sicklebill
well-known Cretaceous relic
Thought this note by Frank Willens in the The Wattled Crane, Volume 52 No 6, June 2022 from Birdwatch Zambia was worth a look, the vexatious lumping should bear revisiting as there are significant differences in plumage, call and habitat.
The Quailfinch complex has been been treated as multiple species, but is currently regarded as a single species by most authories. When treated as multiple species, we have two in Zambia:“Spectacled” (a.k.a. “African”) which ranges mainly throughout the drier half of the country, being which ranges mainly through the drier half of the country mainly south of S14°, plus “Black-chinned” which occurs mainly in the wet half of Zambia; west of the Muchinga River and mainly north of S14°. Spectacled Quailfinch has a neat white line (‘spectacle’) around the lore and eye, as well as a white chin, while Black-chinned has an all-dark face including a black chin, and is darker overall. Although DNA evidence suggests that they are best treated as one species, this is debatable as they are clearly distinct. Besides the multiple differences in plumage, and the largely different range, they are also stable (not intergrading) in areas of overlap – a strong suggestion of a genetic difference sufficient to treat them as different species. Further, they are fairly easy to differeniate on call (with Spectacled sounding more metallic, and Black-chinned producing a 3-toned (not 1- or 2-toned) call most commonly) and prefer different habitat (with Spectacled mainly occurring in dry plains, while Black-chinned prefers boggy wet dambo grasslands).
Smithers’s Quailfinch belongs to the Spectacled Quailfinch group, as can be judged from the white spectacle as well as the white chin. Overall, the plumage is rather dark, with rich orange breast and belly. It supposedly is also more heavily streaked above than other Spectacled races, but this is not visible in the image.
This bird might be a Zambian endemic. It’s still known only from northeastern Zambia, centred on the plains of the Bangweulu-Chambeshi system and adjacent highlands of the Muchinga and Northern Plateau, though likely ranges marginally into DRC and possibly Tanzania. Intriguingly, the whole range thus sits within that of Back-chinned, but it seems to be largely separated on habitat. Both (sub)species have been recorded alongside each other in e.g. Kasanka, but generally Smithers’s will be found in (seasonally) dry plains, while Black-chinned prefers boggy areas.
The Quailfinch complex has been been treated as multiple species, but is currently regarded as a single species by most authories. When treated as multiple species, we have two in Zambia:“Spectacled” (a.k.a. “African”) which ranges mainly throughout the drier half of the country, being which ranges mainly through the drier half of the country mainly south of S14°, plus “Black-chinned” which occurs mainly in the wet half of Zambia; west of the Muchinga River and mainly north of S14°. Spectacled Quailfinch has a neat white line (‘spectacle’) around the lore and eye, as well as a white chin, while Black-chinned has an all-dark face including a black chin, and is darker overall. Although DNA evidence suggests that they are best treated as one species, this is debatable as they are clearly distinct. Besides the multiple differences in plumage, and the largely different range, they are also stable (not intergrading) in areas of overlap – a strong suggestion of a genetic difference sufficient to treat them as different species. Further, they are fairly easy to differeniate on call (with Spectacled sounding more metallic, and Black-chinned producing a 3-toned (not 1- or 2-toned) call most commonly) and prefer different habitat (with Spectacled mainly occurring in dry plains, while Black-chinned prefers boggy wet dambo grasslands).
Smithers’s Quailfinch belongs to the Spectacled Quailfinch group, as can be judged from the white spectacle as well as the white chin. Overall, the plumage is rather dark, with rich orange breast and belly. It supposedly is also more heavily streaked above than other Spectacled races, but this is not visible in the image.
This bird might be a Zambian endemic. It’s still known only from northeastern Zambia, centred on the plains of the Bangweulu-Chambeshi system and adjacent highlands of the Muchinga and Northern Plateau, though likely ranges marginally into DRC and possibly Tanzania. Intriguingly, the whole range thus sits within that of Back-chinned, but it seems to be largely separated on habitat. Both (sub)species have been recorded alongside each other in e.g. Kasanka, but generally Smithers’s will be found in (seasonally) dry plains, while Black-chinned prefers boggy areas.
