10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 23, 2021

One in November 2018 included a one-day birding trip in the Drakensberg area, a mountain range in the border area between South Africa and Lesotho. Originally restricted to Africa, it is now also well-established in parts of Europe and South Africa. I was vaguely curious about the family name mousebird. On the ground?

South Africa 264

South Africa Africa Lesotho Nigeria 264

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 11, 2011

Nowhere else in Africa do the preconceived ideas of the continent really exist in such living detail; tall, red-robed Maasai herding their skinny cattle, endless grasslands studded with flat-topped Acacia trees and grazed by herds of zebras and wildebeest, and dramatic volcanic calderas brimming with big game and fierce predators!

Tanzania 250

Tanzania Africa Stud Leopards 250

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 13, 2011

Which is why, upon meeting new people, we want to know where they’re from, who their family is, what they “do,” or two or three other things, depending upon our cultural values. But an out-of-Africa hypothesis certainly gives us more to ponder as we regard possible relationships with the African turacos and other clades.

South America 256

South America Africa America Namibia 256

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 12, 2017

Starting in the mid-1990s, there was a “where to watch birds in…” series of five site guides written by Nigel Wheatley and covering South America (1994), Africa (1995), Asia (1996), Europe & Russia (2000) and Central America & the Caribbean (2001). Family accounts for all 142 bird families recorded from the region.

Africa 228

Africa Botswana Nigeria Namibia 228

10,000 Birds

JULY 15, 2015

The history of Tembe Elephant Park in South Africa is a slightly unusual one. It is a good place for South African birders, as several species are found here and nowhere else in South Africa, and it holds a small number of endemics that it shares with the Mozambique lowlands. Tembe Elephant Park is a mosaic of savannah and forest.

South Africa 187

South Africa Elephants Africa Lions 187

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 29, 2013

So naturally, I got to thinking about kinglets, and their Palearctic kin, the “crests,” and where they belong in the avian family tree. The family Regulidae comprises six small, hyperactive species that range through the great boreal and temperate forests North and Middle America, North Africa, and Eurasia.

Family 235

Family Guatemala Japan Mexico 235

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 20, 2016

While much of East Africa is deforested, Uganda retains its trees, particularly in places like Bwindi Inpenetrable and Kibale National Parks, two of the largest and most important expanses of forest in the region. Bustards are another quintessential Old World family, with their deliberate gait, fat bodies and long, snaky necks.

Uganda 219

Uganda Africa Squirrels Tanzania 219

10,000 Birds

JUNE 5, 2020

Badenhorst Family Wines. Cockatoos aren’t even from Africa, of course, but we’ve got better things to do than ponder the provenance of a caged parrot – like open this bottle. Badenhorst Family Wines – The Curator White Blend (2016) appeared first on 10,000 Birds. The Curator is an annual release from A.A. The post A.A.

2016 204

2016 Family ADI 2008 204

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 16, 2012

Ourselves, for instance; just consider how many sweet or gritty stories you’ve seen about Olympic athletes’ family backgrounds over the last few weeks. We’re going to look at its family tree today, at where it fits in the grand avian assemblage, at what makes it at once unique yet not so alone after all. But not all.

Family 215

Family Guatemala Stray Humane 215

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 13, 2011

My home country of South Africa can only be described as a birding paradise! The Cape Rockjumper (here a female) is best sought at Rooiels, on the east coast of South Africa, north of Cape Town. They have been considered sunbirds, Australasian honeyeaters and thrushes before being placed in their own family, Promeropidae.

South Africa 258

South Africa Lesotho Swaziland Africa 258

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 20, 2014

’s bird family tree in a new tab and follow along as you read. In 2008, Nick Sly published a review of Hackett et al. titled Avian relationships – What do we know? Now it’s late 2014, six and a half years later, and here’s what we know today. Open Jarvis et al.’s Ratites, Tinamous, and Fowl.

Family 279

Family Parrots 2014 Birds 279

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 21, 2015

I’ve not made spectacular progress writing up my trip to Africa earlier this year, so perhaps I should get on that. So instead let’s talk about South Africa’s best kept birding secret (at least outside of the country) Wakkerstroom. Possibly the prettiest member of the family to my mind.

South Africa 145

South Africa Africa Falcons Family 145

10,000 Birds

JUNE 12, 2012

Before self-rule it was administered by South Africa and known as South-West Africa. After a brutal colonization that included genocidal campaigns against the Herero (80% killed) and Nama (50% killed) tribes, the Germans lost control when South Africa invaded soon after the declaration of the First World War.

Namibia 272

Namibia Angola Lovebirds South Africa 272

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 26, 2021

I did that with Peacocks & Picathartes – Reflections on Africa’s birdlife (published by Penguin Random House South Africa ). In case you didn’t know, yes, there is an indigenous peacock living in Africa, the Congo Peafowl. When was the last time you chose a book by its covers? Some are incredibly rare and hard to find.

Congo 264

Congo Africa Madagascar Kenya 264

10,000 Birds

MAY 10, 2024

I have encountered a few of the more quirky members of the family, including the brilliant and aptly-named African Emerald Cuckoo, India’s ultra-shy Sirkeer Malkoha, and the fascinating Lesser Ground Cuckoo in Costa Rica. I wonder whether birds that breed in Europe ever meet up with those nest in southern Africa?

Cyprus 246

Cyprus Africa Europe Asia 246

10,000 Birds

MAY 31, 2011

I must be home-sick because last weekend I found myself browsing through my “SASOL Birds of Southern Africa&#. This was tough because this excluded species that occur in two countries within South Africa’s geographical area, Lesotho and Swaziland. The korhaans are a group of small bustards and South Africa has 7 species.

South Africa 257

South Africa Africa Swaziland Parrots 257

10,000 Birds

MARCH 18, 2021

A typical description of the family is that of “a tropical African and Asian songbird that typically has a melodious voice and drab plumage”, another is “small, dull-colored passerine birds of Asia and Africa”, yet another states that they are “often rather plain” Individual species get even harsher reviews. .”

South Africa 278

South Africa Malaysia Africa China 278

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 30, 2014

And at last the family Malaconotidae will show up on a 10,000 Birds search. The Malaconotidae are Bush-Shrikes, a family endemic to the continent of Africa and were split from the Laniidae Shrikes after it was shown that they were sufficiently different to warrant a new branch. Try it for yourselves; Bokmakierie.

South Africa 241

South Africa Africa Family Birds 241

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 10, 2012

The family Picathartidae consists of two very unusual birds; White-necked or Yellow-headed Picathartes , endemic to the Upper Guinea forests of West Africa; and Gray-necked or Red-headed , restricted to Lower Guinea forests of Central Africa. They are also believed to be related to the Rail-Babbler of Tropical Asia.

Sierra Leone 274

Sierra Leone Ghana Equatorial Guinea Cameroon 274

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 12, 2014

It’s a month to I go traveling in Africa again, but between that date and now I have a massive project to deliver, which has reached the ‘invading my dreams’ level of panic. Some African Skimmers pass by some African Buffalo.

Uganda 250

Uganda Madagascar Buffalo Africa 250

10,000 Birds

APRIL 29, 2015

I’m a big fan of the antelopes, a group that is most commonly associated with Africa but which also occurs in Asia and, if you stretch the term to be cladistically meaningful, Europe and North America. By this I mean applying the term antelope to cover all of the family Bovidae, which would include the sheep, goats and ox.

Africa 224

Africa Wolves Goats Sheep 224

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 23, 2023

At vulture family gatherings, it is always a bit of a bother for the organizers to cater to the needs of the Palm Nut Vulture. It can have up to 8000 pieces and takes 3 to 6 weeks to complete” ( source ). The name is dutch-german for hammerhead. If you are a hammerhead, does everything look like a nail to you?

South Africa 147

South Africa Africa 2018 Birds 147

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 11, 2012

I’m sure you’ve all heard of Africa’s famous Big Five , but do you know there is also an equally fascinating Little Five ? Africa is famous for its large, charismatic mammals, and the Big Five epitomize the most sought-after of these fantastic beasts. This blog post will discuss both the Big and Little members of these quintuplets.

Rhinoceros 246

Rhinoceros Buffalo Leopards Elephants 246

10,000 Birds

MARCH 13, 2012

With this quote I have the pleasure of introducing my home province (state) for this month’s 10,000 Bird’s Africa Beat. mi (almost exactly the same size as Indiana), it is one of the smaller provinces of South Africa, but is the second most densely populated with over 10 million inhabitants. At 36,433 sq. Image by Hugh Chittenden.

Mozambique 245

Mozambique South Africa Africa Collecting 245

10,000 Birds

MAY 21, 2014

I love babblers, and whether you treat them as a single family or several (and I understand the jury keeps getting called back on that one), its a hard family not to like. Babblers are a diverse family or group of families, but when you say babbler I think of birds that are a) highly social and b) quite noisy.

Malaysia 247

Malaysia Squirrels Asia Africa 247

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 23, 2020

I feel that like most bird families (with the obvious exception of pheasants), buntings are somewhat underrated. The Little Bunting – as the name suggests – is probably the cutest of the family. I am particularly fond of Tristam`s Bunting – maybe the smartest-looking of the family. In other words, they are my kind of birds.

South Africa 254

South Africa China Germany Family 254

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2022

A family motel and passion for responsible ecotourism brought her home to the Oregon Coast where she and her husband, Erik, adventure and record a podcast ( Hannah and Erik Go Birding ), created in an effort to inspire others to get out and bird. It is an extremely popular fundraising project with an almost cult-like following.

South Africa 264

South Africa Mice Albatross Africa 264

10,000 Birds

APRIL 13, 2013

Fynbos is the distinctive vegetation type of the Cape region of South Africa. The Southern Double-collared Sunbird, Cinnyris chalybeus, flourishes amongst the fynbos but, unlike some of its close family, is not restricted to this habitat. It is characterised by plant communities such as Ericas, Aloes and Proteas.

South Africa 250

South Africa Africa Collecting Family 250

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 8, 2013

What a way to sum up what is undoubtedly one of the world’s greatest birding sites and certainly my favorite in southern Africa. A family of endangered Wattled Cranes might be a highlight of the lower sections of the Sani Pass road, by Adam Riley. The endemic Bush Blackcap is now placed in the babbler family, photo by Adam Riley .

Lesotho 225

Lesotho Rats Africa Woodpeckers 225

10,000 Birds

JUNE 20, 2022

The Bearded Woodpecker (Mkuze, South Africa) does not really look any more bearded than many other woodpeckers. The name of the Cardinal Woodpecker (Letaba, South Africa) is misleading, as not all of them are Catholic or even cardinals. It is the most widespread woodpecker in Africa, claims the HBW. ”).

Woodpeckers 264

Woodpeckers South Africa China Singapore 264

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 14, 2012

True geese belong to the tribe or sub-family Anserini within the larger family Anatidae that encompasses ducks, geese and swans. And the Magpie Geese of the same country are believed to be neither ducks nor geese nor swans and are now placed within their own family Anseranatidae.

Geese 237

Geese Ducks Botswana Madagascar 237

10,000 Birds

MARCH 8, 2011

Growing up within an hour of one of the world’s premier shorebird destinations -- West Coast National Park in South Africa -- helped for sure. Filming the plovers of Estero Lagoon Plovers are a significant part of the shorebird family, comprising 66 species worldwide. Firstly, shorebirds present a significant ID challenge.

Florida 238

Florida South Africa 2011 Africa 238

10,000 Birds

MAY 24, 2020

Trogons and quetzals are an ancient, colorful bird family that occurs in forests and other wooded habitats from the American tropics to Africa to Southeast Asia. Bright and sociable, Green Jays are a joy to watch as they move around wooded habitats in tight family flocks in search of large insects, seed, and fruit.

America 264

America Arizona North America Texas 264

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 12, 2015

I get that you’re really angry, I mean, he was a popular lion and yes, his cute widdle cubs will probably die to, but I can’t help feeling you’ve kind of missed the point a bit, and well, ending all hunting in Africa will not solve much and maybe make things worse and… No, no, I’m not a hunter. I’m sorry.

Lions 257

Lions Sierra Leone Hunting Buffalo 257

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 23, 2016

There are few families of birds where despite a cosmopolitan distribution I’m always so pleased to see any species of the family. The species is a common one, found from the Gambia to Somalia and from the Sudan to South Africa. Who doesn’t love a good owl? owls aren’t rare, but they are seldom easy.

Owls 223

Owls Somalia Gambia Sudan 223

10,000 Birds

MARCH 16, 2016

Madikwe , in South Africa, wasn’t a site of importance before it came into existence. And so South Africa’s fifth largest park came to be (it’s worth remembering that its largest park, Kruger, is the size of Israel) on marginal land that no one in particular could do much with. There are very few trees left.

South Africa 189

South Africa Leopards Giraffes Africa 189

10,000 Birds

MARCH 18, 2015

Two of them will be familiar to anyone that has birded in Africa (and possibly further afield), the Egyptian Goose and Helmeted Guineafowl. This Cape Francolin was raising a family less than a hundred metres from the main gate. Olive Thrushes have recently been split and are now confined to Southern Africa. I don’t know.

Africa 243

Africa South Africa Mongoose Birds 243