Africa Wild

464. Black-collared Barbet Lybius torquatus

Identification
18-20 cm. The bright red face and throat, broadly bordered with black, are diagnostic. Sexes are alike; juvenile's head and throat are dark brown, streaked with orange and red.

by Amoli

by Flutterby

060. African Darter Anhinga melanogaster

Identification
90 cm. The long thin neck and straight dagger-like bill are diagnostic. Breeding males have a rufous neck, blacker plumage, white cheek stripe and prominent mantle plumes. Non-breeding males and females are paler and browner. Juveniles have cream or pale buffy brown underparts.

by Amoli

by Flutterby

by Toko

695. Marico Flycatcher Bradornis mariquensis

Identification
18cm. Strong contrast between brown upperparts and almost white underparts. Sexes are alike; juveniles have buff-spotted upperparts, off-white underparts streaked with brown especially the chin, throat and breast.

by Flutterby

by Amoli

090. Yellow-billed Stork Mycteria ibis

Identification
97 cm. It has a thick long yellow, slightly decurved bill and a bare red face; its feathers are pinkish-white with black tail and flight feathers (long, slender, greyish-white neck; white back, belly and breast, lightly tinged with pink on feather tips; black tail and wing quills). The legs of adult birds are bright pink or red.
Juvenile yellow-billed storks have grey backs and a duller bill. The bare patch on the face is less brightly coloured in juveniles.

© Toko

© Amoli

© Riley

© Flutterby

095. African Spoonbill Platalea alba

Identification
75-90 cm. The African Spoonbill is a long legged wading bird, easily idententified by its spoon-shaped bill (blue-grey above, with a red edge). Facial skin is red grading to yellow on the chin and throat. Plumage is all-white. Eyes are pale blue. Legs and feet are red.
Juveniles have black tips to primaries and underwing coverts and black streaks on head. Their bills are yellowish, facial skin red, olive yellow. Feet and legs are blackish.

by Toko

by Amoli

by Riley

© Flutterby

801. House Sparrow Passer domesticus

Identification
14-18 cms. House Sparrows exhibit strong sexual dimorphism. The male has a dark grey crown from the top of its bill to its back, and chestnut brown flanking its crown on the sides of its head. It has black around its bill, on its throat, and on the spaces between its bill and eyes (lores). It has a small white stripe between the lores and crown and small white spots immediately behind the eyes (postoculars), with black patches below and above them. The underparts are pale grey or white, as are the cheeks, ear coverts, and stripes at the base of the head. The upper back and mantle are a warm brown, with broad black streaks, while the lower back, rump and uppertail coverts are greyish-brown. Females are usually slightly smaller than males. The female has no black markings or grey crown. Its upperparts and head are brown with darker streaks around the mantle and a distinct pale supercilium. Its underparts are pale grey-brown. The female's bill is brownish-grey, and becomes darker in breeding plumage, approaching the black of the male's bill. Juveniles are similar to the adult female but deeper brown below and paler above, with paler and less defined supercilia.

Male
by Flutterby

Female
by Flutterby

Male
by Amoli

869. Yellow-fronted Canary (Yellow-eyed Canary) Serinus mozambicus

Identification
11–13 cm. The underparts and rump are yellow, and the head is yellow with a grey crown and nape, and black malar stripe. The female is similar, but with a weaker head pattern and duller underparts. Juveniles are greyer than the female, especially on the head.

815. Lesser Masked-weaver Ploceus intermedius

Identification
14 cm. A small weaver with whitish-yellowish eyes and grey legs. The breeding male has a black mask which extends to the centre of the crown. The lower edge of the mask on the throat is rounded (not pointed as in the Southern Masked Weaver). Non-breeding males lack the mask and have duller plumage. Females also lack the mask and are less yellow than non-breeding males. Juveniles resemble non-breeding males.

Male
by Amoli

Female
by Flutterby

by Toko

657b. Grey-backed Camaroptera Camaroptera brevicaudata

Identification
11.5 cm. Grey upperparts, a grey short cocked tail and pinkish legs. The wings are olive and the underparts whitish grey. The sexes are similar, but juveniles are paler yellow on the breast.

066. Great Egret (Great White Egret) Ardea alba

Identification
80-104cm. The Great Egret is a large heron with all-white plumage. Apart from size, the Great Egret can be distinguished from other white egrets by its yellow bill and black legs and feet, though the bill may become darker and the lower legs lighter in the breeding season. In breeding plumage, delicate ornamental feathers are borne on the back. Males and females are identical in appearance; juveniles look like non-breeding adults.

by Flutterby

by Amoli

by Toko