Crimson-breasted Shrike (Laniarius atrococcineus)

Cover image: Crimson-breasted Shrike by Ryan Tippett – Carnarvon district, Northern Cape –  BirdPix No. 97082

The Crimson-breasted Shrike belongs to the Bushshrike family MALACONOTIDAE. Other members of this group include Boubou’s, Tchagra’s, Bushshrikes and Puffbacks. They are smallish passerine birds with robust bodies, strong legs and feet, and formidable shrike-like bills. Many are very colourful and most species are rather secretive. The majority occur in woodlands, but also in marshes, scrub and Afromontane or tropical forest. They were formerly classed with the true shrikes in the family Laniidae, but are now considered sufficiently distinctive to be separated from that group. The family is endemic to sub-Saharan Africa but is completely absent from Madagascar. The name Malaconotidae alludes to their fluffy back and rump feathers.

Identification

The Crimson-breasted Shrike is an eye-catching and highly distinctive species.

Crimson-breasted Shrike (Laniarius atrococcineus
Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, Northern Cape
Photo by Kyle Finn

In adults, the upperparts, including the top and sides of the head, back, wings, and tail are entirely glossy jet black with a conspicuous white stripe on the folded wing. The underwing coverts are black. The underparts, from the chin to the vent, are bright crimson red or, rarely, bright yellow, and the thighs are black. The eyes are dark purplish-grey and the bill, legs, and feet are black. The sexes are alike.

Crimson-breasted Shrike (Laniarius atrococcineus). Rare yellow-breasted morph.
Garingboom Guest Farm, Free State
Photo by Phillip Nieuwoudt

Juveniles have black upperparts with fine, buff-brown barring. The underparts are greyer with fine greyish-brown barring and the undertail coverts are crimson. During transition into adult plumage, the underparts become blotched in brown and crimson.

The striking plumage of the Crimson-breasted Shrike means it is very unlikely to be mistaken for any other southern African bird species. It is closely related to other Laniarius bushshrikes, but the other southern African species such as the Southern Boubou (Laniarius ferrugineus) carry far less colourful plumage.

Crimson-breasted Shrike (Laniarius atrococcineus
Stillbosch Wildlife Estate, Gauteng
Photo by Cameron Meyer

Status and Distribution

The Crimson-breasted Shrike is a common resident and is near-endemic to southern Africa.

It ranges from southern Angola and south-western Zambia down to South Africa. In southern Africa, it occurs across most of Namibia and throughout Botswana to western Zimbabwe and into South Africa. In South Africa it is found in the western parts of the Limpopo Province, north-western Mpumalanga, northern Gauteng, throughout the North West province and extreme north-western Free State. It is also widespread in the Northern Cape, mainly north of the Orange River. The Crimson-breasted Shrike avoids the mostly treeless regions of the Namib and Karoo. It is also absent from seemingly suitable thornveld habitat in the north-eastern lowveld and is a vagrant to the Kruger National Park, South Africa.

SABAP2 distribution map for Crimson-breasted Shrike (Laniarius atrococcineus)  – October 2024.
Details for map interpretation can be found here.

The Crimson-breasted Shrike is widespread, and common across its extensive range, and does not seem to be threatened in any way. Bush encroachment, particularly by Dichrostachys and Vachellia (Acacia) in response to over-grazing has created much additional habitat for the species.

Crimson-breasted Shrike (Laniarius atrococcineus)   
Carnarvon District, Northern Cape
Photo by Ryan Tippett

Habitat

The Crimson-breasted Shrike is a Vachellia (Acacia) woodland specialist. It favours dry Vachellia (Acacia) savanna and semi-arid scrub with scattered clumps of small trees, and particularly Kalahari thornveld. It is most numerous in the northern and central Kalahari, but less so in the more open southern Kalahari. Its presence in other woodland types, such as Mopane woodland and mixed woodlands are due to the extensive occurrence of Vachellia (Acacia) thickets within these habitats.

Arid woodland habitat.
Mokala National Park, Northern Cape
Photo by Karis Daniel

Behaviour

The Crimson-breasted Shrike is a resident and sedentary species but may move locally into riverine woodland during the dry non-breeding season.

Crimson-breasted Shrike (Laniarius atrococcineus
Near Oviston, Eastern Cape
Photo by Jorrie Jordaan

They are usually found in territorial pairs, or occasionally alone. The Crimson-breasted Shrike is agile and active, constantly changing its posture accompanied by jerks or swings of the tail. They are highly vocal and territorial pairs duet and counter-sing with excited interactions that include bowing, side-to-side movements and tail-jerking.

Crimson-breasted Shrike (Laniarius atrococcineus
Vaalkop Dam Nature Reserve, North West
Photo by Lance Robinson

The Crimson-breasted Shrike has a characteristic upright posture when foraging on the ground, normally with the wing tips pointed down and the tail held horizontal but is jerked up and down with each hop. They generally only spend a few minutes on the ground at a time before scampering up through a bush or low tree branches, zigzagging from branch to branch until hidden. Roosts on the mid- to lower branches of a thorn tree. Pairs sleep 1 to a few meters from each other, sitting pressed against a tree trunk at the base of a thick branch. The flight heavy, with shallow wing-beats.

Crimson-breasted Shrike (Laniarius atrococcineus
Karoo Gariep Nature Reserve, Northern Cape
Photo by Keir Lynch

Most foraging takes place in trees and on tree trunks. They spend less time foraging on the ground and will on occasion also hawk insects in the air. On the ground, they flick bits of vegetation aside, in much the same manner as a thrush. The Crimson-breasted Shrike sometimes forages in association with other bird species like Southern Pied Babblers, Arrow-marked Babblers, African Hoopoes and Common Scimitarbills.

Crimson-breasted Shrike (Laniarius atrococcineus
Sediba Game Lodge, North West
Photo by Lance Robinson

The diet consists mainly of invertebrates, including beetles, ants, caterpillars, grasshoppers, etc. They will also feed on small fruits when available, especially those that have fallen to the ground.

Crimson-breasted Shrike (Laniarius atrococcineus
Carnarvon District, Northern Cape
Photo by Karis Daniel

The Crimson-breasted Shrike is territorial and is a monogamous and solitary nester. The nest is built by both sexes, usually in the early morning, and is completed in 4 to 6 days. The nest is a neat cup, built almost entirely of strips of bark collected from the branches and trunks of Vachellia (Acacia) trees by stripping the inside of bark peelings. Strips are then added by each bird in turn. The nest bowl is lined with rootlets and grass. The base of the nest is secured to branches with spider webs. It is usually placed 1 to 8 m above the ground in the vertical fork of the main stem, or more typically where the trunk and side branches diverge. The nest is placed less often on a horizontal or sloping fork.

Crimson-breasted Shrike (Laniarius atrococcineus
Carnarvon district, Northern Cape
Photo by Ryan Tippett

Eggs are laid throughout the summer months with a clear peak during October and November. The eggs are oval-shaped and buff coloured or very pale green, pale blue, or (occasionally) white. The eggs are speckled and spotted with browns and greys, and with underlying slate or lilac. 2 to 3 eggs are laid per clutch and incubation usually begins only once the second or third egg has been laid. The incubation period takes 15 to 17 days and is performed by both sexes. Pairs will re-lay after failure, starting a new nest 1 to 2 weeks after a lost clutch.

Crimson-breasted Shrike (Laniarius atrococcineus)  
Alldays, Limpopo
Photo by Geoff Goetsch

The newly hatched young are born blind, naked and feeble but they develop quickly and are fully feathered at 10 days old. The young are brooded by their parents for the first 5 days or so, and are fed by both adults.

Both adults collect faecal sacs after feeding the chicks, either eating them, or carrying them away in the bill. This is done to keep the nest clean and hygienic and to prevent a smelly nest from attracting potential predators and pests. The young are ready to leave the nest after around 20 days, but stay close to the adults, although they mostly forage independently. The young roost in the same tree as their parents, each bird occupying a separate perch. The young may sometimes still remain with the adults when incubation of a second clutch starts.

Crimson-breasted Shrike (Laniarius atrococcineus
Doornkloof, Free State
Photo by Dewald du Plessis

The Crimson-breasted Shrike is single or double-brooded, with up to 4 nesting attempts per season. A new nest is often started 1 or 2 weeks after the previous brood has fledged. Clutches of the Crimson-breasted Shrike are sometimes parasitised by the Black Cuckoo.

Crimson-breasted Shrike (Laniarius atrococcineus
Doornkloof, Free State
Photo by Dewald du Plessis

Further Resources

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

The use of photographs by Cameron Meyer, Dewald du Plessis, Geoff Goetsch, Jon Blanco, Jorrie Jordaan, Karis Daniel, Keir Lynch, Kyle Finn, Lance Robinson and Phillip Nieuwoudt is acknowledged.

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

Other common names: Rooiwangnaguil (Afrikaans); Mahulwana, Ribyatsane (Tswana); Engoulevent à joues rousses (French); Roodwangnachtzwaluw (Dutch); Rostwangen-Nachtschwalbe (German); Noitibó-de-faces-ruivas (Portuguese).

List of bird species in this format is available here.

Recommended citation format: Tippett RM 2024. Crimson-breasted Shrike (Laniarius atrococcineus).  Biodiversity and Development Institute. Available online at https://thebdi.org/2024/11/01/crimson-breasted-shrike-laniarius-atrococcineus/

Bird identificationbirding

Crimson-breasted Shrike (Laniarius atrococcineus)   
Carnarvon District, Northern Cape
Photo by Ryan Tippett

Chat Flycatcher (Melaenornis infuscatus)

Cover image of Chat Flycatcher by Richard Johnstone – Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Northern Cape – BirdPix No. 162613

The Chat Flycatcher belongs to the family MUSCIPAPIDAE. This large family is currently made up of 351 species, which are divided into 54 genera. Birds in this family are mainly small insectivorous songbirds and include Chats, Robin-chats, Scrub-robins, Wheatears, Old World Flycatchers, etc. They are small passerine birds and are largely restricted to the Old World (Europe, Africa, and Asia). The family presents many problems, as taxonomists disagree on which of the flycatcher groups should be included.

Identification

Adult Chat Flycatchers are rather drab and nondescript birds. They are large, almost thrush-sized flycatchers with a slender build and longish legs. The tail and wings are longer than those of other brown chats and flycatchers.

Chat Flycatcher (Melaenornis infuscatus)
Van Zylsrus district, Northern Cape
Photo by Kyle Finn

The upper parts from the forehead to the rump are a uniform, dull greyish-brown. The face is dull brown with an inconspicuous pale eye ring and an inconspicuous buffy stripe above the lores, between the eye and the bill. The upper tail is dark brown with a rufous tint. The upper-wing is dark brown with prominent pale edges to the flight feathers, and a fairly conspicuous pale flash on the edge of the folded wing. The underwings are plain buffy-brown. The chin and throat are greyish-brown and very pale. The breast and flanks are pale brown, the flanks often have a warmer slightly rufous tint. The belly is slightly paler and more buff-coloured than the breast. The bill, legs and feet are black, and the eyes are dark brown. The sexes are alike.

Chat Flycatcher (Melaenornis infuscatus)
Central Kalahari Game Reserve, Botswana
Photo by John Fincham

Juveniles are more distinctively plumaged than adults. The upper parts are dark brown overall, with numerous, off-white streaks and spots. The face and throat are often dark. Underparts carry similar ground colouration to the adults but with some darker mottling, especially on the breast and upper belly. They are difficult to tell apart from the juveniles of other similar flycatchers.

Juvenile Chat Flycatcher (Melaenornis infuscatus)
Karoo-Gariep Nature Reserve, Northern Cape
Photo by Jon Blanco

The Chat Flycatcher is easily mistaken for other brown flycatchers and Chats. Their overall size and choice of habitat are key identification aids. It is perhaps most likely to be mistaken for the Marico Flycatcher (Melaenornis mariquensis). The latter is smaller, with a far clearer contrast between the whitish underparts and the richer brown upper parts. The Sickle-winged Chat (Emarginata sinuata) is also similar and is found in much the same habitat. However, the Chat Flycatcher can be told apart from all chat species by lacking their coloured or patterned tails.

Chat Flycatcher (Melaenornis infuscatus)
Near Hanover, Northern Cape
Photo by Jaco Botes

Status and Distribution

A common resident or local nomad. The Chat Flycatcher is near-endemic to southern Africa and occurs in the arid and semi-arid parts of the region. Its distribution ranges from the drier inland parts of the Eastern and Western Cape provinces, and throughout most of the Northern Cape. It is widespread in Namibia and Botswana but is absent from the Namib Desert and much of north-eastern Namibia and northern Botswana. Outside of southern Africa, its range extends marginally into southern Angola.

SABAP2 distribution map for Chat Flycatcher (Melaenornis infuscatus) – October 2023.
Details for map interpretation can be found here.

The Chat Flycatcher is not threatened and is well-represented in protected areas. It may have increased in numbers in drought-ravaged regions that have lost most of their large trees in the last 20 years. However, the population south of Elands Bay in the south-western part of the Western Cape has been lost through habitat destruction. It was regular there before 1950 but is now absent.

Chat Flycatcher (Melaenornis infuscatus)
Near Upington, Northern Cape
Photo by Lappies Labuschagne

Habitat

The Chat Flycatcher favours arid, open habitats with low bushes and few trees, and often in places with sparse grass cover. It is most numerous in the semi-arid shrublands of the Nama Karoo in the dry Vachellia (Acacia) savanna of the Kalahari, followed by the dry, sparse woodlands of western Namibia. The Chat Flycatcher requires bushes or fence posts to perch on and is uncommon in areas of open veld with few shrubs.

Habitat – Near Carnarvon, Northern Cape
Photo by Ryan Tippett

Behaviour

The Chat Flycatcher is generally resident and sedentary but is nomadic in the southern Nama Karoo, where it is present and breeding in some years, and often completely absent for the following 2 or 3 years.

Chat Flycatcher (Melaenornis infuscatus)
Carnarvon district, Northern Cape
Photo by Ryan Tippett

The Chat Flycatcher is generally encountered solitarily, in pairs, or in small family groups. They are rather quiet and lethargic birds, spending much of their time perched atop a bush or fence post. The flight of the Chat Flycatcher is powerful and slightly undulating. They generally do not fly very far.

Chat Flycatcher (Melaenornis infuscatus)
Mokala National Park, Northern Cape
Photo by Cameron Meyer

Most foraging is conducted from a low perch, like the top of a bush or fence post, actively scanning the ground for prey. Drops to the ground near prey and hops after it with wings partly spread. Prey is eaten on the ground, or may be carried back to a perch. Also catches prey aerially, but its flight is not as agile as with other flycatchers. The Chat Flycatcher can also hover to scan for prey if no perches are available. The Chat Flycatcher is predominantly an insectivore, consuming a wide range of insects such as termites, bugs, beetles, ants, grasshoppers, and small reptiles.

The Chat Flycatcher is well adapted to arid environments and does not need to drink.

Chat Flycatcher (Melaenornis infuscatus)
Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, Northern Cape
Photo by Kyle Finn

The Chat Flycatcher has a protracted breeding season that is almost year-round. However, most breeding takes place during spring and summer, with a peak between October and January. Breeding is determined by rainfall, regardless of the season. It is thought to be monogamous and is a solitary nester with nesting pairs normally widely spaced.

The nest is a large, roughly made bowl placed in a low bush, usually around 1 meter above the ground. The nest is composed of dry plant stems like coarse grass and twigs. Inner cup is built with finer materialand is usually thickly lined with plant down. The nest is variably concealed by foliage. Aromatic plants are often chosen as the nesting site, including cudweed (Gnaphalium spp), everlastings (Helichrysum spp), Ankerkaroo (Pentzia incana) and Karoo rosemaries (Eriocephalus spp). This is thought to keep insects like flies away from the nest.

Chat Flycatcher (Melaenornis infuscatus)
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Northern Cape
Photo by Richard Johnstone

2 to 3 (rarely 4) eggs are laid per clutch. The eggs are greenish blue with bold, variably sized, dark reddish brown and grey spots. The incubation period takes 14 to 15 days and is done entirely by the female. The male remains nearby provisions the incubating female with food at the nest.

The newly hatched young are currently undescribed. The nestling period is variable, lasting for 11 to 14 days or so. The young are fed by both parents. The Chat Flycatcher is multi-brooded and little time is wasted between breeding attempts.

Chat Flycatcher (Melaenornis infuscatus)
Brak Farm, Carnarvon district, Northern Cape
Photo by Ryan Tippett

Further Resources

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

The use of photographs by Cameron Meyer, Jaco Botes, John Fincham, Jon Blanco, Kyle Finn, Lappies Labuschagne, and Richard Johnstone is acknowledged.

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

Other common names: Bradornis infuscatus, Melaenornis infuscatus (Alt. Scientific); Grootvlieëvanger (Afrikaans); Gobemouche traquet (French); Drosselschnäpper (German); Lijstervliegenvanger (Dutch); Papa-moscas-chasco (Portuguese)

Recommended citation format: Tippett RM 2024. Chat Flycatcher Melaenornis infuscatus. Biodiversity and Development Institute. Available online at https://thebdi.org/2024/10/25/chat-flycatcher-melaenornis-infuscatus/

List of bird species in this format is available here.

Bird identificationbirding

Chat Flycatcher (Melaenornis infuscatus)
Vosburg district, Northern Cape
Photo by Ryan Tippett

Swallow-tailed Bee-eater (Merops hirundineus)

Cover image: Swallow-tailed Bee-eater by John Todd – Richtersveld National Park, Northern Cape – BirdPix No.182789

Bee-eaters belong to the Family: MEROPIDAE. This family contains three genera and 27 species. Most species are found in Africa and Asia, with a few in southern Europe, Australia, and New Guinea. Bee-eaters are characterised by richly coloured plumage, slender bodies, and usually elongated central tail feathers. All have long decurved bills and medium to long wings, which may be pointed or rounded.

Identification

The Swallow-tailed Bee-eater is one of the smaller bee-eater species, and is the only southern African bee-eater with a deeply forked tail. The sexes are alike.

Swallow-tailed Bee-eater (Merops hirundineus)
Near Petrusville, Northern Cape
Photo by Tino Herselman

Adults have emerald-green upperparts, including the forehead, crown, mantle, upper wing coverts, back, rump and upper tail coverts. The Forehead to mantle and upper wing coverts have a slight bronze wash. On the face there is a broad black stripe running from the base of the bill, through the eye to the upper ear coverts. The chin and throat are bright yellow and the cheeks are white. The throat and breast are separated by a narrow, bright blue band. The breast is green with a faint bronzy hue and the belly, flanks and the undertail coverts are pale blue.

The primaries and secondaries are mainly rufous, with a broad, black subterminal band. The underwings are predominantly pale cinnamon, with a dark trailing edge. The tail is blue and deeply forked. Each rectrice (tail feather) has a small white tip. The bill is black. The eyes are orange-red to crimson and the legs and feet are grey-black.

Swallow-tailed Bee-eater (Merops hirundineus)
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Botswana
Photo by Trevor Hardaker

Juveniles resemble the adults but are paler with uniformly green underparts and faint streaking on the breast. Juveniles lack the bright blue band across the throat and the tail is less deeply forked. They also have dark brown (not reddish) eyes.

A juvenile Swallow-tailed Bee-eater (Merops hirundineus)
Groot Vallei Game Ranch, Northern Cape
Photo by Roelof van der Breggen

The Swallow-tailed Bee-eater is most likely to be mistaken for the smaller Little Bee-eater (Merops pusillus) but the latter has a black (not blue) throat band, a buff (not blue) lower belly and undertail, and a green and brown (not blue) tail. The tail of the Little Bee-eater is square or slightly notched (not deeply forked).

Swallow-tailed Bee-eater (Merops hirundineus)
Lochinvar National Park, Zambia
Photo by Salim Lee

Status and Distribution

The Swallow-tailed Bee-eater is a locally common resident and local migrant.

SABAP2 distribution map for Swallow-tailed Bee-eater (Merops hirundineus) – October 2024. Details for map interpretation can be found here.

It is an Afrotropical species, occurring discontinuously from west Africa, east to Sudan and down to southern Africa. In southern Africa, it is mainly found in the drier northern and western parts, but is absent from the arid Namib Desert in Namibia. Despite being common along the middle and lower reaches of the Orange River in South Africa, it is only an erratic visitor into the surrounding semi-arid Nama-Karoo.

Swallow-tailed Bee-eater (Merops hirundineus)
Lochinvar National Park, Zambia
Photo by Salim Lee

The Swallow-tailed Bee-eater is not threatened as a result of its wide range and its varied choice of habitat. It is represented in most protected areas within the arid and semi-arid regions.

Habitat

Dry woodland habitat
Mokala Natiuonal Park, Northern Cape
Photo by Karis Daniel

The Swallow-tailed Bee-eater frequents a variety of woodland types, preferring well-developed woodlands like riparian woodlands and tall savanna woodlands, usually on Kalahari sands, including Vachellia (Acacia), Zambezi Teak (Baikiaea plurijuga), Burkea (Burkea africana), miombo (Brachystegia), bushwillow (Combretum) and Mopane (Colophospermum mopane). The Swallow-tailed Bee-eater is also known to frequent Eucalyptus plantations.

Breeding habitat in the Northern Cape. A pair of Swallow-tailed Bee-eaters nested in the lowest bank near the centre of the image.
Orange River, near Prieska, Northern Cape
Photo by Ryan Tippett

Behaviour

The Swallow-tailed Bee-eater is found solitarily or in pairs during the breeding season and in flocks of up to 30 (usually 8-10) in winter. They roost communally in groups, perching tightly together on a tree branch.

Swallow-tailed Bee-eater (Merops hirundineus)
Auob River, Northern Cape
Photo by Andre Kok

It is subject to complex movements that are not well understood. Non-breeding birds usually occur in restless flocks, which arrive at a locality, stay for a few days or weeks, before moving on. The flight is agile and graceful due to the long wings and tail.

Swallow-tailed Bee-eater (Merops hirundineus)
Richtersveld National Park, Northern Cape
Photo by John Todd

The Swallow-tailed Bee-eater forages by hawking insects in flight during short sallies from a perch. Also takes insects directly from flowers or vegetation. The diet consists almost entirely of insects, including venomous and non-venomous bees and wasps, also flies, beetles, grasshoppers, moths and dragonflies.

Swallow-tailed Bee-eater (Merops hirundineus)
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Northern Cape
Photo by Andre Kok

Stinging insects are caught in mid-air and held in the bill tip at the petiole of the insect’s abdomen. They then return to a perch where the prey is beaten a couple times against the perch. The prey is then held by the tip of the abdomen and rapidly (and repeatedly) rubbed against the perch to remove the sting before being eaten. Hard-bodied, non-venomous insects are beaten against the perch before swallowing. Small non-venomous insects like swarming ants and termites are eaten in flight.

Juvenile Swallow-tailed Bee-eater (Merops hirundineus)
Okavango Delta, Botswana
Photo by Ryan Tippett

Swallow-tailed Bee-eaters are monogamous and pairs nest solitarily, with the occasional assistance of a helper. Unfortunately rather little is known about its breeding biology.

Swallow-tailed Bee-eater (Merops hirundineus)
Woodland Hills Wildlife Estate, Bloemfontein, Free State
Photo by Rick Nuttall

The nest is a tunnel, excavated by both sexes, into the side of a low sand bank, usually less than 1.5 meters high. They also frequently nest in road verges and sometimes in the side of an Aardvark burrow or the sloping sides of a sandy mound, less often in flat or shelving sandy soil. The tunnel is straight and up to 1 meter long, widening into the nest chamber.

Swallow-tailed Bee-eater (Merops hirundineus)
Ais-Ais, Namibia
Photo by Andre Kok

Eggs are laid during spring and summer (September to February), with a peak between September and November. 2 to 4 eggs are laid per clutch. The eggs are glossy white and almost spherical and are laid at 1 day intervals. Incubation details are unknown and very little is known about the development and care of the young. The young are sometimes raised with the assistance of a helper.

Nests of the Swallow-tailed Bee-eater are sometimes parasitised by the Greater Honeyguide.

Swallow-tailed Bee-eater (Merops hirundineus)
Losgat Lodge, Namibia
Photo by Anthony Paton

Further Resources

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

The use of photographs by Andre Kok, Anthony Paton, John Todd, Karis Daniel, Kyle Finn, Rick Nuttall, Roelof van der Breggen, Salim Lee, Tino Herselman and Trevor Hardaker is acknowledged.

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

Other common names: Swaelstertbyvreter (Afrikaans); Morôkapula (Tswana); Zwaluwstaartbijeneter (Dutch); Guêpier à queue d’aronde (French); Schwalbenschwanzspint Gabelschwanzspint (German); Abelharuco-andorinha (Portuguese).

List of species available in this format.

Recommended citation format: Tippett RM 2024. Swallow-tailed Bee-eater Merops hirundineus. Biodiversity and Development Institute. Available online at https://thebdi.org/2024/10/18/swallow-tailed-bee-eater-merops-hirundineus/

Bird identificationbirding

Swallow-tailed Bee-eater (Merops hirundineus)
Van Zylsrus district, Northern Cape
Photo by Kyle Finn

Rufous-cheeked Nightjar (Caprimulgus rufigena)

Cover image: Rufous-cheeked Nightjar by Ryan Tippett – Carnarvon district, Northern Cape –  BirdPix No. 97082

Nightjars belong to the family CAPRIMULGIDAE. They are medium-sized birds with long wings, short legs, very short bills and well developed rictal bristles. The bill opens very wide and has a slightly hooked upper tip. Their plumage is cryptically coloured to resemble bark, leaves or stones. Nightjars are mostly crepuscular or nocturnal and feed on flying insects. There is 1 genus (Caprimulgus) and 7 species in southern Africa.

Identification

The Rufous-cheeked Nightjar is a fairly small species. The sexes are similar, differing slightly in plumage coloration. Identification of this species, as with most nightjars, is easiest by vocalisation: a prolonged, unvarying churr preceded by three or four gulping notes.

Rufous-cheeked Nightjar (Caprimulgus rufigena) 
Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, Northern Cape
Photo by Kyle Finn

Adult males have blackish crown stripe feathers with rufous edges and there is an indistinct pale streak above the eye. The sides of the face are dusky with small rufous spots. The nuchal collar is rufous or buff-coloured. The upper parts are grey, with fine and dense irregular lines, and narrow blackish streaks. The scapulars have bold black streaks with cinnamon-buff blotches. The coverts are brown or dusky-coloured with buff blotches, rufous barring and dense, greyish irregular lines. The chin and upper throat are buff-coloured with fine barring and dark markings with 2 large white patches, 1 on each side of the throat. The breast is dull brownish-grey with buff blotches and mottling. The belly and under tail coverts are pale buff with narrow blackish-brown bars. The central tail feathers are grey, with coarse, blackish vermiculations and narrow blackish bars. The outer tail feathers are similar but have prominent white tips, around 1/3 of the length of the tail.

The flight feathers are mostly black with large white patches in primaries 7 to 10. The inner primaries and secondaries carry incomplete rufous bars. The bill and rictal bristles are black, the eyes are dark brown and the legs and feet are pale brownish.

Rufous-cheeked Nightjar (Caprimulgus rufigena)  
Alldays, Limpopo
Photo by Geoff Goetsch

Adult females resemble the males, but carry smaller, rufous (not white), spots on the primaries. Females also mostly lack the white outer tail tips.

Juveniles are similar to females, but are browner and plainer overall.

Rufous-cheeked Nightjar (Caprimulgus rufigena)
Stillbosch Wildlife Estate, Gauteng
Photo by Cameron Meyer

The Rufous-cheeked Nightjar is often difficult to distinguish from other nightjars in the field. It most resembles the larger European Nightjar. The latter lacks the rufous nuchal collar, has less prominent markings on the wing coverts and females lack pale spots on the primaries and outer tail feathers. The Rufous-cheeked Nightjar is easily separated from most locally breeding species on call. The Square-tailed Nightjar also has a churring song, but its call ‘shifts gear’ regularly. The Square-tailed Nightjar differs in having a white (male) or buff (female) trailing edge on the wings and a white outer tail extending along the entire length of the tail. The Fiery-necked Nightjar has a broader, more obvious nuchal collar and rufous ear coverts.

Rufous-cheeked Nightjar (Caprimulgus rufigena)  
Carnarvon District, Northern Cape
Photo by Ryan Tippett

Status and Distribution

The Rufous-cheeked Nightjar is a locally common breeding summer migrant to southern Africa. It breeds from Angola and southern Zambia to South Africa. The non-breeding range extends from northern Zambia to Sudan and across to Cameroon and Nigeria. In southern Africa the Rufous-cheeked Nightjar breeds over much of the arid western and central regions, including the Northern Cape, western Free State, North West Province and Western and northern Limpopo. It also breeds in Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe. The Rufous-cheeked Nightjar is absent from the higher rainfall east coast and lowveld. It is also absent from the most arid parts of the Namib Desert and most of the winter rainfall Western Cape. Its general absence from the Western Cape is probably due to the lower numbers of insects found there during summer.

SABAP2 distribution map for Rufous-cheeked Nightjar (Caprimulgus rufigena) – October 2024.
Details for map interpretation can be found here.

The Rufous-cheeked Nightjar is common throughout much of its core range and is the most numerous nightjar in Botswana and the Northern Cape.

It is easily overlooked and may be more abundant than records show. The historical range of the Rufous-cheeked Nightjar is unlikely to have changed much. It is not considered threatened and has a fairly wide habitat tolerance, including disturbed areas.

Rufous-cheeked Nightjar (Caprimulgus rufigena)
Karoo Gariep Nature Reserve, Northern Cape
Photo by Jon Blanco

Habitat

Typical semi-arid habitat in the Karoo.
Carnarvon district, Northern Cape
Photo by Ryan Tippett

The Rufous-cheeked Nightjar mainly inhabits Karoo and Namib semi-desert and dry, open woodland, including Vachellia (Acacia), Mopane (Colophospermum mopane) and miombo (Brachystegia) woodlands. In northern Botswana it is found along the edges of natural clearings in woodland. It occurs less frequently in dry grasslands. The Rufous-cheeked Nightjar is most common in dry Kalahari savanna and semi-arid Nama-Karoo shrublands. It prefers well-drained soil for breeding, particularly on stony or gravelly substrate, and often in very bare areas. The Rufous-cheeked Nightjar is regularly found on roads at night, especially while on passage.

Arid woodland habitat.
Mokala National Park, Northern Cape
Photo by Karis Daniel

Behaviour

The Rufous-cheeked Nightjar is an intra-African breeding migrant. Birds arrive in southern Africa in late August and early September, with most birds departing for their non-breeding grounds by mid April into early May. It is largely absent from southern Africa in winter, though small numbers have been recorded during this period, especially in Zimbabwe.

Rufous-cheeked Nightjar (Caprimulgus rufigena)
Near Oviston, Eastern Cape
Photo by Jorrie Jordaan

The Rufous-cheeked Nightjar roosts on the ground during the day in the shade of a bush or tree, and sometimes in long grass. It is usually found singly or in pairs. If approached, lowers chin to ground, giving hump-backed appearance. If flushed, flies with erratic wing-beats before suddenly landing at the base of a bush or sometimes on a low branch.

Rufous-cheeked Nightjar (Caprimulgus rufigena)
Vaalkop Dam Nature Reserve, North West
Photo by Lance Robinson

The Rufous-cheeked Nightjar is mainly crepuscular, foraging at dusk and less often at dawn or on moonlit nights. They are most vocal at twilight, especially at the start of the breeding season. Hunts from the ground in clearings or open areas, and around water holes, making short sallies to catch insects on the wing, before usually returning to the same spot. They sometimes also hunt by sustained search in flight. Regularly hunts under artificial light at water holes and around farm yards. Hawks insects aerially, and feeds mainly on beetles, moths, Antlions, Lacewings, grasshoppers, Bugs and Termites.

Drinks on the wing, dipping down while skimming over water in the manner of a swallow or swift.

Rufous-cheeked Nightjar (Caprimulgus rufigena)
Karoo Gariep Nature Reserve, Northern Cape
Photo by Keir Lynch

The Rufous-cheeked Nightjar is a monogamous, solitary nester and is probably territorial.

No true nest is constructed, the nest site is merely a shallow, natural depression in coarse soil, often on stony ground or in recently burnt areas. In more wooded parts of their range they will often nest in leaf litter under trees or bushes. Nest sites are frequently found in the vicinity of the previous years nest.

Rufous-cheeked Nightjar (Caprimulgus rufigena) 
Sediba Game Lodge, North West
Photo by Lance Robinson

Males call frequently at night before the eggs are laid but become virtually silent once incubation begins. An incubating bird reacts to intruders by flattening the body and narrowing the eyelids to slits. They only flush once an intruder is within 3 meters of the nest. They may also perform a broken-wing injury display when flushed off nestlings.

Rufous-cheeked Nightjar (Caprimulgus rufigena) performing a ‘Broken wing’ distraction display near its nest.
Carnarvon District, Northern Cape
Photo by Karis Daniel

Breeding is recorded from September to January, and as late as March in the Karoo. Peak egg-laying is from September to November but varies slightly by region. Clutches usually consist of 2 eggs (rarely just 1), laid at 2 day intervals. The eggs are glossy and usually pinkish-cream with pale, evenly spaced, reddish-brown and lilac markings. Interestingly, the second egg is larger and heavier than first.

Rufous-cheeked Nightjar (Caprimulgus rufigena)
Doornkloof, Free State
Photo by Dewald du Plessis

Incubation begins once the first egg has been laid and lasts for a period of 15 to 17 days. Incubation duties are shared by both sexes, the female incubates during the day and the male at night.

Rufous-cheeked Nightjar (Caprimulgus rufigena)
Carnarvon district, Northern Cape
Photo by Ryan Tippett

The young chicks are very well camouflaged against the stony background surrounding the nest. The nestling period lasts for 18 to 20 days.

Rufous-cheeked Nightjar (Caprimulgus rufigena)
Garingboom Guest Farm, Free State
Photo by Phillip Nieuwoudt

Further Resources

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

The use of photographs by Cameron Meyer, Dewald du Plessis, Geoff Goetsch, Jon Blanco, Jorrie Jordaan, Karis Daniel, Keir Lynch, Kyle Finn, Lance Robinson and Phillip Nieuwoudt is acknowledged.

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

Other common names: Rooiwangnaguil (Afrikaans); Mahulwana, Ribyatsane (Tswana); Engoulevent à joues rousses (French); Roodwangnachtzwaluw (Dutch); Rostwangen-Nachtschwalbe (German); Noitibó-de-faces-ruivas (Portuguese).

List of bird species in this format is available here.

Recommended citation format: Tippett RM 2024. Rufous-cheeked Nightjar Caprimulgus rufigena. Biodiversity and Development Institute. Available online at https://thebdi.org/2024/10/14/rufous-cheeked-nightjar-caprimulgus-rufigena/

Bird identificationbirding

Rufous-cheeked Nightjar (Caprimulgus rufigena)  
Carnarvon District, Northern Cape
Photo by Ryan Tippett

Purple-crested Turaco (Tauraco porphyreolophus)

Cover image: Purple-crested Turaco by Lia Steen – Shellybeach, KwaZulu-Natal – BirdPix No.278791

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

Purple-crested Turaco (Tauraco porphyreolophus)
Crestholme, KwaZulu-Natal
Photo by Robyn Dickinson

Purple-crested Turaco sexes are alike and they are very attractively plumaged. When seen in good light, the face is brilliant emerald green and the rounded crest and nape are deep, dark, glossy purple. The hind neck, lower cheeks and throat are olive-green. The mantle and breast are pinkish-orange and the lower back, wings and tail are glossy bluish-purple, often with a green tinge in bright light. The underwings are slate-black and the flight feathers are vivid crimson, each with a blackish-brown tip. The crimson primaries are not often visible in the folded wing, but are conspicuous in flight. The belly and flanks are dusky-grey. The bill, legs and feet are black. The eyes are brown and the bare skin surrounding them is scarlet.

Purple-crested Turaco (Tauraco porphyreolophus) showing the conspicuous, bright crimson flight feathers.
Crestholme, KwaZulu-Natal
Photo by Robyn Dickinson

Juveniles are similar to adults, but the red in the wings is duller and less extensive.

In parts of its range the Purple-crested Turaco sometimes occurs alongside the Knysna Turaco (Tauraco corythaix), Livingstones Turaco (Tauraco livingstonii) and Schalow’s Turaco (Tauraco schalowi). The Purple-crested Turaco is distinctive and unlikely to be mistaken for these, or any other bird in southern Africa.

Status and Distribution

The Purple-crested Turaco is a locally common resident. It is restricted to eastern and southern Africa, from southern Kenya and south-western Uganda south through Tanzania, southern and eastern Zambia, Malawi and northern Mozambique to Zimbabwe and South Africa. In southern Africa it is found from northern and eastern Zimbabwe (with an isolated population in the Matopos Hills), to eastern South Africa. In South Africa it occurs mostly in moister, lower-lying areas, from north-eastern Limpopo down through eastern Mpumalanga, eSwatini (Swaziland) and much of KwaZulu-Natal, marginally reaching the Eastern Cape.

SABAP2 distribution map for Purple-crested Turaco (Tauraco porphyreolophus) – September 2024. Details for map interpretation can be found here.

The Purple-crested Turaco is not threatened but may be under local threat in some areas due to the destruction of coastal forest, riverine forest and closed woodlands. However, it seems better able than other turacos to adapt to habitat changes. The Purple-crested Turaco is a popular aviary bird and is in demand with the international cage bird trade. There is currently no data to estimate the impact of this on local populations.

Purple-crested Turaco (Tauraco porphyreolophus)
Shellybeach, KwaZulu-Natal
Photo by Lia Steen

Habitat

The Purple-crested Turaco is mostly a bird of coastal forest and moist, closed woodlands, especially riverine forest and woodland, secondary forest and dense thickets on termitaria. They also move freely into drier woodlands during the wet season, including miombo woodland, Mopane woodland and Vachellia (Acacia) savanna. It also readily inhabits secondary forest, alien vegetation and suburban gardens. Usually occurs below 1 300 m, but up to 1 500 m in the eastern highlands of Zimbabwe.

Riverine forest habitat with an abundance of fruit-providing trees.
Mkhuze Game Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal
Photo by Ryan Tippett

Behaviour

The Purple-crested Turaco is usually encountered singly or in pairs, but sometimes also in groups of 4 or 5 birds. Occasional larger groups of up to 20 birds have been recorded. The Purple-crested Turaco is resident and mostly sedentary, but is locally nomadic in response to the availability of fruiting trees.

Purple-crested Turaco (Tauraco porphyreolophus)
Verlorenkloof, Mpumalanga
Photo by Joanne Putter

Usually keeps to the canopy of trees. They are very agile when running along branches and through dense foliage. The semi-zygodactylous feet have reversable outer toes and are specially adapted for this purpose. They are also capable of running swiftly on the ground. The Purple-crested Turaco is not particularly shy, but is often difficult to see among the dark canopy foliage.

Purple-crested Turaco (Tauraco porphyreolophus)
Lake Mzingazi Nature Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal
Photo by Richard Johnstone

The Purple-crested Turaco drinks at any time of day, waiting for a while in vegetation near the water’s edge before flying down to drink. Sucks up water when drinking, in the same manner as pigeons. Also dips the bill briefly in water, before throwing the head back to swallow. The Purple-crested Turaco bathes frequently at streams, natural pools and in bird baths.

Purple-crested Turaco (Tauraco porphyreolophus)
Mkhuze Game Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal
Photo by Ryan Tippett

The flight is laboured and unstable-looking as it moves between trees, alternating between flapping and gliding. They seldom fly far and usually land in the middle of tree canopies.

Purple-crested Turaco (Tauraco porphyreolophus)
Scottburgh, KwaZulu-Natal
Photo by Christopher Peter Small

The Purple-crested Turaco is a vocal species, and the call of one bird often elicits a response from another until the whole group is calling together. Their deep, ‘croaking’ calls that rise in pitch and volume are a familiar sound wherever these birds occur.

Purple-crested Turaco (Tauraco porphyreolophus)
Shellybeach, KwaZulu-Natal
Photo by Lia Steen

The Purple-crested Turaco forages in trees, perching the end of branches where fruit grows. They swallow small fruits whole and bite chunks out of larger fruit. The Purple-crested Turaco is almost entirely frugivorous. Consumes a wide variety of fruit including wild, exotic and Cultivated species such as Figs (Ficus spp.), Guava (Psidium guajava) and Mulberry (Morus australis). The young are fed on a variety of insects and also slugs.

Purple-crested Turaco (Tauraco porphyreolophus) feeding on cycad fruits.
Shellybeach, KwaZulu-Natal
Photo by Lia Steen

The Purple-crested Turaco breeds in summer and is a monogamous, territorial and solitary nester. The nest is a flimsy, unlined platform of interlaced twigs and is usually placed 3 to 9 meters above the ground in a dense, thorny tree or an impenetrable tangle of creepers etc. 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.

Purple-crested Turaco (Tauraco porphyreolophus)
Shellybeach, KwaZulu-Natal
Photo by Lia Steen

Eggs are laid from August to January in southern Africa. 2 to 4 pure-white, almost spherical eggs are laid per clutch. The incubation period last for around 22 days and parental duties are shared by both sexes. The eggs are covered continuously and are rarely left unattended.

Purple-crested Turaco (Tauraco porphyreolophus)
Nelspruit, Mpumalanga
Photo by Andries de Vries

As the chicks begin to hatch the adults start eating the eggshells. The hatchlings are brooded continuously for their first 7 days, but less so thereafter. They are fed on regurgitated food by both parents. 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 brownish-grey down. They have a carpal claw on the wing which enables them to clamber from the nest before they are able to fly. The young leave the nest after around 21 days but are only able to fly when they are about 38 days old.

Purple-crested Turaco (Tauraco porphyreolophus)
Near Hluhluwe, KwaZulu-Natal
Photo by Ryan Tippett

Further Resources

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

The use of photographs by Andries de Vries, Christopher Peter Small, Dave Rimmer, Joanne Putter, Lia Steen, Richard Johnstone and Robyn Dickinson is acknowledged.

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

Other common names: Tauraco porphyreolophus, Gallirex porphyreolophus ( Alt. Scientific); Purplecrested Lourie (Alt. English); Bloukuifloerie (Afrikaans); iGwalagwala (Zulu); Chikurungadovi, Hurukuru (Shona); Purperkuiftoerako (Dutch); Touraco à huppe splendide (French); Glanzhaubenturako (German); Turaco-de-crista-violeta (Portuguese).

List of species available in this format.

Recommended citation format: Tippett RM 2024. Purple-crested Turaco Tauraco porphyreolophus. Biodiversity and Development Institute. Available online at https://thebdi.org/2024/10/03/purple-crested-turaco-tauraco-porphyreolophus/

Bird identificationbirding

Purple-crested Turaco (Tauraco porphyreolophus)
Hillcrest, KwaZulu-Natal
Photo by Dave Rimmer

Bird ringing at Vondeling : 17 to 19 September 2024

The BDI did a bird ringing demonstration at Vondeling Wine Farm. We were invited to show how bird ringing works to the Onderstepoort Veterinary Class of 1984. These were people who had qualified as vets in the Faculty of Veterinary Science at the University of Pretoria 40 years ago; some had retired, some were still working as vets, and some had moved into other fields. Some of the vets tried to recognize us as old colleagues from student days; for several of them it was the first time they had joined a class reunion!

bird ringing demonstration at Vondeling Wine Farm
Ringing at one of the many farm dams at Vondeling. The ringing station was just behind the car, and the mist nets were located along the far end of the wall of the dam, were there are reedbeds both in the dam and below the wall. The slopes of the Paardeberg still bear evidence of the enormous fire that burnt through this area in the final days of 2023. Photograph: Karis Daniel
African Reed Warbler : bird ringing demonstration at Vondeling Wine Farm
Spend a few moments looking at the fine structure of the head of this African Reed Warbler. Photograph: Karis Daniel
Greater Striped Swallow : bird ringing at Vondeling Wine Farm
The longest tail feathers of this Greater Striped Swallow are not the same length. This is called “fluctuating asymmetry”, and is a criterion used to select mates. “If you can’t get your tail feathers of identical length, then your genes are not up to scratch and I am reluctant to share mine with yours.” Photograph: Jean Ramsay
This photo shows how the white V on the back of the Fiscal Flycatcher is implemented! One of the privileges of being a bird ringer is seeing birds close up. The nine outer wing feathers are called the primaries. The next group of feathers, closer to the body, are called the secondaries. They are shaped slightly differently. Because we are in the spring breeding season, all these feathers are intact; none are growing. As a general rule, birds try to separate the energetically demanding activities of breeding and moult. The nine primary feathers would have been replaced, from the inside outwards, over a period of several months, after last year’s breeding season. So the inner primaries, closer to the body, are a few months older than the outer primaries. Look carefully, and see that the tips of the inner primaries are slightly more worn than the tips of the outer primaries. Photograph: Dembo Jatta.

One of the Cape Weavers we mistnetted at Vondeling was a retrap which had initially been ringed on a nearby farm, Sonop, on 2 December last year. Of all the species we ring at an assortment of localities, it is the Cape Weaver that seems to be the most mobile. The distances are mostly relatively short, but it seems surprising how few birds of all the other species are retrapped at any place other than the site of ringing.

We handled a total of 83 birds, of 12 species. Unusually, all 12 species were passerines! Only the Cape Weaver, on 54, reached double figures. As a result of regular ringing at Vondeling over the past few years, the total number of retraps was 26. With a couple more years of data like this, we can start estimating survival rates!

It’s spring, and there are lots of beautiful flowers. Even more so, after the fire. But spring also brings showers. So, from a bird ringing perspective, the weather was not in our favour, with wind and rain.

Overall, in spite of the weather, we assessed that the bird ringing demonstration at Vondeling Wine Farm to have been a short but worthwhile trip to a ringing site where we hope to get a lot more data!

Previous ringing events, including those at Vondeling, are listed here. Each has a report similar to this! Future BDI events, including bird ringing courses, are described here.

Table 2. Ringing totals for Vondeling Wine Farm: 17 to 19 September 2024

Name Number
Greater Striped Swallow 1
Cape Bulbul 1
Cape Robin-chat 1
African Reed Warbler 4
Fiscal Flycatcher 3
Southern Fiscal 1
Cape Weaver 54
Southern Masked Weaver 8
Yellow Bishop 2
Common Waxbill 2
Cape White-eye 4
Karoo Prinia 1
Total 83

Tankwa Karoo National Park with the SANParks Honorary Rangers

It was both an opportunity and a privilege when the Boland Region of the SANParks Honorary Rangers invited me to join them at their annual event at the Tankwa Karoo National Park. I had to sing for my supper, in the form of presenting an after-dinner talk without the usual crutches of a data-projector and powerpoint!

The Tankwa Karoo National Park was proclaimed in 1986, and consisted then of nine farms totalling 27,000 ha. In the subsequent 38 years, farms have gradually been bought, and the area now totals about 160,000 ha, and the SANParks Management Plan says that they are aiming to increase the area. It is the 5th largest national park in South Africa. The Kruger, Richtersveld, Kalahari Gemsbok and Addo Elephant National Parks have larger areas within South Africa.

The SANParks Honorary Rangers is an organisation which contributes to conservation in the national parks in a remarkable variety of ways. In the Tankwa Karoo National Park, Honorary Rangers has helped to establish and maintain hiking trails, published local interest booklets, erected eco-friendly ablutions at camp sites, and undertaken education camps for local schools.

Oudebaaskraal Dam, water feature of the Tankwa Karoo National Park

One of the features of the national park is the Oudebaaskraal Dam. Building started in 1964 and finished in 1968. It dams up the Tankwa River. When full, and in a semi-desert environment, this is a rare event, it holds as much water as Steenbras Dam, which was big enough to meet Cape Town’s water needs until the 1950s. It was originally built as an irrigation dam. But farming was a failure, and the area was incorporated into the national park in 2009. One of the things that SANParks normally does wherever it takes over land to become a national park is to try to rehabilitate the landscape to its original condition. This includes removing fences, demolishing buildings, cutting down alien vegetation, and restoring agricultural lands to their original state. Following that strategy, the first thing that SANParks ought to have done with the Oudebaaskraal Dam was to have used a truckload of dynamite and removed this blot from the landscape.

That is a tough conundrum, and the dam remains, with a shoreline totally about 15 km when full. As a result, a substantial proportion of the park’s birdlist consists of waterbirds which really ought not to be here!

Greater Flamingos : Tankwa Karoo National Park
Greater Flamingos at Oudebaaskraal Dam. Nice to have, but they really ought not to be here.
Egyptian Geese : Tankwa Karoo National Park
Egyptian Goose flying in military formation at Oudebaaskraaldam. Instead of marching left-right, they do their fly past going up-down
Oudebaaskraal Dam : Tankwa Karoo National Park
The pair of South African Shelducks demonstrates the scale of this engineering enterprise. The wall of the Oudebaaskraal is so long that the opposite shore is 1.2 km distant!

Probably, none of these species would be present in the Tankwa Karoo National Park if SANParks applied its standard management doctrine! But wetlands are in short supply across South Africa, and so many have been destroyed that, on balance, it is a good thing that the Oudebaaskraal Dam was not blasted out of existence. Perhaps the trick that has been missed is to use the old irrigation system to create some artificial wetlands with ever changing water levels to provide really attractive waterbird habitats.

Big birds of the Tankwa Karoo National Park

It is hard to demonstrate, in a way that satisfies the editors of scientific journals, that big birds need large reserves. But it is kind of obvious. Big birds need large continuous territories, and lots of space for young birds to make a living until their are mature enough to hold territories of their own. So the Tankwa Karoo National Park is a good place to go to see big birds.

The biggest is Common Ostrich …

Skoorsteenberg
Male Common Ostriches are easily spotted because they are the only pitch black objects in the landscape. This one is overshadowed by the Skoorsteenberg (“Chimney Mountain”) which rises about 900 m above the plain in front of it to an altitude of 1236 m. The mountain overshadows the ostrich both figuratively and literally. For students of geology, Skoorsteenberg is “a most sought after ‘open-air laboratory’ for studying the nature of fine-grained, deep-water sedimentation.” This is one of the “world’s best examples of an ancient basin floor to slope fan complex associated with a fluvially dominated deltaic system.” The complex of buildings at the food of the mountain beyond the ostrich is the headquarters of the annual AfrikaBurn festival.

Secretarybird and Ludwig’s Bustard are certainly species that have occurred here for a long long time. The first sighting of the Booted Eagle in the Western Cape was made near Piketberg in 1963, and the first nest in the southern hemisphere was found by Rob Martin in 1972. Before that, all the birds in South Africa (in Africa, really) were assumed to be visiting migrants which bred in Eurasia. Over the next couple of decades, diligent searching showed that there were lots of breeding pairs in the Western Cape. Given that they were so seldom even observed during decades of fieldwork before breeding was proven, it seems likely that breeding started here in the 1960s, and that the number of breeding pairs increased quite rapidly.

Whereas the occurrence of the Booted Eagle is a translation between hemispheres, the Hadada is far less dramatic. It is an example of distribution creep. In the past half century, Hadadas moved westward from the Garden Route, becoming an everyday bird on the Cape Peninsula in the 1980s. It then turned northward towards Namaqualand but at the time of the first bird atlas, fieldwork 1987-91, the Hadada distribution map shows that it was still uncommon along the West Coast and adjacent interior. Now it is common here as far north as the Olifants River valley at Lutzville and as far west as Niewoudtville. Currently, it is spreading back eastwards across the central Karoo, using the farm dams as stepping stones. The Oudebaaskraal Dam must be a headquarters for this expansion.

From the perspective a moult enthusiast, the Hadada photo above is intriguing. There is a gap in the wing. This bird looks like it is moulting an outer primary of the right wing. But, alas, the photo below (and others) show that the left wing is intact:

Hadeda : Tankwa Karoo National Park
The same Hadada as in the gallery above. Left wing shows no sign of moult!

Given that September is peak breeding season for Hadadas, it would be a surprise to find one moulting (because birds by-and-large avoid moulting and breeding simultaneously; they are both energy-demanding activities and are generally kept apart). Remarkably little is known about the moult of Hadadas, and photography of birds in flight is going to be the method of choice for collecting data. Alas, this record was a false alarm.

Pied Crows are bad news. In pristine times, in treeless areas, such as that of the Tankwa Karoo National Park, the only nest site for a pair of Pied Crows would have been a ledge on a rocky krantz. Telephone lines to farms and scattered windpumps provided huge numbers of potential nest sites, and this new resource became widely exploited. There is no doubt that Pied Crow numbers across the treeless Karoo have increased by orders of magnitude. They must be putting a huge amount of exploitation pressure on the environment. A handful of pairs have become tortoise-hunting specialists. There seem to be far fewer Pied Crows inside the Tankwa Karoo National Park than outside it. This number could probably be reduced further by removing the last remaining telephone poles and windpumps. Most of them are now redundant.

Are these telephone poles really essential? If they are not in use, they should be removed. All the small animals underneath them, for example, grasshoppers, mice, and reptiles such as tortoises and lizards, will be massively grateful! (It was quite hard to find a string of telephone poles like this inside the park! Obviously, a lot of work in this direction has been done already)

Little birds

For now, anything smaller than about a dove belongs here!

The bottom line is that birding in the Tankwa Karoo National Park is rewarding! The Honorary Rangers, working in seven teams, saw a total of 124 species. 29 of these were recorded by all seven teams, and 69 species were recorded by four or more teams. 23 species were seen by only one team! The numbers of species seen by the teams ranged from 63 to 85; that gives a pretty good idea of what you can expect a day’s birding in the Tankwa Karoo National Park to deliver.

Predicted bird for the Tankwa Karoo National Park

Palms near the Tanqua Guest House

Sooner or later these palm trees near the Tanqua Guest House will host a colony of Palm Swifts. The distribution map for this species in the Second Southern African Bird Atlas Project shows that it is has reached little groves of palms over large distances. The nearest Palm Swift records are at Calvinia, Vanrhynsdorp, Tulbagh, Laingsburg and Fraserberg.

Non-birds

Biodiversity is more than birds!

Red-veinded Darter : Tankwa Karoo National Park
This dragonfly is a female Red-veined Dater, also known as Nomad. It is the second record in OdonataMAP for this grid cell. The other record was also this species
Citrus Swallowtail : Tankwa Karoo National Park
This Citrus Swallowtail was recorded along the roadside south of the Tankwa Karoo National Park
Lizard in Tankwa Karoo National Park
This is a Southern Ground Agama in camouflage gear
Woolly Bee Fly in Tankwa Karoo National Park
This strange animal is a Woolly Bee Fly. Where WOOLLY is spelt double-you, double-oh, double-ell, why?

This is not the national park to choose to visit if your primary interest is large mammals!

The larger mammals were mostly quite distant, and started moving on the approach of a vehicle.

Close up of the whistling rat. They have complex burrow systems, and sometimes a tunnel becomes disused. Capped Wheatears breed down these old tunnels, about a metre from the entrance. (Photo : Richard Jackson)
This book was written by three members of the SANParks Honorary Rangers. It says that it is not a “guide” to the Tankwa Karoo National Park in the usual sense of the word. It aims to help the visitor understand this arid environment, and to get a feeling for the place and its story. The book is available at the main office in the park and also from the Honorary Rangers at tankwabook@sanparksvolunteers.org

… and, finally, a sneak peek ahead into the future …

On the drive out to Tankwa, I had a glimpse into the future of driving …

Solar Team Twente
This solar-powered car was maintaining a steady 90 km/hour. It is amazing (1) that there is enough energy reaching the surface of the car to keep it moving; and (2) that you can travel for nothing, at least when the sun is shining! You can read up about this future at Solar Team Twente! The Dutch team that was in South Africa with their car in September 2024 is described here!

Thank you

I appreciated the opportunity to join the SANParks Honorary Rangers on their annual weekend to the Tankwa Karoo National Park. Special thanks go to Jacqui Badenhorst, secretary of their Boland Region, who did the formidable logistics for the weekend. Michiel Moll answered lots of questions. Richard Jackson shared his photos of the Booted Eagle, Secretarybird, Ludwigs Bustard and the whistling rat .

African Jacana (Actophilornis africanus)

Cover image of African Jacana by Johan Heyns – Nylsvlei Nature Reserve, Limpopo – BirdPix No. 208418

Jacanas belong to the family JACANIDAE. They are noted for their elongated toes and claws that allow them to spread their weight while foraging on floating or semi-emergent aquatic vegetation. They have sharp bills and rounded wings, many species also have wattles, frontal shields, and lappets on their heads. Some species also have carpal spurs on the wing. Most (except the Lesser Jacana) are polyandrous breeders and females are larger than the males. There are 8 existing species from 6 genera including 2 African species and 1 from Madagascar. The family is distributed across the tropical regions of the world.

Identification

African Jacanas are conspicuous and easily recognised. Females are almost twice the size of males but the sexes are otherwise alike.

African Jacana (Actophilornis africanus) 
Mkhuze Game Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal
Photo by Lia Steen

Adults are strikingly plumaged. They have a black crown and hind neck and the sides of the face, chin and throat are white, turning golden-yellow on the chest. The mantle, back, rump, tail, wings, and belly are rich chestnut. The wings are long and rounded with conspicuous black flight feathers. The bill and fleshy frontal shield are pale to bright, powdery blue, the eyes are dark brown and the legs and feet are grey.

African Jacana (Actophilornis africanus)
St. Lucia, iSimangaliso Wetland Park, KwaZulu-Natal
Photo by Alexander Wirth

Juveniles differ from the adults in having a brownish-black crown and hind neck, with a narrow white supercilium. The back, wings and tail are pale brown and the throat, breast and belly are white. The sides of the breast are washed yellow. The bill is pale grey and the smaller frontal shield is also grey (not blue). The legs and feet are pale grey.

African Jacana (Actophilornis africanus) Juvenile.
Jeffreys Bay, Eastern Cape
Photo by Gregg Darling

Adult birds are distinctive and unlikely to be mistaken for another species. Juveniles though, are easily confused with the adult Lesser Jacana (Microparra capensis) but are much larger, with a small frontal shield and no white trailing edge to the secondaries.

Status and Distribution

The African Jacana is a common to locally abundant resident and local nomad. It is restricted to sub-Saharan Africa, occurring from Senegal and Mauritania in west Africa, east to Ethiopia and Somalia, and south into the subtropical regions of southern Africa. The African Jacana is largely absent from continuous stretches of lowland forest and from most arid regions. However, it extends into some arid places along larger river systems such as the Orange River.

SABAP2 distribution map for African Jacana (Actophilornis africanus) – September 2024. Details for map interpretation can be found here.

In southern Africa, it is mainly concentrated in the subtropical north and east. It also occurs in a narrow band down the east coast into the Western Cape where it is less numerous. The scattered records elsewhere demonstrate a high incidence of vagrancy, particularly in immatures, due to its nomadic tendencies.

The African Jacana is not threatened, its present-day distribution remains unchanged from 100 years ago. Although not currently at risk, the African Jacana could become threatened in the future due to ongoing wetland destruction.

.

African Jacana (Actophilornis africanus)
Port Edward, KwaZulu-Natal
Photo by Lia Steen

Habitat

The African Jacana is always associated with aquatic habitats. It frequents shallow, permanent and seasonal freshwater wetlands, including floodplains, lagoons, seasonal pans, and the margins of slow-flowing rivers in warm to hot areas. It favours habitats with floating and emergent vegetation especially water lilies (Nymphaea spp), but also Willowherb (Ludwigia stolonifera), pondweeds (Potamogeton spp) and hornwarts (Ceratophyllum spp).

Typical aquatic habitat with an abundance of floating and emergent vegetation.
Kosi Bay, iSimangaliso Wetland Park, KwaZulu-Natal
Photo by Ryan Tippett

Vagrant birds that move beyond the normal breeding range may be found on estuaries, the bare margins of dams and pans, and at sewage works, where there may be no suitable breeding sites.

Behaviour

The African Jacana is usually encountered in pairs and sometimes in loose flocks. They are conspicuous and highly vocal birds and are active throughout the day.

African Jacana (Actophilornis africanus)
Kruger National Park, Mpumalanga
Photo by Terry Terblanche

They are most well-known for their ability to walk on floating vegetation, made possible by their extremely long toes and long, straight claws. They walk with a characteristic, high-stepping gait. African Jacanas sometimes need to run across floating plants to avoid sinking and will swim very occasionally when plants provide insufficient support.

African Jacana (Actophilornis africanus)
Rust de Winter Nature Reserve, Gauteng
Photo by Phillip Nieuwoudt

Like many other waterbirds, the African Jacana goes through a period of flightless moult during the non-breeding season. This lasts for a few weeks and during this time they behave like chicks and will dive and even swim underwater to avoid danger.

African Jacana (Actophilornis africanus)
Satellite Dam, KwaZulu-Natal
Photo by Dave Rimmer

The African jacana flies well, usually low over the water with quick, irregular wing beats and legs trailing behind at an angle. Dispersal and long-distance flights between wetlands mainly happen at night. They are nomadic due to their reliance on floating vegetation for feeding and nesting and are highly mobile in response to fluctuating water levels at seasonal wetlands.

African Jacana (Actophilornis africanus)
Rietvlei Wetland Reserve, Western Cape
Photo by Frieda Prinsloo

African Jacanas forage throughout the day. Most foraging is done by pecking while walking, less so while standing or swimming. They walk across floating and emergent vegetation, rapidly pecking at prey. They pull up submerged plant stems and turn up the edge of leaves in their search for food and will sometimes also sprint after insects. Females forage less frequently on floating vegetation than males due to their considerably larger size and are more often seen feeding along shallow margins.

The diet of the African Jacana is largely insectivorous. They mostly eat aquatic insects and their larvae, including water beetles, flies, dragonflies, and aquatic bugs like pond skaters and water boatmen. They also consume bees, grasshoppers, spiders, various worms, small fish, crustaceans, snails and other molluscs. Seeds and waterlily bulbs are eaten on occasion. They sometimes perch on the backs of partly submerged Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) and often feed opportunistically on disturbed insects around large mammals like cattle, buffalo, elephant and hippos wading in the shallows. African Jacanas have also been observed removing ectoparasites and picking flesh from the open wounds of Hippos.

African Jacana (Actophilornis africanus)
Jeffreys Bay, Eastern Cape
Photo by Gregg Darling

The African Jacana is polyandrous, meaning females mate with multiple males during the breeding season. The female has a harem of males that she provides eggs for and the males are left to build the nest and to perform all parental responsibilities.

Both sexes are strongly territorial. Males fight to establish a dominance hierarchy and to secure breeding territories, as well as to compete for the attention of the female. The female African Jacana defends a larger territory, from which they exclude other females, and which usually includes the nesting territories of multiple males (1 to 7 Males per female territory). The males are solitary nesters, adjacent nests are almost always more than 50 meters apart.

African Jacana (Actophilornis africanus) mating pair.
Kruger National Park, Mpumalanga
Photo by Bryan Groom

Males attempt to attract the female by calling from a basic platform built by pulling together nearby plant stems. Males may hop up and down while calling to further entice the female. The breeding female copulates frequently through the day, often with multiple males over a 1 or 2 hour period. When a new female takes over a territory she will typically kill any young chicks to force the males to start breeding with her.

The nest is a small, flimsy and waterlogged heap of aquatic plant stems. It is built by the male, on floating vegetation over still water and several platforms may be built before a final one is selected. The nest is often very exposed but may sometimes be well-hidden, especially when placed within the cover of Willowherb (Ludwigia stolonifera) which is favoured for nesting. Additional material is added to the nest heap throughout the incubation period. If water levels rise significantly the eggs may be moved from a sinking nest by pushing the floating egg to a new position.

African Jacana (Actophilornis africanus) male on the nest.
Okavango Delta, Botswana
Photo by Pieter Cronje

Eggs are laid throughout the year in the tropics but mainly from November to April in South Africa. The African Jacanas lays remarkably beautiful eggs. They are a deep tan colour, with dark chocolate-coloured markings that look like dribbled lines of paint, crisscrossing the entire egg in an abstract design that differs on each egg. The eggs are Pyriform (pear-shaped) with relatively thick shells and have a highly polished appearance. This glossy look may aid in disguising the eggs with the glare off the water surface and the shiny leaves of surrounding vegetation. Normally 4 eggs are laid per clutch, at 1 day intervals. The female lays up to 10 clutches per season. After the female has laid a clutch of eggs she leaves the male, who takes over all parental duties including incubation and chick rearing.

African Jacana (Actophilornis africanus) male with chicks.
Eastern Shores, iSimangaliso Wetland Park, KwaZulu-Natal
Photo by Malcolm Robinson

Incubation starts with the third-laid egg and lasts for a period of around 25 days. Since the floating nest is just above the water surface the spot where the eggs lie is often damp. The male keeps the eggs dry and warm when incubating by sliding the eggs under each wing to hold them against the brood-patch on his belly. The male leaves the nest frequently to forage, and on warm days the eggs are regularly left unattended. On very hot days the male will shade the eggs by standing over them rather than incubating them. They are very aggressive to other water birds that approach the nesting area, flying from the nest to attack them vigorously.

African Jacana (Actophilornis africanus) male with chick.
Darvill Bird Sanctuary, KwaZulu-Natal
Photo by Malcolm Robinson

Interestingly, for up to 2 days prior to pipping, the chicks communicate with each other by calling from within the egg to synchronise their hatching. The newly hatched young are highly precocial and leave the nest soon after hatching (nidifugous). They are able to feed without parental help and escape danger by diving underwater and swimming to emerge nearby.

Chicks are brooded by the male between his wings and body. They are also carried under his wings with legs dangling, for their first 18 days or so. The young are closely attended by the male for the first 2 weeks, but less so thereafter. They are able to fly at around 40 days old and are left to fend for themselves after 40 to 50 days.

Males can occasionally rear 2 broods per season.

African Jacana (Actophilornis africanus)
Nunda Lodge, Kavango East, Namibia
Photo by Lappies Labuschagne

Further Resources

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

The use of photographs by Alexander Wirth, Bryan Groom, Dave Rimmer, Frieda Prinsloo, Gregg Darling, Johan Heyns, Lappies Labuschagne, Lia Steen, Malcolm Robinson, Phillip Nieuwoudt, Pieter Cronje and Terry Terblanche is acknowledged.

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

Other common names: Grootlangtoon (Afrikaans); iThandaluzibo, uNondwayiza (Zulu); Lelie-loper (Dutch); Jacana d’Afrique, Jacana à poitrine dorée (French); Blaustirn-Blatthühnchen, Jacana (German); Jacana-africana (Portuguese)

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

Recommended citation format: Tippett RM 2024. African Jacana Actophilornis africanus. Biodiversity and Development Institute. Available online at https://thebdi.org/2024/09/25/african-jacana-actophilornis-africanus/

Bird identificationbirding

African Jacana (Actophilornis africanus) juvenile.
Impalila Island, Namibia
Photo by Gregg Darling

.

Cape Batis (Batis capensis)

Cover image: Cape Batis by Gregg Darling– St. Francis Bay, Eastern Cape –  BirdPix No. 57888

Batises, Wattle-eyes and Shrike-flycatchers make up the family PLATYSTEIRIDAE. They are small, uniquely African, flycatcher-like birds, but are most closely related to Bushshrikes and Helmetshrikes. They were previously classed as a subfamily of the Old World flycatchers, Muscicapidae.

Identification

The Cape Batis is is a richly coloured species. They are sexually dimorphic, differing in plumage colouration.

Cape Batis (Batis capensis) male
Garden Route National Park, Western Cape
Photo by Neels Putter

Adult males have a grey forehead, crown, and nape. A broad black face mask extends from the lores, and around the eyes to the nape. The mantle, scapulars, back and rump are brownish-grey. Males have a very broad black breast-band and the chin, throat and sides of the neck are pure white. The undersides from the lower breast to the vent are white with conspicuous chestnut flanks. The tail is black and the outermost tail feathers have white outer tips. The folded wings are black with a distinct chestnut wingbar (diagnostic).

Cape Batis (Batis capensis) female
Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, Western Cape
Photo by Sharon Stanton

Females resemble males but lack the broad black breast-band, instead having a narrow chestnut breast-band and a diffuse brown to chestnut throat patch. Females also have a narrow, white supercilium that reaches from the lores to above the eye. The eyes are reddish.

In both sexes the bill, legs and feet are black.

Cape Batis (Batis capensis) male
Kei Mouth, Eastern Cape
Photo by Gareth Yearsley

Juveniles are duller than the adults and have a weakly defined face mask and buff spotting on the upperparts.

The lack of a white wing bar distinguishes it from all other batises in the region except for the female Woodward’s Batis (Batis fratum). The latter differs from the female Cape Batis in having an indistinct, washed out throat spot and paler breast markings. The female Woodward’s Batis also shows a more prominent white supercilium that extends to the nape (not ending above eye). 

Cape Batis (Batis capensis) female
Patensie, Eastern Cape
Photo by Desire Darling

Status and Distribution

The Cape Batis is a Locally common resident. It occurs from Tanzania, Zambia and Malawi down to South Africa.

In southern Africa it occurs in south-western Zimbabwe, and with an isolated population in the eastern Zimbabwe highlands and adjacent Mozambique. It is distributed more continuously in South Africa from the north-eastern Limpopo Province and eastern Mpumalanga, south through western Swaziland and most of KwaZulu-Natal. Continuing along the coastal plain to the Western Cape, and north to about Vanrhynsdorp. There are also scattered records from south-western Limpopo, the eastern Free State and the edge of the Karoo in the Eastern and Western Cape.

SABAP2 distribution map for Cape Batis (Batis capensis) – September 2024.
Details for map interpretation can be found here.

The Cape Batis is not threatened. Its presence in fairly small and often isolated forest patches indicates that it is less at risk than many other forest species.

Habitat

The Cape Batis is generally considered to be a bird of evergreen forests, however it is not restricted to forest habitat. It is most numerous in Afromontane and lowland evergreen forest, preferring areas with tangled undergrowth. This includes small, relict and isolated forest patches.

Evergreen forest habitat with dense undergrowth at Ongoye Forest Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal
Photo by Ryan Tippett

The Cape Batis also inhabits closed woodlands, valley bushveld, secondary forest, plantations, orchards and gardens. In the drier parts of its range, along the southern fringes of the Karoo, it may be found in dense succulent scrub and fairly open Vachellia (Acacia) patches along rivers. Alien vegetation is acceptable provided that it is dense and contains weeds which sustain insect populations.

Behaviour

Cape Batis (Batis capensis) male
Bainskloof Pass, Western Cape
Photo by Ryan Tippett

The Cape Batis is most often found in pairs, or occasionally in groups of up to 9 birds and is seldom seen solitarily. Hops about on branches, and makes short, buoyant flights between bushes. When alarmed, flies with short bursts of whirring wing-beats but is usually inquisitive and rather confiding.

Cape Batis (Batis capensis) female
Pickle Pot Forest, KwaZulu-Natal
Photo by Alan Manson

The Cape Batis is mostly resident. Populations at higher altitudes undertake some altitudinal movements to lower-lying areas in winter (May to Sept). Some east to west movement is also suspected in the Western Cape.

Cape Batis (Batis capensis) female
Wellington, Western Cape
Photo by Ryan Tippett

Cape Batis pairs forage together, moving through the lower and mid-strata of forest or woodland, gleaning prey from leaves and bark and hawking flying insects in the air or from vegetation. Prey is seized with an audible bill snap. Pairs regularly join mixed-species foraging flocks.

The diet consists largely of invertebrates including beetles and their larvae, caterpillars, flies, moths and also spiders.

Cape Batis (Batis capensis) female
Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, Western Cape
Photo by Michael Brooks

The Cape Batis is a monogamous breeder. The occasional presence of a second female in a breeding territory suggests they may sometimes be facultative cooperative breeders. Pair bonds are likely permanent as they remain together throughout the year. The Cape Batis is strongly territorial and territories are defended by both sexes.

Cape Batis (Batis capensis) male
Stanford, Western Cape
Photo by Graeme Hatley

The nest is a small, neat, thick-walled, cup, with bulging sides. It is built from dry, fibrous plant material and bound with spider web. The outer walls are often decorated with green moss, or various lichens, and the cup is lined with finer plant material or hair. Towards the end of construction the female sits in the nest and turns around slowly to shape it.

Cape Batis (Batis capensis) female with collected lichen to decorate the nest.
Krantzkloof Nature Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal
Photo by Dave Rimmer

The completed nest is attached to a branch with spider web. The nest is built by both sexes, or on occasion, by the female only. The nest is placed on a sturdy horizontal branch or in a fork, usually around 4 m above the ground, sometimes also in a small shrub in forest undergrowth. It is usually placed in an area of low light and is not normally hidden among foliage.

Cape Batis (Batis capensis) male applying spiderweb to the nest.
Durbanville, Western Cape
Photo by Gerald Wingate

Eggs are laid mainly from October to December across southern Africa, although egg laying peaks a month earlier in the south Western Cape. Between 1 and 3 (usually 2) eggs are laid per clutch. The eggs are pinkish-white with purplish-grey, reddish-brown, or pale green blotches and spots. Incubation begins once the full clutch has been laid and lasts for a period of 17 to 21 days. Only the female incubates the eggs but she is fed on the nest by the male.

Cape Batis (Batis capensis) female on the nest.
Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, Western Cape
Photo by Willem van Zyl

The newly hatched young are altricial and are born blind, naked and feeble, but are well feathered within 13 days of hatching. The nestling period is fairly brief, lasting around 16 days. The nestlings are fed by the female on food brought by the male, who also feeds her, on and off the nest, throughout the nestling period. The Cape Batis will re-lay a clutch if it has been lost.

Cape Batis broods are often parasitised by Klaas’s Cuckoo (Chrysococcyx klaas).

Cape Batis (Batis capensis) male
Kei Mouth, Eastern Cape
Photo by Gareth Yearsley

Further Resources

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

The use of photographs by Dieter Oschadleus, Gerald Wingate, Gregg Darling, J.K. Boyce, Jorrie Jordaan, Josu Meléndez, Maans Booysen and Zenobia van Dyk is acknowledged.

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

Other common names: Kaapse bosbontrokkie (Afrikaans); uDokotela, umNqube (Zulu); Ingedle, Unongedle (Xhosa); Pririt du Cap (French); Bruinflank-vliegenvanger (Dutch); Kapschnäpper (German); Batis do Cabo (Portuguese)

Recommended citation format: Tippett RM 2024. Cape Batis Batis capensis. Biodiversity and Development Institute. Available online at https://thebdi.org/2024/09/18/cape-batis-batis-capensis/

List of bird species in this format is available here.

Bird identificationbirding

Cape Batis (Batis capensis) male
Baviaanskloof Nature Reserve, Eastern Cape
Photo by Philip Nieuwoudt

Knysna Turaco (Tauraco corythaix)

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.

Knysna Turaco (Tauraco corythaix)
Garden Route National Park, Western Cape
Photo by Gregg Darling

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.

Knysna Turaco (Tauraco corythaix)
Debengeni Waterfall, Magoebaskloof, Limpopo
Photo by Megan Loftie-Eaton

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.

Knysna Turaco (Tauraco corythaix) showing the conspicuous, bright crimson flight feathers.
Garden Route National Park, Western Cape
Photo by Alan Collett

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.

Knysna Turaco (Tauraco corythaix)
Keurboomsrivier, Western Cape
Photo by Neels Putter

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.

Knysna Turaco (Tauraco corythaix)
Oribi Gorge Nature Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal
Photo by Lia Steen

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.

SABAP2 distribution map for Knysna Turaco (Tauraco corythaix) – September 2024. Details for map interpretation can be found here.

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.

Knysna Turaco (Tauraco corythaix)
Ruigtevlei, Western Cape
Photo by Ryan Tippett

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).

Afromontane forest habitat
Oribi Gorge Nature Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal
Photo by Ryan Tippett

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.

Knysna Turaco (Tauraco corythaix)
River Valley Nature Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal
Photo by Lia Steen

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.

Knysna Turaco (Tauraco corythaix)
Keurboomsrivier, Western Cape
Photo by Marius Meiring

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.

The Knysna Turaco (Tauraco corythaix) seldom descends to the ground, except to eat fallen fruit or to bathe in forest streams.
Natures Valley, Western Cape
Photo by Andre Kok

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 (Tauraco corythaix) bathes frequently.
Island Forest Reserve, Eastern Cape
Photo by Desire Darling

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.

Knysna Turaco (Tauraco corythaix)
Ruigtevlei, Western Cape
Photo by Ryan Tippett

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.

Knysna Turaco (Tauraco corythaix)
Near Hankey, Eastern Cape
Photo by Desire Darling

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.

Knysna Turaco (Tauraco corythaix)
Natures Valley, Western Cape
Photo by Pamela Kleiman

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.

Knysna Turaco (Tauraco corythaix)
Garden Route National Park, Western Cape
Photo by Jean Hirons

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.

Knysna Turaco (Tauraco corythaix)
Keurboomsrivier, Western Cape
Photo by Neels Putter

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 identificationbirding

Knysna Turaco (Tauraco corythaix)
Komdomo, Eastern Cape
Photo by Gregg Darling