27-5-2019 SOMALISA CAMP, ZIMBABWE - GUINEAFOWL BUTTERFLY (Hamanumida daedalus)

The genus Hamanumida comprises of a single species – daedalus, which is popularly known as the Guineafowl due to its colour and pattern which resembles that of the guineafowl bird.

Hamanumida daedalus is widespread across Africa including Madagascar. It also occurs in the Arab states.

This is a grassland / savannah species found at altitudes between sea level and about 800m. It is associated mainly with dry, rocky grassland where there are scattered bushes and trees, but also rapidly colonises abandoned agricultural land.

The primary larval foodplant is Combretum, but Terminalia and Tectona (teak) are also used.

The butterflies are normally seen singly or in two’s and three’s. Males will mud-puddle at the edges of fords and small streams, but both sexes are more commonly seen aggregating at the top of hills where courtship and copulation take place. They fly very low over the ground, and frequently settle to bask on bare ground or on rocks or boulders. At all times they remain very alert, taking flight at the slightest disturbance.

Hamanumida daedalus, the guineafowl butterfly, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae and only member of the genus Hamanumida.

It is found in the Afrotropical realm (Natal, Eswatini, Transvaal, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, tropical Africa (dry lowland areas) and southwest Arabia).

The wingspan is 55–65 mm for males and 60–78 mm for females. Adults are on wing year-round, with peaks in midwinter and summer.

The larvae feed on Combretum and Terminalia species.

27-5-2019 SOMALISA CAMP, ZIMBABWE - AFRICAN GREY HORNBILL (Lophoceros nasutus)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_grey_hornbill

27-5-2019 SOMALISA CAMP, ZIMBABWE - SOUTHERN GREATER KUDU (MALE) (Tragelaphus Strepsiceros)

The greater kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros) is a large woodland antelope, found throughout eastern and southern Africa. Despite occupying such widespread territory, they are sparsely populated in most areas due to declining habitat, deforestation, and poaching. The greater kudu is one of two species commonly known as kudu, the other being the lesser kudu, T. imberbis.

Kudu (/kuːduː/ koo-DOO), or koodoo, is the Khoikhoi name for this antelope. Trag- (Greek) denotes a goat and elaphos (Greek) a deer. Strepho (Greek) means 'twist', and strepsis is 'twisting'. Keras (Greek) refers to the horn of the animal.

Greater kudus have a narrow body with long legs, and their coats can range from brown/bluish grey to reddish brown. They possess between 4 and 12 vertical white stripes along their torso. The head tends to be darker in colour than the rest of the body, and exhibits a small white chevron which runs between the eyes. Greater kudu bulls tend to be much larger than the cows, and vocalize much more, utilizing low grunts, clucks, humming, and gasping. The bulls also have beards running along their throats, and large horns with two and a half twists, which, were they to be straightened, would reach an average length of 120 cm (47 in), with the record being 187.64 cm (73.87 in). They diverge slightly as they slant back from the head. The horns do not begin to grow until the bull is between the ages of 6–12 months. The horns form the first spiral rotation at around 2 years of age, and not reaching the full two and a half rotations until they are 6 years old; occasionally they may even have 3 full turns.

The greater kudu is one of the largest species of antelope, being slightly smaller than the bongo. Bulls weigh 190–270 kg (420–600 lb), with a maximum of 315 kg (694 lb), and stand up to 160 cm (63 in) tall at the shoulder. The ears of the greater kudu are large and round. Cows weigh 120–210 kg (260–460 lb) and stand as little as 100 cm (39 in) tall at the shoulder; they are hornless, without a beard or nose markings. The head-and-body length is 185–245 cm (6.07–8.04 ft), to which the tail may add a further 30–55 cm (12–22 in).

27-5-2019 SOMALISA CAMP, ZIMBABWE - SOUTHERN GREATER KUDU (FEMALE) (Tragelaphus Strepsiceros)

The greater kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros) is a large woodland antelope, found throughout eastern and southern Africa. Despite occupying such widespread territory, they are sparsely populated in most areas due to declining habitat, deforestation, and poaching. The greater kudu is one of two species often known as kudu, the other being the lesser kudu, T.imberbis.

The range of the greater kudu extends from the east in Ethiopia, Tanzania, Eritrea and Kenya into the south where they are found in Zambia, Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa. Other regions where greater kudu are located are Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Eswatini, Malawi, Mozambique, Somalia, and Uganda.[8] They have also been introduced in small numbers into New Mexico, but were never released into the wild. Their habitat includes mixed scrub woodlands (the greater kudu is one of the few largest mammals that prefer living in settled areas – in scrub woodland and bush on abandoned fields and degraded pastures, mopane bush and acacia in lowlands, hills and mountains. They will occasionally venture onto plains only if there is a large abundance of bushes, but normally avoid such open areas to avoid becoming an easy target for their predators. Their diet consists of leaves, grass, shoots and occasionally tubers, roots and fruit (they are especially fond of oranges and tangerines).

27-5-2019 SOMALISA CAMP, ZIMBABWE - GREY GO AWAY BIRD (Corythaixoides concolor)

27-5-2019 SOMALISA CAMP, ZIMBABWE - GREATER BLUE EARED STARLING (Lamprotornis chalybaeus)

The Greater Blue-eared Starling is a medium-sized, glossy bird found in sub-Saharan Africa that has bright, iridescent blue-green plumage with a distinctive blue ear-patch and a yellow or orange eye. It is an omnivorous, diurnal bird that eats fruit and insects, is highly gregarious, and often forms large flocks or roosts, sometimes reaching over 300 individuals. This species is known for its musical and grating calls, with a distinctive nasal "squee-ar" contact call. 

Appearance

Size: About 21-24 cm long.

Plumage: Glossy blue-green with a purple-blue belly and a blue ear-patch. It has a blue-black mask-like patch around its eyes.

Eyes: Bright yellow or orange irises.

Juveniles: Duller than adults, with brown undertones. 

Habitat and range

Habitat: Open woodland and savanna.

Range: Native to much of sub-Saharan Africa, from Senegal east to Ethiopia and south through eastern Africa to northeastern South Africa and Angola. 

Behavior and diet

Diet: Omnivorous, feeding on insects, fruits, and sometimes nectar or cereal grains.

Foraging: Often forages on the ground by hopping and can also scavenge from human food sources.

Social behavior: Highly gregarious, often seen in flocks. They may gather in large numbers, sometimes over 300, at fruiting trees or communal roosts.

Vocalizations: Has a range of calls, but is most known for a nasal "squee-ar" contact call. 

Other facts

Breeding: They are sometimes a host for the great spotted cuckoo.

Conservation status: The population is suspected to be stable.

27-5-2019 SOMALISA CAMP, ZIMBABWE - GREATER BLUE EARED STARLING (Lamprotornis chalybaeus)

The Greater Blue-eared Starling is a medium-sized, glossy bird found in sub-Saharan Africa that has bright, iridescent blue-green plumage with a distinctive blue ear-patch and a yellow or orange eye. It is an omnivorous, diurnal bird that eats fruit and insects, is highly gregarious, and often forms large flocks or roosts, sometimes reaching over 300 individuals. This species is known for its musical and grating calls, with a distinctive nasal "squee-ar" contact call. 

Appearance

Size: About 21-24 cm long.

Plumage: Glossy blue-green with a purple-blue belly and a blue ear-patch. It has a blue-black mask-like patch around its eyes.

Eyes: Bright yellow or orange irises.

Juveniles: Duller than adults, with brown undertones. 

Habitat and range

Habitat: Open woodland and savanna.

Range: Native to much of sub-Saharan Africa, from Senegal east to Ethiopia and south through eastern Africa to northeastern South Africa and Angola. 

Behavior and diet

Diet: Omnivorous, feeding on insects, fruits, and sometimes nectar or cereal grains.

Foraging: Often forages on the ground by hopping and can also scavenge from human food sources.

Social behavior: Highly gregarious, often seen in flocks. They may gather in large numbers, sometimes over 300, at fruiting trees or communal roosts.

Vocalizations: Has a range of calls, but is most known for a nasal "squee-ar" contact call. 

Other facts

Breeding: They are sometimes a host for the great spotted cuckoo.

Conservation status: The population is suspected to be stable.

27-5-2019 SOMALISA CAMP, ZIMBABWE - COMMON IMPALA (FEMALE) (Aepyceros melampus ssp. melampus)

The impala or rooibok (Aepyceros melampus, lit. 'black-footed high-horn' in Ancient Greek) is a medium-sized antelope found in eastern and southern Africa. The only extant member of the genus Aepyceros, and tribe Aepycerotini, it was first described to Europeans by German zoologist Hinrich Lichtenstein in 1812. Two subspecies are recognised—the grassland-dwelling common impala (sometimes referred to as the Kenyan impala), and the larger and darker black-faced impala, which lives in slightly more arid, scrubland environments. The impala reaches 70–92 cm (28–36 in) at the shoulder and weighs 40–76 kg (88–168 lb). It features a glossy, reddish brown coat. The male's slender, lyre-shaped horns are 45–92 cm (18–36 in) long.

27-5-2019 SOMALISA CAMP, ZIMBABWE - COMMON GIRAFFE (Giraffa camelopardalisi)

27-5-2019 SOMALISA CAMP, ZIMBABWE - COMMON JOKER (Byblia anvatara ssp. acheloia)

The Common Joker Byblia achelonia is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae, found in Yemen, south-western Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, eastern Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, northern Namibia, Eswatini, South Africa: Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape. It has a wingspan of 38–43 mm in males and 40–45 mm in females and fly year-round. It is similar to the Spotted Joker Byblia ilithyi with both seen together at the Raydah escarpment in the southwest of the Kingdom, near Abha.

27-5-2019 SOMALISA CAMP, ZIMBABWE - WHITE BROWED SPARROW WEAVER (Plocepasser mahili)

27-5-2019 SOMALISA CAMP, ZIMBABWE - CAPPED WHEATEAR (Oenanthe pileata)

The capped wheatear (Oenanthe pileata) is a small insectivorous passerine bird that is widely distributed over southern Africa. It was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is now placed in the Old World flycatcher family, Muscicapidae.

The capped wheatear is 17–18 cm long and weighs 32 g. Its legs and pointed bill are black. This common species is striking and unmistakable in appearance. The adult has a black cap, cheeks and breast band, and white eye stripe and throat. The rest of the underparts are white with buff on the flanks and lower belly. Like other wheatears, it has a distinctive tail pattern with a black feathers on the base and centre of the tail forming an inverted T against the otherwise white rump. The juvenile has a brown cap and cheeks, and the breast band is weak and diffuse. However, the breast band, larger size, and white at the base of the outer tail feathers distinguish it from the migrant northern wheatear, which is rare over most of the capped wheatear's range.

This wheatear is found in open dry sandy and stony habitats and short grassland with a few bushes and termite mounds in Africa, from Kenya and Angola south to the Cape. It is largely non-migratory, but undertakes seasonal movements.

The capped wheatear's song is a loud melodic warble interspersed with slurred chattering, and it has a chik-chik alarm call. It is monogamous and builds a nest of straw, grass, and leaves in a hole in the ground or a termite mound. It may use man-made drainage pipes if available. Typically three or four, sometimes more, eggs are laid. This solitary species feeds on insects, especially ants. Like other wheatears, it perches on mounds and hops over the short grass, or flies low over the ground.

27-5-2019 SOMALISA CAMP, ZIMBABWE - BRADFIELD'S HORNBILL (Lophoceros bradfieldi)

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradfield%27s_hornbill

27-5-2019 SOMALISA CAMP, ZIMBABWE - CAPE BUFFALO (Syncerus caffer ssp. caffer)

27-5-2019 SOMALISA CAMP, ZIMBABWE - SOUTHERN CORDONBLEU (MALE) (Uraeginthus angolensis)

The blue waxbill (Uraeginthus angolensis), also called southern blue waxbill, blue-breasted waxbill, southern cordon-bleu, blue-cheeked cordon-bleu, blue-breasted cordon-bleu and Angola cordon-bleu, is a common species of estrildid finch found in Southern Africa. It is also relatively commonly kept as an aviary bird.

The blue waxbill has powder-blue face, breast, rump, and flanks with pale brown upperparts. The female is paler than the male and the blue is confined to the rump, tail, head, and upper breast, with the rest of the underparts being buffy brown. They measure 12–13 cm in length.

The call is a soft 'seee-seee', often repeated as bird flits through the lower parts of bush and scrub.

The blue waxbill occurs in southern Africa from Cabinda and the Congo to Kenya and Tanzania in the east south to northern South Africa. It may have been introduced to the islands of São Tomé and to Zanzibar.

The blue waxbill occurs in a variety of habitats but generally prefers well-watered and semi-arid savanna, particularly where umbrella thorns Vachellia tortilis grow, also occupying natural growth in cultivated land, mopane Colosphermum mopane and forest edges.

27-5-2019 SOMALISA CAMP, ZIMBABWE - BLACKSMITH LAPWING (Vanellus armatus)

The Blacksmith lapwing is a large, boldly patterned bird from sub-Saharan Africa, named for its metallic "tink-tink" call that resembles a blacksmith's hammer. It is identifiable by its black, white, and gray plumage, red eyes, and long legs. These birds are highly territorial and aggressive in defending their nests, using a sharp spur on their wings for defense and sometimes attacking much larger animals. 

Physical description

Plumage: A striking black, white, and gray pattern, with a black head and breast, and a white forehead and belly.

Size: Medium-sized, about 30 cm long with long legs.

Unique features: Red eyes and a sharp carpal (wrist) spur used for defense.

Coloration: Juveniles are brownish and spotted, providing camouflage. 

27-5-2019 SOMALISA CAMP, ZIMBABWE - COMMON WATERBUCK (MALE) (Kobus ellipsiprymnus ssp. ellipsiprymnus)