bird Archives - Page 13 of 23

Scarlet

The crimson-breasted shrike or the crimson-breasted gonolek, (‘gonolek’ – supposedly imitative of its call), is a southern African bird. It has black upperparts with a white flash on the wing and bright scarlet underparts. The crimson-breasted shrike is non-migratory and occurs in a broad swathe from southern Angola to the Free State province in South Africa. Its preferred habitat is drier thorn bush areas, in thickets and riparian scrub. It makes small seasonal migrations, preferring lower altitudes during cold periods. This shrike is extremely nimble and restless, its penetrating whistles often being the first sign of its presence, although it is not a shy species.

8 November 2018Picture of the day, Wildlife

Distinguished

Drongos are mostly black or dark grey, short-legged birds, with an upright stance when perched. They have forked tails and some have elaborate tail decorations. They feed on insects which they catch in flight or on the ground. Some species are accomplished mimics and have a variety of alarm calls, to which other birds and animals often respond. There is evidence that they utter hoax alarm calls that typically scare other animals off food, which the drongo then eats, a matter of interest to researchers.

2 November 2018Picture of the day, Wildlife

Concentric

The red-knobbed coot is an omnivore and will take a variety of small live prey including the eggs of other water birds. Its main food in most waters, however, comprises various waterweeds for which it commonly dives. Where it is disturbed it is likely to bully any intruder, even large birds such as Egyptian geese, if they do not defy its challenges. It can be seen swimming on open water or walking across waterside grasslands. It is an aggressive species and strongly territorial during the breeding season.

29 October 2018Picture of the day, Wildlife