Bulletin 356 - South Africa 2020 #10 - finishing up

I was enchanted with my first visit to Africa in November 2018 and so I scheduled another trip with the same guide Casper Badenhorst. As we had done the eastern part of the country from Durban to Kruger NP, we went to the Capetown area and the famous fynbos habitat.

The 17" Giant Kingfisher (Megaceryle maximus) is the largest kingfisher in Africa. It is similar to our Belted Kingfisher in North America. The male has and all rufous chest and belly. The female here has a blue chest and rufous belly. There is a huge bill and shaggy crest.

Giant Kingfisher - female

The 8" Alpine Swift (Tachymarptis melba) is dark above and all white below except for a dark throat band and tail.

Alpine Swift

Mousebirds are a 6 species African family of long tailed crested usually brown or gray birds. The 12" Speckled Mousebird (Colius striatus) is brown bodied with a whitish crest, black mask, and bicolored bill.

Speckled Mousebird

The 12" White-backed Mousebird (Colius colius) is all gray with a white bill with black tip. This was a life bird for me.

White-backed Mousebird

The 16" Cape Spurfowl (Pternistis capensis) is a dark brown spurfowl with a red bill and black tip to the upper mandible.

Cape Spurfowl

I finally saw a breeding plumaged Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis).. It is attractive with a black and mahogany head and neck, white cheek spot and white tip to the bill.

Little Grebe - breeding

The 5" Brown-throated Martin (Riparia paliducola) is a gray-brown martin with a white belly.

Brown-throated Martin

The 5" Gray-backed Cisiticola (Cisticola subruficapilla) is a gray cisticola with a streaked back and rusty crown. It is almost endemic to the fynbos area.

Gray-backed Cisiticola

Another small bird in the fynbos is the 5.5" Karoo Prinia (Prinia maculosa). It is a brown-backed bird with streaked breast and long tail.

Karoo Prinia

The 4" Orange River White-eye (Zosterops pallidus) is a typical white eye, but he has pinkish flanks.

Orange River White-eye

Lastly is the 3.5" Swee Waxbill (Coccopygia melanotis). Waxbills are colorful and popular as cage birds. The male has a black face, bicolored bill, olive back, and red rump.

Swee Waxbill - male

This completes the birds in the Capetown area. Next week we will visit a new country.

One thing that has interested me for a long time are national birds. Now that I have done photography on several continents, I decided to look up national or official territorial birds. Some places do not have designated birds, so if they have the bird on their coat-of-arms, I used that bird. Despite the fact I have I have photographed in just a dozen countries, I have photos of the birds of 83 countries or territories. 

I did the same for the USA states and territories as well as the Canadian provinces. You can see them here.

I put the different bird/mammal families in single folders for easy viewing

I have photos of 18 of the 113 species of kingfishers

I have photos of 8 of the 106 species of  swifts

I have photos of 4 of the 6 species of  mousebirds

I have photos of 19 of the 182 species of pheasants, grouse

I have photos of 10 of the 22 species of grebes


I have photos of 26 of the 88 species of  swallows and martins

I have photos of 29 of the 160 species of cisticiolas, prinias 

I have photos of 4 of the 129 species of white-eyes


I have photos of 23 of the 141 species of  waxbills, munias 

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald

dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2020 David McDonald

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