Rosy-throated Longclaw
Macronyx ameliae
Beautiful pipit that is pink below and streaked brown above. The male has a bold black chest band and streaking, while the female is not as heavily marked. Found in wet grasslands, where it is generally shy and inconspicuous. Vocalizations include a two-part “dhew-dhew” call that is sometimes quickly repeated or extended into a long whistle. Separated from other longclaws by its pink underparts.
Identification
Adult birds are 19–20 centimetres (7.5–7.9 in) long with greyish-brown scalloped upper parts. The male has a pink throat and breast crossed with a broad black band across the chest, which is not evident outside of breeding season. Female birds have pink underparts, but lack the black band. Immature birds have mainly black-streaked pale brown underparts with some pink-red colour centrally.<p>It makes a chiteet call, resembling that of a pipit.<p>The rosy-throated longclaw is found in wet grasslands and flood plains, often with lower grasses. Found across central and eastern Africa, it is more patchily distributed in the south of the continent. It is restricted to the Okavango Delta, Linyanti Marshes and Chobe floodplains in Botswana and Namibia, the Zimbabwe highveld in Zimbabwe and coastal areas in Kwazulu-Natal.<p>Its occurrence in Kwazulu-Natal is threatened by coastal development. The rosy-throated longclaw breeds during the wet season from September to April.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Macronyx ameliae
- Authority
- de Tarragon, L, 1845
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Motacillidae
- Genus
- Macronyx
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Horizocerus hartlaubi
A small, dark forest hornbill found predominantly in primary forest subcanopy, where it prefers areas with abundant vines. This species is unique in its overall dark coloration and its broad white eyebrow that extends to the back of the head. The only similarly-sized forest hornbill in its range is the more reddish Red-billed Dwarf Hornbill, but Western Dwarf Hornbill has a less well-defined border between the dark chest and white belly, and only Western Dwarf Hornbill has the broad white eyebrow behind the eye. Voice is a repetitive “yep yep yep yep” that can be repeated at length, sometimes accompanied with a howl.
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Fairly large, black parrot that is found in humid forest, and sometimes in adjacent plantations. Often seen in flight, sometimes in small, loose flocks. Incredibly loud calls consist mainly of musical whistles, often given in long up-and-down series. Can be very hard to separate from Greater Vasa Parrot, but smaller and smaller-billed, with a curving edge to the skin at the back of the bill. Vocalizations are higher-pitched and more musical than those of Greater Vasa Parrot. Can easily be mistaken for a raptor in flight, but has all-black plumage unlike any raptor in range.
Plumbeous Sierra Finch
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