Africa Wild Bird Book

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711. African Pied Wagtail Motacilla aguimp (Bontkwikkie)
Order: Passeriformes. Family: Motacillidae

Motacilla aguimp.jpg (40.06 KiB) Viewed 2084 times

Description
20 cm. Boldly pied plumage diagnostic. Predominantly white, it has black upperparts and a broad black band across its breast; eyes are brown, legs and feet black. The long tail is continually bobbed up and down.
Adult male breeding: Upper parts black, rump washed grey; lateral tail coverts tipped white. Face black, with broad white supercilium and small white patch on each side of neck. Tail black, with outer 2 rectrices white. Throat and malar region white, contrasting with black gorget across upper breast (broadest in centre); remainder of underparts white, flanks washed grey. Bill black. Eyes dark brown; narrow white crescent below eye. Legs and feet black. Folded wing predominantly white.
The males and females have similarly coloured plumage. The female has a sootier breast band than the male.
Juvenile: Paler grey-brown version of adult, with whiter wings than both juvenile Cape Wagtail and adult Mountain Wagtail.

Distribution
Across much of sub-Saharan Africa, from Senegal to Sudan south to southern Africa. Here it is fairly common in Zimbabwe, Mozambique, eastern and north-western South Africa and northern Namibia, while more scarce in Botswana and the interior of South Africa.

Habitat
It generally prefers wide rivers and other water bodies with sandy banks or scattered boulders, but it may also occupy rocky coastlines. It is also common parks, playing fields, golf courses, suburban gardens and sewage works.

Diet
It mainly eats insects, especially flies but also other invertebrates, grass seeds, tadpoles, small fish and scraps of human food.

Breeding
Monogamous, territorial solitary nester, chasing intruders out of its territory. Breeding pairs rear multiple broods in each breeding season, usually up to three per season in Southern Africa. The nest is built by both sexes, consisting of a deep cup of dry grass, weeds, roots, stems, leaves, downy seeds, flood debris, string and other coarse materials; the interior is lined with rootlets, fine grass, hair and feathers. It is typically placed close to water on the ground or in vegetation, such as reeds, grass and flood debris. Man-made sites are commonly used as well, especially outbuildings, holes in walls, building ledges, bridges, roofs and boats, continuing to care for its brood even if the ship goes out to sea for 9 hours a day. Egg-laying season is almost year-round, peaking twice from August-November as well as from February-April. It lays 2-5 eggs, which are usually incubated by both sexes for about 12-15 days. The chicks are fed by both sexes on a diet of insects, leaving the nest after about 15-18 days. They remain dependent on their parents for food for about two more weeks, about 3-6 days later they are chased out of the territory so that the adults can rear another brood.
Parasitised by Red-chested and Diderick cuckoos.

Call
Loud tuneful whistles chee-cheroo. Listen to Bird Call.

Status
Common resident, sedentary, with local movements recorded in winter months.


Kruger National Park

[Toko]

711. African Pied Wagtail Motacilla aguimp (Bontkwikkie)

© Michele Nel

© Amoli

© Pumbaa

Links:
Species text Sabap1
Sabap2

[Flutterby]

727. Cape Longclaw (formerly known as Orange-throated Longclaw) Macronyx capensis (Oranjekeelkalkoentjie)
Order: Passeriformes. Family: Motacillidae

Cape Longclaw.jpg (36.56 KiB) Viewed 2075 times

Description
The most widespread longclaw. Length 19-20 cm, weight 46 g. Cape Longclaws have long legs and stand erect when motionless. They normally keep close to the ground when disturbed, flying off at the last moment if flushed.
Adult male: Forehead to nape dark olive-brown; buffy brown feather edges give mottled appearance. Ear coverts buffy, with some whitish streaking; sides of neck greyish brown. Supercilium bright orange. Back, rump and upper tail coverts pale greyish brown to dull cinnamon, feather centres darker. Tail dark olive-brown, tipped white (except inner pair); width of white tips increases outwards to ca 35% on outermost pair. Upper wing coverts dark olive-brown. Primaries and secondaries dark olive-brown, outer webs of primaries edged pale orange-yellow. Moustachial stripe brownish black, extending into broad black necklace across upper breast; broadest in centre. Chin, throat and foreneck deep orange. Sides of breast, thighs and undertail coverts tawny-olive. Centre of breast and belly washed yellow. Bill brown to blackish; base of lower mandible grey or blue-grey. Eyes brown. Legs and feet pale flesh-brown.
Adult female: As male but, supercilium dull orange, with necklace narrower and less well defined. Belly duller.
Juvenile: Buffy below, becoming dull orange-yellow with age; necklace of spots forms inconspicuous band on breast.
Similar species: The Yellow-throated Longclaw differs from the Cape Longclaw by having a yellow throat, belly and eyebrow; it has a broader heavier black breast band.

Distribution
Southern Africa: South-western, extreme southern, and eastern South Africa, Lesotho, western Swaziland, and Zimbabwe highlands.



Habitat
Moist short grassland from sea level to high montane slopes; also short grassy fynbos.

Diet
Forages in short grass for invertebrates and, to a lesser extent, seeds.

Breeding
Monogamous territorial solitary nester, with males performing displays in which they flutter to about 10 m above ground while singing, before dropping down again. The nest is built solely by the female, consisting of a deep cup of coarse grass stems lined with fine rootlets, typically well concealed between two grass tufts. Egg-laying season is almost year-round, peaking from August to October in the Western Cape, but from November to January elsewhere. The female lays 1-4 eggs, which are mainly incubated by the female for about 13-14 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and leave the nest after approximately 13-14 days.

Call
Loud, cat-like meew, meew, meew notes. Listen to Bird Call.

Status
Endemic. Common at higher altitudes.

[Flutterby]

727. Cape Longclaw Macronyx capensis

© Flutterby
Male

© Joan
Rietvlei Nature Reserve, Gauteng

© nan
False Bay, Western Cape

© Penga Ndlovu

© Mel
Juvenile

Links:
Species text Sabap1
Sabap2

[Toko]

728. Yellow-throated Longclaw Macronyx croceus (Geelkeelkalkoentjie)
Order: Passeriformes. Family: Motacillidae

Yellow-throated Longclaw Macronyx croceus.jpg (24.41 KiB) Viewed 2080 times

Description
Large pipit. 20 cm.
Adult male: Forehead to nape buffy brown, feather centres darker, giving lightly streaked effect. Lores and ear coverts pale buffy brown. Moustachial stripe dark brown to black extending to link up with sides of neck to broad black necklace across upper breast. Supercilium lemon yellow. Remainder of upper parts greyish brown, lightly streaked. Rectrices dark olive-brown, with pale shafts. Central rectrices narrowly fringed buff. T2-T6 have increasingly wide white tips to both webs, ca 5 mm wide on T2 increasing to distal 35% of inner web of T6; outer web of T6 almost entirely white. Primaries and secondaries dark olive-brown. Upper wing coverts dark olive-brown, with pale fringes. Chin, throat, malar region and foreneck deep lemon yellow, enclosed by black necklace bordered below with dark brown streaking. Sides of upper breast creamy yellow; lower breast and belly deep lemon yellow. Flanks and undertail coverts yellow-buff. Upper mandible blackish, lower mandible paler. Eyes dark brown. Legs and feet pale brown to dull yellow.
Adult female: As male, but underparts duller yellow, washed buff to olive-yellow.
Juvenile: Upper parts as adult, but supercilium buff. Underparts buff, with trace of yellow in centre of breast. Necklace broken initially by spots and streaks.
Similar species: Yellow-breasted Pipit lacks broad black necklace. Golden Pipit much smaller, with black breast band, not necklace, and bright yellow underwings.

Distribution
The most widespread of the longclaws, occurring in patches of sub-Saharan Africa from Senegal to Uganda (absent from the DRC) south through Tanzania and Malawi to southern Africa. Here it is locally common in eastern Zimbabwe, Mozambique and eastern South Africa, from Limpopo province to KwaZulu-Natal, marginally extending into the Eastern Cape.



Habitat
It generally prefers medium to tall grassland and the edges of vleis, but it may move into overgrazed and burnt grassland.

Diet
It mainly eats insects and other invertebrates, doing most of its foraging on the ground, plucking food from grass and occasionally hawking prey aerially.

Breeding
Monogamous territorial solitary nester, with males performing an aerial display in which they slowly fly in a circle with tail spread.
The nest is built by the female, consisting of a thick-walled cup of coarse grass blades and stems, lined with fine grass and rootlets. It is typically concealed in rank grass, such as in the photo below. Egg-laying season is from September-March, peaking from November-January. It lays 1-4 eggs, which are mainly or solely incubated by the female for about 13-14 days. The chicks are fed by both parents, leaving the nest after about 16-17 days, when they are able to run fast but have yet to fly properly.

Call
Foeewhieet Listen to Bird Call.

Status
Common resident.

[Toko]

728. Yellow-throated Longclaw Macronyx croceus

© Pumbaa
Kruger National Park, Crocodile Bridge area, Feb 2020

© Dewi
Kwa-Zulu Natal

© Joan
Kruger National Park

© nan
Kruger National Park, H10

© leachy
Kruger National Park, H10

Links:
Sabap2

[Flutterby]

716. African Pipit (Formerly known as Grassveld Pipit) Anthus cinnamomeus (Gewone Koester)
Order: Passeriformes. Family: Motacillidae

Description
Size 15-17 cm. Most abundant pipit in the region. Slender upright appearance. Smaller and more slender than other ‘Large pipits’. Features conspicuous white outer tail feathers, boldly streaked breast (paler in western races). The breast streaking is neat and rather narrow, forming a necklace on the border of the throat and breast. Distinct back streaking on mantle, white or pale buff underparts, yellowish base to lower mandible and slender upright appearance. Also shows pale eyestripe and dark malar stripe and bold facial markings. Long pink legs. On the ground it moves rapidly, showing an upright posture, often perches on boulders or fences, but rarely in trees. Sexes are alike.
Juveniles are darker than adults and have a blotched breast, scalloping on the upperparts and often some streaking on the flanks. Pale feather edges which create a scaled effect on the mantle and crown.
Distinguished from larger Long-billed Pipit by much clearer facial bolder markings; less uniform underparts; bolder breast markings & malar stripe; darker mantle streaking; and the white (not buff) outer tail feathers; and weak bill. Similar to Mountain Pipit (in Lesotho). Display flight and song distinguish it from all species except Mountain Pipit, from which it differs by its call, its white (not buffy) outer tail feathers and the yellow (not pink) base to its lower mandible.

Distribution
It occurs from the south-west of the Arabian peninsula through Ethiopia, southern Sudan, Tanzania, Angola and Zambia to southern Africa. Here it is common across much of the region excluding arid areas of Namibia, south-western Botswana and western South Africa.

Habitat
Natural grassland and pastures, lightly wooded savanna, recently burnt grassland, dry floodplains, croplands and playing fields.

Diet
It mainly eats insects and other arthropods, doing most of its foraging the ground, sifting through debris in search of food and occasionally hawking prey aerially.

Breeding
Monogamous, solitary nester, with each male defending his territory by going upwards in a deeply undulating flight while singing. The nest is built by mainly or solely by the female in at least 3-4 days, consisting of a neat cup made of dry grass and root stubble and lined with fine rootlets, hair and fibres. It is typically placed in a shallow depression in the ground at the base of a grass tuft or shrub, often on a sloping bank close to an open space or path. Egg-laying season is year-round, peaking from August-May. It lays 1-4, rarely 5 eggs, which are incubated by both sexes for about 13-14 days. The chicks are initially brooded by the female and fed by both parents, leaving the nest after about 11-17 days, but remaining in the vicinity of the nest for longer, still reliant on the adults for food. If a predator approaches the young their parents attempt to lure it away from their brood by pretending to have a broken wing.

Call
Male territorial song series of pli-pli-pli or tree-tree-tree notes during an undulating display flight. The pitch, tempo & quality of the song is variable. Call is a chizz-icknote, or variations thereof, given in flight and from the ground. Listen to Bird Call.

Status
Common resident, with sedentary, nomadic and migratory populations.

[Flutterby]

716. African Pipit Anthus cinnamomeus (Gewone Koester)

© Dewi
Kruger National Park, Olifants

© steamtrainfan

© LBUS
Kruger National Park

© nan
Addo Elephant National Park

© Flutterby
Pilanesberg

Links:
http://sabap2.adu.org.za/docs/sabap1/716.pdf
http://sabap2.adu.org.za/spp_summary.ph ... &section=3
http://www.lbjs.co.za/pdf/AfricanPipit_ ... Pipit1.pdf
http://www.pipits.co.za/main.html
http://www.pipits.co.za/pdfs/Plate_capt ... pipits.pdf
http://www.pipits.co.za/pdfs/Plate_Moun ... Pipits.pdf
Sasol: Identifying Large brown Pipits

[Sharifa]

717. Long-billed Pipit Anthus similis (Nicholsonse Koester)
Order: Passeriformes. Family: Motacillidae

Anthus similis.jpg (13.94 KiB) Viewed 2077 times

Description
This is a medium-large pipit, 16-17.5 cm long, but is an undistinguished looking species on the ground, mainly sandy grey above and whitish or pale buff below. The base of the bill is yellow.
Adult: Upper parts brown, with darker brown feather centres forming indistinct streaks on mantle and back; best defined on crown. Face with prominent buffy supercilium, brown ear coverts and narrow dark brown malar stripe. Tail dark brown with central rectrices paler; outer webs and tips of T6 and T5 buffy or whitish; T4 with small whitish tip1. Primaries and primary coverts dark brown, with narrow buff margins. Unusual among pipits in that outer web of P5 is emarginated, and P5 is almost as long as P6. Secondaries, tertials and median and greater coverts dark brown, with broad buff margins. Lesser coverts brown, matching back. Axillaries and underwing coverts buff. Underparts buff, darkest on breast and flanks, paler on throat and belly. Breast variably streaked with dark brown, streaking extending to flanks. Bill dark horn, base of lower mandible pinkish. Eyes dark brown. Legs and feet flesh-brown.
Similar species: Similar to the African Pipit, but has a heavier build, less-clearly marked face and less distinct breast-streaking and buff (not white) outer tail, and usually a longer bill. Best identified by the display and call. Despite its common name (derived from long-billed nominate subsp in India), bill is not especially long in s Africa. African Pipit is smaller and more slender, with more boldly patterned face, neatly streaked breast, paler brown upper parts, and white (not buffy) outer rectrices. In the hand, hind claw longer and straighter, and wing formula differs. Plain-backed and Buffy Pipits have unstreaked upper parts, darker buffy-brown outer tails, and reduced dark malar stripes; songs less ringing and less variable. Mountain Pipit is more heavily streaked on breast, usually darker above and has pinkish (not yellowish) base to lower mandible. Virtually indistinguishable in field from Kimberley Pipit, which has shorter bill and hind claw, more prominent supercilium and malar stripe, and more rufous ear coverts. Upper parts show less contrast with pale underparts. Appears smaller and longer legged, with shorter, more slender tail; song descending (not at constant pitch).

Distribution
Occurs in isolated patches from India and the Arabian Peninsula to West and East Africa, with another localised population from south-western Angola to southern Africa. Here it is fairly common from the western half of Namibia through to much of South Africa excluding the Kalahari Desert, marginally extending into south-western Botswana.

Habitat
It generally prefers rocky slopes and gullies in a wide variety of habitats including semi-arid shrubland, grassland and lightly wooded areas; it may also occupy well-grazed pastures and burnt fields and fynbos.

Diet
It mainly eats insects and other invertebrates, doing most of its foraging on the ground, plucking food items from soil and grass stems.

Breeding
Monogamous, territorial solitary nester, with each male performing an aerial display in which it ascends in an undulating, fluttering flight. The nest is mainly built by the female, consisting of an open cup of dry grass and plant stems and lined with finer grass and rootlets. It is typically placed on a slope beneath a rock overhang, or alternatively it can be wedged between a rock and dense grass tuft. Egg-laying season is from August-April, peaking from about October-December. It lays 1-4 eggs stone-coloured or whitish eggs, densely spotted with grey, brown and violet markings. The chicks are fed by both adults, leaving the nest after about 13-14 days. If the brood is approached by a predator the parents pretend to be injured, so as to lure it away.

Call
Its song is a slow sri...churr...sri...churr…sri..churr.

Status
Common resident.

[Sharifa]

717. Long-billed Pipit Anthus similis
Order: Passeriformes. Family: Motacillidae


Mountain Zebra National Park

Links:
Species Text Sabap1
Sabap2
Newman's Birds of Southern Africa