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Yes, it can be... I felt the beak was not right.. maybe it is the position the bird is in?


Cheers
Charbel

Hi all - this Weaver (I assume ) has me a little confused at the moment and I would appreciate your input. It was seen down in Durban.

Sizewise it was a big Weaver (similar to Cape/Golden Weaver size)- it had a very bright yellow head, neck and chest so my first thought was Golden Weaver (but those have a pale eye and black bill). I then possibly thought Yellow Weaver, but again the eye colour and greenish back (and size)are not really in line with that. Juvenile Spectacled Weaver is also a possibility as these were around but this bird just looked appreciably larger than that species and the eye colour is again wrong. Any ideas?



Weaver by trevor.charters, on Flickr

@TrevorC: Looks like immature Spectacled Weaver to me.
Eyes start out brown and will go pale as it ages. Think the light makes the eye appear a bit paler than what it actually is.
The bill darkens progressively and will become black eventually.

Thanks Johan - I was leaning that way as there were many around that area where I took the picture.
Just the general size of the bird had me questioning my ID as it appeared visably larger than the adult Spectacled Weavers I saw.

Ok I am very sure about this guy being a Fiery-Necked Nightjar seen on the S100 in Satara.

It isn't European, we saw plenty of them there and the pure size and colouration difference rules them out.

No white outer tail feathers or distinct white covert panels on the wings, which in my opinion rules out Square Tailed.






Here is an European seen on the same road:

Really trying hard to manufacture another lifer, hey Daan?

At least I want to make sure of my ID before just adding it to me life list.

I have two problems with this particular bird in trying to turn it into a Fiery-necked. The angle doesn't show the extend of the neck, but I can't see the rufous collar extending all around the neck.

I also seem to see buff colouration along the outer part of the tail feathers, especially high up along the bird's tail.

I would lean towards female Square-tailed here.

Anyone???

@ Arks

Its a toss up between spike heeled and eastern long billed.

How big was it?

Spike heeled is sparrow sized and long billed is about thrush sized.

I'm thinking spike heeled, as the belly is quite rufus.

Thanks, adrian It's hard to remember size three months after, but here's the uncropped image. From this, I'd think that it's more thrush sized than sparrow?

Puzzling over this one Is it perchance a house martin? Seen at Mokala in late October 2012.

Looks like a Pearl-breasted Swallow, Arks.

House-Martin has "white socks" on its feet.

Pearl-breasted

Thanks WTM and Ladybirder.

@WTM: I never knew about those 'socks' , but now that I look more closely at the pic in my Newman's, I see the little white feet. Thanks for teaching me something new -- yet again!