Cover image: Knysna Turaco by Andre Kok – George, Western Cape – BirdPix No.193795

Turacos, Go-Away-Birds and Plantain Eaters belong to the family MUSOPHAGIDAE. The family name literally means ‘Banana Eaters’ and all species are endemic to sub-Saharan Africa. They are medium-sized arboreal birds with prominent crests, relatively short, rounded wings and long tails. They have semi-zygodactylous feet for clambering around in tree canopies. The turacos are noted for their peculiar and unique pigments namely, turacoverdin (green feathers) and turacin (red feathers).

Identification

Knysna Turaco sexes are alike. They are predominantly olive-green especially on the head, neck, mantle and breast. The lower back, tail, wing coverts, and inner secondaries are dark blueish-green. The belly and flanks are a duller brownish-green and the vent and under tail coverts are greyish-black.

The prominent crest is green with a narrow white fringe and an indistinct blackish border between the green and white. The face is distinctively marked with a small black patch below and in front of the eye and with two conspicuous white stripes, one below the eye extending to the ear coverts, and another shorter stripe in front of the eye. The eyes are dark brown and the bare skin surrounding the eye is bright scarlet.

The primaries and outer secondaries are brilliant crimson with broad black edging. The crimson wing patch is conspicuous in flight, but is visible only as a red strip on the lower edge of the folded wing, and is often not visible. The short, almost triangular bill is orange-red with a slightly hooked tip. The legs and feet are black.

Juveniles are similar to adults but have reduced red patches on the wings. Additionally, the bare skin around the eye is blackish (not red) and the bill is brownish in younger juveniles, slowly turning red as they mature.

In southern Africa the Knysna Turaco can only be mistaken for two other closely related species. These are Schalow’s Turaco (Tauraco schalowi) and the Livingstone’s Turaco (Tauraco livingstonii). Confusion with Schalow’s Turaco is unlikely as the distributions of the two are widely separated. The range of the Knysna Turaco overlaps very marginally with that of Livingstone’s Turaco in eastern eSwatini (Swaziland). The latter has a longer, more pointed crest, that is narrowly (not broadly) tipped white and has paler blue-green wing coverts and a green (not blueish) wash to the tail.

Status and Distribution

The Knysna Turaco is a fairly common resident and is endemic to South Africa and eSwatini (Swaziland). It ranges from near Mossel Bay in the Western Cape, northwards along the coast and adjacent interior to central KwaZulu-Natal, where it is largely confined to the Midlands. It also occurs from north-western eSwatini to eastern Mpumalanga and north to the Soutpansberg in the Limpopo Province.

The Knysna Turaco is currently listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. The species is locally impacted by forest destruction, and by the exploitation of forest patches for medicinal plants. Populations in central Kwazulu-Natal were severely affected during the 19th century by the extensive cutting of hardwood trees and the resultant loss of food resources.

Habitat

The Knysna Turaco inhabits Afromontane forest and is considered an indicator species for this forest type. It is found at lower altitudes in the south of its range where it occurs down to sea-level from the Western and Eastern Cape to southern KwaZulu Natal. Further north in central KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Limpopo the Knysna Turaco is restricted to mistbelt Afromontane forest at 500-1 500 m above sea-level. This forest type receives a high rainfall and is usually tall and multi-layered, and is dominated by large trees, particularly Yellowwoods (Afrocarpus falcatus, Podocarpus latifolius and Podocarpus henkelii).

The Knysna Turaco also inhabits coastal forest and secondary growth in southern KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape.

Behaviour

The Knysna Turaco is a sedentary, resident species but wanders locally in response to the availability of fruiting trees. They are usually encountered solitarily, in pairs or in family groups of 3 to 5. Larger numbers of up to 50 or more birds sometimes gather to feed at fruiting trees.

The flight is heavy and laboured with frequent bouts of gliding. They seldom fly far and typically land in the middle canopy of trees. Knysna Turacos are very agile in the tree tops, running and bounding effortlessly along branches and through foliage. The semi-zygodactylous feet have reversable outer toes and are specially adapted for this purpose.

The Knysna Turaco is often vocal, except while nesting, and the call of one bird often elicits a response from another until the whole group is calling together. Their loud ‘barking’ or ‘crowing’ calls are a familiar sound in their dense forest habitat.

They frequently sunbathe while perched in the canopy, especially in the early morning or late afternoon. The Knysna Turaco drinks regularly from forest streams and bird baths. They drink water like a pigeon, immersing the bill tip and sucking up the water. They also bathe frequently by squatting in shallow water with the tail held up and fanned out, while splashing water over the body with the partially opened wings.

The Knysna Turaco is arboreal and forages in the canopy of fruiting trees, but will occasionally descend to the ground to feed on fallen fruit. The diet consists of a wide variety of wild and cultivated fruits, including Guava (Psidium guajava) and Pawpaw/Papaya (Carica papaya), as well as the fruits of alien trees. The diet is supplemented by invertebrates, including termite alates, particularly during the breeding season. Fruits are preferably swallowed whole and large seeds are regurgitated, but small seeds pass through the gut.

The Knysna Turaco breeds from May to February with a peak from September to November. Pairs are monogamous and nest solitarily. They are only territorial when breeding. The nest is built cooperatively by both sexes in about 5 days. One of the pair collects and delivers nesting material to the site while the other constructs the nest. Nest material is collected directly from the canopy by snapping off brittle twigs with the bill. They are not known to collect fallen twigs from the ground. The pair are often vocal while nest building and frequently call to each other, but once incubation begins they become silent and secretive.

The nest is composed of interlaced twigs and is a flimsy saucer-shaped platform resembling a large dove nest, 200-300 mm across, with a shallow depression in the centre. The nest is usually placed 3-9 meters above the ground in a dense tangle of creepers or among leafy twigs on the outermost branches of a tree and is always well concealed by foliage.

The eggs are plain white and almost spherical. Clutches usually consist of 2, or occasionally 1 egg and they are laid at 1-day intervals. Incubation starts before the clutch is completed resulting in asynchronous hatching. The incubation period takes up to 24 days and duties are shared by both sexes. The eggs are covered continuously and are rarely left unattended.

Once the eggs hatch the adults keep the nest clean by eating the eggshells and the chick’s faeces. This also serves to keep smells away from the nest that may draw the attention of hungry predators. The newly hatched young are semi-precocial and hatch in a relatively advanced state with their eyes open and their bodies covered by a dense coat of blackish-grey down. They have a carpal claw on the wing which enables them to clamber from the nest before they are able to fly. Nestlings are fed regurgitated food by both parents. The young leave the nest after 21 days or so. They grow rapidly from this point and are able to fly after about 28 days.

Further Resources

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

The use of photographs by Alan Collett, Andre Kok, Desire Darling, Gregg Darling, Jean Hirons, Lia Steen, Marius Meiring, Megan Loftie-Eaton, Neels Putter and Pamela Kleiman is acknowledged.

Virtual Museum (BirdPix > Search VM > By Scientific or Common Name).

Other common names: Knysna Lourie (Alt. English); Knysnaloerie (Afrikaans); iGwalagwala (Zulu); lgolomi (Xhosa); Touraco louri (Dutch); Touraco de Knysna (French); Helmturako (German); Turaco de Knysna (Portuguese).

List of species available in this format.

Recommended citation format: Tippett RM 2024. Knysna Turaco Tauraco corythaix. Biodiversity and Development Institute. Available online at https://thebdi.org/2024/09/16/knysna-turaco-tauraco-corythaix/

Bird identification, birding

Cover image of African Swamphen by Roelof van der Breggen – Glen Austin Pan, Gauteng – BirdPix No. 289893

Swamphens belong to the Family: RALLIDAE. This family also includes Crakes, Rails, 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 Swamphen is a vibrantly coloured, blue, purple and green waterbird. It is easily identified by its heavy red bill, red frontal shield and long red legs. The sexes alike in plumage coloration.

In adults, the head, foreneck and underparts are deep purplish blue. The face and throat are a paler, brighter blue. The hind crown and upper mantle are dark purple. The lower mantle, back and folded wings are bronze-green. The rump and upper tail are dark olive-green and the undertail is pure white. The bill and frontal shield are bright red while the legs and feet are pinkish-red.

Immature birds resemble the adults but have duller blue upperparts and the underparts, from the breast to the vent are mottled dark grey and white. Juveniles are dull brown above and grey below, often with white mottling on the flanks and belly. The bill and frontal shield are brownish-red and the legs and feet are dull red.

The African Swamphen is by far the largest gallinule in the region, helping to reduce confusion with the smaller Purple Gallinule (Porphyrio martinicus) and Allen’s Gallinule (Porphyrio alleni). The Purple Gallinule is a very rare vagrant to southern Africa and is smaller, with a yellow bill tip and yellow (not red) legs and feet. Allen’s Gallinule is much smaller, with a bright blue frontal shield.

Status and Distribution

The African Swamphen occurrs in several scattered populations from Senegal east to Ethiopia and with an outlying population in the Nile River valley, Egypt. It also occurs on Madagascar. The African Swamphen is more continuously distributed in East, Central and Southern Africa. It is widespread but patchily distributed in South Africa and is absent from most of the arid Karoo and Kalahari.

The African Swamphen is not threatened. Numbers may have decreased locally because of frequent disturbance, removal of riparian vegetation, and from wetland drainage. Similar decreases have been reported from some other parts of Africa. However, the African Swamphen readily makes use of man-made wetlands like dams and sewage ponds, and may have expanded its distribution as a result.

.

Habitat

The African Swamphen inhabits lakes, dams, pans, slow flowing rivers, marshes and estuaries. It occurs at large or small waterbodies and prefers permanent habitats, although it does also utilise temporary wetlands. The African Swamphen occupies both fresh and brackish habitats that are sheltered, and with still or slow flowing water fringed or overgrown by reeds (Phragmites spp), Bulrushes (Typha capensis), sedges and Papyrus (Cyperus papyrus) etc.

.

Behaviour

The African Swamphen is mostly a sedentary resident. It is usually encountered solitarily or in pairs but may sometimes be found in groups of 12 or more birds. The African Swamphen does not undertake any regular migrations. It is sometimes locally nomadic in drier areas and undertakes occasional, large-scale seasonal movements in response to changing habitat conditions.

The African Swamphen usually remains within dense vegetation, but sometimes ventures out to forage in the open, seldom venturing far from cover. It walks out on water lilies, and runs fast through marshy vegetation. It flicks its tail frequently, which is thought to indicate uneasiness or fear, but is also used in display and to warn off predators.

The flight is heavy and clumsy. During short flights the legs dangle below the body, but are held out straight in longer flights. The African Swamphen is known to construct platforms on which to stand or roost by taking reed or rush stems in the bill and folding them over before standing on the bent stems to force them in place.

The African Swamphen bathes in shallow water by flapping its wings and submerging the head. Also sunbathes after preening and may climb to the top of a tall plant to do so.

The African Swamphen is largely vegetarian and consumes a variety of plant matter, including roots, stems, leaves, flowers and seeds. They are especially partial to water lily tubers. The African Swamphen prefers feeding on tender new growth and the soft, pulpy centre of old reed stems. The diet also includes a variety of animal prey including invertebrates like insects, snails, worms, leeches and crabs, as well as vertebrates such as small fish, frogs, and bird nestlings. They also eat frog and fish eggs, bird eggs and carrion.

The African Swamphen forages by clambering around in marshy vegetation. It pulls down plant stems with the bill, holding them with one foot before biting off pieces to eat. May also immerse its whole head and neck to reach soft, under water plant stems. They often climb the stems of reeds and Bulrushes to reach flowers and seed heads. The African Swamphen also digs in damp soil for roots and turns over stones and floating vegetation to reveal prey.

The African Swamphen is a monogamous, cooperative breeder. They are strongly territorial and territories are aggresively defended, mostly by the males. Territory establishment is accompanied by increased vocalisations.

The nest is built by both sexes. They are sometimes also assisted by helpers (the young of previous broods). The nest is a bulky bowl-shaped structure built from Bulrushes, reeds, grass etc. It is built on top of a pre-prepared platform of flattened vegetation. The bowl is sometimes lined with grass, papyrus flower heads or fern leaves. The stems of adjacent vegetation are often drawn over the nest to form a canopy. The nest is almost always built over water and well concealed in dense vegetation.

Eggs are laid throughout the year, but mainly from October to March in southern Africa. Clutch size varies from 2 to 6 eggs. The eggs are cream-coloured with reddish-brown and grey speckles.

Incubation begins once the full clutch has been laid and takes around 25 days for the eggs to hatch. The female performs most of the incubation with help from the male and helpers if present. The newly hatched young are precocial and leave the nest shortly after hatching. They return to the nest for feeding and to roost. The young are cared for by both sexes and any helpers if present. They are fully fledged after 8 weeks.

Further Resources

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

The use of photographs by Anthony Paton, Gerald Wingate, Jean Hirons, Josu Meléndez, Karis Daniel, Les Underhill, Lia Steen and Roelof van der Breggen is acknowledged.

Virtual Museum (BirdPix > Search VM > By Scientific or Common Name).

Other common names: Porphyrio porphyrio (Alt. Scientific); Purple Gallinule, African Purple Swamphen (Alt. English); Grootkoningriethaan (Afrikaans); Purperkoet (Dutch); Talève d’Afrique (French); Purpurhuhn (German); Caimão-comum (Portuguese)

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

Recommended citation format: Tippett RM 2024. African Swamphen Porphyrio madagascariensis. Biodiversity and Development Institute. Available online at https://thebdi.org/2024/09/08/african-swamphen-porphyrio-madagascariensis/

Bird identification, birding

Cover image: Cape Rockjumper by Duncan Butchart – Hermanus, Western Cape –  BirdPix No. 86016

Rockjumpers belong to the Family CHAETOPIDAE. The family is endemic to southern Africa and comprises 1 genus and 2 species. Rockjumpers are smallish passerine birds of high mountainous habitats. The genus Chaetops means ‘bristle eye’ which refers to their conspicuous eye lashes. Their taxonomic affinities are uncertain, but research indicates they are most closely related to the Rockfowl (Picatharthidae) of West Africa.

Identification

The Cape Rock Jumper is a handsomely plumaged species. In adult males the forehead, crown, ear coverts and hind neck are silvery grey with fine black streaks. The supercilium is silvery-grey and rather indistinct. The lores, face and sides of the neck are black with a conspicuous white malar stripe. The rest of the upper parts, including the mantle, scapulars and back feathers are silvery grey, with heavy black streaking. The rump and upper tail coverts are a rich dark rufous. The relatively long tail is black with white outer tail tips. The chin, throat and upper breast are jet black. The breast and belly are richly coloured in dark rufous, while the vent and thighs are blackish. Under tail coverts black, with whitish tips. The wing coverts and flight feathers are black with white tips. The relatively long legs are an adaptation to bounding around on rocky mountain slopes. The legs and feet are black and the eyes are orange-red.

Adult females differ from males in having a grey and buff mottled face and neck with an indistinct buff-grey malar stripe. The upper parts are brownish-grey with dark streaks. The rump and upper tail coverts are dark rufous but paler than in males. The tail and wings are brownish black and the flight feathers carry white tips. The breast and belly are dark rufous but duller and paler than in males and the breast shows fine brown streaks. The eyes are reddish-brown..

Juveniles resemble adult females but are less strongly marked overall.

The Cape Rockjumper most resembles the Drakensberg Rockjumper (Chaetops aurantius) but confusion is unlikely as their distributions do not overlap. Females are similar to female and juvenile Cape Rock Thrush (Monticola rupestris) and Sentinel Rock Thrush (Monticola explorator) but those species have rufous (not black) tails and lack the white outer tail tips.

Status and Distribution

The Cape Rockjumper is a locally common resident and is endemic to South Africa. The distribution ranges from Piketberg and the Cederberg Mountains, south to Cape Hangklip near the village of Rooi-Els, Western Cape, and east along the Cape Fold Mountains to Uitenhage, Eastern Cape. The range does not overlap with that of the Drakensberg Rockjumper, but is separated by only 100 km or so.

The Cape Rockjumper is near threatened and threats include the rampant spread of alien vegetation.

Habitat

The Cape Rockjumper inhabits mountain fynbos on windswept, high rocky slopes or ridges. It also occurs down to sea level in the extreme west of its range at Rooi-Els, Western Cape. The Cape Rockjumper is restricted to higher rainfall parts of the Fynbos Biome.

Behaviour

The Cape Rockjumper is rather poorly known. It is generally a sedentary, resident species, but sometimes moves to lower altitudes in winter.

Cape Rockjumpers are gregarious and normally encountered in pairs or small family groups. They are unobtrusive and typically scuttle about over and between rocks and boulders. Forages by scratching and probing on the ground, searching in sand and at the base of bushes and boulders. The diet consists mostly of arthropods like caterpillars, beetles, bugs, flies, grasshoppers, spiders, scorpions along with the occasional vertebrate such as small lizards or frogs.

Cape Rockjumpers are territorial and territories are usually maintained year-round. Boundary disputes are usually brief and involve much calling, chasing and posturing with heads held high and tails fanned to expose conspicuous white tips.

The Cape Rockjumper is often a facultative cooperative breeder. A group comprises a monogamous breeding pair and sometimes 1 or 2 additional helpers, often the offspring from the previous breeding season. Helpers assist with nest building, incubation and the rearing of chicks.

The nest is a bulky open cup, made from dry grass, twigs, moss and lichen. The bowl is lined with fine plant material and bits of fur. The nest is well hidden and is placed on the ground, usually beneath a rock slab, but sometimes also under a grass tuft, rock overhang or bush. The nest site is chosen on the leeward side of a rock to guard against the prevailing south-east winds.

Eggs are laid from late July to January with a peak between September and October. Clutches consist of 2 plain white eggs, laid on successive days. Incubation duties are shared by both sexes and probably also helpers. The incubation period lasts up to 21 days and the nestling period takes 18 to 21 days. Young birds are unable to fly for at least 5 days after initially leaving the nest but are able to run well over rocky slopes and hide in crevices or dense vegetation if approached. Both adults and helpers feed the young and remove faecal sacs from the nest.

Cape Rockjumpers are multiple brooded and sometimes attempt to breed up to 3 times in one breeding season.

Further Resources

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

The use of photographs by Corne Rautenbach, Duncan Butchart, Georg Jacobs, Gerald Wingate, Johan van Rensburg, Maans Booysen, Pamela Kleiman, Salome Willemse and Trevor Hardaker is acknowledged.

Virtual Museum (BirdPix > Search VM > By Scientific or Common Name).

Other common names: Kaapse berglyster (Afrikaans); Sauteur du Cap, Chétopse bridé (French); Kaapse Rotsspringer (Dutch); Kap-Felsenspringer (German); Saxícola-do-Cabo (Portuguese).

List of bird species in this format is available here.

Recommended citation format: Tippett RM 2024. Cape Rockjumper Chaetops frenatus. Biodiversity and Development Institute. Available online at https://thebdi.org/2024/09/01/cape-rockjumper-chaetops-frenatus/

Bird identification, birding

Cover image of African Darter by Graeme Hatley – Stanford, Western Cape – BirdPix No. 285516

Darters belong to the Family: ANHINGIDAE. Anhingas and darters are large water birds with long, slender necks, short legs, long pointed bills and long tails. Males and females are the same size. Anhingas and darters are typically brown or black in colour. The family comprises a single genus with 4 recognised species. Their closest relatives are gannets, then cormorants and herons.

Identification

The African Darter is a large, conspicuous and distinctive water bird. It is a large, cormorant-like bird, with a dagger-like bill and a very long, slender neck.

The sexes differ slightly in breeding plumage coloration. The adult breeding male has a rufous-chestnut fore neck and upper breast. The head is relatively small and has a white stripe that extends from below the eye, across the cheek and down the neck. The chin is cream-coloured and the lower breast and belly is blackish-brown. The upper parts are dusky-brown with elongate white-striped scapulars and wing coverts. The flight feathers and underwings are black. The tail is rounded or wedge-shaped and relatively long. Adult breeding females differ slightly from breeding males, having a paler brown crown and neck. The cheek stripe is cream (not white) and is less well defined.

In both sexes the bill is yellowish horn-grey to greenish horn-grey. The eyes are usually golden yellow, but are sometimes brown or red. The legs and feet are pale to dark brown and the feet are totipalmate (fully webbed).

Non-breeding adults are paler, duller and browner than breeding adults, especially on the neck and mantle. At this time the white cheek stripe is reduced and less conspicuous.

Juveniles resemble the adult female, but have pale buffy brown underparts. The bill is grey-green and the facial skin is dark green.

The African Darter is unlikely to be mistaken for another species. It is most similar to Cormorants and the African Finfoot (Podica senegalensis). Cormorants have shorter, thicker necks and hook-tipped bills. The African Finfoot is easily recognised by its red bill (dark in juveniles), legs and feet.

Status and Distribution

The African Darter is generally a locally common resident with some local movement in the non-breeding season.

It is widely distributed in sub-Saharan Africa, Madagascar and parts of the Middle-East, occurring wherever there is suitable aquatic habitat. The African Darter is widespread in southern Africa but is localised in the arid west, where it is confined to large rivers and dams. It avoids the driest parts of the Northern Cape, Botswana and Namibia where surface water is scarce, and is also largely absent from the Lesotho plateau.

The range of the African Darter has increased across southern Africa due to the construction of dams and their stocking with fish. However, in some areas the African Darter is impacted by the loss and degradation of wetlands and river systems. It is sometimes seen as a pest at fish farms and trout dams where it may be illegally persecuted, but this impact is considered minimal.

Habitat

The African Darter inhabits still and slow-moving freshwater bodies with open water like lakes, dams, rivers and sewage ponds. It is scarce in turbulent water, fast-flowing rivers and in areas with dense floating vegetation. Prefers places with dead trees, rocks or banks where it can rest after feeding. The African Darter also forages in estuaries and coastal lagoons but typically avoids other marine habitats.

Behaviour

The African Darter can be somewhat gregarious when feeding but may also be encountered solitarily.

Sits very low in the water, typically with only the neck and head protruding, snake-like above the surface, hence the colloquial name of ‘Snakebird’. Rarely sits higher in the water with the upper parts exposed. Dives by thrusting forward like a cormorant and glides smoothly through the water, barely leaving a ripple. Enters the water silently, direct from their perch, but can also land on water, using the feet as brakes.

The African Darter is well adapted to spending time underwater. The body plumage is very absorbent and its bones are more solid, containing less air than in similar diving birds like cormorants, resulting in reduced buoyancy. The African Darter is neutrally buoyant underwater at a depth of around 3 meters. The feet are fully webbed and the legs are set far back to aid propulsion under water. The flight feathers are waterproof, allowing the African Darter to fly even when completely drenched. However, they prefer to perch on a dead tree or rock after foraging to allow the body feathers to dry off. They typically sit with their wings spread for up to 1.5 hours, raising the body feathers and orienting the body towards the sun. They sometimes beat their wings slowly to accelerate drying or to generate body heat. Several individuals may aggregate at favoured resting sites. They gular-flutter to cool down During hot weather. This is achieved by frequently vibrating the throat membranes, which increases airflow resulting in improved evaporation.

The African Darter roosts communally at night, usually in trees or large reedbeds. They mostly roost close to their feeding areas, but will sometimes commute up to 10 km, either singly or in loose groups. They fly well, with regular flaps and glides, and does not fly in formation like many other water birds. The neck is extended in flight, showing a characteristic kink. The African Darter soars from time to time, somewhat resembling a long-necked raptor.

The African Darter feeds mostly on fish but also takes frogs, tadpoles and aquatic arthropods. They are non-selective regarding fish prey, consuming a wide range of suitably sized species. In some places where fish are absent, like on farm dams in the Karoo, they feed almost exclusively on frogs and large tadpoles.

The African Darter forages at depths of up to 6 meters, mostly in the mid-water or along the bottom. Dives usually last for 30 to 100 seconds, increasing in duration with water depth. They hunt using stealth, preferring to ambush prey rather than chase it down. As they are neutrally buoyant underwater, they are able to wait motionless while suspended in the midwater, wings half open. Prey is speared by rapidly thrusting the neck forwards. The neck is flexible with a special hinge mechanism between the 8th and 9th vertebrae. Prey is speared with the bill slightly open. Small prey is mostly speared with the upper mandible while larger prey items are impaled with both mandibles.

Captured prey is brought to the surface where it is tossed in the air and caught in the bill before being swallowed head first. Some small prey may be swallowed underwater. Prey is swallowed head first to prevent sharp fin spines from snagging in the throat. Occasionally catches prey too large to swallow, and after a struggle, is eventually abandoned. After feeding they usually wash their face and bill by wiping them against the feathers on their backs.

.

The African Darter is monogamous and breeds mainly in the spring and summer months (September to March) in South Africa. They usually breed colonially, often with other water birds like White-breasted and Reed Cormorants, African Spoonbills and herons.

The nest is a fairly large untidy platform of sticks or dead reeds, with a shallow bowl lined with grass. Built in tree fork, often over water or on island; also in large reedbed. Pairs work together to construct the nest. The male collects the nesting material and the female weaves it into the nest. The nest site and nesting material is fiercely guarded against other birds that may attempt to steal nest material. The nest is sometimes completed in as little as 1 day, but the pair will continue to add material during incubation and early chick rearing. The African Darter usually builds a new nest at the start of each breeding season.

Eggs are laid throughout the year in north-eastern South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe with slight peaks in spring and late summer. Egg laying is mainly from October to December in south-eastern South Africa and between August and October in the Western Cape.

Clutch size ranges from 2 to 7 greenish white eggs. They are laid at irregular intervals and incubation starts with the first-laid egg which leads to asynchronous hatching. The incubation period takes 21 to 27 days to completion and duties are shared by both sexes. The African Darter lacks a brood patch and so incubates with the feet. Incubation shifts are fairly short, with several changeovers per day.

The newly hatched young are altricial and hatch out naked with their eyes closed. White down begins to show on their bodies after 2 days. Chicks are fed by both parents, initially by regurgitation, thereafter the chicks insert their heads into the adult’s throat to take food stored in the adults crop. Adults also bring water to the chicks in hot weather. Young birds leave the nest at 5 to 6 weeks old and are fully fledged at 7 weeks.

The African Darter has a recorded lifespan of at least 12 years.

Further Resources

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

The use of photographs by Anthony Paton, Bryan Groom, Corrie du Toit, Gregg Darling, Kevin Lavery, Les Underhill, Mark Stanton, Terry Terblanche, Tony Archer and Werner Van Goethem is acknowledged.

Virtual Museum (BirdPix > Search VM > By Scientific or Common Name).

Other common names: Darter (Alt. English); Slanghalsvoël (Afrikaans); lvuzi (Xhosa); Afrikaanse Slangenhalsvogel (Dutch); Anhinga roux, Anhinga d’Afrique (French); Schlangenhalsvogel (German); Mergulhão-serpente (Portuguese)

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

Recommended citation format: Tippett RM 2024. African Darter Anhinga rufa. Biodiversity and Development Institute. Available online at https://thebdi.org/2024/08/13/african-darter-anhinga-rufa/

Bird identification, birding