Adult females closely resemble non-breeding males; the back is dull yellow-green streaked with dark brown, and the breast is pale yellow. Adult females look almost like non-breeding males; the back is dull yellow-green streaked with dark brown, and the breast is yellow.
Ring-necked Dove Streptopelia capicola
In flight, the ring-necked pigeon's white outer tail feathers are also easy to identify. Like the ring-necked pigeon, the red-eyed pigeon has a black collar on the back of its neck.
Red-eyed Dove Streptopelia semitorquata
The red-eyed dove is a large, stocky bird with a greyish-brown back, wings and tail. The head and lower part are grayish pink, passing into pale gray on the face. The sexes are similar, but the cubs are fluffier than the adults and their body feathers are cut.
The back of the neck is a rich reddish-brown color with black spots, and the back is a mixture of brown, blue and gray.
Laughing Dove Streptopelia semitorquata
These birds have a buffy white belly and a lilac or pink tinge on the head and neck. Apart from the wings, the upper and lower parts are blue-gray, and the head is gray with distinctive red spots around a yellowish eye.
Speckled Pigeon Columba guinea
The sexes are similar, but juvenile birds are browner than adults and lack the distinctive red eye color. The Cape Robin-Chat is easily identified by a dark gray brown back, orange throat, white "eyebrows" and bright orange tail and tail feathers.
Cape Robin-Chat Cossypha caffra
Their orange bellies are distinctive; also note a yellowish-orange bill with a dark base, a white throat with dark stripes, and a pale vent (area under the tail).
Olive Thrush Turdus olivaceus
Cape Shepherds are medium-sized, grayish-brown birds with long tails and a distinct dark gray breast collar (the exact shape of the collar can vary considerably between individual birds). Although Capercaillie chicks are very similar to adult birds, there are a few differences to note: the chicks are generally more brown than gray, and the feathers on their wings often have broad, fluffy edges.
Cape Wagtail Motacilla capensis
The spotted owl is a medium-sized gray-brown owl with prominent ears and beautiful yellow eyes. The upper body is dark brown with dark patches on the chest, while the underparts are off-white with brown barring. Females and males are similar in color, but if you see a pair of owls together, look closely at their size: the females are often slightly larger than the males.
Juvenile birds resemble adults, but their ear tufts are less distinct and often still have some visible downy feathers.
Spotted Eagle-Owl Bubo africanus
The Cape Bulbul is most easily identified by the distinctive combination of a white eye ring, a small crest on the head and bright yellow feathers under the tail.
Cape Bulbul Pycnonotus capensis
The Cape White-eyes you're likely to see in Cape Town have olive-green backs, gray or yellowish rumps, and bright yellow spots on their throats and under their tails. They have short, black bills and a distinctive circle of small white feathers around their eyes - this is where the name "white-eye" comes from. For example, in the Limpopo province, Cape White-eyes tend to be much more yellow overall with less contrast between their upper and lower parts.
Take a look at these two photos below from Polokwane, Limpopo: both were taken on the same day in the same place, and believe it or not, they are the same species.
Cape White-eye Zosterops virens
The duller colored bird on the left is young and still growing with its mature feathers, while the bright yellow bird on the right is a mature adult. Breeding males are best identified by their shiny bluish-green back and a bright red band across the chest. If you look closely, you'll also notice a thin line of blue above the red band.
The female is not as flashy as her male counterpart and has brownish upperparts and yellowish gray underparts.
Southern Double-collared Sunbird Cinnyris chalebeus
The Southern Fiscal is a medium-sized bird, best identified by a distinct black and white coloration and a strongly hooked bill. The upper is mostly black and is marked with a distinctive white "V". The tail is black and relatively long, with white outer tail feathers that often "flash" in flight. Adult males and females are very similar in appearance, but females have a chestnut colored patch of feathers on the side.
Southern Fiscal Lanius collaris
The spotted buzzard is a medium-sized bird with sandy brown upperparts and warmer brown underparts. Two key traits to look for in voles are a long tail and a crest on the head – spotted voles have long, brownish tail feathers and a sandy brown crest. These birds have dark eyes, brownish legs and feet, and a characteristic two-tone bill: black above and whitish below.
Speckled Mousebird Colius striatus
Although they may appear gray at first glance, a White-backed Buzzard in flight reveals a striking black patch on the back with a white blaze in the middle, and a deep maroon band at the base of the tail. Although the white stripe gives these birds their name, it is only visible when the wings are at least partially open. Other distinguishing features include bright pinkish legs and feet and a white bill with a black tip.
White-backed Mousebird Colius colius
The Red-headed Mousebird is a medium-sized bird with a slate-gray head and crest and a pale, cinnamon-colored forehead. As the name suggests, these birds have a distinctive red 'mask' that runs along their face, from the eyes to the base of the beak. Males and females look similar, but juveniles do not have a distinct crest and have a lighter mask.
Red-faced Mousebird Urocolius indicus
Although it may be tempting to confuse these birds with another black and white species, closer examination of the southern fiscal reveals their differences. Males and females look slightly different to each other; males have a black head and back with white underparts, while females have a brownish-gray head and upperparts and white-brown underparts.
Fiscal Flycatcher Melaenornis silens
The Bokmakerie is a large, colorful bird with a bright yellow throat and underparts and a thick black "beep" on its chest. The bill is heavy and black, and the head and back of the neck are gray. The upperparts are a dull olive green and the tail is covered in distinctive yellow feathers.
Males and females look similar, but the juveniles are dull olive green and have no yellow or black on the throat and breast.
Bokmakierie Telophorus zeylonus
Males and females look similar, but can be distinguished from each other: the male has a completely black head, while the female's head is grey. When perched, a narrow strip of red-orange is just visible on the wing; however, this patch of color becomes much more apparent when the bird is in flight. This colorful part of the wing contains the primary feathers; the long, strong outer feathers on a bird's wing.
Primaries, along with secondaries, which are the rest of the long feathers between the primary and the bird's body, make up the flight feathers.
Red-winged Starling Onychognathus morio
In addition to keeping them in the air, the starling's spectacular brown colors are a distinctive feature that makes it easy to identify when you see them soaring overhead. Males and females are the same color, with a gray head and neck, brownish upperparts, iridescent green and purple wings, and iridescent bluish tail. Closer inspection reveals a narrow white stripe across the cheek and a long, curved black beak with a red tip.
Juvenile warblers look a lot like adults, but are generally duller and darker with an all-black bill.
Hadada Ibis Bostrychia hagedash
Hooded Crows get their name from their color; "variegated" means that there are two or more colors (in this case black and white). As the name implies, these birds are bicolored; a glossy black head and neck contrast sharply with a bright white "vest" that runs from the shoulders to the lower chest. Juveniles resemble adults, but are generally less glossy and have grayish edges to their white feathers.
Pied Crow Corvus albus
The Egyptian Goose is a large brown or tan bird, easily distinguished from other geese and ducks by distinctive reddish-brown spots around the eyes and a reddish-brown spot in the center of its tan breast (hence the African language). name 'white-fronted goose', which means 'pointed goose'). Males and females both have a deep brown ruff at the base of the neck, finely striped grayish sides, a dark brown back and a black tail. In flight, Egyptian geese are easily recognized by the broad white spots on the wings, as well as the iridescent green and chestnut feathers on the outer wings.
The bill is pale pink with dark edges, the eye is deep orange, and the legs and feet are bright pink.
Egyptian Goose Alopochen aegyptiaca
Bronze Mannikins have blackish heads and throats and grey-brown backs, with a distinctive metallic green patch on the shoulder. The chest is white, with thick stripes on the undersides and a short black tail.
Bronze Mannikin Spermestes cucullata
During breeding, the beak is black, but in non-breeding birds, it fades to a yellow-brown color. Juveniles are similar to adults but are generally duller with a browner head; sometimes the upper parts are mottled.
Southern Grey-headed Sparrow Passer diffusus
As the name implies, these birds have a completely gray head and face, and pale gray underparts with white undertail feathers. The back is mottled chestnut and black, and the tail is black with a gray base. The bill is black during breeding and turns yellowish brown in non-breeding birds.
The main features to look out for include a broad, creamy eyebrow, a pink bill and a mottled brown and black back.
House Sparrow Passer domesticus
The Swee Waxbill is a small, brightly colored species; black and red are the main colors to look out for. This species is sexually dimorphic; males and females both have a gray head, olive green upperparts, white throats and distinct red and black tails and bills, but males have a black face, while females have a gray face. The juveniles look more like females, but are duller in color with an orange-colored tail base.
Swee Waxbill Coccopygia melanotis
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Acknowledgements
Biodiversity Observations
