Rufous-bellied Heron
Ardeola rufiventris
Small, dark, chunky heron. There are rufous patches on the wing and belly; this can be hard to see when perched but is conspicuous in flight. Found in thickly vegetated wetlands, ranging from flooded grasslands to swamps. Usually solitary. Fairly shy but will sometimes stand in the open. Shares dark coloration with Black Heron, but has chestnut patches, all-yellow legs, and a yellow base to the bill.
识别特征
This is a small dark species of heron with a dark grey head, back and breast contrasting with a rufous belly, wings and tail. When seen in flight the bright yellow legs and feet contrast with the dark feathers of the underside of the body. Juveniles are paler and browner, darkening as they mature.
分类信息
The rufous-bellied heron was formally described in 1850 by the Swedish zoologist Carl Jakob Sundevall from specimens collected along the Mooi River near Potchefstroom in South Africa. Sundevall coined the binomial name Ardea rufiventris. The specific epithet rufiventris combines Latin rufus meaning "ruddy" or "rufous" with venter, ventris meaning "belly". The rufous-bellied heron is now placed in the genus Ardeola that was introduced in 1822 by the German naturalist Friedrich Boie. The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.
- 学名
- Ardeola rufiventris
- 命名信息
- (Sundevall, 1850)
- 目
- Pelecaniformes
- 科
- Ardeidae
- 属
- Ardeola
分布与栖息地
It is found in eastern, central and southern sub-Saharan Africa widespread although absent from the arid south-west and is found in Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.<p>It is found in seasonally flooded grasslands, marshes, flood-plains and inland deltas (e.g. the Okavango Delta), shallow water along riverbanks and lake shores, stands of papyrus, reedbeds and paddies.
- 迁徙
- Resident species
行为
This is a skulking species which when hiding assumes a bittern-like posture but with its bill in a horizontal rather than vertical position. It usually prefers to hunt on the landward side of well vegetated wetlands and in the shallow water. It is a largely sedentary species, which may make partial migratory movements to follow rainy season inundations of flood-plains.<p>Breeding occurs during the rainy season, or when flooding is at a peak where this occurs early in the dry season. It nests colonially in mixed colonies, typically in small groups of 6-30 pairs, although at Lake Bangwelu in Zambia, groups of 60-80 pairs have been recorded. Rufous-bellied herons feed during the day but will sometimes forage at night, normally they hunt alone or in small flocks of no more than five individuals, although aggregations of over 120 have been recorded. It prefers to roost in trees. The nest is a small platform of vegetation positioned low in reeds, trees or shrubs that are normally positioned over standing water. In mixed-species colonies rufous-bellied herons normally nest around the edges.<p>The diet consists mainly of small fish such as tilapia and barbus, amphibians, crustaceans, aquatic insects and other aquatic invertebrates.
保护状况
- 种群趋势
- unknown
照片
分布
其他鸟类
White-browed Coucal
Centropus superciliosus
A large, robust, ungainly cuckoo with rufous wings and a long, broad tail. Shows a solid dark cap and back of the head, and white underparts. Unlike other coucals, shows an obviously barred rump and upper tail coverts. It often moves clumsily, preferring to clamber about in rank vegetation or walk on the ground foraging for insects or small vertebrates. Its flight is labored and heavy. This species uses a wide variety of habitats with a thick understory, including savanna, woodland, forest edge, and wetlands. The song is a deep descending bubbling series, “bu-bu-bu bu bu bu bu”, that falls and then rises in pitch.
Brown-backed Mockingbird
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Handsome mockingbird found in scrubby areas in the high Andes. It has rich brown upperparts, mostly white underparts, and a white eyebrow. The brilliant white wing stripes and outer tail feathers flash conspicuously in flight, and help to separate it from the relatively plain Patagonian Mockingbird. Similar to White-banded Mockingbird, but tends to be browner (less gray) on the back and crown, has smaller white wing stripes, and is normally found at much higher elevations. It has a huge vocal repertoire ranging from shrill whistles to harsh churrs and metallic trills.
White-tailed Swallow
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A small swallow with white underparts and dark blue upperparts. The tail shows an unusual pattern: a dark rim around large white panels both above and below. Found very locally in southern Ethiopia in open thorn savanna, in areas with many large termite mounds. Often in pairs. Similar to Gray-rumped Swallow, but easily separated by the white in the tail. Could be confused with Common House Martin, but has white in the tail rather than a bold rump patch.
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