Bat-like Spinetail

Neafrapus boehmi

Extraordinary short-tailed swift with weak, fluttery, bat-like flight. Note the pale underparts and white rump patch. Seen on the wing over woodland, gallery forest, and moist savannah, especially miombo. Often in areas with baobabs, which are favored nesting sites. Usually solo or in pairs. Range does not overlap with that of the similar Sabine’s Spinetail. All other swifts have a longer tail.

Taxonomy

Scientific name
Neafrapus boehmi
Authority
(Schalow, 1882)
Order
Apodiformes
Family
Apodidae
Genus
Neafrapus

Range and habitat

Migration
Resident species

Conservation

Population trend
declining

Photos

Distribution

Bird Calls

Other Birds

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A large-bodied, small-headed, black gamebird perfectly lined with rows of hundreds of bluish-white spots. It has a ridiculous-looking plumed “toupee” above the naked face, which features a distinctive ivory-colored bill and a blood-red eye. The bare facial skin is red on the face and blue on the neck. Prefers forest and thickets, where it forages on the ground for berries, seeds, and other plant matter. The similar Helmeted Guineafowl differs by its lack of a feathered crest, having a bone-like casque on top of the head instead. The alarm call is a series of rattling, agitated notes that speed up and slow down; similar to the call of Helmeted Guineafowl, but with a tinnier quality.

Black-lored Yellowthroat

Black-lored Yellowthroat

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Channel-billed Cuckoo

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Gigantic cuckoo, with a red eyering and enormous pale beak. A mostly pale gray bird, with darker wings and tail. Flies around in the early morning calling strongly, and typically roosts in fruiting fig trees. Lays its eggs in the nests of other species, especially Torresian Crow and Pied Currawong. Spends the middle of the year in eastern Indonesia and New Guinea. Migrates to northern and eastern Australia over the austral summer.

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