Bird of the Week – Week 144 – Common moorhen
There are at least twenty-two birds in the southern African region that have the adjective “Common” in their name, and some of them are not common (in the sense of plentiful) at all. The...
Category: Bird of the week
Bird of the Week – Week 143 – White-fronted bee-eater
The bee-eaters are a delightful family of birds and the White-fronted bee-eater is one of the few members of the family that can be found fairly commonly within its territory throughout the year. Its...
Bird of the Week – Week 141 – Crested barbet
The Crested barbet is fairly common in the north-eastern parts of the southern African region, where it favours drier woodland especially areas with plenty of acacias. They also seem to be quite comfortable in...
Bird of the Week – Week 140 – Montiero’s hornbill
The Montiero’s hornbill is a near-endemic to Namibia and its range is limited to central and north-west Namibia, spilling outside the southern African region only into the southern part of Angola. It is the...
Bird of the Week – Week 139 – White-tailed shrike
The White-tailed shrike is a pretty little bird and one of the few that is near endemic to Namibia. The males and females have similar grey, white and black plumage, which, together with a...
Bird of the Week – Week 138 – Marabou stork
Not wishing to be unkind, but the Marabou stork is surely one of the ugliest birds that you are likely to see in southern Africa, reminiscent of a mournful undertaker stalking slowly through the...
Bird of the Week – Week 137 – Swamp boubou
The range of the Swamp boubou in southern Africa is restricted to the northern river systems of Namibia and Botswana, and within this area it is very likely to be heard before it is...
Bird of the Week – Week 136 – Tawny-flanked prinia
The Tawny-flanked prinia is a fairly common bird within the wetter eastern part of the southern African region, where it is often seen in pairs or small groups in its favoured habitat – the...
Bird of the Week – Week 135 – Lesser grey shrike
The Lesser grey shrike is one of the non-breeding summer visitors to the southern African region, spending the balance of the year in the process of migrating and in its breeding grounds in Europe...
Bird of the Week – Week 134 – Kurrichane thrush
The Kurrichane thrush is fairly common within the north-eastern part of the southern African region and they are often to be seen hopping about in the undergrowth. Their preferred habitat includes woodland, riverine bush...
Bird of the Week – Week 133 – Red-billed oxpecker
Red-billed oxpeckers are not common within the southern African region, being limited in range to the north-east and being more common within game reserves than within farmlands. Outside the region they are found as...
Bird of the Week – Week 131 – African skimmer
One of the more unusual looking avian inhabitants of the Caprivi region of northern Namibia, and rare enough to be considered “endangered” in the southern African region, is the African skimmer. The most striking...
Bird of the Week – Week 132 – Black-chested prinia
Although it is a near-endemic within the southern African region, the delightful Black-chested prinia is quite common within the region. A small bird, with a length of approximately 14 cm, they have pale brown...
Bird of the Week – Week 130 – Olive woodpecker
The Olive woodpecker is the only woodpecker in the Southern African region that is not speckled, having plain olive green plumage with a bright red rump and a grey head and throat. Legs and...
Bird of the Week – Week 129 – Malachite sunbird
The male Malachite sunbird, during the breeding season, is one of the most magnificent of all the sunbirds within the region, with bright, metallic green plumage, bright yellow pectoral tufts and a long tail...
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