The drier months at Londolozi generally have dull browns as the dominant colour scheme, but on some of the rocky outcrops and alongside the camp walkways, bright splashes of colour are starting to burst through, as the aloes are starting to flower.
With them comes a whole array of bird species and insects, all determined to take advantage of the bounty of nectar on offer. Many of the bird species are brightly coloured and easy to identify, and the most common ones we see hopping around the aloe blooms are the sunbirds, whose long decurved beaks are specifically designed for accessing the nectar contained in ling-stemmed flowers.
It is generally the male sunbirds of the species that are more colourful, their iridescent plumage being used to attract the more dull-coloured females. If a pair is seen hopping around together, deciding which female is which is relatively straightforwards, but when the females are on their own, they all tend to look the same.
Which female do you think this is:
It’s a fairly straightforward one, as a quick reference to a bird book should give you the answer if you take all her various features into account.
The answer will be revealed in this Friday’s Week in Pictures…
Good luck!
Try last week’s bird challenge here: What Bird is This? #12
It looks like an Amethyst female.
After consulting Sasol I think it a Scarlet chested Sunbird. The amethyst has got pale undersides.
Scarlet-chested Sunbird
Scarlet chested?
It’s a female Scarlet-chested Sunbird (Chalcomitra senegalensis). It’s always nice to see sunbirds around especially in winter when they add a bit of colour.
Female Scarlet Chested Sunbird
Scarlet Chested Sunbird
Could it be a Malachite Sunbird? I have always wanted to see one – but alas I have never seen one up close!
Or an Amethyst
I am terrible at identification of birds. Obviously next visit I will need to study birds. You have a lot of wonderful birds. Victoria
Could it be a bee eater of some sort?
Marico Sunbird. Breast is pale yellow unlike scarlet-chested. Pattern is more striped than mottled. Amount of white on neck is confusing, but I still say Marico.
Hi James,
Based on the virtual absence (but not quite) of any eyebrow I am going with a female Scarlet-chested Sunbird
I am no birder, though I love to watch them; each time I’ve tried to ID one on the blog, I’m hopelessly wrong. But, I’ll try again – a female scarlet-chested sunbird?
I love the sunbirds. I believe this one is the scarlet-chested female. The male may be more colorful, but this female is quite pretty.
A female Amethyst Sunbird would be my guess?
It can only be either a female black or scarlet chested sunbird. My money is on the latter.