tags: Gray Wren-warbler, Zambia Wren-warbler, Western Wren-warbler, Calamonastes simplex, Lesser Striped Swallow, Striped Swallow, Hirundo abyssinica, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird]Gray Wren-warbler (perched), also known as a Zambia Wren-warbler or Western Wren-warbler, Calamonastes simplex, and a Lesser Striped Swallow (flying), also known as a Striped Swallow, Hirundo abyssinica, photographed near the Pangani River Camp, Tanzania, Africa. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Dan Logen, 14 January 2010 [larger view].
Nikon D300s, 600 mm VR lens. ISO 640, 1/640 sec, f/5, Exposure Compensation +3.7.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
You've seen one of these two African mystery bird species before, and it closely resembles a North American species as well, so you should be able to ID that bird to genus, at least (I admit that the other one is going to be challenging)
Life Science
Education
Comments
I will give people a clue. These are two different species of birds.
Posted by: Dan Logen | July 18, 2010 1:31 AM
Thanks for that, Dan! The hirundine is fairly straight forward, there is only one with these markings. The other is a problem as I can't see enough detail on it to fully eliminate some similar species. I think it's a Babbler though.
Posted by: Adrian | July 18, 2010 5:12 AM
Are there any more images available? I am from the states but this looks very much like a photo my mother has from the philippine islands of what was an unidentified scarlet headed bird from the 70s. It was rather huge.
Posted by: Utah Flower Girl | July 18, 2010 7:30 AM
No further clues? OK I'll go for broke. Brown Babbler and Lesser Striped Swallow. Am I right?
Posted by: Adrian | July 18, 2010 2:17 PM
Adrian, you get half credit! The smaller bird is dwarfed by the swallow. The Brown Babbbler should be about the same size as the swallow. Also the bill on the babbler would be thicker than the more delicate bill on this bird--better seen on the larger image.
Also, the Brown Babbler does not occur in the area of Pangani River Camp, according to range map in Stevenson.
The bird in question occurs only in the north eastern part of Tanzania, so Pangani River Camp would be a great place to search for this bird if you need it on your Tanzania list.
So, we have a small brownish-grey bird with a relatively delicate bill, found in Northeast Tanzania, not far from Kenya.
Sorry, Utah Flower Girl, I don't have any better images.
Posted by: Dan Logen | July 19, 2010 2:03 AM
Have a picture of an almost identical (as far as I can make out) bird in the Princeton series of African birds (southern), Dan, only with a red eye! Your photo made me smile, to see the contrast in size between the swallow and its tiny friend. Do you or Adrian have a book on African birds that you might recommend ?
Posted by: Murray | July 30, 2010 9:56 PM