• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Tree Identities for Nile Valley Sunbird Habitat (1 Viewer)

GeorginaEgypt

Well-known member
Egypt
I have been asked by Nature Conservation Egypt to prepare a study of the Nile Valley Sunbirds breeding here in El Gouna on the Red Sea Coast of Egypt.

I would like to include the names of the trees in the study, but asking friends, Google searches, and PlantSnap app has just left me completely confused.

Any help on identifying the correct names of the following would be so appreciated:

Tree 1.

These look like tiny cauliflowers!

Tree ID Golf 2.jpg

The tree above from a distance:

Tree ID Golf 3.jpg

Tree 2.

Tree ID Turtle House 1.jpg

Tree 3.

Nile Valley Sunbird 15.1.2020 small.jpg

Tree 4.
Yellow Hibiscus?

Nile Valley Sunbird Hedydipna metallica.jpg

Sunny greetings from Egypt.
 
3: Lantana camara
4. Tecoma stans

Both are not native and are used in gardening around the world in areas with warmer climates.

It would be interesting to know what natural habitat/s they use, or at least originally used.
 

Yes Nutty, Lantana camara "used in an aggregate sense for a complex of horticultural/weedy hybrids and closely related species" - but I didn't want to complicate the issue of simple ID or the fact that many garden cultivars are hybrids with Lantana montevidensis.

Would calling the OPs plant, Lantana camara var./hyb. be in keeping for you?
 
Being more serious, surely there will be other environmental factors limiting them. Seems they need lots of nectar in vegetated areas on desert edge.
Must be plenty of suitable habitat in the Jordan Valley, and up the Med coast from there round to southern Turkey at least. Two limiting factors I can think of (1; most likely) the desert between the Nile and the Jordan is too wide for them to cross, and (2; possible additional factor) the popularity of cats in the area (I've seen so many photos with verging on herds of cats in gardens in the eastern Med!).
 
I now believe
Tree no. 2: Tamarix aphylla

And I was confused as the CASUARINA GLAUCA is the tree next door the Nile Valley Sunbirds were spotted in.
 
Warning! This thread is more than 4 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top