Bird of the Week – Week 83 – Rock kestrel
Rock kestrel used to be considered a sub-species of the Common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus), but on the basis of recent genetic findings it is now considered to be a separate species. As the classification...
Category: Bird of the week
Bird of the Week – Week 82 – Ruppell’s korhaan
The Ruppell’s korhaan, previously known as the Ruppell’s bustard, is near endemic to the southern African region where it is limited in distribution to the dry, sandy and gravel plains of the Namib Desert...
Bird of the Week – Week 81 – Burchell’s coucal
The Burchell’s coucal is also commonly referred to as “The Rainbird” and has a well developed reputation in southern African for being able to predict impending rain. This association with rain probably arises because...
Bird of the Week – Week 80 – Little bee-eater
The bee-eaters are amongst the most colourful birds in the southern African region, and the smallest of them all, the aptly named Little bee-eater, is no exception. A slenderly built bird with a length...
Bird of the Week – Week 79 – Squacco heron
The Squacco heron is fairly common along the shorelines of freshwater dams and wetlands that have dense vegetation throughout the southern African region, with the exception of the very dry areas of the Namib...
Bird of the Week – Week 78 – Mallard
The Mallard (perhaps together with the Muscovy duck (Cairina moschata) is thought to be the ancestor of all domestic ducks. It is a particularly striking bird, especially the males which have a metallic-green head...
Bird of the Week – Week 77 – Cape bunting
The Cape bunting is a fairly small bird, just 16 cm in length, and is often to be seen foraging on the rocky and fairly open ground along quieter roadsides. It is a near...
Bird of the Week – Week 76 – Yellow-bellied eremomela
The Yellow-bellied eremomela is found quite widely through the southern African region, and, indeed, through large parts of Africa northward to Sudan, although it is not found in the forests of the central and...
Bird of the Week – Week 75 – Cape cormorant
If you sit somewhere along the Namibian west coast, particularly in the vicinity of Swakopmund, and look out over the Atlantic Ocean at sunrise or sunset you are bound to see long chains of...
Bird of the week – Week 74 : White-browed scrub-robin
The White-browed scrub-robin, with a length of around 15 cm, is much the same size as the other scrub-robins and out in the field it is often necessary to look at the birds quite...
Bird of the Week – Week 73 – Namaqua dove
Found throughout most of Africa, the Namaqua dove is the smallest dove in the region and the only one with a long tail. The sexes are similar in size, with a length of about...
Bird of the Week – Week 72 – Giant kingfisher
The Giant kingfisher is, as one would expect from its name, the largest of all the kingfishers found in the southern African region. They have a length of approximately 44 cm, and the sexes...
Bird of the Week – Week 71 – Short-toed rock-thrush
The Short-toed rock-thrush is a near endemic to the southern African region, with its range outside of the region being limited to southern Angola. Its preferred habitat within this range is the arid western...
Bird of the Week – Week 70 – Magpie shrike
Found in the more northerly parts of the southern African region, as well as further north into Kenya and Tanzania, the Magpie shrike is a distinctive bird that is quite hard to miss. It...
Bird of the Week – Week 69 – Double-banded sandgrouse
We most often see the Double-banded sandgrouse while driving along the sandy roads and tracks of central and northern Namibia, as they seem to favour the edges of the road as areas along which...
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