Thoughts

Rufous Bushchat, Cercotrichas Galactotes

By on Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Wagtail bird in my garden

Wagtail, originally uploaded by malyousif.



I don’t know what this bird is called, butI shot it in my garden next to the portulaca this morning. It’s got a habit of wagging its tail up and down.

Any idea what it is?
This lovely looking bird has been identified as a Rufous Bushchat, Cercotrichas Galactotes by Don Cox. Thanks Don!

updated 29/7/06@1100

18
Related Posts

Comments

  1. Sunrunner

    I dunno Mahmood, but it does look like it can run at a pretty good pace with those long legs and all. Sort of like a road runner (alter ego to the Wily Coyote)!

    Beep beep!

  2. mahmood

    I agree! I’m getting a lot of lovely birds in my garden these days, makes me wonder what it would be like once summer is over…

  3. Acad Ronin

    I do assume that when you say you shot it, you meant with a camera. 🙂

    On an semi-related matter: where can I find that absolutely breath-taking photo of yours of the dragonfly perched on your finger?

  5. Sunrunner

    Dragonflies are so gentle and beautiful! What a lovely series Mahmood.

    Now if only I could get the red Cardinal, who comes to the tree outsidee my window every evening to sing so beautifully, to sit still long enough to get a photo… he is so gorgeous, but apparently he would rather be heard than seen!

  6. bikeshed

    he’s a cutie…the bird, I meant…with the big tail, scrawny legs and go-faster stripes on his feathers…I somehow remember it as meep meep

  7. Bahrainiac

    If it’s the one I’m thinking of it’s rather small (2/3 the size of a sparrow) and the song is very beautiful. I don’t know what they are called either. Any orithologists around here???

  8. mahmood

    Bahrainiac, you must be talking about this guy:

    Waggy tail bird

    And you’re right, it sings beatifully and it loves the nectar of the flowering agave and likes to hide in the golden ficus bush.

    I would like to know the name of this little guy too. The one in the post’s picture is about double the size and is quite different.

  9. Acad Ronin

    Thanks Mahmood for posting the photo. For a number of reasons it gives one hope.

  10. Louisa

    Mahmood you need to get a local bird reference book, they’re v useful for identifying. Your pic looks very like a Babbler (family Pomatostomidae) although the legs seem to be a bit longer than the one we have here, where they are usually seen in loud chattering groups of about a dozen (hence their nickname 12 Apostle birds) Main identifying description is ‘ noisy active songbirds with bold white eyebrows. They live in groups and bound along the ground and up, through and down trees on strong legs calling continuously to each other. Sexes are similar.’
    Check Google for the above name and you could compare, although it does say that Australian Babblers are not closely related to Eurasian babblers.

  11. Bahrainiac

    Mahmood, I beleive you are correct. What is the size ratio between the two? I believe they are part of the same family.

  13. Kazarr

    Hm, this bird fellow reminds me of our local “Zaunkönig”; only difference is the body weight. German winter/common wrens (the english name of it) are more round shaped.
    But the eye coloring and the upstanding tail looks similiar. Maybe a subspecies.

  14. tooners

    aaah, I love birds! He’s a beauty. Just by the way he’s standing… makes me think of a blue jay. I miss the blue jays from Texas.

  15. Tina

    Beautiful bird–I noticed those long legs right away!! It looks somewhat similar to the thrush-type birds(robins, mockingbirds) we have here in Northeastern U.S.A.

Comments are closed.