Tuesday 15 May 2018
4-4-2018 PHINDA GAME RESERVE, SOUTH AFRICA - YELLOW THROATED LONGCLAW (Macronyx croceus)
The yellow-throated longclaw (Macronyx croceus) is a species of bird in the family Motacillidae. It is found in Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Its natural habitats are dry savanna, subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland, and sandy shores.
A large pipit-like bird with golden-yellow underparts and eyebrow, and a circular broad black necklace emphasizing the yellow throat. The upperparts are subdued streaky brown and the outer tail corners are white, which is a key feature in flight. Pairs occupy grassland and grassy savanna, especially close to water, or when it is flooded. The species often perches up to sing a strongly whistled “chuuu-ew” and variations thereof. The smaller Fülleborn's Longclaw differs from Yellow-throated Longclaw by lacking any streaking on the breast below the black necklace.
Yellow-throated longclaws are passerine birds, which means that they like to stand or perch on trees, branches, and even fence posts. They are most often solitary or with a partner, foraging for insects on the ground. In addition to their namesake long claws, these birds also have long tails that they swish back and forth frequently. Their nests are built on the ground and they lay up to four speckled eggs. They grow to 20 cm (8 in) long.
These birds are endemic to many African countries, such as Angola, Burkina Faso, Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Zambia, and Zimbabwe among others.
Yellow-throated longclaws love to forage on the ground, plucking its food from the ground. However, it may occasionally catch prey in flight. It feeds on insects and invertebrates, such as grasshoppers, moths, ants, mantids, millipedes, beetles, worms, mollusks, and arthropods.
These birds are monogamous and will only seek a new mate if their partner dies. During courtship, the males perform an aerial display, flying slowly in a circle with its tails spread wide.
Their breeding season happens from September to March, peaking in November to January. The females build the nest, a thick wall of grass stems and blades, bordered by more delicate rootlets and grass. Since they are ground-nesters, they hide their nest by concealing it with rank grass, leaving an ample-sized hole as their entrance.
The female lays 1-4 gray colored eggs, solely incubated by the female yellow-throated longneck for about two weeks. The parents jointly feed the chicks. Their juveniles leave the nest about three weeks after they hatch or when they already able to run fast against predators.
Monday 14 May 2018
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