Yet more Kenyan birds (1 Viewer)

Andrew S · Feb 16, 2004

Some more Kenyan unidentified/doubtful birds - if I can get these then that's that trip sorted out...

Again, all were September or early October 1994.

Locations:

1. Maasai Mara
2. Lake Nakuru NP
3.-5. Tsavo NP

Thanks for any contributions.

Andrew

HouseCrow · Feb 16, 2004

only slightly more than guesses
1--Ruppels Vulture
2--Greater Blue-eared Starling
see (photo by Jankees):

3--Sooty Chat (looks familiar but can't think of it)
4-- Brown Snake Eagle (light feathering, dark tips, barred tail combined with Short-toed Eagle appearance.
5--same as 4?
sorry Andrew, it doesn't help I know but..
I suppose someone knowledgeable will come to the rescue soon
regards
HouseCrow

Chaiyan · Feb 16, 2004

For raptors, I agree with HouseCrow.

#1 subadult Ruppell's Griffon (2 wing linings ruling out white-backed)
#4 juvenile Brown Snake Eagle
#5 adult Brown Snake Eagle

helenh · Feb 16, 2004

No 2 reminds me of Northern Anteater Chat - it has that "chunky" feel to it which the Sooty Chat doesn't.

Agree on the Vulture, Starling and no 5 as a Brown Snake Eagle not sure about the flight shot).

Edward woodwood · Feb 16, 2004

2 a Boubou (Tropical?)

maybe Slate-coloured

Edward woodwood · Feb 17, 2004

4 Tail looks rather square ended for BSE

agree with 1 and 5 though

helenh · Feb 17, 2004

Tim Allwood said:
2 a Boubou (Tropical?)

maybe Slate-coloured

Tropical is black and white except for a rare dark morph found at the coast.

I thought about a Boubou but the bill doesn't appear to have the shrike-type hook to the tip (although it does look quite heavy).

HouseCrow · Feb 17, 2004

2--Northern Anteater Chat it probably is, compare:
http://www.amazilia.net/images/Birds/Muscicapids/NAnteaterChat.htm

4--Brown Snake Eagle: square tail and barring similar to:
http://home.kabelfoon.nl/~franklin/brown_snake_eagle.htm

regards,
HouseCrow

Edward woodwood · Feb 17, 2004

cheers for the Boubou info Helen

Housecrow, that tail in the pic you posted surely isn't square? I think the species is right however!

helenh · Feb 17, 2004

Tim Allwood said:
cheers for the Boubou info Helen

...QUOTE]
Tim,

I'm still worried about the bill for a Chat (I sound like an advert for BT). But I'm just not sure about the bill shape when it comes to a Slate-coloured Boubou - I've attached a Boubou for comparison.

Helen

Edward woodwood · Feb 17, 2004

very similar
...maybe a boubou after all
the gape line seems to extend very far back towards the eye......

helenh · Feb 17, 2004

Tim Allwood said:
very similar
...maybe a boubou after all
the gape line seems to extend very far back towards the eye......

Unfortunately the same is true of the Northern Anteater Chat! I think my original id was based on the fact that there may be a hint of a paler colour showing in the wing (although that may have been the lager). I'm more and more drawn to your id but I wonder if Andrew has any other shots from any other angles?

Helen

HouseCrow · Feb 17, 2004

Andrews chat has a 'wheateary feel' and Helens bird looks a bit different with a strongly curved, thick bill
but then, what do i know.

square tail: hm, well squarish?
square is when outer tailfeathers are as long as centrals, am i right?
so when spread they make an arch, like in the picture I attached...
Or am i talking complete nonsense here?

Andrew S · Feb 17, 2004

I'm afraid I don't have any more shots of this. My gut feeling (in part memory) is that it is a chat, and probably NAC. We certainly saw chats, as we saw the white in the wings. At the time I thought they were all NAC, but didn't really consider Sooty Chat (which wasn't illustrated in my book), and some of my Maasai Mara photos were definitely Sooty. Didn't claim Slate-coloured (or any) Boubou for the trip, despite this bird being illustrated. Looks to me as though NAC would be more likely than Sooty at Nakuru.

I think from memory it was fairly open roadside habitat (and will have been taken from the car window).

I will try to rescan the slide when I get home and see if I can reveal some more colour detail on it.

Andrew S · Feb 17, 2004

Here's another scan of the Chat/Boubou, +2 stops on exposure and fiddling around with the levels, which doesn't get us that far, but I think you can see a definite brownish colour which points towards a chat.

I have also done a high resolution scan of that whitish tuft at the base of the tail, which now just looks like a bit of stray black feather and not anything white.

More upright stance than a Boubou?

helenh · Feb 17, 2004

Thanks for the rescan. I'm back with the Northern Anteater Chat. The bill doesn't look sufficiently shrike-like in the enhanced image.

Andrew S · Feb 17, 2004

I didn't fiddle around with the shape of the bill! Tend to agree on conclusion.

helenh · Feb 17, 2004

Andrew S said:
I didn't fiddle around with the shape of the bill! Tend to agree on conclusion.

No, but the enhanced image is clearer (I would never accuse you of fiddling a bill

).

Yet more Kenyan birds (1 Viewer)

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