Cover image of Orange-breasted Sunbird by Cobus Elstadt – Cape Peninsula, Western Cape

Sunbirds belong to the Family NECTARINIIDAE. This is a group of small passerine birds  They are small, slender passerines from the Old World, usually with downward-curved bills. Many are brightly coloured, often with iridescent feathers, particularly in the males. A number of species also have elongated tail feathers. Sunbirds are found mainly in the warmer southern regions of the Old World. Species diversity is highest in equatorial regions. The family contains around 151 species from 16 genera.

Identification

The Orange-breasted Sunbird is a distinctive, colourful, and attractive species. It is the only member of its genus. The sexes differ markedly in plumage coloration.

Adult males are easy to identify. The head, neck, upper mantle, and upper scapulars are metallic green. The rest of the upper parts are olive green. The brown tail is long and graduated with projecting central rectrices. They have bright yellow pectoral tufts, but these are infrequently visible in the field. There is a narrow violet band on the upper breast, while the remainder of the breast is rich orange, fading to yellow on the belly. The undertail coverts are also orange. The bill, legs and feet are black and the eyes are dark brown.

Adult females are drab in comparison. They are olive green, tinged with grey and brown overall. They sometimes have an orangeish wash on the belly. The tail is dark brown, with yellowish edges to the feathers. Juveniles are similar to adult females before male plumage begins to show.

Confusion with other species is only likely with females. The female Southern Double-collared Sunbird and Greater Double-collared Sunbird have less yellow breasts. The female Malachite Sunbird is far larger and has a longer bill.

Status and Distribution

The Orange-breasted Sunbird is endemic to South Africa and to the Fynbos Biome. Its distribution extends from Vanrhynsdorp to Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), but it is absent or scarce away from mountains along the west coast.

The Orange-breasted Sunbird is common and is not threatened. There is no evidence of any recent large-scale changes in its distribution. However, the Orange-breasted Sunbird is adversely affected by infestations of alien woody plants, too frequent burning, and, in the coastal lowlands, urban and agricultural development.

Habitat

The Orange-breasted Sunbird is endemic to the Fynbos Biome. It is restricted to fynbos shrublands and occurs from sea-level to high mountain peaks. The Orange-breasted Sunbird is found wherever plants of the genera Protea, Mimetes, Leucospermum, Erica, and many other plants with tubular flowers are in bloom. The Orange-breasted Sunbird is sometimes also found in gardens adjoining fynbos, but it is generally reluctant to leave fynbos. Nevertheless, the Orange-breasted Sunbird does occasionally venture beyond its traditional habitat and has been recorded in the Karoo, many kilometres from the nearest fynbos.

Behaviour

In common with other nectivores, the Orange-breasted Sunbird tracks the flowering of food plants. Its movements are poorly known, however, in large part due to the mountainous and remote nature of its habitat. Observation records indicate that birds move away from lowlands and return to higher altitudes in summer. Orange-breasted Sunbirds are sometimes forced to move into other areas in response to fire, including areas not normally frequented.

The Orange-breasted Sunbird is encountered singly or in pairs during the breeding season, but occurs in loose flocks of up to 100 birds at rich food sources in the non-breeding season. Drinks water and bathes frequently, along quiet reaches of streams or in dew that has accumulated on leaves.

The Orange-breasted Sunbird consumes nectar and invertebrates, although nectar is its preferred diet. The Orange-breasted Sunbird is closely associated with tubular-flowered Erica (Heath) species, with which it appears to have co-evolved. The Orange-breasted Sunbird is the primary pollinator of Ericas. It also feeds on the nectar of a wide range of other plant genera, including Protea, Leucospermum, Leonotis, Mimetes, Watsonia, Lobostemon, Tecoma, and Aloe, etc. They also feed on the nectar of many alien plant species.

The Orange-breasted Sunbird is often seen to forage on the ground for arthropods. It also carefully searches for invertebrates among leaves and branches, and frequently hawks insects in flight. Invertebrates eaten include spiders and a variety of insects like flies, wasps, beetles, grasshoppers, ants, termites, and cockroaches.

The Orange-breasted Sunbird is aggressive towards conspecifics and other birds around food sources. It is, however, often displaced from Protea flowers by male Cape Sugarbirds.

The Orange-breasted Sunbird breeds from February to November, with a peak between May and August. Differences in the timing of nesting across relatively short distances presumably reflect fine-scale variation in rainfall and/or flowering phenology of food plants.

The nest is a rounded oval with a side-top entrance. It is composed of rootlets, fine, leafy twigs, and grass, all of which are bound together with spider web. The nest is lined with brown protea fluff and other forms of plant down. It is usually situated in a proteaceous shrub, less than 1m above the ground. Nests may occasionally be found up to 10m above the ground in a tree. The nest is built entirely by the female.

1 to 2 eggs are laid per clutch. The eggs vary from whitish to grey-green and are blotched and mottled with shades of brown and grey. The incubation period takes 14 or 15 days and is done by the female only. The duration of the nestling period ranges from 15 to 22 days, during which time the young are fed by both parents. Fledglings return to the nest for up to 15 days after their initial departure.

Broods of the Orange-breasted Sunbird are sometimes parasitised by the Klaas’s Cuckoo Chrysococcyx klaas.

Further Resources

This species text is adapted from the first Southern African Bird Atlas Project (SABAP1), 1997.

The use of photographs by Cobus Elstadt, Derick Oosthuizen, Felicity Ellmore, Itxaso Quintana, Joanne Putter, Jon Blanco, Rick Nuttall, Sharon Stanton, and Sybrand Venter is acknowledged. Additional photographs by Ryan Tippett.

Other common names: Nectarinia violacea (alt. Scientific Name); Oranjeborssuikerbekkie (Afrikaans); Souimanga orangé (French); Oranjeborst-honingzuiger (Dutch); Goldbrust-Nektarvogel (German); Beija-flor-de-peito-laranja (Portuguese).

Recommended citation format: Tippett RM. 2026. Orange-breasted Sunbird Anthobaphes violacea. Biodiversity and Development Institute. Available online at https://thebdi.org/2026/02/20/orange-breasted-sunbird-anthobaphes-violacea/

List of bird species in this format is available here.

Bird identification, birding

Cover image: Bar-throated Apalis by Lia Steen – Port Edward, KwaZulu-Natal

Apalises belong to the Family CISTICOLIDAE. This is a group of small passerine birds found mainly in warmer southern regions of the Old World and contains around 168 species divided into 26 genera. This family is thought to have originated in Africa, which is home to the majority of species, but members of the family can also be found in Europe, tropical Asia, and Australasia. They were formerly included within the Old World warbler family Sylviidae.

Identification

The Bar-throated Apalis is a very small, slender species. It shows considerable plumage variation due to the presence of 13 recognised subspecies in southern Africa.

In adult birds, the upperparts (head, nape, back, and wings) are greyish, often with a tinge of green. The green tinge varies, with northern populations being much greener than birds from the south of their range. The tail is dark grey with white outer tail feathers. The throat is white, bordered below by a black band or collar. The rest of the underparts vary from creamy white to yellow. Birds from the south of their range are whiter below, becoming increasingly yellow further north. The eyes are white, the bill is blackish, and the legs and feet are pinkish. The Bar-throated Apalis is the only apalis in the region with whitish eyes. The sexes are alike.

Juveniles resemble adults, but the breast band is indistinct.

The Bar-throated Apalis could be mistaken for the Rudd’s Apalis (Apalis ruddi), but the latter lacks white in the outer tail and has dark brown (not white) eyes. The Yellow-breasted Apalis (Apalis flavida) has an incomplete or absent breast band and eyes reddish-brown (not white) eyes.

Status and Distribution

The Bar-throated Apalis is common and occurs over much of Africa south of the equator in many distinct subspecies.

It is found discontinuously from south-east Kenya south through East Africa as far west as central Zambia, to South Africa. In southern Africa, it is found in eastern Botswana, central and eastern Zimbabwe and adjacent Mozambique. In South Africa, it is widespread in the wetter northern, eastern, and southern regions.

There is no evidence to suggest that the historical distribution of the Bar-throated Apalis has changed. However, the spread of alien trees has allowed their expansion into some previously treeless regions. The Bar-throated Apalis is common throughout much of its range and does not appear to be under any particular threat.

Habitat

The Bar-throated Apalis is adaptable and inhabits a range of wooded habitats. It is equally at home in the interior of evergreen or semi-evergreen forests, forest fringes, a variety of woodlands, as well as drainage lines in Karoo scrub and grassland. The Bar-throated Apalis also inhabits wooded gardens, alien plantations and areas with exotic trees.

Behaviour

The Bar-throated Apalis is mostly a sedentary resident. However, some winter movement to lower altitudes is suspected in some areas. It is usually found in pairs, but may also be encountered singly or in small family groups of 4 to 6 birds. Pairs frequently join mixed bird parties.

The Bar-throated Apalis forages restlessly in dense vegetation at all heights, favouring lower to middle levels. It often hops from branch to branch, calling frequently. It is not usually shy and is rather inquisitive and fairly tame.

Food is found mostly by gleaning from twigs, leaves, flowers, tree trunks and sometimes from lichen-covered rocks. It will also occasionally forage on the ground and may also hover to snatch insects or hawk small insects in flight. The Bar-throated Apalis consumes a range of small invertebrates and their larvae, including caterpillars, flies, small grasshoppers, beetles, bugs, insect eggs, and spiders. It is also known to eat small quantities of fruit.

The Bar-throated Apalis breeds mainly from October to February. Breeding in the south of its range begins earlier in the season than in the north. It is a monogomous, solitary nester, and pairs are territorial.

The nest is a small oval-shaped ball with a side-top entrance. It is loosely constructed out of green moss, fine plant fibres and spider web and variably lined with plant down. The nest is typically hidden in the thick foliage of a shrub, sapling, or creeper. Nests are most often located 1 to 2m above the ground.

2 to 4 eggs are laid per clutch and eggs are laid at daily intervals. They are pale greenish blue or pinkish white, variably marked with reddish-brown and grey spots.

The incubation period takes 14 to 17 days, and incubation duties are shared by both sexes. The newly hatched young are altricial and entirely dependent on their parents for survival. The nestling period lasts for 13 to 18 days. The young are fed by both parents.

The Bar-throated Apalis is often double-brooded. Bar-throated Apalis broods are sometimes parasitised by the Red-chested Cuckoo (Cuculus solitarius) and Klaas’s Cuckoo (Chrysococcyx klaas).

Further Resources

This species text is adapted from the first Southern African Bird Atlas Project (SABAP1), 1997.

The use of photographs by Colin Summersgill, Corrie du Toit, Gregg Darling, Karis Daniel, Lia Steen, Marius Meiring, Richard Johnstone, and Zenobia van Dyk is acknowledged. Additional photographs by Ryan Tippett.

Other common names: Bandkeelkleinjantjie (Afrikaans); uMabhelwane (Zulu); Ugxakhweni (Xhosa); Apalis à collier (French); Halsbandapalis (Dutch); Halsband-Feinsänger (German); Apalis-de-coleira(Portuguese).

Recommended citation format: Tippett RM. 2026. Bar-throated Apalis Apalis thoracica. Biodiversity and Development Institute. Available online at https://thebdi.org/2026/02/12/bar-throated-apalis-apalis-thoracica/

List of bird species in this format is available here.

Bird identification, birding

Cover image of Cape Longclaw by Sharon Stanton – Rietvlei Nature Reserve, Western Cape

Longclaws are members of the family MOTACILLIDAE. This group also includes Wagtails and Pipits. They are small passerine birds with medium to long tails and a long hind claw that is especially pronounced in the Longclaws. The family comprises 70 species from 6 genera. 23 species are known from southern Africa.

Identification

The Cape Longclaw is an attractive and easily recognisable species. The sexes differ slightly in their plumage colouration.

In adult males, the forehead to the nape, down to the back and rump are buff-brown with bold, dark brown spots and streaks. The tail is dark olive-brown with white outer tips. The ear coverts are pale brown with some whitish streaking, and the sides of the neck are greyish brown. The supercilium is bright orange. A blackish moustachial stripe leads into a broad black necklace across the upper breast. The throat is bright orange. The remainder of the underparts are deep yellow with buffy flanks. The bill is blackish, the eyes are brown, and the legs and feet are pale brown. As in all longclaws, the claw on the hind toe (Hallux claw) is elongated to push down vegetation, allowing them to easily clamber over grass tussocks.

Adult females resemble adult males but are duller overall with a thinner, less defined black necklace.

Immature birds are brown above with whitish scalloping. The underparts are buff-coloured, becoming dull orange-yellow with age. The breast band is indistinct.

Across most of its range, the Cape Longclaw should not be confused with any other species. However, in north-eastern KwaZulu-Natal and on the Zimbabwe plateau, it could be mistaken for the Rosy-throated Longclaw if not seen clearly.

Status and Distribution

The Cape Longclaw is a locally common to common resident, and is endemic to southern Africa. It occurs from the southern parts of the Western Cape, extending eastwards narrowly along the coast before fanning out broadly inland into the Eastern Cape and northwards through KwaZulu-Natal, Lesotho, and the Free State to eSwatini (Swaziland) up to the Limpopo province. An isolated race occurs on the central plateau of Zimbabwe above 1200m, and east to the Eastern Highlands and marginally into adjoining parts of Mozambique.

The historical range of the Cape Longclaw has probably changed little over the years; however, overgrazing has reduced habitat availability. Across much of its range, the Cape longclaw is a common breeding resident and is not threatened.

Habitat

The Cape Longclaw inhabits a variety of grassland types, mostly at fairly high elevations, and with minimal tree cover. It prefers moist grasslands with short, dense grass 300-400 mm tall and avoids long, rank grass. It is less common in drier grassland areas. The Cape Longclaw is frequently found near wetlands, especially floodplains and the margins of marshes and dams. It also frequents pastures and burnt grassland, but avoids ploughed fields. The Cape Longclaw is not found in woodlands, though it may occur in grasslands adjacent to wooded areas. In the winter rainfall region, it may also be found in short fynbos, but is more often found in association with wetlands or pastures in that region.

Behaviour

The Cape Longclaw is usually seen singly or in pairs. They may form loose groups of 3 to 5 during the winter non-breeding season, often alongside pipits on burnt ground. It is resident with no evidence to suggest local movements.

It frequently perches on termite mounds, boulders, or fence posts to sun or sing in the early morning. The Cape Longclaw crouches low when alarmed and flies off suddenly with its back to the intruder. Flies with short bursts of stiff wing-beats alternating with glides, typically with the tail fanned.

The Cape Longclaw forages by walking through or over short grass. They peck at or chase insects on the ground or aerially hawk flushed insects. They are also known to scratch open termite tunnels with their feet.

The Cape Longclaw mostly consumes insects and their larvae, including grasshoppers, beetles, caterpillars, and termite alates. They occasionally also eat seeds.

The Cape Longclaw breeds from October to March in the summer rainfall region, and from July to November in the winter rainfall region. It is a monogamous, solitary nester, and pairs are territorial. Fighting between pairs may occur, and takes place both on the ground and in the air with wings drooped, and tails fanned in threat posture. In flight display rises to around 10 m, combining fluttering flight with song, before dropping into thick grass. Also sings from a prominent vantage point.

The nest is a neat cup lined with fine rootlets, and is usually well hidden between grass tufts. The nest is built entirely by the female. However, she may be accompanied by the male while collecting nesting material. From 1 to 4 eggs are laid per clutch. The eggs are white to creamy white and heavily spotted with brown and grey. The incubation period lasts for 13 or 14 days, and all incubation is likely done by the female. Newly hatched young are undescribed. The nestling period lasts for 14 days, during which the young are fed by both parents.

Further Resources

Species text adapted from the first Southern African Bird Atlas Project (SABAP1), 1997.

The use of photographs by Colin Summersgill, Joanne Putter, Johan Heyns, Lance Robinson, Les Underhill, Neels Jackson, Rene Navarro, Rick Nuttall, Roelof van der Breggen, Sharon Stanton, and Tony Archer is acknowledged.

Other common names: Orangethroated Longclaw (Alt. English); Oranjekeelkalkoentjie (Afrikaans); iNqomfi (Zulu); Inqilo (Xhosa); Sentinelle du Cap (French); Kapgroßsporn (German); Kaapse Langklauw Unha-longa-de-garganta-laranja (Portuguese)

Recommended citation format: Tippett RM. 2026. Cape Longclaw Macronyx capensis. Biodiversity and Development Institute. Available online at https://thebdi.org/2026/02/06/cape-longclaw-macronyx-capensis/

Bird identification, birding

Cover image of African Stonechat by Gerald Wingate – Cape Town, Western Cape

The African Stonechat belongs to the family MUSCICAPIDAE. This group of songbirds in the order Passeriformes is commonly known as the ‘Old World Flycatchers and Chats’. Members of the group share a number of anatomical features, including the presence of a well-developed 10th primary feather in the wing and adaptations for insect eating. The family comprises around 353 species from 57 genera. Southern African representatives of this family include Flycatchers, Chats, Rock Thrushes, and Wheatears.

Identification

The African Stonechat is a conspicuous and easily recognisable species. The sexes differ in their plumage colouration.

The adult male has an entirely black head and throat with conspicuous white patches on each side of the neck. The back is also black, but with variable brownish feather tips. The wings are black with an obvious white wing bar. The rump is white, and the tail is black. The Underparts, including the breast and flanks, are deep chestnut, transitioning to white on the belly and under tail coverts. The bill, legs, and feet are black, and the eyes are dark brown.

In adult females, the upperparts, including the head, back and folded wings, are buff with dark brown streaking. The lores and ear coverts are dark brown. The rump is white, and the tail is dark brown. The breast and flanks vary from pale cinnamon to warm buff, paler on the belly and under tail coverts.

Juveniles resemble females, but their upper parts are dark brown with profuse pale buff spotting. The rump is pale rufous-buff, and the tail is dark brown. The throat is greyish, and the rest of the underparts are warm buff with darker mottling on the breast. The eyes are dark brown, and the legs are black.

The African Stonechat is most likely to be mistaken for the Whinchat (Saxicola rubetra), but the latter has a conspicuous white (male) or buff (female) supercilium and malar stripe. The Whinchat also has a white patch on either side of the tail base. The Whinchat is a rare vagrant to the region.

Status and Distribution

The African Stonechat is generally common to fairly common, but is uncommon in more marginal habitats such as the dwarf shrublands of the Nama Karoo. The African Stone Chat ranges across much of sub-Saharan Africa, but is patchily distributed in West Africa. It is distributed more continuously from north-east Africa down through central Africa to South Africa. It also occurs in Madagascar. In southern Africa, the African Stonechat is widespread in wetter regions and is absent from most of Namibia, the Kalahari Basin, and the southern and northern Karoo. Its occurrence is patchy in southern Mozambique.

The African Stonechat is not threatened. It is well adapted to situations where irrigation promotes rank growth and has probably expanded its range into farming areas. However, the African Stonechat may be negatively affected by overgrazing.

Habitat

The African Stonechat frequents montane grassland, grassy hillsides, open grassland with scattered scrub and low bushes, fynbos shrublands, the edges of high altitude forest patches, marshy areas, swamp edges and cultivated lands. It is most common in relatively moist, open country, with rank growth and scattered shrubs.

The African Stonechat is mostly a species of high-altitude grasslands, but in southern Africa it commonly occurs down to sea level. It is found in fynbos but is more common in agricultural areas within that biome. The African Stonechat’s occurrence in the Succulent Karoo and Little Karoo is mostly linked to scattered moist habitats and agriculture. In the Okavango Delta, Botswana, it is restricted to permanent wetlands and moist floodplains.

Behaviour

The African Stonechat is usually encountered in pairs or family groups. They perch prominently on tall, slender plants, bushes, posts, fence wires or telephone lines. The African Stonechat is often quite tame, but is usually very wary when breeding. It is an active and restless species. The flight is jerky and low, flashing the conspicuous white upper tail coverts and wing patches. The African Stonechat is frequently seen to flick its wings and tail.

The African Stonechat does much of its hunting from a perch, but sometimes hawks prey in flight. Once prey has been spotted, it drops to the ground from a perch, either returning to the same perch or another nearby. The African Stonechat is also known to forage on rocky shores, hawking prey from perches on rocks or kelp. They may occasionally hover around 2 m above the ground on rapidly beating wings before dropping onto prey.

The Diet of the African Stonechat consists primarily of small to medium-sized arthropods. It is known to consume a wide range of insects and their larvae, including flies, termites, grasshoppers, ants, bugs, beetles, moths and butterflies. It also eats woodlice, millipedes, centipedes, spiders, solifuges, snails, small earthworms, small fish, and lizards, seeds and fruit.

The African Stonechat is monogamous, although on rare occasions 1 male may breed with 2 females. It is a solitary nester and pairs are territorial, often remaining on their territory throughout the year. During courtship, the male will chase the female, he may also hover above or crouch in front of her with his wings lowered, exposing the white wing patches and rump.

The African Stonechat Breeds mainly in spring and summer, with a peak in October in most areas. It breeds slightly later in higher-lying regions, where severe winter conditions at high altitudes are presumably responsible for a later season.

The nest is a deep cup of dry grass, rootlets and and other plant material. It is lined with hair, wool, thin roots, and occasionally feathers. The nest is built entirely by the female and is placed either on the ground or on a low bank, and is well concealed at the base of a grass tuft or similar plant.

2 to 5 eggs are laid per clutch, and the eggs are pinkish to greenish-blue, variably marked with red spots and freckling. The incubation period takes 14 to 15 days to completion, and all incubation is performed by the female. The newly hatched young are altricial and are fed by both parents, but brooded only by the female. The nestling period lasts for up to 16 days. Young birds are dependent on their parents for the first 2 or 3 weeks after leaving the nest. Broods of the African Stonechat are sometimes parasitised by Klaas’s Cuckoo (Chrysococcyx klaas), and the Red-chested Cuckoo (Cuculus solitarius).

Further Resources

Species text adapted from the first Southern African Bird Atlas Project (SABAP1), 1997.

The use of photographs by Attie van Aarde, Cobus Elstadt, Colin Summersgill, Dawie de Swardt, Gerald Wingate, Les Underhill, Malcolm Robinson, Mary Ellen Lindsay, Vaino Prinsloo, and Zenobia van Dyk is acknowledged. Additional photographs by Ryan Tippett.

Other common names: Stonechat, Common Stonechat (Alt. English); Gewone bontrokkie (Afrikaans); isAncaphela, isAnqawane, isiChegu (Zulu); Ingcaphe, Isangcaphe (Xhosa); Tarier pâtre (French); Schwarzkehlchen (German); Aziatische Roodborsttapuit (Dutch); Cartaxo-comum (Portuguese)

Recommended citation format: Tippett RM. 2026. African Stonechat Saxicola torquatus. Biodiversity and Development Institute. Available online at https://thebdi.org/2026/01/27/african-stonechat-saxicola-torquatus/

Bird identification, birding

Cover image of Pied Starling Starling by Lance Robinson – Near Frankfort, Free State

Starlings belong to the family STURNIDAE. All members of the family, which also includes Mynas, are collectively known as starlings. They are small to medium-sized passerine birds known for their often iridescent plumage, complex vocalisations, and their distinctive, swarming behaviour, known as murmurations. Most have strong bills of medium length that are arched on the culmen. They have moderately long and strong legs with large, strong feet. Wing and tail shape are variable.

Starlings are native to Europe, Asia, and Africa, as well as northern Australia and the islands of the tropical Pacific. Several European and Asian species have been widely introduced around the world. The family contains 125 species from 36 genera.

Identification

The Pied Starling is a large, distinctive and easily recognisable species. Adult birds are predominantly blackish-brown with a slightly greenish, glossy sheen. The undertail and lower belly are white. The uppertail is dark with a greenish gloss. They have striking, white eyes, and the bill is black with a yellow lower mandible and a conspicuous yellow wattle at the gape. The legs and feet are black. The sexes are alike.

Immatures are similar to adults but the lower mandible is dark, gradually becoming yellow. The eyes are dark brown and gradually whiten with age. Juvenile plumage is matt black, without any gloss. The bill is black, except for a yellowish-white base to the lower mandible and a white wattle at the gape. The eyes dark brown.

The Pied Starling is unlikely to be mistaken for any other species within its range.

Status and Distribution

The Pied Starling is locally common to abundant and is endemic to South Africa, Lesotho, and eSwatini (Swaziland). It occurs in all 9 South African provinces, although only marginally in southern Limpopo province.

It is absent from most of the Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces, and the eastern lowlands of KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape. The Pied Starling also avoids the driest parts of the Northern Cape.

The Pied Starling is not threatened and is present in large numbers in many parts of its range, and is common in many protected areas. There has been some loss of habitat from urbanisation, such as on the Cape Peninsula. The loss of natural habitat to agriculture has had little impact as the Pied Starling thrives in farmlands.

Habitat

The Pied Starling is primarily a species of open areas dominated by grassland and semi-arid Karoo scrub. It is regularly found up to 2500 m in the Drakensberg, but occurs down to sea level in the west and south of its range. The Pied Starling is commonly associated with agriculture; often on open ground around farm homesteads, on cultivated lands, and near domestic stock. It also frequents villages, small towns and farmsteads in rural areas, but is absent from larger urban settlements. The Pied Starling is not found in wooded areas, nor in the most arid parts of the interior. Its frequent occurrence in the Fynbos biome is likely due to widespread agriculture in that region. The availability of reedbeds and vertical banks for roosting and nesting is probably a limiting factor on population densities.

Behaviour

The Pied Starling is resident and mostly sedentary, but occasionally forms large nomadic flocks in the dry season.

Pied Starlings are highly gregarious at all times, usually in flocks of 10 to 20 birds. They roost communally in reeds or trees, often alongside other species, especially Wattled Starlings (Creatophora cinerea). Roosting flocks sometimes number well over 1000 birds. Pied Starlings are noisy when approaching the roost, and large flocks often perform coordinated murmurations at dusk before suddenly diving into the roost site. The loud chorus then continues until nightfall.

The Pied Starling forages mostly on the ground, walking or running after prey. They feed on insects disturbed by livestock, and regularly perch on sheep and cattle to remove ticks. They frequently flip over dry cowpats to expose insects underneath. They also forage at locust swarms and often form mixed-species foraging flocks with Wattled Starlings. Pied Starlings are also known to search for food in the rocky intertidal zone and feed on amphipods from kelp washed up onto beaches.

The diet of the Pied Starling comprises a wide range of arthropods, including termites, ants, beetles, grasshoppers, spiders, and ticks, etc. They also feed on plant material like seeds, fruit, and nectar. Around human habitation, Pied Starlings will feed on kitchen scraps, including bread, porridge and fruit.

Allofeeding is a common behaviour of the Pied Starling and is thought to establish and maintain bonds within a flock.

The Pied Starling breeds from August to November in the winter rainfall region, from November to March in the Karoo, and throughout the year in the north of its range with a peak from September to November.

The Pied Starling is monogamous and is either a solitary or, more usually, a colonial nester, with colonies ranging in size from a handful of pairs to thousands of pairs. It is a cooperative breeder with helpers assisting in the feeding of chicks. The nest is a pad of grass, feathers, wool, and other material, built by both sexes. It is usually situated in a tunnel which the pair also excavate themselves. The tunnel is up to 1.5 m long and most often located in a riverbank, erosion donga, quarry, or cutting. They sometimes also nest in holes in buildings, bales of hay, or occasionally in a natural tree hole.

2 to 6 eggs are laid per clutch, and larger clutches may involve more than 1 female. The eggs are bright blueish-green and may be plain or with some red spotting. The incubation period lasts from 14 to 16 days. Incubation is performed entirely by the female and begins before the clutch has been completed. The newly hatched young are altricial. They are fed mostly on insects and small amounts of fruit. The nestling period takes 23 to 27 days. Fully fledged young are fed by helpers for at least 1 week after leaving the nest. Pied Starlings are regularly double-brooded. Their broods are frequently parasitised by the Great Spotted Cuckoo (Clamator glandularis), and less often by Greater Honeyguides (Indicator indicator).

Further Resources

Species text adapted from the first Southern African Bird Atlas Project (SABAP1), 1997.

The use of photographs by Colin Summersgill, Dawie de Swardt, Itxaso Quintana, Janet du Plooy, Johan van Rooyen, Jon Blanco, Karis Daniel, Lance Robinson, Les Underhill, Rick Nuttall, and Roelof van der Breggen is acknowledged.

Other common names: Spreo bicolor (Alt. Scientific Name); African Pied Starling (Alt. English); Witgatspreeu (Afrikaans); iGwayigwayi, iKhwikhwi, iNgwangwa (Zulu); lgiwu-giwu, lgiyo-giyo (Xhosa); Spréo bicolore (French); Zweifarbenstar (German); Tweekleurige Glansspreeuw (Dutch); Estorninho-de-ventre-branco (Portuguese)

Recommended citation format: Tippett RM 2026. Pied Starling Lamprotornis bicolor. Biodiversity and Development Institute. Available online at https://thebdi.org/2026/01/23/pied-starling-lamprotornis-bicolor/

Bird identification, birding

Cover image: Levaillant’s Cisticola by Gerald Wingate – Strandfontein Sewage Works, Western Cape

Cisticolas belong to the Family CISTICOLIDAE. This is a group of small passerine birds found mainly in warmer southern regions of the Old World and contains around 168 species divided into 26 genera. This family is thought to have originated in Africa, which is home to the majority of species, but members of the family can also be found in Europe, tropical Asia, and Australasia. They were formerly included within the Old World warbler family Sylviidae.

Identification

Levaillant’s Cisticola is one of the dark-backed cisticolas, which are more easily identified than other cisticola species.

Breeding adults have a bright rufous crown, with light blackish streaks on the hind-crown, while the face and supercilium are off-white. The upperparts, including the mantle and back, are black and grey with a scaled appearance. The rump is buff-coloured with faint black streaks. The tail is dark brown to red-brown with buff tips. The underparts are buffy-white, sometimes with blackish streaks on the flanks. The bill is black with a pinkish base. The eyes are pale brown, and the legs and feet are pinkish. The sexes are alike.

Non-breeding adults are similar but carry more prominent streaking on the crown and have buffier upper parts, and darker greyish-buff underparts.

Juveniles resemble non-breeding adults, but are duller and browner overall.

Levaillant’s Cisticola is most easily mistaken for the Rufous-winged Cisticola (Cisticola galactotes), but the latter has a dark grey (not rufous) tail, and dark (not pale) lores. Levaillant’s Cisticola could also be confused with the Grey-backed Cisticola (Cisticola subruficapilla), but that species has a less richly coloured crown and tail, as well as darker and greyer underparts.

Status and Distribution

Levaillant’s Cisticola is a locally common resident but may undertake local movements during the dry season.

It has a discontinuous range from the west Kenyan highlands south and west to Angola, southern DRC, Zambia, Malawi and South Africa. In southern Africa, it is found mainly in South Africa, where it is widespread and with an isolated population on the Zimbabwe plateau, extending marginally into western Mozambique. In South Africa, it prefers regions with a relatively temperate climate, being replaced by the Rufous-winged Cisticola Cisticola galactotes in the subtropical north and east.

Levaillant’s Cisticola is not threatened. Its historical distribution is not known to have differed from that of the present. However, the construction of dams has likely created much new habitat in areas where it did not previously occur. The loss of natural wetland habitats has been offset as a result.

Habitat

Levaillant’s Cisticola typically inhabits rank vegetation along streams and rivers, at the edges of reedbeds, and in moist grassland, marshes, and emergent vegetation in water. It is sometimes found in rank vegetation on drier ground, usually when wetlands have dried out. Levaillant’s Cisticola may also occur in irrigated pastures or croplands such as maize and sugarcane fields adjoining wetlands. Levaillant’s Cisticola occurs in wetlands in all the biomes within its distribution, but is most numerous in the Grassland and Fynbos biomes.

Behaviour

Levaillant’s Cisticola is usually found in pairs, but may also be encountered singly or in small family groups. This species is highly vocal and therefore conspicuous, and is frequently detected by its call, which can be heard throughout the year. However, Levaillant’s Cisticolas only sing in summer during the breeding season when males make distinctive display flights and call from exposed perches.

When disturbed, the Levaillant’s Cisticola perches high up on vegetation to view the intruder. They frequently utter alarm-calls and may fly back and forth in an agitated manner. They forage low down in vegetation and feed on small insects such as termites, grasshoppers, caterpillars, flies, and small beetles.

Levaillant’s Cisticola begins breeding in July in the winter rainfall region with peak egg-laying from August to October. Populations further north and east, in the summer rainfall regions breed later between October and April. The nest is an oval ball with a side top entrance, and is usually placed in vegetation over water. It is woven out of dry grass blades, rootlets and spider web, and is lined with fluffy plant down.

2 to 5 eggs are laid per clutch. They vary in colour from white through green to blue and may be plain or with grey-brown spots. The incubation period lasts for 11 to 14 days, but few other details have been recorded. The nestling period takes around 14 days.

Further Resources

This species text is adapted from the first Southern African Bird Atlas Project (SABAP1), 1997.

The use of photographs by Ansie Dee Reis, Dembo Jatta, Gerald Wingate, Joanne Putter, Johan van Rooyen, and Pamela Kleiman is acknowledged. Additional photographs by Ryan Tippett.

Other common names: Vleitinktinkie (Afrikaans); lmvila, Umvila (Xhosa); Cisticole à sonnette (French); Vallei-graszanger (Dutch); Uferzistensänger (German); Fuinha-zunidora (Portuguese).

Recommended citation format: Tippett RM 2026. Levaillant’s Cisticola Cisticola tinniens. Biodiversity and Development Institute. Available online at https://thebdi.org/2026/01/19/levaillants-cisticola-cisticola-tinniens/

List of bird species in this format is available here.

Bird identification, birding

Similar Species

Cover image of African Rail by Johan Heyns – Marievale Bird Sanctuary, Gauteng

Rails belong to the Family: RALLIDAE. This family also includes Crakes, Swamphens, Flufftails, Gallinules, Moorhens and Coots etc. Their physiology is diverse, but most have laterally compressed bodies, short tails, short rounded wings and well developed legs and feet. The bill structure is variable. Most birds in this family inhabit wetlands or forest undergrowth and are usually vocal and highly secretive.

Identification

The African Rail is a fairly large and striking rallid. The sexes differ slightly in plumage colouration and males are slightly larger than females.

Adult males have dark brown upperparts, including the crown, hind-neck, back, wings, rump, and tail. The forehead and the sides of the head are dark grey, and the chin and throat are white. The front and sides of the neck and the breast are dusky grey. The flanks, thighs, belly, and undertail coverts are black with narrow white barring. The long, slender, and slightly decurved bill is bright red. The eyes are dark red, and the legs and feet are bright red with long toes.

Adult females resemble males but have shorter bills, and their bodies are less distinctly marked. Juveniles are darker and browner below than the adults, and they have blackish (not red) bills and dark brown legs and feet.

If clearly seen, the African Rail is unlikely to be confused with any other southern African bird species. However, an obscured view or a fleeting glimpse may lead to confusion with the African Crake (Crex egregaria). Both carry similar patterning and colouration, but the African Crake is smaller and has black streaking on the back and grey legs. The African Crake also has a short grey bill with a red base.

Status and Distribution

The African Rail is endemic to sub-Saharan Africa. It is rare in West Africa with several isolated populations across the region. It is also uncommon in the Ethiopian highlands. The main range of the African Rail, where it occurs widely, extends from eastern DRC to central Kenya, and south through eastern and central Africa to the Western Cape province in South Africa.

The African Rail is largely absent from the driest regions of southern Africa, including the Kalahari and Namibia, but with scattered records from the central and north-eastern Karoo. It is locally distributed elsewhere, mainly in the north and east, extending along the littoral to the Western Cape.

Most records come from the higher-lying parts of Zimbabwe, the Okavango and associated wetlands in Botswana and the Caprivi, Gauteng and the northern Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Western Cape Province.

In southern Africa, the African Rail is uncommon to locally common. Its distribution is believed to be largely unchanged. Although the African Rail’s natural habitats are continually being reduced, it is under no immediate threat and can colonise relatively small, artificially created wetland patches. Its range is likely to have increased in parts of the Western Cape.

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Habitat

The African Rail favours reedbeds (Typha spp and Phragmites spp) and dense, rank growth in perennial, semi-permanent or temporary swamps and marshes. It also occurs in suitable habitat alongside rivers, streams, pools, dams, pans, and lakes. The African Rail sometimes also inhabits paddy fields, and seasonally wet sugarcane bordering marshes. In southern Africa, the African Rail has been recorded up to 3000m above sea level.

Behaviour

The African Rail is usually found in pairs, although they are sometimes also solitary. They are somewhat crepuscular and are most lively at dusk; however, they are also active throughout the day. More often heard than seen, the African Rail is a retiring and skulking species, but is not shy within the shelter of dense vegetation. They spend most of their time in thick cover, but will on occasion reveal themselves at the edges of reedbeds or tracks through wetlands. They are most vocal during the cooler hours of the day and will occasionally call after dark.

Within the cover of reedbeds, the African Rail’s movements are jerky, often while raising and flicking its tail. They walk more purposefully in the open, taking quick, long strides. When alarmed, the African Rail stands upright, flattens its plumage, and raises its tail. If a potential predator approaches, they will stand motionless before crouching flat until the threat has passed. The African Rail flies low with dangling legs, and they can also swim competently when needed. They climb well, too, sometimes clambering to the tops of tall reeds.

African Rails bathe in shallow water or over the stems of submerged vegetation in deeper water. Afterwards, they will move to a dry spot where they can sunbathe with the wings slightly spread.

The African Rail mostly forages in shallow water and in mud at the edges of reedbeds. They will also search for food on floating clumps of water plants, and occasionally on dry ground. They use their long bills to probe deeply into mud or grass tufts and will even plunge their heads and necks into shallow water to catch prey.

The African Rail is omnivorous, and their diet includes a range of insects, earthworms, crabs, spiders, small frogs and tadpoles, small fish, and plant matter, including seeds. They are also known to scavenge when the opportunity arises.

The African Rail is a monogamous, solitary nester. Pairs become territorial when breeding, and frequently engage in fights with conspecifics by jumping up and attacking with the bill. Territorial pairs often call in duet. The size of breeding territories varies depending on conditions. In optimal habitat, up to 4 pairs may occupy a single hectare of reedbed.

The nest is a shallow bowl made from the leaves and stems of sedges, Bulrushes, and grasses. It is placed up to 400 mm above the water level and is very well hidden among marsh vegetation. 2 to 6 eggs are laid per clutch. The eggs are creamy-white with brown and grey speckles. Incubation duties are shared by both sexes, and the eggs hatch after 20 days. The newly hatched chicks are precocial and become fully fledged in 6 to 7 weeks.

Further Resources

Species text adapted from the first Southern African Bird Atlas Project (SABAP1), 1997. That text can be found here.

The use of photographs by Ansie Dee Reis, Colin Summersgill, Dembo Jatta, Dieter Oschadleus, Georg Jacobs, Jean Hirons, Johan Heyns, and Lia Steen is acknowledged. Additional photos by Ryan Tippett.

Other common names: African Water-Rail (Alt. English); Afrikaanse ral (Afrikaans); Nwatsekutseku (Tswana); isiZinzi (Zulu); Râle bleuâtre (French); Kapralle (German); Frango-d’água-africano (Portuguese); Afrikaanse Waterral (Dutch).

A list of bird species in this format is available here.

Recommended citation format: Tippett RM. 2026. African Rail Rallus caerulescens. Biodiversity and Development Institute. Available online at https://thebdi.org/2026/01/13/african-rail-rallus-caerulescens/

Bird identification, birding

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Saturday. 20 December. was the Open Day for bird ringing. We had two locations arranged for the ringing, so that there was space for everyone. At sunrise, we discovered that we had chosen a day with the same weather conditions as for the analogous event last year: a stiff southeaster.

So we were not hopeful of hugely successful event from the ringing perspective. And so it proved; nevertheless, we did better than last year, from a numbers perspective, by five birds!

Ringing table at Promenade Road …

… and at the end of Lake Road, Frogmore Estate. The two sites are almost exactly 1 km apart, and both have broadly similar reedbed habitats:

… the reedbed at the end of Lake Road, Frogmore Estate.

So it is not surprising that we mistnetted a Malachite Kingfisher at both sites!

African Reed Warbler at Frogmore Estate.

Neither the ringers nor the guineafowl appreciated the wind.

The Red-eyed Doves kept watchful left eyes on ringing proceedings below from the safety of an electrified fortress in Lake Road.

The Frogmore Estate ringers were gathered on the corner of a vacant plot. Under normal circumstances, a Spotted Thick-knee which was simply roosting would have moved off. So it was clearly on guard duty, also keeping an eye on us …

… the mate was incubating two eggs, and screened from view by a combination of a small depression for the nest, and a row of low plants on the road side of the nest:.

The ringing was followed by brunch in Marina da Gama. We got too engrossed in conversations to take photos, so there is no record of the event!

We are all grateful to Richard and Sue Gie for hosting us. Greatly appreciated by everyone present.

Hopefully Saturday, 19 December 2026, the scheduled date of the Third Annual Bird Ringers Open Day, will not be so windy. Go to the last line of the 2026 programme of events!