Africa Wild Bird Book

[Toko]

581. Cape Rock-thrush Monticola rupestris (Kaapse Kliplyster)
Order: Passeriformes. Family: Muscicapidae


Male, Marakele National Park

Description:
Length 21-22 cm, weight about 60 g. The largest Rock Thrush in the region with a slate grey head, throat and upper breast. The eyes are brown.
Adult male: Blue-grey head and throat contrast with rufous-orange underparts. Upperparts are mostly dark brown and rufous. The bill is black, the eyes brown, and the legs brown to black.
Adult female: Similar to the male, except that the underparts are duller and the head is mainly brown, streaked black, with white markings on the face and throat.
Juvenile: Brown with buff mottles above, and rufous with black mottles below.
Similar species: It can be confused with the similar Sentinel Rock Thrush which occupies similar habitat, and with the Short-toed Rock Thrush with which the overlap is smaller. The male differs from male Sentinel Rock Thrush in having a brown (not blue) back and forewing and by the blue on the throat not extending onto the upper breast. Can be confused with the male Short-toed Rock Thrush that has a blue-grey back and a whitish crown. The female has richer red underparts than other rock-thrushes.

Distribution
Endemic to South Africa (eastern and southern South Africa), Swaziland and Lesotho. The distribution of the Cape Rock Thrush coincides with the distribution of mountainous terrain in the mesic parts of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland. West of 22°E it is confined to the Cape fold mountains and it does not occur on the escarpment of the Great Plateau where more arid conditions prevail. East of 22°E it occurs from the coast inland to the escarpment and beyond, but not into the relatively arid central and western interior. At the eastern extremity of its range it occurs on the Lebombo range of far northern KwaZulu-Natal, eastern Swaziland and extreme southern Mozambique. In the Transvaal it is found on the escarpment and other mountain ranges, with the Soutpansberg being the most northerly outpost.



Habitat
Common in mountainous rocky areas in relatively high-rainfall regions with scattered vegetation, but it also occurs in gorges, incised river valleys, foothills and in lowlands adjacent to mountains. Also found in villages and towns adjacent to these habitats.

Diet
It mostly forages on the ground feeding on insects, spiders, and other invertebrates as well as molluscs, frogs, fruit and seeds. It is attracted to recently burnt areas.

Breeding
Monogamous, solitary nester, with the male vigorously defending his territory against both other males and other species. It has even been observed chasing and attacking another male which dared wander into its territory. The nest is a messy platform built of twigs, grass, roots and soil, with a cup-shaped cavity set into the top. It is typically placed in a rock crevice or on the ledge of a cliff or building, sometimes reusing the same nest over multiple breeding seasons. Egg-laying season is from September-February, peaking from September-December. he female lays 2-4 eggs, which are mainly incubated by the female for about 14-16 days. The chicks are fed by both parents on a diet of arthropods, leaving the nest after about 16 days and becoming fully independent about 10 days later.

Call
Mellow whistling notes by both sexes, weetleoo pee pee chitrrr, whittoo chu wee. Listen to Bird Call.

Status
Endemic. Fairly common resident.

[Toko]

581. Cape Rock-thrush Monticola rupestris

© BluTuna
Female, Marakele National Park

© Amoli
Female

© Duke

© Duke
Female, Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden


Links:
Species text Sabap1
Sabap2
Peter Clement. Thrushes
Avian Leisure: ROCK THRUSHES OF SOUTH AFRICA

[Amoli]

582. Sentinel Rock-thrush Monticola explorator (Langtoonkliplyster)
Order: Passeriformes. Family: Muscicapidae

Sentinel Rock-thrush Monticola explorator.jpg (32.08 KiB) Viewed 1135 times

Description
Length 17 cm, mass about 50 g.
Adult male: The head to upper breast and back is a striking blue-grey, contrasting with a rich orange lower breast and belly. The wings are black and grey. The bill is black and the irises are brown.
Adult female: Greyish brown with pale mottling above. Throat and breast streaked dark brown on a white to orange background. Belly creamy.
The immature is spotted white above and scaled brown below.
Similar species: The male Sentinel Rock Thrush can be told from the male Cape Rock Thrush by having a blue-grey, not brown, back and forewing, with the blue of the throat extending onto the upper breast; and from the Short-toed Rock Thrush by lacking a pale crown. The female Sentinel Rock Thrush and the Short-toed Rock Thrush have bright rufous bellies.

Taxonomy: There are two subspecies: M. e. explorator from most of the range of the species (Western Cape to Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Swaziland); and M. e. tenebriformis from Lesotho and KwaZulu-Natal, darker than the nominate race.

Distribution
Endemic to South Africa, Swaziland and Lesotho.

Habitat I prefers alpine grassland and heathlands on hills, felled plantations with exposed rocks, open, boulder-strewn rangeland with grass. It also occurs in mountain fynbos near sea level in the Western Cape, and around villages and towns at high altitudes.

Movements and migrations: Mainly resident, although it may move to lower altitudes in winter.

Diet
It eats arthropods supplemented with grass and seeds, doing most of its foraging on the ground, searching for food amongst grass tufts and rocks. The following food items have been recorded in its diet: Arthropods (ants, beetles, larval stage of Lepidoptera, grasshoppers, spiders, millipedes), fruits and seeds.

Breeding
The nest is built solely by the female, and is a platform of grass twigs and roots with a cup-shaped cavity set into the middle which is lined with finer material. It is typically placed in a rock crevice, on a ledge, under a rock or occasionally against a grass tuft on a grassy slope. Egg-laying season is from about September-January. It lays 2-3 eggs, which are incubated solely by the female for about 13-15 days. The chicks are mainly fed by the female, leaving the nest after about 16-18 days.

Call
Listen to Bird Call

Status
Not threatened. Common, localised endemic resident.

[Amoli]

582. Sentinel Rock-thrush Monticola explorator (Langtoonkliplyster)

Umganto [Xhosa]; Thume (generic term for rock thrush) [South Sotho]; Langteen-rotslijster [Dutch]; Monticole espion [French]; Langzehenrötel [German]; Melro-das-rochas-sentinela [Portuguese]



Links:
Species Text Sabap1
Sabap2
Peter Clement: Thrushes

[Flutterby]

583. Short-toed Rock-thrush Monticola brevipes (Korttoonkliplyster)
Order: Passeriformes. Family: Muscicapidae


Monticola brevipes subspecies pretoriae

Description
18 cm. A small to medium-sized, short-footed (brevipes) thrush with a slender bill with a hooked tip.
Adult male: Crown and superciliary area whitish; remainder of head blue-grey, ear coverts slightly darker. Mantle and back blue-grey. Rump and upper tail coverts rich rufous-orange. Tail with central rectrices black; remainder bright orange, with small black patch at tip of outer web. Upper wing coverts blackish brown, broadly edged blue-grey; lesser coverts blue-grey. Flight feathers blackish brown, P5-P8 emarginated, narrowly edged blue-grey from base to emargination point; inner primaries narrowly tipped whitish. Secondaries edged blue-grey, tipped whitish. Tertials broadly edged blue-grey, tipped buff. Axillaries and underwing coverts orange. Throat and upper breast blue-grey. Remainder of underparts rufous-orange; undertail orange. Bill black. Eyes brown. Legs and feet black.
Adult female: Upper parts plain greyish brown; tail as male. Throat white, mottled brown; remainder of underparts rich rufous.
Juvenile: Both sexes with upper parts spotted buff and black. Mantle of male blue-grey, female dull brown. Underparts of both sexes mostly buffy, throats and breasts scalloped brown; female with small crescents on upper belly, male more extensively scalloped below.
Birds in the east (M. b. pretoriae) are sometimes considered as a distinct species Transvaal Rock Thrush. They have darker heads and the females are heabily spotted on breast and throat.
Similar species: Male Cape Rock-Thrush has crown blue-grey (not whitish) and mantle dark brown and rufous (not blue-grey). Female has upper parts streaked (not plain), white of throat less extensive. Male Sentinel Rock-Thrush has blue-grey crown and more extensive blue-grey on breast. Female has upper breast whitish, mottled brown (not plain rufous).

Distribution
Near-endemic to southern Africa, occurring from south-western Angola through Namibia to southern Botswana and north-western and central parts of South Africa.

Habitat
Wooded koppies and rocky slopes. It is most common on rocky outcrops, inselbergs, escarpments and river valleys with scattered bushes and trees. It also occupies edges of towns and villages, especially during winter.

Diet
It forages mainly on the ground, feeding on insects such as grasshoppers and termites, as well as fruit and seeds.

Breeding
The Short-toed Rock Thrush is monogamous, usually building its cup nest at the base of a suitable rock, and lining it with soft vegetation, usually placed under rock on vegetated slopes. It breeds in spring to late summer when it is presumably at relatively high altitudes. Egglaying has been recorded October–March in Namibia, August–December in Botswana, and in October in the Transvaal. The season is probably later in Namibia than further to the south and east, corresponding to a later rainy season in the northwest. The female lays a clutch of two to four sky-blue or greenish-blue eggs that hatch after an incubation period of about 14 days.

Call
Series of clear, jumbled, whistled phrases that includes mimicry. Most frequent call is a thin tseeep.

Status
Fairly common near endemic, with extensive altitudinal migration and seasonal movement away from breeding grounds.

[Flutterby]

583. Short-toed Rock-thrush Monticola brevipes (Korttoonkliplyster)

© Flutterby
Male

© Mel
Around Rooibrak (Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park), 11th October 2016

© Michele Nel
Male

© Dewi
Female

© puppy
Daan Viljoen Private Nature Reserve, Namibia

Links:
Species text Sabap1
Sabap2: http://sabap2.adu.org.za/spp_summary.ph ... &section=3
Birds of Botswana
Peter Clement. Thrushes
Avian Leisure: ROCK THRUSHES OF SOUTH AFRICA

[Flutterby]

596. African Stonechat Saxicola torquatus (Gewone Bontrokkie)
Order: Passeriformes. Family: Muscicapidae

African Stonechat Saxicola torquatus.jpg (28.65 KiB) Viewed 1148 times

Description
Length 12-13 cm. Weight 13-17 g.
Male has black upperparts, a broad wing patch and more white on neck sides, and white rump. Breast and flanks are chestnut-rufous, belly and undertail coverts are white. Hood is black.
Female is browner with buffy edges on mantel feathers. Rump is white and the wing patch is smaller. Underparts are orange-rufous, paler on belly. Undertail coverts are white. The hood is brown streaked black, becoming paler on cheeks, chin and throat.
Juveniles are mottled with dark buff above and paler below.

Distribution
Sub-Saharan Africa, the bulk of its population located from eastern Sudan and Ethiopia through southern DRC, Angola and Tanzania to southern Africa. Here it is common across much of Zimbabwe, northern Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa and Caprivi Strip, Namibia.



Habitat
Montane or open grassland (with scattered shrubs and bushes), fynbos shrubland, grassy hillsides, edges of high altitude forest, swamp edges and cultivated land.

Diet
It mainly eats insects and their larvae, supplemented with other invertebrates, lizards, fruit and seeds. It does most of its foraging from a perch, pouncing on prey on the ground and occasionally hawking insects aerially. It may also forage along rocky shores, hawking prey such as fish from perches on rocks and kelp.

Breeding
The nest is built solely by the female, consisting of a deep cup made of dry grass, rootlets and thin plant stems and lined with finer rootlets, wool, hair and sometimes feathers. It is typically placed on the ground or on a low bank, at the base of a grass tuft or shrub. Egg-laying season is from July-December, peaking from August-November. It lays 2-5 eggs, which are incubated solely by the female for about 14-15 days. The chicks are brooded solely by the female but fed both parents, leaving the nest after about 13-16 days, becoming fully independent about 2-3 weeks later.

Call
Alarm sharp seep-chak-chak, song canary-like with trilling notes. Listen to Bird Call.

Status
Common resident.

[Flutterby]

596. African Stonechat Saxicola torquatus

© Flutterby
Male

© pooky
Male

© Joan
Male

© BluTuna
Juvenile, Rietvlei Nature Reserve, Gauteng


Female

© Mel
Female

© Amoli
Male

© Duke

© Duke

Links:
Species text Sabap1
Sabap2

[Toko]

588. Buff-streaked Chat Campicoloides bifasciatus (Bergklipwagter)
Order: Passeriformes. Family: Muscicapidae

Buff-streaked Chat.jpg (39.99 KiB) Viewed 1159 times

Description
The Buff-streaked Chat has a height of 17 cm and weighs around 33 g.
Adult male: The male's black face, throat and wings and buffy underparts are diagnostic. Forehead and broad supercilium rich buff; crown and nape brownish black, lightly streaked buffy brown. Mantle and back mottled cinnamon-brown and dark brown, feathers edged whitish when fresh. Scapulars, rump and upper tail coverts variable, from whitish to orange-buff, scapulars forming characteristic 'V' at mantle edges. Tail black. Primaries and secondaries dark brown; tertials black, edged and tipped buff. Upper wing coverts black. Underwing coverts dark greyish brown or black; axillaries white. Undersides of primaries and secondaries silvery grey. Face to upper breast black, mottled buff in some birds. Lower breast and belly bright orange-buff. Bill black. Eyes brown. Legs and feet black.
Adult female: The upperparts are brown with dark streaks. The pale buff eyebrow is narrow, the rump is orange-buff, and the tail black. The underparts are cinnamon-buff with darker streaks on the breast.
Juvenile: Similar to the female, is mottled with black and buff above and below scaled with blackish, and has a rufous rump.
Similar species: Distinguished from Capped Wheatear by having conspicuous buffy white scapulars and a black, not white throat. Female differs from juvenile Capped Wheatear in having a buff (not white) rump.

Distribution
Endemic to of South Africa, Swaziland and Lesotho, occurring along much of the Drakensberg escarpment and surrounding foothills. The distribution of the Buff-streaked Chat follows the distribution of sour grasslands.



Habitat
It generally prefers grassland on boulder-strewn slopes or rocky outcrops, with scattered bushes and trees. It may also occur around farmhouses and at the edges of human settlements, where it often becomes tame.

Diet
It mainly eats arthropods, but includes seeds and (rarely) nectar. Foraging from a perch on a boulder, from which it pounces on prey on the ground and in the air. It also forages on the ground, and it may even glean food from the leaves and branches of trees.

Breeding
A co-operative breeder, young birds help their parents feed subsequent broods. The nest is mainly built by the female and is a cup set into a large, untidy platform of grass and roots, lined with rootlets, hair and fine grass. Egg-laying season is from September-February, peaking from October-November. It lays 2-4 eggs, which are incubated solely by the female in shifts of about half an hour, with roughly 15 min. breaks between them. The chicks are fed by both parents on a diet of grasshoppers, caterpillars and other insects.

Call
Loud combination of whistles, trills and harsh notes in short quick phrases. Listen to Bird Call.

Status
Locally common endemic.

[Toko]

588. Buff-streaked Chat Campicoloides bifasciatus

© Toko
Male. Marakele National Park, Lenong Mountain top

© Toko
Female. Marakele National Park, Lenong Mountain top

© Toko
Female. Marakele National Park, Lenong Mountain top

© Sharifa
Male

© mma_ramotswe
Male

Links:
Species text Sabap1
Sabap2
Ian Sinclair. SASOL VOELS VAN SUIDER AFRICA (3de UIT)