Longclaw ? (1 Viewer)

johnmoonie

Well-known member

• Dec 6, 2014

• #1

Still processing photos from my trip to South Africa in Feb/March 2014. Here are a couple of photos taken in Umfolozi Reserve, Kwa-Zulu Natal. I have presumed them to be a juvenile Yellow-throated Longclaw but my field guide does not describe or picture a juvenile bird.

I would be grateful for confirmation or otherwise.

 

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Andy Hurley

Gotta love nature!

Opus Editor

Supporter

• Dec 6, 2014

• #2

According to SASOL
juv. lacks breast band

 

foresttwitcher

Virtually unknown member

• Dec 6, 2014

• #3

I may be way off here but the bill looks too stout for a Longclaw - could it not be an immature Croaking Cisticola? (Prepares to be shot down!)

 

Larry Sweetland

Formerly 'Larry Wheatland'

• Dec 6, 2014

• #4

foresttwitcher said:

I may be way off here but the bill looks too stout for a Longclaw - could it not be an immature Croaking Cisticola? (Prepares to be shot down!)

Click to expand...

cisticola was my first thought too, so we'll go down together!

 

tconzemi

Tom

Supporter

• Dec 6, 2014

• #5

Funny enough Longclaws have ... long claws, but Cisticolas not
No experience with ZA species though

 

kitefarrago

Well-known member

• Dec 6, 2014

• #6

I too have been puzzling over this bird, and the bill was one of my problems. I couldn't quite work out what it could be, but cisticola seems like a good shout.

Reasons it can't be a Yellow-breasted Longclaw which are easily verifiable: Even young birds have a hint of a collar, they all have a strongish supercilium, and even young birds have flightfeathers edged with yellow.

Andrea

 

Andy Hurley

Gotta love nature!

Opus Editor

Supporter

• Dec 7, 2014

• #7

I have no xp with this species, but like Andrea, I noted the bill, but as there is no picture in SASOL or Birds of Africa and only the line of text I mentioned above, I choose not to mention it. Does the juv. have a different colour (bill) than an adult?

If this bird has a juv. yellow wash to its underside, what is ruling out Pale-crowned Cisticola as opposed to Croaking? The bill? It does have a short tail.

 

Last edited: Dec 7, 2014

kitefarrago

Well-known member

• Dec 7, 2014

• #8

Andy, to me it looks like a largeish cisticola, with a pretty stout bill. That it was confused with a longclaw by the original observer adds to that.

Andrea

 

Andy Hurley

Gotta love nature!

Opus Editor

Supporter

• Dec 7, 2014

• #9

Thanks Andrea

 

J

James Jobling

Well-known member

• Dec 8, 2014

• #10

This is definitely Croaking Cisticola Cisticola natalensis. See p. 227 of Chamberlain's LBJs, by Faansie Peacock, 2012, Mirafra Publishing.