Africa Wild Bird Book

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289. Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata (Grootwulp)
Order: Charadriiformes. Family: Scolopacidae



Description
Size 53-59 cm. The Eurasian Curlew is the largest wader on the southern African coast. It has a long, decurved bill.
In flight, it shows a conspicuous white rump that extends up the back as a white triangle.
Sexes alike but female is larger and has a longer bill.
Juvenile has a relatively short bill but lacks the head stripes of Common Whimbrel and is paler.
The only similar species over most of the Curlew's range is the Whimbrel. Among other features, the Curlew’s bill is three times longer than its head; the Whimbrel’s only twice as long, with a kink rather than a smooth curve. Eurasian Curlew is paler overall and lacks Common Whimbrel's head stripes, although a faint eyebrow stripe may be visible. Flying Curlews may also resemble, Bar-tailed Godwits (Limosa lapponica) in their winter plumages.

Distribution
Breeds from western Europe to north-west China between 45-70° North, dispersing in the non-breeding season to the coasts and shores of lakes in southern and western Europe, southern and South-East Asia, Madagascar and the coast of Africa down to southern Africa. Here it is generally uncommon along the coastline of the region, as well as further inland in north-central Namibia and Botswana.
The race that visits southern Africa is largely N. a. orientalis which breeds east of the Urals in western and central Siberia. This race migrates also to eastern Africa and southern Asia. Nominate arquata breeds west of the Urals and migrates mainly to western Europe.
It is a migrant to coastal wetlands. The distribution is concentrated on the coastlines of the southern Cape Province, Langebaan Lagoon to Berg River estuary, and Sandwich Harbour to Walvis Bay Lagoon.

Habitat
Large estuaries and lagoons; a few birds wander inland. In southern Africa, the preferred habitat is intertidal sandbanks and mudflats.

Diet
It mainly eats aquatic invertebrates, such as shellfish, mudprawns (such as Estuarine mudprawns Upogebia africana), small crabs, shrimps and polychaete worms, occasionally supplemented with insects, small vertebrates and plant matter. It does most of its foraging by using its long bill to probe and peck soft mud, soil and grass tussocks in search of food.

Movements and migrations
Departs its breeding grounds in June and July, heading south and eventually arriving in southern Africa in August, staying until about March and early April.

Call
A loud cur-lew. Listen to Bird Call.

Status
Locally common but decreasing summer visitor, rare in the east. Classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List.

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289. Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata (Grootwulp)



© Dewi

© Dewi

Links:
Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds
Sabap2: http://sabap2.adu.org.za/spp_summary.ph ... &section=3
Birds of Botswana
Newman's birds of Southern Africa
Hockey, P.A.R. 1998. Africa’s waders: a guide to their identification. Part 2. Africa - Birds & Birding 3(2):63-69.

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267. Spotted Redshank Tringa erythropus (Gevlekte Rooipootruiter)
Order: Charadriiformes. Family: Scolopacidae

Spotted Redshank.jpg (33.55 KiB) Viewed 1145 times

Description
Size 29-32 cm. It has a red legs and a long straight bill with striking red base, and shows a white oval on the back in flight.
In breeding plumage Spotted Redshank is almost entirely black, finely spotted and scalloped with white. A white `wedge' on the back showing clearly in flight, and a barred tail.
Very pale in non-breeding plumage with a grey back, and paler under parts, with a more prominent eye stripe than a redshank and lacking a redshank's white wing bars.
Juvenile resembles non-breeding adult but has more extensive grey barring on the underparts. Grey-brown finely speckled white above, pale, finely barred underparts.
Similar species: Similar to Common Redshank but is larger, paler and much longer-billed, and lacks the white secondaries. The legs and the base of the lower mandible are dark reddish, distinguishing it from other waders, except Ruff. Ruff lacks the white rump and the prominent white stripe between the bill and the eye.

Distribution
Mainly breeds in the tundra from northern Scandinavia to eastern Siberia, heading south in the non-breeding season to the region from Pakistan to south-eastern China and Africa between 0 -25° North, rarely moving further to southern Africa. Here it has been sighted approximately seven times at the Caprivi Strip, Namibia, southern Mozambique, north-eastern Zimbabwe, Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, with all records in the period from December-February.

Habitat
Vleis, lakes, estuaries, bays and lagoons.

Diet
Like most waders, it feeds on small invertebrates.

Breeding
It nests on open boggy taiga. Breeding habitats are pools of water, marshes, peatbogs and open boggy taiga. The average clutch consists of four eggs which are laid in a ground scape.

Call
The breeding vocalizations are described as creaking whistle teu-hu sounds; their noisy flight calls as a clear, double-noted tu wik; and their alarm calls as kyip-kyip-kyip.
Listen to Bird Call.

Status
Rare summer vagrant. Classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List.

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267. Spotted Redshank Tringa erythropus (Gevlekte Rooipootruiter)


Non-breeding plumage


Non-breeding plumage

Links:
Hockey, P.A.R. 1998. Africa’s waders: a guide to their identification. Part 2. Africa - Birds & Birding 3(2):63-69.
Wetlands International: Atlas of Wader Populations in Western Eurasia and Africa

[Dewi]

268. Common Redshank Tringa totanus (Rooipootrutter)
Order: Charadriiformes. Family: Scolopacidae

Common Redshank.jpg (44.57 KiB) Viewed 1143 times

Description
Medium-sized, 27-29 cm.
Adult in breeding plumage has grey-brown upperparts, spotted darker brown and black. On the upperwing, the secondary flight feathers are white, more visible in flight. The tail is white and finely barred black. Rump and lower back are white, conspicuous in flight. Underparts are whitish, heavily streaked and spotted dark brown on breast, flanks and belly. Underwing is white with grey-brown primaries. Head is brown, streaked and spotted dark brown, except on the white chin. The long bill is straight and slightly conical, with red base and black tip. Eyes are dark brown with white eyelid. Legs and feet are bright red.
In non-breeding plumage, upperparts are greyer without markings, except some narrow whitish fringes. Underparts are paler too with fine streaks and grey-brown wash on breast. Flanks and undertail coverts are finely streaked dark. White eye-ring. The bill is duller at base. Legs and feet are pale orange.
Juvenile: Above brown and streaked darker; bill dull reddish brown; legs greenish.

Distribution
Widespread throughout Europe, Asia and Africa. Breeds from western Europe to China, heading south in the non-breeding season to the Mediterranean, Australia, southern Asia to patches of West and East Africa. It is an uncommon visitor to southern Africa, mainly occurring in northern Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe as well as along the southern coast and the central region of South Africa.



Habitat
Inland freshwater and coastal shores.

Movements and migrations
It has been recorded year-round in southern Africa, however it is though its numbers peaking from August to January.

Diet
It mainly eats crustaceans, mollusc and polychaete worms, doing most of its foraging by pecking or probing in shallow water.

Breeding
Common Redshanks breed across the Palearctic: Iceland, Britain, much of Europe, the Middle East, and temperate Asia (e.g., the Himalayas up to 4,500m). Common Redshanks are monogamous and pairs will return to the same site and same partner. They are usually breed in high density at coastal saltmarshes, inland damp grasslands. The nest is just a shallow depression on the ground, concealed near or under vegetation. The male builds the base and the female lines it with twigs and leaves. 3-5, average 4, eggs are laid. Both parents incubate, usually 22-25 days. About a day after they hatch, the young disperse from the nest to feed themselves, although the parents keep a watchful eye on them.

Call
During flight, a loud teu-hoo or teu-hoo-hoo. But has a wide variety of calls. When alarmed, the calls are made more rapidly. Listen to Bird Call.

Status
Uncommon summer visitor.

[Dewi]

268. Common Redshank Tringa totanus

© Dewi
Breeding adult

© Dewi

© Lisbeth
Algarve, Portugal

Links:
Sabap2
Oiseaux net

[Toko]

269. Marsh Sandpiper Tringa stagnatilis (Moerasruiter)
Order: Charadriiformes. Family: Scolopacidae

Marsh Sandpiper.jpg (53.41 KiB) Viewed 1061 times

Description
The Marsh Sandpiper is a small wader. It is a rather small shank. The length is 22–26 cm, wingspan is 55–59 cm and weight is 45–120 g. It resembles a small Greenshank, with a long fine straightish, needle like bill and very long yellowish legs. It is greyish brown in breeding plumage, paler in winter, and has a white wedge up its back that is visible in flight. Wings dark, rump and back white, face pale, upperparts strongly spotted and blotched with greyish cinnamon and black-brown. Foreneck, breast and flanks with black markings.
Non-breeding adult has plain grey upperpants with narrow white fringes and contrasting dark wing coverts. Face and underparts white.
Female averages slightly larger.
Juvenile as non-breeding, but upperparts browner with buff spots and fringes.
Similar species: The Marsh Sandpiper and Greenshank are easily confused, but the former has proportionately longer legs, a slimmer and straighter bill, and a more slender neck and head, giving a more delicate ‘jizz’.

Distribution
It is a migratory species. The Marsh Sandpiper breeds mainly in marshes on the Eurasian steppes from roughly 50-120°. Most migrate to Africa south of the Sahara or to India, with relatively few migrating to southeastern Asia or to Australia. The main concentration in southern Africa is in the section of the highveld plateau with many pans (26–28°S, 25–31°E). Also common in the Okavango Delta, the lowveld of the eastern Transvaal, eastern Swaziland and adjacent KwaZuluNatal, and the coastal region of the southern and southwestern Cape Province. Largely absent from Mozambique and the arid Kalahari.



Habitat
They prefer to winter on fresh water wetlands such as swamps and lakes and are usually seen singly or in small groups. It generally prefers coastal lagoons, saline wetlands, temporary pools in river flood plains or salt-marshes and muddy fringes of open water bodies.

Diet
It mainly eats insects and their larvae, especially chironomids and coleopterans, supplemented with molluscs, crustaceans and polychaetes. It does most of its foraging in shallow water, plucking prey from the surface or sweepings its bill from its bill from side to side before snapping it shut.

Movements and migrations
It mainly arrives in southern Africa in the period from September-November, departing between January and March, earlier than most other waders.

Breeding
Monogamous pair bond during the season and breeds solitary or in loose colonies. Nest placed on mound, in short vegetation, close to water. Usually filled wih dry grass. 4 eggs are laid, both sexes incubate and tend brood. Age of first breeding 1 year.

Call
When flushed it gives either a solitary tewk or a tew-tewtew call which is twice as fast as, and softer than, the similar tjuu-tjuu-tjuu call of the Greenshank. Listen to Bird Call.

Status
Fairly common non-breading Palearctic migrant, main arrivals October/November.

[Toko]

269. Marsh Sandpiper Tringa stagnatilis

© leachy
Sunset dam, Kruger National Park

© Dindigwe
Macaneta Wetlands, about 30 kms north of Maputo

Links:
Sabap2: http://sabap2.adu.org.za/species_info.p ... #menu_left
Greenshank v Marsh Sandpiper quick ID Guide
Oiseaux net
Plate: Curlews, Godwits, Sandpipers

[Dewi]

270. Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia (Groenpootruiter)
Order: Charadriiformes. Family: Scolopacidae

Description
Length 30-35 cm; weight around 250 g. The Common Greenshank has a mottled grey back with white underparts, greenish-yellow legs and a relatively strong, black bill, green at the base and slightly upturned at the tip. Narrow white eye ring. Tail is white and mostly unmarked. In flight shows a prominent white wedge on the lower back and rump. It has a long, straight black bill, and long, light greenish-grey legs.
Breeding birds have bold black chevrons on chest and a heavily streaked and marked upper body.
Juvenile resembles adult but is darker above.
Similar species: Resembles a large Marsh Sandpiper, but has a heavier, slightly upturned, black bill, usually with a grey or greenish base. Bar-tailed Godwit is larger, browner and heavier, and has relatively short legs and an upturned bill with a pinkish base. Common Greenshank may be distinguished from Greater Yellowlegs by its green (not orange-yellow) legs and by its flight pattern (white rump extending onto black).

Distribution
This species breeds in a broad band across taiga and forest from Scotland to Kamchatka, Siberia, migrating in the non-breeding season to the area from Ireland east to the Mediterranean, southern Asia and Australia and south to sub-Saharan Africa, including southern Africa.



Habitat: Found in both coastal and freshwater habitats, on dams, sewage ponds, vleis.

Movements and migrations
Birds in Southern Africa are mainly visitors from Russia, where they breed. Although some birds are known to over-winter in Southern Africa, the majority arrives in July and departs again in May, thus making a twice-a-year crossing between Europe and Africa. Other birds migrate from Northern Europe to Southern Europe, Southern Asia and even to Australasia to escape the winter.

Diet
It feeds while wading forward at a steady walk, dashing forward when they spot a small fish or some other likely prey within reach. It mainly eats fish fry, tadpoles and insects inland, while at the coast its diet is dominated by small crabs, shrimps, mud and sand prawns, polychaete worms and fish fry.

Breeding
Greenshanks breed in Northern Europe, nesting on the ground in a hollow lined with grass or other plant material. The female lays 3 to 5 pale yellowish-green eggs that hatch after an incubation period of about 24 days. Both sexes share the incubation and the raising of the young.

Call
It almost always calls a loud triple tew-tew-tew on take-off. Its song is a repetitive and persistant clu-wee delivered in high flight.
Listen to Bird Call: http://www.xeno-canto.org/species/Tringa-nebularia

Stauts
Summer visitor, with some birds overwintering.

[Dewi]

270. Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia

© Flutterby
Kruger National Park, Kumana Dam







© Flutterby
Kruger National Park, S21

© BluTuna
Kruger National Park

© nan
West Coast National Park

© nan
West Coast National Park

Links:
Sabap2
Newman's Birds of Southern Africa