Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
Identification The Common (or European) Starling Sturnus vulgaris can be identified by its short tail, pointed head, triangular-shaped wings, and pale speckles ...
Author: Bird Feeder Project: Karis Daniel & Megan Loftie-Eaton
The Bird Feeder Project is a BDI citizen science initiative involving school learners and youth eco-clubs. Learners are taught a scientific protocol for doing 10-minute watches and recording the species they see, in the order they see them. The Bird Feeder Project includes an online identification guide to about 30 of the species seen in gardens in Cape Town. Students will learn how to upload their cellphone photos into the BirdPix section of the Virtual Museum, where they will be curated for posterity. The 10-minute watches will rapidly grow into a valuable monitoring database. Karis Daniel is the Project Coordinator and put together the identification guide, Megan Loftie-Eaton helped with the species texts.
Cape Robin-Chat (Cossypha caffra)
Identification The Cape Robin-Chat can be identified by its dark grey back, orange throat, white “eyebrows” and its orange rump and tail feathers. I...
Ring-necked Dove (Streptopelia capicola)
Identification The Ring-necked Dove, also known as the Cape Turtle Dove, is a very common bird species that occurs all over South Africa. It can be identified b...
Egyptian Goose (Alopochen aegyptiaca)
Identification The Egyptian Goose is not actually a goose, but a shelduck. It has many characteristics of a duck, but also some external traits of a goose. Egyp...
Cape Weaver (Ploceus capensis)
Identification The Cape Weaver is a medium-sized, brightly coloured bird. Males and females look similar but are not quite alike. Males also differ slightly in ...
Southern Masked Weaver (Ploceus velatus)
Identification The Southern Masked Weaver is a medium-sized, brightly coloured bird. Males and females look similar outside of the breeding season but are easil...