Skukuza Camp South Africa Oct 22 (1 Viewer)

[49bentley]

Can someone please identify these birds? Taken in Skukuza Camp South Africa Oct
Thanks
Chris

 

[QuakerWildcat]

I'm no expert, but is that first one possibly a village indigobird in transition?

 

[49bentley]

Bye golly. I believe you're right. Thanks QuakerWidcat.

 

[wheatearlp]

The swallow is, I think, Mosque Swallow.

 

[49bentley]

Thanks Wheatearlp.

 

[Butty]

1-2. I'd've thought a finch/canary. More photos would help.

 

[49bentley]

Thanks Butty. These are the only pics.

 

[Andy Adcock]

1-2 Look like Red-billed Quelea to me.

5 Looks like a Vidua?

 

[Andy Adcock]

The swallow is, I think, Mosque Swallow.

Why, seems to have red in the nape, better for Greater Striped?

 

[Butty]

seems to have red in the nape, better for Greater Striped?

I don't think so: the head is twisted wrt the body (as things do when banked steeply), so the rufousy bit is actually rear cheek/neck-side rather than hindneck - and crown is very dark which is wrong for both the striped swallows and right for mosque swallow.

 

[49bentley]

Thanks Andy and Butty.

 

[Andy Adcock]

I don't think so: the head is twisted wrt the body (as things do when banked steeply), so the rufousy bit is actually rear cheek/neck-side rather than hindneck - and crown is very dark which is wrong for both the striped swallows and right for mosque swallow.

It's right for Greater Striped.

 

[Butty]

We have different views of what greater striped swallow looks like (by 'very dark' I meant blackish/dark blue like mosque swallow rather than medium rufous-brown like greater striped swallow).

 

[THE_FERN]

I think this is probably greater striped. Playing with the curves would probably prove it one way or another. Meanwhile, however:

• The outer tail feathers look short for mosque
• I see pale sides to the rump which fits greater striped
• I see some indication of throat streaks (but difficult to be sure given artefacts)
• I find the crown is not dark blue enough for mosque. In that species there's a thin connection of the blue to the back. I'm unclear whether that's present here (curves would prove)

 

[Butty]

outer tail feathers look short for mosque

Long-tailed birds can be short-tailed. And in any case I don't believe that this bird looks short-tailed for mosque swallow: see Mosque Swallow

pale sides to the rump which fits greater striped . . .

. . . and mosque swallow (see photos linked above).

I see some indication of throat streaks (but difficult to be sure given artefacts)

I see no streaks. In fact the ultra-vague markings which are apparent run crossways, not longitudinally, and are obviously photo-artefacts.

I find the crown is not dark blue enough for mosque

Meaning you do find it somewhat dark blue? On greater striped swallow it's not dark blue at all.

In [mosque swallow] there's a thin connection of the blue to the back. I'm unclear whether that's present here

As I explained above, the head is here seen side-on, so such a connection would not necessarily be visible in any case (see photos linked above, especially top-right photo on that web-page).
Thus, I don't see that any of the points listed is unfavorable to an ID of mosque swallow.

 

[THE_FERN]

Mosque Swallow

. . . and mosque swallow (see photos linked

Only one of these shows anything like pale rump sides and even then it's not extensive (cf all greater striped).

OTOH, putting this image into Adobe's free Photoshop app and lightening drastically suggests the belly (just visible behind the wing) is brown---a mosque character. One would need to spend more time with a proper editor to be sure of this

 

[Brian J Small]

 

[THE_FERN]

View attachment 1550193

Yes that's what I was looking at. I still think one needs to do further forensics. For example, unclear that's there's blue on the crown at all; colour of belly not certainly brown etc

 

[Tomeitsparadise]

To me the swallow is just not right for a greater striped. The rump is not the shade I associate with greater striped and the head …with the light cheeks also more like mosque to me.

 

[49bentley]

Thanks Andy, Butty, Brian, The Fern and Tomeitsparadise for all the input.