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What do you all make of this? (1 Viewer)

Doug,
My snap impression is that we are looking at a female Passer, however, I have the feeling that this might be a photo leaving a lot to intrepretation and deceptive. I can't see the length of the bill and I can't see how long the legs are. There is nothing to give me any idea of relative size in the photo. For me this leaves open the possibilities of other Passeridae (female or immature Ploceus for example), or even some type of Pipit.
 
It looks pretty slim and long-tailed to me for a Passer Have no idea of what is possible, but it looks more like a bunting spp to me.
 
With the tertials cloaking the primaries, and its general demeanour, I'd say it was a pipit.

The bill appears to look finch/bunting-like, but maybe there is something behind it confusing the issue.

Couldn't be more specific, as not sure which species occur down there.

HTH

GV
 
I have had a look at it more. I think it is a Pipit, but the photo does hide detail of the bill and the legs.
After much analysis of the local field guide Sasol Birds of Southern Africa, I am leaning 70-30 towards Long-billed Pipit Anthus similis
 
I was also thinking of a pipit and checked out my sasol guide last evening-I ended also with maybe Longbilled pipit...but that's not a definite iD
 
I would agree that it's a pipit.It may well be a Long-billed Pipit,but I can't see enough detail to really exclude others like the African and Plain-backed for sure.I must admit that Long-billed Pipit would be the most probable ID for me.
 
Lark-like Bunting, Emberiza impetuani. Jane, you're on the dot.

Shoulder pale, rather than brown as in Yellow-throated Petronia. Also, throat
not white but off-white. Three pale face-stripes visible, supercilium, cheek and
moustache, suggesting Emberiza. Best of all, the lower mandible is clearly fleshy
and the upper grey.

Invasive species from the dry west.
 
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