. The back and tail are a darker brown and the belly lighter. The bill, legs and feet are black and the eyes are two-toned, having a red outer rim and a yellow centre. The males and females are alike in both size and plumage.

Arrow-marked babblers are common throughout large parts of Africa, but within the southern African region they are largely limited to the north-east, their preferred habitat being semi arid woodland and moist shrublands.

They are quite social birds and are usually found in small groups of four to twelve birds. They forage low down in the undergrowth or on the ground and feed mainly on insects, spiders and small reptiles; also taking some fruit and seeds.

Arrow-marked babblers are monogamous and co-operative breeders, building an untidy cup-shaped nest of twigs and dry grass lined with finer material. This is usually placed in thick vegetation well above the ground. The female lays a clutch of three to five blue eggs that hatch after an incubation period of approximately 15 days. The nest may be parasitized by the Levaillant’s cuckoo (Clamator levaillantii).

The scientific binomial for the Arrow-marked babbler is Turdoides jardineii; Turdoides from the Latin for “like a thrush”; and jardineii after the naturalist Sir William Jardine. Not a very descriptive name without a mention of the distinctive plumage or the two-tone eyes!

Initially it takes a few days for the club to get noticed, but once the word spreads we are inundated with guests.  We often find them waiting even before we have opened our doors in the morning.  They get quite impatient too – if we are late delivering they set up a dawn chorus of chirps to remind us that they’re hungry.  It’s gratifying to see how popular our unofficial restaurant has become.

We get to know the little quirks and eccentricities of some of the regulars and that’s what makes a club like this so interesting.  It really broadens one’s knowledge of temperaments and dominant characters and personalities.  And when we move house we get to meet new and different friends and our next club is soon established and vibrant.

Here in Windhoek we have a wonderful pageant of birdies who visit us every morning.  Apart from the usual house sparrows and canaries, we get to see a number of very colourful birds.  And of course their plumage often changes with the seasons, so we also see them tranforming from their drab winter outfits and developing fine breeding feathers, then strutting their stuff in front of the ladies as they get more beautiful.

Because of the regular supply of seeds and bread, a number of southern masked weavers have built nests in the trees next to our fence.  We’ve been able to watch them rearing their babies and launching them into the world (sometimes with disastrous results!)  If we could offer crawling and flying insects as well we would have a much wider variety of birds to welcome to our space, but unfortunately that is a little more difficult than buying a packet of seeds or a loaf of bread from the local supermarket!

Some of the birds we’ve fed here include :

Bulbuls, blue waxbills, red-headed finches, southern masked weavers, red-billed queleas, rosy-faced lovebirds, southern red bishops, long-tailed paradise whydahs, chestnut weavers, acacia pied barbets, shaft-tailed whydahs, laughing doves, speckled pigeons, pale-winged starlings, great sparrows, canaries, white-browed sparrow weavers.  (I’m sure there are a few that have slipped my mind!)

It’s delightful to start the day off watching these beautiful little creatures getting stuck in to their breakfast.  Kind of sets a peaceful tone for the rest of the day.  An added bonus is that we can photograph them too.

 

 

 

Previously called the Melba finch, the Green-winged pytilia is a popular cage bird.

The males and females are similar in size, but are quite different in their plumage. The male has a red forehead, throat and cheeks; grey head, face and nape of the neck. The rump is red; the tail brown with red edging; the breast is a greeny-gold colour and the balance of the under-parts are white barred with black, The female lacks the red on the head, the entire head being grey, and the throat and breast are white barred with black. Both sexes have orange-red bills and grey-brown legs and feet.

Green-winged pytilias feed mainly on seeds and insects, particularly termites. They generally forage on fairly open ground or in low vegetation, in pairs or in small groups. They are quite shy and retiring by nature and in spite of their bright colouring are often overlooked.

Green-winged pytilias are monogamous and build a nest that is an untidy ball of dry grass with a side entrance, and is generally located in a thorny bush just one to two metres above the ground. The females usually lay a clutch of four or five white eggs that hatch after an incubation period of about 14 days. The nest may be parasitized by the Long-tailed paradise whydah (Vidua paradisaea).

The scientific binomial for the Green-winged pytilia is Pytilia melba; Pytilia from the Greek for the diminutive form of the grosbeak genus Pitylus; and melba which was the name used by Linnaeus, apparently without explanation and the derivation of which is unknown.

The flightless Common ostrich is a member of the same large family as other flightless birds such as the kiwi and the emu. It is able to run faster than any other bird, with a top speed approaching 95 km per hour. The males are slightly larger than the females, and the sexes differ in plumage, with the males having predominantly black feathers, with some white on the wings and tail. The females are a drab grey. Both sexes have bare legs and necks. Bills are broad and flat.

The Common ostrich is one of the very few species of birds that is farmed on a large scale; for its feathers that are used in fashion and also for feather dusters, for its meat and for its skin which is used for a variety of leather goods. The feathers differ from those of most other birds in that they lack the tiny hooks that lock them together, and so the feathers of the Common ostrich are quite fluffy.

Although Common ostriches are generally fairly common, the wild population is quite small, and is limited to the arid regions of Namibia, Botswana and South Africa. They are quite nomadic, and form flocks of up to fifty or more birds as they move through the drier areas of southern Africa, feeding mainly on vegetable matter, but also on insects and other invertebrates, If threatened they will usually run away, but if cornered they can defend themselves very ably with powerful kicks.

Common ostriches are polygamous and make a nest that is just a scraped hollow in the ground. Several females may lay their eggs in the same nest, until the clutch reaches twenty or more eggs. The eggs are the largest eggs of any bird, and they hatch after an incubation period of approximately 40 days. They make good use of their dimorphic colouring as camouflage during incubation, with the grey females incubating the eggs during the day and the black males during the night.

The scientific binomial for the Common ostrich is Struthio camelus; Struthio from the Latin for an “ostrich”; and camelus from the Latin for “pertaining to a camel”. So “Struthio” makes sense, but I have no idea about “pertaining to a camel”!

The Mountain wheatear is a fairly small bird, with a length of approximately 20 cm; the males and females are the same size. Although there are several colour morphs to be found, most of the male birds in the southern African region have black upperparts with white shoulder patches and grey crowns. The belly and vent are white. Some birds lack the grey crown, and some birds are largely grey instead of black. Females are quite dissimilar to the males in plumage, being largely dull black to brown in colour. They lack the shoulder patches and grey crowns but share the distinctive white rump. The pointed bills are black; legs and feet are black and eyes are brown.

The Mountain wheatears is considered a near-endemic to the southern African region, with a range that extends out of the region into southern Angola. Their preferred habitat is fairly open, rocky areas, particularly boulder strewn hillsides.

The Mountain wheatear feeds mainly on invertebrates, usually foraging on the ground for insects such as grasshoppers and beetles, but will also eat spiders and centipedes. They will sometimes forage from a perch, and hawk for insects in the air.

The song of the Mountain wheatear is a clear, rather melodious trill or whistle.

The nest of the Mountain wheatear, which is monogamous, is a shallow cup that is constructed on top of a platform of grass, woody twigs and/or moss, and the nest is usually located close to a rock or in a crevice. They will also make use of nesting boxes if available. The female lays a clutch of two to four eggs that hatch after an incubation period of approximately fourteen days. The nest may be parasitized by the Diderick cuckoo (Chrysococcyx caprius).

The scientific binomial for the Mountain wheatear is Oenanthe monticola; Oenanthe from the Greek for a “wheatear”, but originating from the Greek words for “wine flower”, apparently in reference to the bird appearing at the time the grapes are ripening; and monticola from the Latin for “living in the mountains”. Thus a Mountain wheatear; can’t say clearer than that!

In the southern African region the range of the Dark-capped bulbul is restricted to the wetter east and north. In northern Namibia, along the Kunene River, its range overlaps that of the Red-eyed bulbul and hybrids of the two are known to occur. They are common throughout most of their range and frequent almost all areas, including suburban parks and gardens.

The Dark-capped bulbul has predominantly grayish-brown upper parts and white under parts, with its head being darker and the breast also being grayish-brown. Its vent is bright yellow; eyes are dark brown; the short bill, legs and feet are black. The sexes are alike in plumage colouration and the males are slightly larger than the females, with a length of approximately 20 cm.

Dark-capped bulbuls feed mainly on fruit, but also on insects, which they may catch while in flight, and nectar. They are usually found in pairs or in small groups. They are quite conspicuous birds and are often to be seen perched atop a small bush or post.

Dark-capped bulbuls are monogamous and build a neat cup nest of dried grass and twigs which they usually conceal very well in thick foliage. The female lays a clutch of two or three brown-speckled eggs that hatch after an incubation period of approximately 15 days. Their nests are sometimes parasitized by the Jacobin cuckoo (Clamator jacobinus).

The scientific binomial for the Dark-capped bulbul is Pycnonotus tricolor; Pycnonotus from the Greek for “thick back”, apparently a reference to the thickly feathered backs of these birds; and tricolor from the Latin for “three colours”. Thus a bird in three colours with a thickly feathered back, which can really only be a useful description if you have the bird in hand.

The males and females have similar plumage colouration, with the males being slightly larger than the females and having the longer tail. They are predominantly chestnut, with dark, bluish-black heads and necks and blue eye-rings. Bills are blue; legs and feet are bluish-grey. Their legs are relatively short and when perched  they have quite an upright stance.

African paradise-flycatchers are fairly common in the southern African region, and migrate to warmer parts of the continent, including the north-east coast of South Africa, during the cold winter months. In summer (from Sept/Oct to Mar/Apr) they are found singly or in pairs throughout the region with the exception of the very dry areas. Their favourite habitat is open woodland, riparian forests and orchards and gardens with plenty of trees.

As their name suggests, the African paradise flycatchers feed mainly on insects, which they usually catch while in flight, but will also eat caterpillars, spiders and some berries and fruit. They are very noisy birds and can be difficult to photograph as they seem to be constantly on the move as they weave their way through the tangled branches beneath the canopy, where the light is patchy and of poor quality.

African paradise flycatchers are monogamous and build a small cup-shaped nest, often on an exposed branch, and often camouflaged with lichen. Camouflaged the nest may be, but when the male is incubating the eggs his impressive tail hangs well clear of the nest and his presence may be quite obvious to passers-by! The female lays a clutch of two or three white eggs that hatch after an incubation period of approximately 15 days.

The scientific binomial for the African paradise flycatcher is Terpsiphone viridis; Terpsiphone from the Greek for “a delightful voice”; and viridis from the Latin for “green”, perhaps a reference to the greeny-blue tinge to the bird’s head. Thus the name describes a green bird (or perhaps a bird wiuth a green head?) that has a delightful voice. Well, I think that both the delightful voice and the green plumage are really a stretch!!