Quail Finch
Gewone Kwartelvinkie
Ortygospiza atricollis
Habitat: Open short grassveld, vleis, edges of dams and pans, open grassy hillsides and dry Kalahari sandplains.
Habits: In pairs when breeding, otherwise, gregarious in small flocks of up to 20 or more birds. Entirely terrestrial and very hard to see. It sits close, taking off at one's feet with clinking calls, usually flying with erratic jerky flight for some distance before landing while nesting birds take off without calling. Forages on ground, catches termites in flight and drinks frequently. Flies high between feeding grounds. When displaying the male flies high then plummets to the ground with a clinking song.
Food: Seeds, insects and spiders.
A lifer for me recently but haven't seen one since. She was on her own at a mud pool but quite happy in our presence.
Oh and PS: the reason we found her was because we stopped to have a look at a jackal's dung when she flew in next to it
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