STRIPED KINGFISHER

454          STRIPED KINGFISHER             Halcyon chelicuti

South Africa           (118)

16-18 cm. Found in woodlands, thorn scrub, dry bush and open savanna, avoids intensively farmed land, and not found in dense forests. Range sub-Saharan Africa, in southern Africa in the ne half of the area.  extremely territorial and will drive off its own species as well as other birds.

BLACK-BELLIED BUSTARD

453      BLACK-BELLIED BUSTARD            Lissotis melanogaster

South Africa            (117)

Also known as Black-bellied Korhaan. 58-65 cm. Found in woodlands and tall open grasslands. Range sub-Saharan Africa, in southern Africa across north-eastern and eastern.

YELLOW BREASTED APALIS

452           YELLOW-BREASTED APALIS         Apalis flavida

South Africa              (116)

Found in subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowlands forest, dry savanna and moist savanna. In southern Africa ranges across n. and down the east. 12 cm.

SOUTHERN GREY-HEADED SPARROW

451          SOUTHERN GREY-HEADED SPARROW        Passer diffusus

South Africa          (115)

Found in savanna and woodlands. Range Angola and Zambia, spreading south into South Africa, now found over most of Southern Africa, where it is also kept as a cage bird. 15 cm.

YELLOW-THROATED PETRONIA

450           YELLOW-THROATED PETRONIA          Gymnoris superciliaris

South Africa            (114)

Found indoor woodland, savanna and riverine bush. 15 cm. Found across n. and down eastern third of Southern Africa.

RED-BILLED QUELEA

449           RED-BILLED QUELEA       Quelea quelea

South Africa          (113)

Range over most of Southern Africa except sw coast. Abundant in savanna and cereal fields. Usually found in large flocks, sometimes numbering millions. 12 cm.

FISCAL FLYCATCHER

448           FISCAL FLYCATCHER            Sigelus silens

South Africa              (112)

Resident breeder in Botswana, South Africa, Lesotho, Mozambique and Swaziland, and a vagrant to Nambia. Found in subtropical open woodland, dry savanna, shrubland and suburban gardens. 17-20 cm. 

PALE FLYCATCHER

447        PALE FLYCATCHER            Bradornis pallidus

South Africa           (111)

17 cm. Found in moist broadleaf woodland. Range ne third of Southern Africa.

COMMON SANDPIPER

446          COMMON SANDPIPER             Actitis hypoleucos

South Africa        (110)

18-20 cm. Breeds across most of temperate and sub-tropical Europe and Asia, and migrates to Africa, southern Asia and Australia in winter. It forages picking up insects, crustaceans and other invertebrates. In the Nukumanu Islands the sandpiper is called matakakoni, a taboo name when women and children are around because it means 'bird that walks a little, then copulates'; this is a reference to its head thrusting and tail-pumping as it forages.

PINK-BACKED PELICAN

445           PINK-BACKED PELICAN             Pelecanus rufescens

South Africa            (109)

Ranges across Africa, southern Arabia, southern India and possibly Madagascar. 125-155 cm, wingspan 2.15-2.9 m. Found in many aquatic habitats, but prefers quiet backwaters with shallow water, avoiding steep, vegetated lake banks; prefers freshwater lakes swamps, large slow-flowing rivers and seasonal pools, but also frequents seasonal floodplains. 

CRESTED SHRIKE-TIT

Photographed at Eubalong West, NSW, December 2014

444          CRESTED SHRIKE-TIT          Falcunculus frontatus

Australia              (302)

Found in rainforests, eucalyptus forests/woodlands; in inland se Australia river red gums on watercourses, especially saplings or young trees; also acacia, coastal tea tree, banksia or cypress pines, golf courses and gardens. Range sw WA, Top End, around Rockhampton area, a pocket near Adelaide and down east coast and inland from Tropic to SA border. At present there are three sub-species.

EUROPEAN HERRING GULL

443           EUROPEAN HERRING GULL          Larus argentatus

Britain          (14)

66 cm. One of best known gulls all along shores of western Europe; breeds n,w e and central Europe, Scandinavia and Baltic; some winter further south, some stay in British Isles, Iceland and North Sea. Abundant around inland rubbish dumps.

Herring Gull, juvenile

BLACK-HEADED GULL

Black-headed Gull in winter plumage.

442             BLACK-HEADED GULL          Chroicocephalus ridibundus

Britain          (13)

Breeds in much of Europe and Asia, also coastal eastern Canada, some birds also winter in ne North America, where it was formerly known as Common Black-headed Gull. 38-44 cm, 94-105 cm. The eggs of the Black-headed Gull are considered a delicacy in the UK and are eaten hard boiled. Cheer in Watershed Downs was a Black-headed Gull. In the 1990s a Black-headed Gull was sighted in Broome, Australia by Brian Kane

LESSER HONEYGUIDE

441         LESSER HONEYGUIDE         Indicator minor

South Africa           (108)

15 cm. Range across north, down east, and across south of Southern Africa, particularly eastern third. Found in forest, woodland, and dense savanna, gardens.

PAINTED HONEYEATER

Photographed near Condobolin, NSW, December 2014

440        PAINTED HONEYEATER        Grantiella picta

Australia          (301)

Range is inland south-east Australia. Habitat subtropical or tropical dry forests, particularly misltoe in eucalyptus forest/woodlands, blackbox on watercourses, box-ironbark-yellow gum woodlands, paperbarks, casuarinas, mulga and the acacias, farmland. Highly nomadic, considered endangered, habitat deprivation.

AFRICAN DARTER

439         AFRICAN DARTER           Anhinga rufa

South Africa           (107)

Sometimes called Snakebird. 80 cm. Ranges over most of sub-Saharan Africa. Wherever there are large bodies of water, slow-moving rivers.

REED CORMORANT

A juvenile Reed Cormorant, its plumage will eventually turn black.

438         REED CORMORANT                Phalacrocorax africanus

South Africa         (106)

Also known as Long-tailed Cormorant. 50-55 cm, wingspan 85 cm. Found on freshwater wetlands and quiet coasts where lives on fish, frogs, aquatic invertebrates and small birds. Hunts in shallow water but can dive, brings prey to surface to eat. Widespread over Africa south of Sahara, over most of southern Africa, particularly eastern half.

LIZARD BUZZARD

437            LIZARD BUZZARD              Kaupifalco monogrammicus

South Africa         (105)

35-37 cm. Ranges over tropical Africa, south of Sahara, in southern Africa it is found in the ne third. Found in moist savanna, forest clearings and open woodlands. Hunts reptiles, insects, small mammals and birds; sits alone in trees or on top of palm trees.

BLACK-BACKED PUFFBACK

436          BLACK-BACKED PUFFBACK             Dryoscopus cubia

South Africa           (104)

Ranges over ne half of southern Africa. Found in subtropical and tropical dry forests and dry savanna, woodlands, thickets, forrest canopies. 17 cm.

LESSER JACANA

435            LESSER JACANA            Microparra capensis

South Africa           (103)

Ranges across the north and east of Southern Africa. 15-17 cm. Found on floodplains and wetlands with emergent grass and sedges.