Assorted African Birds (1 Viewer)

A

AdamfromCanada

Well-known member

• Apr 20, 2011

• #1

1) Small brown bird in our camp in Serengeti.
2) Egyptian geese in flight? Okavango River Delta, Botswana
3) Cormorant with a white-breast...so a white-breasted cormorant? Also in the Delta, Botswana
4) Vultures on high, Okavango Delta, Botswana. I think there's two different species, based on different wing shapes?
5) Swallow of some sort on Chobe River, Botswana.

 

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birdboybowley

Well-known member.....apparently so ;)

• Apr 20, 2011

• #2

1 Common Bulbul
2 White-faced Whistling-Ducks
3 agree
4 Lappet-faced (left) and White-backed
5 Wire-tailed Swallow

 

T

TZBirder

Well-known member

• Apr 20, 2011

• #3

I agree!

 

Tib78

Well-known member

• Apr 21, 2011

• #4

The cormorant is actually a juvenile Reed cormorant (wholly brownish neck base, thin neck and relatively weak bill)
I'd look twice before calling the vulture a Lappet-faced...might be something else, unless Adam can confirm it was a neatly bigger than the White-backed.

Edit: Some pics of both White-breasted and Reed cormorant (scroll down a little): http://www.gobirding.eu/Trips/Malawi2.php

 

Last edited: Apr 21, 2011

birdboybowley

Well-known member.....apparently so ;)

• Apr 21, 2011

• #5

Yeah, good pick-up on the cormorant Tib (lazy me!)
As to the vulture, going more on wing shape and broad, pointed secondaries that LF usually seems to show....if I saw that over Africa I wouldn't think twice about calling it a LF

 

A

AdamfromCanada

Well-known member

• Apr 21, 2011

• #6

Tib78 said:

The cormorant is actually a juvenile Reed cormorant (wholly brownish neck base, thin neck and relatively weak bill)
I'd look twice before calling the vulture a Lappet-faced...might be something else, unless Adam can confirm it was a neatly bigger than the White-backed.

Edit: Some pics of both White-breasted and Reed cormorant (scroll down a little): http://www.gobirding.eu/Trips/Malawi2.php

Click to expand...

Can't confirm anything on size, they were very far above me. Part of a circling horde as there was an elephant nearby that some elderly over-compensating American had just shot, much to our dismay.

 

Tib78

Well-known member

• Apr 21, 2011

• #7

birdboybowley said:

As to the vulture, going more on wing shape and broad, pointed secondaries that LF usually seems to show....if I saw that over Africa I wouldn't think twice about calling it a LF

Click to expand...

Even if (juv) White-headed crosses your mind? o

 

birdboybowley

Well-known member.....apparently so ;)

• Apr 21, 2011

• #8

Tib78 said:

Even if (juv) White-headed crosses your mind? o

Click to expand...

It did cross my mind.....just gut feeling to me says LF

 

tconzemi

Tom

Supporter

• Apr 21, 2011

• #9

The vulture has a nice very and even serrated trailing edge (saw-tooth) without any moulting gap, so I would go even further and say this is a juvenile Lappet-faced.
Tom

 

gambirder

Kev Roy

• Apr 21, 2011

• #10

Immature gyps also have pointed secondaries...

 

tconzemi

Tom

Supporter

• Apr 21, 2011

• #11

gambirder said:

Immature gyps also have pointed secondaries...

Click to expand...

Correct, but White headed Vultures do not and these square wings do not look like a gyps

 

gambirder

Kev Roy

• Apr 21, 2011

• #12

tconzemi said:

Correct, but White headed Vultures do not and these square wings do not look like a gyps

Click to expand...

I'm inclined to think Lappet-faced too, but because impression of wing-shape dependant on flight attitude and angle to observer not sure gyps species can be ruled out.

 

A

AdamfromCanada

Well-known member

• Apr 21, 2011

• #13

gambirder said:

I'm inclined to think Lappet-faced too, but because impression of wing-shape dependant on flight attitude and angle to observer not sure gyps species can be ruled out.

Click to expand...

Angle to observer is basically straight up and altitude was quite high.

 

Tib78

Well-known member

• Apr 22, 2011

• #14

birdboybowley said:

It did cross my mind.....just gut feeling to me says LF

Click to expand...

Mine too...I was being too cautious. The "spiky" tail is diagnostic. The "saw-tooth" trailing edge (good one btw!) is a good pointer too, but juv White-headed can appear rather similar in this respect.