Southern African & Kenyan Bird Photos (1 Viewer)

[Stephen Ambrose]

Hi Everyone,

A friend of mine (Gillian Dunkerley) has recently returned from a trip to Botswana (Okavango Delta) and Kenya. She has sent me 7 photos (of variable quality) of bird species that she cannot identify. If there's anyone interested in helping her identify them, you can email me on stephen 'at' ambecol.com.au and I can forward the images to you.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,
Stephen Ambrose
Sydney, Australia

 

[BobTag]

Hi Everyone,

A friend of mine (Gillian Dunkerley) has recently returned from a trip to Botswana (Okavango Delta) and Kenya. She has sent me 7 photos (of variable quality) of bird species that she cannot identify. If there's anyone interested in helping her identify them, you can email me on [email protected] and I can forward the images to you.

Stephen, can you post them here on the site?

I'm sure you'll find many people with African expertise to help you out,

BT

 

[Dave Kennedy]

Hi Everyone,

A friend of mine (Gillian Dunkerley) has recently returned from a trip to Botswana (Okavango Delta) and Kenya. She has sent me 7 photos (of variable quality) of bird species that she cannot identify. If there's anyone interested in helping her identify them, you can email me on stephen 'at' ambecol.com.au and I can forward the images to you.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,
Stephen Ambrose
Sydney, Australia

OK, Stephen,

I've got the pics so I'm going to download them here so that everybody can have a look and express an opinion. Right, here are the first four.

The flock of Okavango birds look like Wattled Starlings Creatophora cinerea.

The sunbird is tricky - Delta sunbirds are Scarlet-chested Sunbird, Amethyst Sunbird, Collared Sunbird, White-bellied Sunbird, Marico Sunbird - and it doen't much look like any of them. It's dark - but then sunbird colour comes from iridescence in sunlight - best bet might be Amethyst Chalcomitra amethystina in funny lighting.

Number 4 looks like a young Bateleur Terathopius ecaudatus - the short tail is characteristic.

5 rap looks like Dickinson's Kestrel Falco dickinsoni.

Hope this helps
Dave Kennedy

 

[Dave Kennedy]

Hi Everyone,

A friend of mine (Gillian Dunkerley) has recently returned from a trip to Botswana (Okavango Delta) and Kenya. She has sent me 7 photos (of variable quality) of bird species that she cannot identify. If there's anyone interested in helping her identify them, you can email me on stephen 'at' ambecol.com.au and I can forward the images to you.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,
Stephen Ambrose
Sydney, Australia

OK, Stephen, now the Kenya pics.

The yellow bird on the ground looks like a female weaver, possibly the Lesser Masked Weaver Ploceus intermedius. Note the pale eye.

The two brown and white striped birds are female Violet-backed Starlings Cinnyricinclus leucogaster - sexual dimorphism in this species is extreme.

The last one, Mara bird, I will leave to the Kenya experts. It is not overloaded with distinguishing features, so I would be reluctant to hazard a guess.

Good luck,
Dave Kennedy

 

[Steve G]

Dave,
Could the third Kenyan image be an immature Wattled Starling?

 

[Dave Kennedy]

Dave,
Could the third Kenyan image be an immature Wattled Starling?

Steve - I considered that, because I thought I could just make out something of a marking around the eye - but I couldn't be sure, and I don't really know Kenyan birds. But it's a fair suggestion.

Regards,
Dave

 

[David Swanepoel]

Hi,
The 'sunbird' looks more like Common Scimitarbill, Rhinopomastus cyanomelas to me

 

[Dave Kennedy]

Hi,
The 'sunbird' looks more like Common Scimitarbill, Rhinopomastus cyanomelas to me

Good suggestion, David. I think you're right.

Anybody got any ideas about the Kenyan bird sitting on the Acacia?

 

[chowchilla]

Good suggestion, David. I think you're right.

Anybody got any ideas about the Kenyan bird sitting on the Acacia?

Agree with the Scimitarbill ID. The other IDs look right to me too. The lone bird on the acacia certainly looks a close match for Wattled Starling but no obvious pale eye patch so not really sure, sorry.

 

[Farnboro John]

Actually I think there is a suggestion of pale round the eye: Wattled Starling for me too.

John

 

[BobTag]

Actually I think there is a suggestion of pale round the eye: Wattled Starling for me too.

John

And me

 

[Jeff Hopkins]

I'll add avote for wattled starling as well.