Bulletin 348 - South Africa 2020 #2 - new family and Cape songbirds

I was enthralled 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.

You will see many of theses birds in this bulletin are named for the area.

There was one new family of passerines on the trip as well. The rockjumpers have just 2 species and one is in the western cape area. 

The 9" Cape Rockjumper (Chaetops frenatus) is endemic to the Cape fynbos area. It likes boulder strewn slopes with scrubby low vegetation. The pair will start at the bottom of the hill and work their way to the top and then fly down again. We were lucky to get a pair at the bottom so were able to walk up ahead of them and let them move towards us. The male is unmistakable with his black head and 2 white stripes and dark rufous body.

Cape Rockjumper - male

The female is grayish and duller overall. She came within 5 feet of where I was standing.

Cape Rockjumper - female

The 5" male Cape Batis (Batis capensis) is a striking plump black and white bird with rufous flanks.

Cape Batis - male

The 8" Cape Bulbul (Pycnonotus capensis) is a  dark brown bird with typical yellow vent of the bulbuls. He has a large white eye ring.

Cape Bulbul

The 6" Cape Bunting (Emberiza capensis) is a sparrow like bird with striped head, brown wings and light underside.

Cape Bunting

Next is the the 7" Cape Grassbird (Sphenoeacus afer). The rufous head, streaked body and long tail are an easy ID if you are lucky enough to see this skulker.

Cape Grassbird

The 6" male Cape Sparrow (Passer melanurus) is a gray bodied bird with black  and white head.

Cape Sparrow

The male Cape Sugarbird (Promerops cafer) is a brown bird with curved bill and a very long tail. It is the signature bird for the fynbos area as it drinks nectar form protea flowers and moves around as flowers bloom at different times in the year. We saw it many times.

Cape Sugarbird

The 8" Cape Wagtail (Motacilla capensis) is a rather dull wagtail as it is mostly gray and white rather than black and white.

Cape Wagtail

Lastly is the 7" Cape Weaver (Ploceus capensis). This is a dull yellow female. The male would be brighter with a black face.

Cape Weaver - female

These are just a few of the birds named 'Cape something' but these are the only members of their families I photographed this trip. There was not a lot of originality when Europeans settled first in South Africa at Capetown area and started to name the birds. So if you visit and see a bird you can always guess it is a Cape something. LOL


Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald

dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2020 David McDonald

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