Birds ID help is needed from Uganda - Part I (1 Viewer)

[Tamir]

Hello,

My wife and I did a trip to Uganda during June 2017. This wasn’t a birding trip but rather general safari trip. However, since we are both amateur birdwatchers we did some birding here and there. Most of the birds we could identify but we need some help with the following. Some of the pictures are grainy and heavily cropped but hopefully, an IID could be determined:

1. Taken in Murchison Falls NP. I’m pretty sure it’s a common Kestrel but I would expect that the head would be much paler than the rest of the body.
2. Taken in Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary. Is this an Ashy Flycatcher?
3. Taken in Mweya Peninsula, Queen Elizabeth NP. Is this a female Slender-billed Weaver?
4. Taken in Mweya Peninsula. No idea what this is, maybe some kind of Widowbird, very worn individual?
5. Taken in Mweya Peninsula. No idea what this is, maybe some kind of Snake-Eagle?

Any help on these birds ID will be much appreciated.

Regards,

- Tamir

 

[tconzemi]

1. is rather dark Common Kestrel
5. Western Banded Snake Eagle

 

[Andy Hurley]

3 Slender-billed Weaver?
4 transistional male Black-winged Bishop?

 

[THE_FERN]

Think you're correct on 2 and 3. Agree 1 and 5 with Tom. 4 is moulting male black bishop, I think, based on evidence of black on crown and throat.

 

[Andy Hurley]

4 is moulting male black bishop, I think, based on evidence of black on crown and throat.

What about red under-tail coverts and the red coming in at the frons? Points to Black-winged to me, but as I don't know the Black Bishop, I can only go on what I've seen in Southern Africa

 

[THE_FERN]

Andy perhaps it's just my monitor but I don't see red coming in at the frons (~forehead). However, I agree that the reddish vent area is wrong for the local ssp. of black bishop. As you know, in Uganda are also northern and southern red bishop which have reddish vents but only southern has anything like black on the throat, and judging from the map in Helm Birds of E Africa this shouldn't be in Queen Elizabeth NP. The Helm illustration of undertail coverts for black-winged bishop suggest they're off-white but photos make them orangey/peachy as here. So, short story long, you're probably right it's black-winged.

 

[Tamir]

Thank you Tom, Andy and The_FERN for your help and ID comments.
The 4th picture does look tricky enough, especially since it’s taken from a great distance and lacks many details. Black or Black-winged Bishop, I’m fine leaving it unidentified.

 

[AlinoVegano]

For the 4th bird, I wonder why to exclude Southern Red Bishop, the commonest species?

 

[Andy Hurley]

It was one of my first choices, but I think the frons (forehead) is turning red. I might well be wrong. To be honest, I never realised it was the most common of the bishops that far north. I still favour Black-winged, but would be glad to be proved wrong.