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Thanks so much for all your help in IDing these birdies.

They are all firsts for me, or if I have actually seen them before, I didn't realise it.

I will have to go back to all the other photos of birds that I have from previous visits and try to ID them now.

Now what are you saying actually? You disagree with my ID on Black Crowned Tchagra?

Okay so let's try again!

Black-crowned Tchagra has a black forehead, the one in the pic is not black (this is the area above the beak)...
Black-crowned Tchagra has an obvious black crown also visible from the side, which is not the case of the one in the pic.
So yes I disagree this is not a Black-crowned Tchagra but rather a Brown-crowned Tchagra...

Thanks Lizet.. Nou verstaan ek!!

Oi - the LBJ's Saw this little one in the South of KNP last weekend:

I think its a rattling cisticola.

It is a Rattling Cisticola. If you see a Cisticola in the Kruger, 99% of the time it's a Rattler.

Need some help with these 3 LBJ's - all 3 seen in high montane rocky grassland area at Suikerbosrand in Gauteng so the habitat should rule out many of the species

The first 2 cisticolas were very close together so I had initially ID'd them both as Wailing Cisticola, but looking at the photos I am now not sure - could be Lazy?


Cisticola 2 by trevor.charters, on Flickr



Cisticola by trevor.charters, on Flickr

Than this Pipit a little further along - I was thinking Long-billed. Just did not look like Africn to me at the time. Sorry - not the greatest photo


Pipit by trevor.charters, on Flickr

Thanks for your help

Not too sure about the first one, could be Wailing or Levaillant's, you get them both in that area of Suikerbosrand. The second one does look like a Lazy Cistocola, which is quite an uncommon bird at Suikerbosrand. The 3rd one is a Long-billed Pipit.

I definitely agree on the second cisticola being Lazy. For me the diagnostic features of this bird are the beak. In lazy the bill is always slightly downturned in a mean kind of way. The second thing to look for is the colouring on the back, where gray predominates, especially on the shoulders almost like a Nedicky, but a bigger bird.

The first cisticola I am quite happy with wailing cisticola as the correct ID, as the rufus extends from the head to behind the neck. Levilant's would have far more black on the back.

As for the pipit... PASS

You must be careful with using the fact that the back isn't black to rule out Levaillant's, especially at this time of year, as the non-breading Levailant's has a more brown than black back. Also the fact that it has a more rufous crown that extends to the back of the neck I would think points more towards Levaillant's than Wailing. Knowing Suikerbosrand quite well, you do get both in that area, but Levaillant's is definitely more numerous. For me I just can't see enough from this picture to make a completely positive ID, but Levaillant's definitely must not be ruled out, and in fact I think it's more likely that this bird is a Levaillant's Cisticola.

You sure can... look for a subterminal dark band in the tail... one of the two has it, the other not. Also, the rufous crown for one is more blotchy / mottled in one than the other...

Thanks for the feedback guys

Johan - what would your best guess be for the ID's?

I am just a relative beginner birder, but the habitat just does not seem right for Levaillant's - this was at roughly the highest point on the mountain drive far away from any moist habitat where I would normally expect Levaillant's. That was my only reason for excluding it initially - which is probably not a good idea I know
A a few 100 metres earlier I thought I had heard the Wailing call so that was why I first thought these we both Wailings.

Thanks JvR, the unstreaked crown was one of the features pointing me towards Levaillant's, but I completely forgot to looks for a subterminal band, or lack thereof in this case. So Levaillant's Cisticola it is.

Yip the habitat isn't typical for Levaillant's there, but for some reason there are plenty of Lavaillant's Cisticolas in that area of Suikerbosrand. It is very likely that you did hear Wailing there, as you do get them there quite regularly, but there are definitely more Levaillant's there. You must be very careful with IDing Cisticolas at Suikerbosrand.