Yellow-thighed Brushfinch

Pretty little gray waxbill with a black tail and a red rump which is conspicuous in flight. The male has red and black under the tail, while the female is much paler and grayer below. Both sexes have pink in the bill. Found in arid woodland and savanna, including mopane woodland. Shy and inconspicuous; usually in small flocks. Calls include rising whistles. Very similar to Black-tailed Waxbill, but prefers drier habitat and is paler gray, with pink on the bill.

Subtly beautiful shuffling pigeonlike bird with a small head, striking black belly, and pale breast that contrasts with white underwings and black wingtips. Tail is relatively short. Males have a gray head and neck and an orangey throat while females are densely spotted all over. Both sexes have a broad creamy breast band bordered by an eye-catching black stripe. Call is a low, bubbling trill. Most often seen in the mornings when visiting water sources, sometimes in huge flocks, in deserts and semi-deserts with low vegetation.

A slim, long-billed sunbird in which breeding males and females are very different. Breeding males are mostly dark iridescent green with a red band across the underparts. The red band is bordered by narrow yellow stripes in the southern part of the range. Females are plain, with gray-brown upperparts and pale underparts with dark streaking. Found in dry thorn savanna. Similar to Beautiful Sunbird, but breeding males are separated by the less extensive or absent yellow in their belly band, and females by being more streaked below. The common calls are quiet chips and “tip” notes, and the song is a high-pitched jumble typical of sunbirds.