Africa Wild

770. Pale-winged Starling Onychognathus nabouroup (Bleekvlerkspreeu)
Order: Passeriformes. Family: Sturnidae



Description
27 cm. A dark starling with orange eyes. Uniformely glossy black plumage. Folded wing shows slightly rufous edges but in flight the pale wing patch is very conspicuous. Black bill and legs.
Sexes similar. Juveniles are less glossy than adults and have a brown eye.
Could be confused with Red-winged Starling, but differs by having a white, not chestnut patch in the primaries. Has a shorter, squarer tail than Red-winged Starling. Note also the paler eye. When at rest, this white patch appears to be orange-edged, not entirely bright chestnut as in the Red-winged.

Distribution
Near-endemic to southern Africa, occurring from southern Angola through Namibia to the Northern, Western and Eastern Cape, marginally extending into the Free State.

Habitat
It generally prefers habitats with rock-strewn hills and valleys, as it is dependant on them for nesting and roosting sites. It generally avoids man-made areas, although it occasionally ventures into cities in search of food.

Diet
Fruit and insects, also aloe nectar. Usually foraging in pairs or small groups. May form flocks with Red-winged Starlings.

Breeding
A monogamous species, pairs stay together several years. Breeds semi-colonialmeaning that a number of breeding pairs may build their nests in close proximity to each other on a cliff. The nest is a cup built of sticks and dry grass, typically wedged in a crevice cleft in a rock, or rarely in building. Breeding season from November to April in Namibia, October to March in South Africa. It lays 2-5 eggs, which are incubated solely by the female for about 20 days. The chicks are fed by both parents, leaving the nest after about 25 days.
Occasionally parasitised by Great Spotted Cuckoo.

Call
Song an extended warbling; take-off call a loud ringing preeoooo. Listen to Bird Call.

Status
Common, near-endemic resident.

770. Pale-winged Starling Onychognathus nabouroup (Bleekvlerkspreeu)

© pooky

© pooky

Links:
Species text Sabap1
Sabap2
Biodiversity Explorer: http://www.biodiversityexplorer.org/bir ... ouroup.htm
Ian Sinclair. SASOL VOELS VAN SUIDER AFRICA (3de UIT)

The oxpeckers are two species of bird which make up the family Buphagidae. Some ornithologists regard them as a subfamily Buphaginae within the starling family Sturnidae but they appear to be quite distinct. Both the English and scientific names arise from their habit of perching on large mammals (both wild and domesticated) and eating ticks, botfly larvae, and other parasites.
The oxpeckers are endemic to sub-Saharan Africa, where they occur in most open habitats. They are absent from the driest deserts and the rainforests. Their distribution is restricted by the presence of their preferred prey, specific species of ticks, and the animal hosts of those ticks. The two species of oxpecker are sympatric over much of East Africa and may even occur on the same host animal.
Oxpeckers feed exclusively on the backs of large mammals. Certain species are seemingly preferred, whereas others, like the Lichtenstein's hartebeest or Topi are generally avoided. Smaller antelope such as lechwe, duikers and reedbuck are also avoided; the smallest regularly used species is the Impala, probably because of the heavy tick load and social nature of that species. They feed on ectoparasites, particularly ticks, as well as insects infesting wounds and the flesh and blood of some wounds as well.
Oxpecker/mammal interactions are the subject of some debate and ongoing research. They were originally thought to be an example of mutualism, but recent evidence suggests that oxpeckers may be parasites instead. Oxpeckers do eat ticks, but often the ticks have already fed on the ungulate host and no statistically significant link has been shown between oxpecker presence and reduced ectoparasite load. Oxpeckers have been observed to open new wounds and enhance existing ones in order to drink the blood of their perches. Oxpeckers also feed on the earwax and dandruff of mammals; less is known about the possible benefits of this to the mammal, but it is suspected that this is also a parasitic behaviour. Some oxpecker hosts are intolerant of their presence. Elephants and some antelope will actively dislodge the oxpeckers when they land.
The breeding season of the oxpeckers, in at least one location, is linked to the rainy season, which affects the activity of their mammalian hosts and the tick loads of those hosts. Both courtship and copulation occur on their hosts as well. They nest in holes, usually in trees but sometimes in other types of cavity, including holes in walls. The nests are lined with grasses and also often with hair plucked from their hosts and even livestock such as sheep which are not usually used. The typical clutch is between two to three eggs, but the Red-billed Oxpecker may lay up to five eggs.

Family Buphagidae (Oxpeckers)
Buphagus africanus Yellow-billed Oxpecker 771
Buphagus erythrorhynchus Red-billed Oxpecker 772

771. Yellow-billed Oxpecker Buphagus africanus (Geelbekrenostervoël)
Order: Passeriformes. Family: Buphagidae


Description
20 cm. Yellow bill with red tip. Red eye. Plain brown upperparts and head. Buff underparts and pale rump. They have strong feet with sharp claws and short legs for clinging on to the large ungulates on which they usually feed, and their bills are flattened to facilitate this feeding. Their tails are fairly long and stiff to assist in maintaining their often upright feeding positions. Sexes similar.
Juveniles have first a yellow bill and a narrow yellow eyering, both becoming dark brown and eventually like adults within the first year. Juvenile is paler than juvenile Red-billed Oxpecker.
Similar species: Can be confused with Red-billed Oxpecker that has a red bill and a prominent yellow eyering.

Distribution
In patches across sub-Saharan Africa, from Senegal to eastern Sudan south though Kenya and Tanzania, Zambia and Malawi to southern Africa. Here it is locally common in the far north of Namibia, northern Botswana and western Zimbabwe, marginally extending into Mozambique and South Africa (common in Kruger National Park).

Habitat
Thornveld and broad-leaved woodland, often near water. Frequently in association with buffalos, rhinos and hippos. Usually in flocks.

Diet
Ectoparasites (such as ticks and lice). The primary host is buffalo, followed by giraffe, impala and warthog. It may also glean blood and mucus from long hair, or drink blood from wounds.

Breeding
Monogamous. A cooperative breeder, a pair is assisted by several helpers, which help feed the young. It typically nests in a tree cavity lined with grass and hair plucked from its host mammals, although it may rarely use a hole in a wall. Egg-laying season is from September-March. It lays 2-3 white eggs, which are incubated for about 13 days. The chicks leave the nest after about 25 days.

Call
Their call is a hissing kruss, kruss. Listen to Bird Call.

Status
Not threatened globally but Vulnerable in South Africa, where it is scarce and localised.

771. Yellow-billed Oxpecker Buphagus africanus


Kruger National Park



© leachy

© lowveldboy

© leachy

Links:
Species text Sabap1
Sabap2
Oiseaux net: http://www.oiseaux-birds.com/card-yello ... ecker.html
Ian Sinclair. SASOL VOELS VAN SUIDER AFRICA (3de UIT)

772. Red-billed Oxpecker Buphagus erythrorhynchus (Rooibekrenostervoel)
Order: Passeriformes. Family: Buphagidae


Description
20 cm in length. Short, thick, entire red bill. Red eyes surrounded by large, bright-yellow eye-rings. Brown-grey head, neck, wings and tail. Pale yellow underside.
Sexes similar. Juveniles like adults but first with a yellow bill, changing to dark brown within the first 2 months. Eyes dark brown. Dark rump diagnostic!
Similar species: Distinguished from Yellow-billed Oxpecker by larger yellow eye-wattle.

Distribution
Southern and eastern Africa from Ethiopia and Somalia through Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi and Zambia to southern Africa. Within southern Africa in Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Natal, Botswana (east and northern sections), parts of Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

Habitat
Savanna, open woodland and farmland where ungulate hosts present. Some trees are required for breeding and roosting. Normally seen in association with giraffe or antelope in game reserves; in remote rural areas on domestic cattle.

Diet
Ticks and other ectoparasites, also other insects and blood. Almost all of their time is spend on large mammals (wild animals and domesticated). Feeds on the host's skin parasites, bothersome flies, dead host skin, and sometimes a special treat of blood from a wound. Adults may eat up to 100 ticks per day!

Breeding
Monogamous, cooperative breeder, as the breeding pair are usually assisted by up to 7 helpers who are usually unmated adults and juveniles from the previous breeding season. Both courtship-feeding and the copulation that follows take place on the back of a host mammal. Breeding usually after rainfalls. It usually nests in a natural tree cavity or a hole in rock or a stone wall, lining the interior with hair from its mammal hosts, dung, grass and rootlets. Egg-laying season is from October-March. It lays 2-5 creamy-white eggs, which are incubated by both sexes for about for about 12-13 days. The chicks are fed by all members of the group, leaving the nest after about 30 days and becoming fully independent roughly two months later.

Call
Utters a hissing churr and tzik tzik sound; most noisy when flying. Listen to Bird Call.

Status
Common resident with only some minor local movements.

772. Red-billed Oxpecker Buphagus erythrorhynchus (Rooibekrenostervoel)



© leachy

© Pumbaa
Adult & juvenile

Links:
Species text Sabap1
Sabap2: http://sabap2.adu.org.za/spp_summary.ph ... &section=3
Ian Sinclair. SASOL VOELS VAN SUIDER AFRICA (3de UIT)
Paul weeks: Red-billed oxpeckers: vampires or tickbirds?

Thrushes make up Turdidae, a family of passerine birds that occurs worldwide. It has been difficult to define this family as its boundaries are constantly changing in the ornithological literature. Formerly, the Turdidae were a huge family of 365 species. Recently, many authors are taking the approach used by the 3d ed. Howard & Moore Checklist in placing the "chats" and relatives within the Muscicapidae.
Thrushes are plump, soft-plumaged, small to medium-sized birds, inhabiting wooded areas, and often feed on the ground. Most species are grey or brown in colour, often with speckled underparts. They are small to medium-sized songbirds that have ten primaries and a turdine 'thumb' on the syrinx.
They are insectivorous, but most species also eat worms, land snails, and fruit. Many species are permanently resident in warm climates, while others migrate to higher latitudes during summer, often over considerable distances.
Thrushes build cup-shaped nests, sometimes lining them with mud. They lay two to five speckled eggs, sometimes laying two or more clutches per year. Both parents help in raising the young.
The songs of some species, including members of the genus Turdus, are considered to be among the most beautiful in the avian world.

Family Turdidae (Thrushes)
Geokichla gurneyi Orange Ground Thrush 579
Geokichla guttata Spotted Ground Thrush 578
Psophocichla litsitsirupa Groundscraper Thrush 580
Turdus libonyana Kurrichane Thrush 576
Turdus olivaceus Olive Thrush 577
Turdus smithi Karoo Thrush 577.1