Fiery-throated Fruiteater

A medium-sized, dark brown owl with distinctive yellow eyes. Note the small white spot between the eyes. Lower belly may often be paler and show some barring. Only active outside of daylight hours. Quite common throughout its range in plantations, forest edges, and groves. Call is a fluty, double-noted “whoo-up.”  

Nest parasite that lays its eggs in the nests of Jameson’s Firefinch. Breeding males are glossy purplish-black, with a pale brownish panel in the wings, while females and non-breeding males are streaky and brown on the back and pale below, with a bold facial pattern. The bill is whitish and the legs very pale pink. Found in forest edge, cultivation, thick woodland, and scrub. Mimics the vocalizations of its host firefinches: a fast trill. Extremely similar to Variable Indigobird. In South Africa, separated by its pale pinkish legs. Elsewhere, breeding males probably slightly more glossy but only separated with certainty by hearing mimicked vocalizations of host species.

A medium-sized wading bird, mostly black with a red bill and legs. Relatively long tail projection imparts a long-bodied appearance which is enhanced by its short legs. At close range, note bare red throat and orbital skin. Occurs in open wetlands and seasonally flooded savannas, usually in pairs or small groups, probing in mud, shallow water, or soft ground for invertebrates and fish. Unusual, far-carrying call is a single, horn-like note, often given in duet by pairs, with one higher-pitched than the other; the overall effect is like the braying of a donkey. Larger and longer-tailed than Bare-faced Ibis, much more vocal, and does not occur in large groups.