Post number 18 Birds from Southern Africa

These are photos again taken by my friend, Christelle Miller, while in the Kruger national park in May 2018.

Thanks go to Christelle for allowing me to use these photos on my blog.

I think next week I will take a break from South Africa, although I still have a number of Christelle's photos still to go through. I will turn to Europe for a couple of weeks with my own photos.

As always, I hope that my identification is correct, please let me know if there should be any mistakes.

Egyptian geese (Alopochen aegyptiaca).

African fish eagle (Haliaeetus vocifer), it feeds extensively on fish, in some areas it preys on flamingoes and other water birds. They live in pairs close to the streams. The nest is huge and made with sticks. The female lays two white eggs. Incubation lasts about 42 to 45 days, shared by both parents. Chicks remain at the nest for about 65 days. They can fly at about 70 to 75 days of age but are reliant on their parents for another 2 months. If you have never heard the call of the fish eagle, one of the best sounds in Africa, click here.

Great egret (Ardea alba), One of the most widely distributed birds in the temperate and warm tropical belts of the world. The staple diet is fish.  They live in colonies near salt and freshwater bodies, swamps, streams, and ponds. They build large nests of sticks, twigs, and leaves high up in trees. Female egrets usually lay pale bluish-green eggs, and incubation takes 3-4 weeks. Hatchlings are covered in soft white downy feathers. Both parents take turns to incubate the eggs and protect and look after the newborns.

Natal spurfowl or Natal francolin (Pternistis natalensis). It can be seen alone or in groups of around ten. This is a ground foraging bird. It forages at dawn or late in the evening. The diet of the Natal Francolin consists of mostly insects, roots, bulbs, molluscs, fruit and seeds. Their nests are just a small shallow scrape in the ground that is lined with grass. They use thick cover to keep their nests concealed. The female can lay up to seven eggs. The eggs are a cream colour and they take about 21 days to hatch. They breed all throughout the year.

Red-billed buffalo weaver (Bubalornis niger).  They are found in dry savannas and sparse woodlands They forage on the ground, taking various arthropods, but also various seeds and fruits. These birds breed in colonies and the males may be polygamous, each controlling 1-8 nest chambers and up to about 3 females. The nest is a huge, bulky mass of interconnected thorny twigs, divided into separate complexes with multiple egg chambers, each with a nest built by a female, consisting of a ball of grass, leaves and roots. Each female lays 2-4 eggs, which she incubates alone for about 14 days. The chicks are mostly fed by the female alone and fledge 20-23 days after hatching.

I think this is an African barred owlet (Glaucidium capense) It is a small owl, partly diurnal. Calling occurs mainly at dusk and dawn. Often observed on open perches scanning for prey even during the day. Roosts within cover, often in a natural cavity in a tree.  It feeds on small mammals, birds, reptiles, frogs, insects, scorpions and caterpillars which are normally caught following a short flight from a perch. Both sexes sing to proclaim their territory, most frequently before breeding. The nest site is usually a tree cavity between 10 to 20 foot from the ground. 2–3 eggs are laid from September to November. The young are fed by both parents but only in the dark, fledgling after 30–33 days and they become independent after 7–12 months.

Cape glossy starling (Lamprotornis nitens). Sexes are alike but the male is a bit larger. It eats insects, fruit, nectar and scraps of human food, doing most of its foraging on the ground. It is a monogamous, cooperative breeder, meaning that the breeding pair may be assisted by up to 6 helpers, who often remain with them through many breeding seasons. It usually nests in tree cavities, but it may also use a hole in a riverbank, metal pipe or even a post box. It adds coarse material such as twigs into the cavity after which it adds a lining of dry grass or dung. It often uses the same nest over multiple breeding seasons. It lays 2-6 eggs, which are incubated solely by the female. The chicks are fed by both parents and helpers, leaving the nest after about 20 days after which they remain with the group for at least week.

Southern white-crowned shrike (Eurocephalus anguitimens). male and female are alike, generally seen in flocks. It feeds on the ground and in foliage, mainly invertebrates. It is monogamous unless its mate dies and creates a nest in branches of a tree or shrub. The bird lays eggs which are white in colour and number between 2 to 5.

The Grey Heron (Ardea cinera). This is a particularly tall bird, standing at about a metre in height, males and females are similar. They are wading birds that favour areas like marshes, dams, lakes, lagoons, rivers and reservoirs. It is happy to eat whatever fish, crustaceans and other animals it can find in the water in which it wades.  It is a monogamous bird that will likely stick to an established heron nesting area, set up by previous generations in their natural habitat. These are called heronries. This bird will breed in a colony or as an individual, using flat nests in the tops of the trees.  These nests are constructed using sticks and twigs, and are then lined with grass and fresh leafy branches. The male presents the female with these building materials in a rather ritualistic way before she proceeds to construct the actual nest.  The female usually lays between three and six eggs during autumn or in the early part of winter. The male and female take turns to incubate these eggs for almost four weeks before they hatch. The tiny chicks are fed fish by means of regurgitation. They will take between 20 and 30 days to fledge.

The marabou stork (Leptoptilos crumenifer).  Their name comes from the French word “marabout”, which means 'ugly. It is sometimes called the "undertaker bird" due to its shape from behind: cloak-like wings and back, skinny white legs, They stand an average of 1.52m (5ft) tall. An average weight for this species is 9kg (20lbs). Their maximum wingspan is 3.19m (10.5ft) across. Their bill measures 26-35cm (10-13.8in). Male marabou storks are larger than the females. This species is a carnivore. Most of their food comes from scavenging by flying high above the ground. They will feed upon most varieties of live and dead prey including lizards, frogs, insects, rats, mice, birds, fish, crocodile eggs, young crocodiles and snakes. Marabou storks make their home on open savannahs near swamps, river margins and lake shores. They may even locate near fishing villages where they can steal scraps. Birds will congregate in groups ranging from 20 pairs to several thousand. Males first come and establish a territory. Then he greets newcomers with an inflated throat pouch. Soon he will accept a courting female into his territory. The pair then start to build their nest. This is constructed of sticks on a cliff side, in a tree, or on top of buildings in villages. Into this nest, two to three eggs will be deposited with a two to three-day interval between each. After 29-31 days they chicks will hatch.  It takes 13-15 weeks for them to be ready to fledge. Only one of the three chicks will make it to this stage. Four years after birth the chicks will achieve sexual maturity.

Three-banded plover, or three-banded sandplover (Charadrius tricollaris). It hunts by sight for insects, worms and other invertebrates. The nest is a simple scrape in sand, mud or shingle and the female usually lays one or two eggs. The most interesting part of the breeding cycle is the nest scraping ceremony. The male pushes his chest into the ground and then rotates his body to make a nest scrape while his back legs move backwards kicking up the sand. The male then moves away from the nest scrape, tail raised and neatens up the scrape by picking up and discarding fragments. The female then moves in for an inspection, also picking at fragments before moving away. The male will make several scrapes before the female is happy and chooses one! Once an egg has been laid it is incubated for 26-28 days before a perfect little chick hatches. Both adults care for the chick for up to 42 days. It will begin to fly at around 21 days.

Red-winged starling (Onychognathus morio). The adult male has glossy black plumage with dark blue sheen overall, except on the wings where the primary flight feathers are bright chestnut with narrow blackish tips. The female is very similar in plumage, but she has a brownish-grey head, chin, throat and upper breast. This bird frequents the mountainous areas with rocky outcrops and gorges, with access to vegetated feeding grounds although often now seen in urban areas. It feeds on numerous fruits, berries, seeds and nectar. It also consumes animal food such as amphibians and various insects Unlike numerous starlings, the Red-winged Starling builds its nest on a ledge, on a rock or cliff, but now also on buildings, and sometimes on leaf bases of palms. The nest-site is often reused for several successive years.  The nest is made with mud, grass, rootlets and sticks, and lined with finer grass, horsehair and also non-natural materials. The female lays 2-4 eggs and incubates over about two weeks. The male feeds her at the nest during this period. The chicks are fed by both parents, and they fledge about 22-28 days after hatching. 

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