“The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese” – Willie Nelson
That quote has nothing to do with today’s post but I found it while Googling “bird quotes” and rather enjoyed it.
Anyway, to the latest in our Mystery Bird series…
There’s more than enough detail here to get the ID.
Often when birding you’ll be presented with only a fleeting glimpse of the rear of the bird or half a wing and a leg before it flies away, so making a snap-call is sometimes all you have.
The answer will be revealed in Friday’s TWIP (assuming I remember ; I forgot last time!).
Good luck!
![Hamerkop Diving For Plattana [rcb] (26)](https://media.londolozi.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/10105855/Hamerkop-Diving-for-Plattana-RCB-26-280x178.jpg)
Robin chat?
James, I have no idea!
Sorenson’s fluffy-bottomed bush tit?
Burchell’s Coucal?
Juvenile brown scrub robin?
Burchell`s Coucal !
Black legs, buff barred under tail, long black tail and hint of russet wings = Burchell’s Coucal
Burchell’s Coucal, the Rain Bird!!
Burchell’s Coucal
My immediate thought when seeing the picture was a Cape Robin-chat with that tail posture but the underneath of the tail is not orange so that rules the Cape Robin-chat and the other robin-chats found in the area out. Burchell’s Coucal is also an option but for me the wings aren’t rufous enough and there is too much grey although the underneath barring points to Burchell’s Coucal. The general giss of the bird in my mind also doesn’t look like a coucal but I’m also not 100 percent sure that it’s not a Burchell’s Coucal. I think I am going to go with a different guess and say its possibly a Brown-crowned Tchagra but I am not 100 percent positive on this ID. I look forward to this week’s TWIP to see what this bird turns out to be.
For me it looks too small to be a Burchell’s Coucal, which has a much broader tail. The underside of the Cape Robin Chat’s tail is slightly rufous, so I am going to go with the Brown-Crowned Tchagra. bit of a guess!!