Truly African Birds Found in South Africa

[Lisbeth]

I can understand why

The skin/bones under the wings look strange

[Lisbeth]

[Lisbeth]

IMG_4477.JPG (224.31 KiB) Viewed 282 times

[Klipspringer]

Lisbeth and Richprins have seen young birds.

[Richprins]

Klippies!

[Klipspringer]

Southern Ground-hornbills nest in natural cavities in trees and occasionally in rock or earth-bank cavities, requiring an internal cavity diameter ≥40 cm. This demands relatively large trees, such as Ficus sycomorus and Diosypros mespiliformis along watercourses and Sclerocarya birrea and Adansonia digitata away from drainage lines. Combretum imberbe, a tree species with exceptionally hard wood is also frequently used for nesting. Once a suitable nest site has been selected, the alpha female spends approximately five hours a day in the cavity, preparing the inside of the nest. During this time, the alpha male and the helpers bring dried leaves and food items for the alpha female.

The onset of breeding behaviour is governed by food availability and is usually prompted by the first heavy summer rains, with egg-laying typically between August and January, peaking in October-November. Clutch size is small, 1-2 (rarely 3) eggs, laid 3-5 days apart, and incubation starts once the first egg is laid. Only the alpha female incubates the eggs and broods the chicks, being fed at the nest by the alpha male and, to a lesser extent, by the helpers. After an incubation period of roughly 42 days, the eggs hatch and the female begins feeding the chicks whole food items. Generally, only one chick fledges per season. If two eggs hatch, the second chick dies after a few days from dehydration and starvation due to parental neglect and competition with its older and thus larger sibling.

At fledging, after a nestling period of around 86 days, the chick leaves the nest and does not return. For the first year, the chick is accompanied constantly by a sub-adult and remains with, and is fed by, members of the group. Thereafter, juveniles remain with the parental group for several years, exhibiting a prolonged post-fledging dependency and delayed maturity (estimated age of 5-6 years for both males and females, with breeding attempts only occurring much later). Upon reaching maturity and after having obtained their full facial colouring, females tend to disperse from their natal group in search of another group or to start a new group themselves, with the first breeding attempts estimated to occur after birds are at least nine years old in South Africa.

Southern Ground-Hornbills typically have a slow reproductive output, with groups in the Kruger National Park fledging one chick in 49% of breeding attempts, and only 31% of fledged chicks surviving to maturity. Groups do not breed every year, and on average, only fledge one chick every 9.3 years. Studies in the Associated Private Nature Reserves have revealed social and environmental factors that influence the breeding performance
of Southern Ground-Hornbills, with results showing considerable inter-group variation in the frequency and success of breeding. During eight breeding seasons between 2001 and 2009, some groups bred and successfully fledged a chick every year, while others did not rear a single chick. Of 67 breeding attempts monitored, 51 (76%) were successful, with seven of the groups (30%) collectively contributing 60% of chick production.

https://open.uct.ac.za/bitstream/handle ... sequence=1

[Klipspringer]

Lybiidae - African Barbets

Formerly, the "barbets" have been classified in a single family, the Capitonidae (now the family for the New World bitds). However, this has turned out to be paraphyletic with regard to toucans. Toucans are merely a group of odd, large-billed barbets. This resulted in the Capitonidae being split into several families.
All "barbets" and toucans belong to the infraorder Ramphastides within the order Piciformes.
The Ramphastides contain five extant families:
Megalaimidae - Asian barbets
Lybiidae - African barbets
Capitonidae - New World barbets
Semnornithidae - toucan barbets
Ramphastidae - toucans

The African Barbet family contains 7 genera:
Genus Gymnobucco (4 species)
Genus Stactolaema (4 species)
Genus Pogoniulus (9 species) - tinkerbirds
Genus Buccanodon (2 species) – yellow-spotted barbets
Genus Tricholaema (6 species)
Genus Lybius (12 species)
Genus Trachyphonus (6 species) - terrestrial barbets

All of them are very pretty

[Lisbeth]

That's a lot of different African barbets

I only have pics of crested barbets....I think

[Lisbeth]

Crested barbet.JPG (105.09 KiB) Viewed 250 times

[Lisbeth]

Not a great shot, but I found a black-collared one

IMG_4085.JPG (84.29 KiB) Viewed 246 times

IMG_4088.JPG (121.51 KiB) Viewed 247 times