2-1-2024 CALYPSO BAR, GAMBIA - BROAD BILLED ROLLER (Eurystomus glaucurus)

The broad-billed roller (Eurystomus glaucurus) is a member of the roller family of birds which breeds across tropical Africa and Madagascar in all but the driest regions. It is a wet season breeder, which migrates from the northern and southern areas of its range towards the moister equatorial belt in the dry season.

The broad-billed roller is 29–30 cm in length. It has a warm back and head, lilac foreneck and breast, with the rest of the plumage mainly brown. The broad bill is bright yellow. Sexes are similar, but the juvenile is a drabber version of the adult, with a pale breast. The broad-billed roller is striking in its strong direct flight, with the brilliant blues of the wings and tail contrasting with the brown back. The call of the broad-billed roller is a snarling k-k-k-k-k-r-r-r-r-r sound.

This is a species of open woodland with some tall trees, preferably near water. These rollers often perch prominently on trees, posts or overhead wires, like giant shrikes.

They are inactive for most of the day, apart from chasing intruders, but in late afternoon they hunt for the swarming ants and termites on which they feed, sometimes in groups of 100 or more rollers. They drink like swallows, dipping their bills into water in flight.

This bird nests in an unlined hole in a tree cavity, laying 2-3 eggs.

The Broad-billed Roller is monogamous unless its mate dies. In the event of a partner dying Eurystomus glaucurus will seek out a new mate

The nesting habit of Broad-billed Roller is to create the nest in a hole in a tree trunk. The bird lays eggs which are white in colour and number between 2 to 4

The preferred habitats for Broad-billed Roller are: forests and heavily treed regions

You will normally see the Broad-billed Roller by itself rather than in the company of birds of the same species.

3-1-2024 BAKAU, GAMBIA - HOODED VULTURE (Necrosyrtes monachus)

The hooded vulture, Necrosyrtes monachus, is one of the smallest of the Old World vultures. The species gets its common name from the cream-colored hood, formed from a patch of downy feathers, along the back of its neck to the crown of its head.

The small vulture is scruffy-looking and has a rather short, rounded tail. The male and female vultures appear similar, while females have longer eyelashes than males. Juveniles are similar in appearance to adults, only darker and plainer in color with a purple sheen.

The vulture’s face is usually pinkish-white in color, though it can flush red when agitated. It has dark brown plumage with a feathered nape and hind-neck. The hooded vulture’s long thin black bill leads into its bare face, crown, and foreneck.

Soaring above savannah and human settlements, the hooded vulture typically scavenges on carcasses from wildlife or domesticated animals. They also feed on grasshoppers, grubs, and locusts and congregate during the seasonal emergence of insects.

The hooded vulture feeds at low tide on mussels, lobsters, mollusks, and dead fish along the coast. When limited food is available, the species can go without food for several days by not excreting and in turn slowing down its metabolism. 

3-1-2024 BAKAU, GAMBIA - PLAIN TIGER BUTTERFLY (Danaus chrysippus)

Clearly a relative of the well known monarch, D. plexippus, this species is slightly smaller. Rather more widespread but very scarce in coastal areas of the Mediterranean from Spain to Greece. It has a world wide distribution.

There is almost no variation recorded across its vast worldwide range. There are exceptions in a few places such as east Africa where additional forms are present and appear to be controlled by Mendelian genetics - why the effect is localised is not clear.

Mediterranean coasts from Spain, where it is most frequent, to Greece, but absent from large parts of the cost. North Africa in Morocco to Tunisia where it can be found well inland. Seemingly greatly reduced in the Canary Islands now. Flies at all times of the year, with a period of relative inactivity in winter.

A powerful species, roaming widely. Frequents hot dry places.

3-1-2024 BAKAU, GAMBIA - YELLOW BILLED KITE (Milvus migrans ssp. parasitus)

The yellow-billed kite is the Afrotropic counterpart of the black kite, of which it is most often considered a subspecies. However, DNA studies suggest that the yellow-billed kite differs significantly from black kites in the Eurasian clade, and should be considered as a separate, allopatric species. 

2-1-2024 CALYPSO BAR, GAMBIA - COMMON SANDPIPER (Actitis hypoleucos)

The common sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos) is a small Palearctic wader. This bird and its American sister species, the spotted sandpiper (A. macularia), make up the genus Actitis. They are parapatric and replace each other geographically; stray birds of either species may settle down with breeders of the other and hybridize. Hybridization has also been reported between the common sandpiper and the green sandpiper, a basal species of the closely related shank genus Tringa.

The common sandpiper breeds across most of temperate and subtropical Europe and Asia, and migrates to Africa, southern Asia and Australia in winter. The eastern edge of its migration route passes by Palau in Micronesia, where hundreds of birds may gather for a stop-over. They depart the Palau region for their breeding quarters around the last week of April to the first week of May.

2-1-2024 CALYPSO BAR, GAMBIA - YELLOW CASQUED HORNBILL (Ceratogymna elata)

The yellow-casqued hornbill (Ceratogymna elata), also known as the yellow-casqued wattled hornbill, is found in the rainforest of coastal regions of West Africa, for example in Côte d'Ivoire. It is threatened by habitat loss.

The yellow-casqued hornbill is one of the largest birds of the West African forest, with adults weighing up to 2 kg (4.4 lb). They live mainly in the forest canopy, rarely feeding on the ground. They live in small family groups containing at least one adult male and female, with one or two immature birds, though they sometimes gather in larger flocks to exploit a major food supply such as an ant or termite nest.

The birds are occasionally preyed upon by crowned hawk-eagles, and they respond to the presence of an eagle (sometimes indicated by its characteristic shriek) by mobbing – approaching it and emitting calls. Since the eagles depend on surprise to make a catch, this frequently causes them to leave the area. Recent research (Rainey et al., 2004) has shown that the birds respond in the same way to the alarm calls that Diana monkeys, which live in the same areas, emit if they notice an eagle, and that they can distinguish the calls made by the monkeys in the presence of eagles from those they make in the presence of leopards, which prey on the monkeys but not on the hornbills.

2-1-2024 CALYPSO BAR, GAMBIA - PIED KINGFISHER (Ceryle rudis)

 

The pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) is a species of water kingfisher widely distributed across Africa and Asia. Originally described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758, it has five recognised subspecies. Its black and white plumage and crest, as well as its habit of hovering over clear lakes and rivers before diving for fish, make it distinctive. Males have a double band across the breast, while females have a single broken breast band. They are usually found in pairs or small family groups. When perched, they often bob their head and flick up their tail.

2-1-2024 LAMIN RICE FIELDS, GAMBIA - HAMERKOP (Scopus umbretta)

 

The hamerkop (Scopus umbretta) is a medium-sized wading bird. It is the only living species in the genus Scopus and the family Scopidae. The species and family was long thought to sit with the Ciconiiformes but is now placed with the Pelecaniformes, and its closest relatives are thought to be the pelicans and the shoebill. The shape of its head with a long bill and crest at the back is reminiscent of a hammer, which has given this species its name after the Afrikaans word for hammerhead. It is a medium-sized waterbird with brown plumage. It is found in Africa, Madagascar and Arabia, living in a wide variety of wetlands, including estuaries, lakesides, fish ponds, riverbanks, and rocky coasts. The hamerkop is a sedentary bird that often shows local movements.

The hamerkop takes a wide range of prey, mostly fish and amphibians, but shrimps, insects and rodents are taken too. Prey is usually hunted in shallow water, either by sight or touch, but the species is adaptable and will take any prey it can. The species is renowned for its enormous nests, several of which are built during the breeding season. Unusually for a wading bird the nest has an internal nesting chamber where the eggs are laid. Both parents incubate the eggs, and raise the chicks.

The species is not globally threatened and is locally abundant in Africa and Madagascar, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed it as being of least concern.

2-1-2024 LAMIN RICE FIELDS, GAMBIA - GREEN WOOD HOOPOE (Phoeniculus purpureus)

The green wood hoopoe (Phoeniculus purpureus) is a large, up to 44 cm (17 in) long tropical bird native to Africa. It is a member of the family Phoeniculidae, the wood hoopoes, and was formerly known as the red-billed wood hoopoe.

This abundant species is a metallic dark green, with a purple back and very long diamond-shaped purple tail. Distinctive white markings on the wings and white chevrons on the tail edges make it easily identifiable, as does its long, thin, curved red bill. Sexes are similar, but immatures have a black bill.

It advertises its presence with its loud kuk-uk-uk-uk-uk call and other vocalisations.

The green wood hoopoe is an insect-eating species. It feeds mainly on the ground, at termite mounds, or on tree trunks, and forms flocks outside the breeding season. Its specialised claws enable it to cling easily to the underside of branches while closely inspecting the bark for insects.

The green wood hoopoe is a cooperative breeder and common resident in the forests, woodlands and suburban gardens of most of sub-Saharan Africa. It is found in groups of up to a dozen or so birds with only one breeding pair. The breeding female lays two to four blue eggs in a natural tree hole or old barbet nest and incubates them for about 18 days. On hatching, she and the nestlings are fed by the rest of the group, even after they have fledged and left the nest hole. The group is fearless in defence of the nestlings against intruders. This species is parasitised by the greater and lesser honeyguide.

2-1-2024 LAMIN RICE FIELDS, GAMBIA - YELLOW BILLED KITE (Milvus migrans ssp. parasitus)

The yellow-billed kite is the Afrotropic counterpart of the black kite, of which it is most often considered a subspecies. However, DNA studies suggest that the yellow-billed kite differs significantly from black kites in the Eurasian clade, and should be considered as a separate, allopatric species. 

2-1-2024 LAMIN RICE FIELDS, GAMBIA - SHIKRA (Accipiter badius)

The shikra (Accipiter badius) is a small bird of prey in the family Accipitridae found widely distributed in Asia and Africa where it is also called the little banded goshawk. The African forms may represent a separate species but have usually been considered as subspecies of the shikra. The shikra is very similar in appearance to other sparrowhawk species including the Chinese goshawk (Accipiter soloensis) and Eurasian sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus). They have a sharp two note call and have the typical flap and glide flight. Their calls are imitated by drongos and the common hawk-cuckoo resembles it in plumage. 

2-1-2024 LAMIN RICE FIELDS, GAMBIA - BROAD SCARLET DRAGONFLY (Crocothemis erythraea)

The scarlet dragonfly (Crocothemis erythraea) is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. Its common names include broad scarlet, common scarlet-darter, and scarlet darter.

The scarlet dragonfly is a common species in southern Europe and throughout Africa. It also occurs across western Asia as far as southern China. It is a very rare vagrant in Britain. Its first record in the country was at Hayle Kimbro Pool, The Lizard, Cornwall, on 7 August 1995. Since then there have been a few further records at scattered locations throughout Britain.

A wide range of both running and standing waters, except those that are shaded. Adults may be found some distance from water in habitats ranging from desert to open woodland; absent from dense forest.

Crocothemis erythraea can reach a length of 33–44 millimetres (1.3–1.7 in). These dragonflies haves a flattened and rather broad abdomen. The adult male scarlet dragonfly has a bright scarlet red, widened abdomen, with small amber patches at the bases of the hindwings. Also the veins on the leading edges of the wings are red. Females and immatures are yellow-brown and have a conspicuous pale stripe along the top of the thorax.

2-1-2024 LAMIN RICE FIELDS, GAMBIA - HOODED VULTURE (JUVENILE) (Necrosyrtes monachus)

The hooded vulture (Necrosyrtes monachus) is an Old World vulture in the order Accipitriformes, which also includes eagles, kites, buzzards and hawks. It is the only member of the genus Necrosyrtes, which is sister to the larger Gyps genus, both of which are a part of the Aegypiinae subfamily of Old World vultures. It is native to sub-Saharan Africa, where it has a widespread distribution with populations in southern, East and West Africa. It is a scruffy-looking, small vulture with dark brown plumage, a long thin bill, bare crown, face and fore-neck, and a downy nape and hind-neck. Its face is usually a light red colour. It typically scavenges on carcasses of wildlife and domestic animals. Although it remains a common species with a stable population in the lower region of Casamance, some areas of The Gambia, and Guinea-Bissau, other regions such as Dakar, Senegal, show more than 85% losses in population over the last 50 years. Threats include poisoning, hunting, loss of habitat and collisions with electricity infrastructure, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as "critically endangered" in their latest assessment (2022). The highest current regional density of hooded vultures is in the western region of The Gambia. 

2-1-2024 LAMIN RICE FIELDS, GAMBIA - GREY KESTREL (Falco ardosiaceus)

The grey kestrel (Falco ardosiaceus) is an African bird of prey belonging to the falcon family Falconidae. Its closest relatives are the banded kestrel and Dickinson's kestrel and the three are sometimes placed in the subgenus Dissodectes.

It is a fairly small, stocky kestrel with a large, flat-topped head and fairly short wings that don't reach past the tip of the tail when at rest. It is 28–33 cm long with a wingspan of 58–72 cm and a weight of up to 300 grams. The female is 4-11% larger and 5-11% heavier than the male. The plumage of the adult is uniformly dark grey apart from darker wingtips, faint dark streaking on the body and slightly barred flight feathers. The feet and cere are yellow and there is bare yellow skin around the eye. The most similar species is the sooty falcon which has a more rounded head, long wings extending past the tail and less yellow around the eye. 

Juvenile grey kestrels are browner than the adults with a greenish cere and greenish around the eye. Juvenile Dickinson's kestrels are similar but have a barred tail and a more strongly barred underwing.

The grey kestrel is generally silent outside the breeding season but has a shrill, chattering call and a rattling whistle.

It inhabits savannas, open woodland and forest clearings. It favours areas with palm trees, especially near water. It often perches on exposed branches, telegraph poles and wires.

2-1-2024 LAMIN RICE FIELDS, GAMBIA - STRIATED HERON (Butorides striata)

The striated heron (Butorides striata) also known as mangrove heron, little green heron or green-backed heron, is a small heron, about 44 cm tall. Striated herons are mostly sedentary and noted for some interesting behavioral traits. Their breeding habitat is small wetlands in the Old World tropics from west Africa to Japan and Australia, and in South America and the Caribbean. Vagrants have been recorded on Oceanic islands, such as Chuuk and Yap in the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marianas and Palau; the bird recorded on Yap on February 25, 1991, was from a continental Asian rather than from a Melanesian population, while the origin of the bird seen on Palau on May 3, 2005 was not clear. 

2-1-2024 LAMIN RICE FIELDS, GAMBIA - PIED KINGFISHER

Pied kingfishers are widely distributed across Africa and Asia. Males have a double black band across their breast. Females have a black chest that is often broken with a white stripe in the middle. They are sociable birds that are usually found in pairs or small family groups and form large roosts at night.

Its black and white plumage and crest, as well as its habit of hovering over clear lakes and rivers before diving for fish, make it distinctive. Males have a double band across the breast, while females have a single broken breast band. They are usually found in pairs or small family groups.

Pied Kingfisher thrives near water bodies, such as rivers, estuaries, lakes, rocky and sandy coasts, lagoons, streams, irrigation ditches, canals, inlets, bays, floodlands, and fresh or brackish water tanks. They perch in nearby trees, posts, poles, and fences. The species has a vast range, occurring in sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, Asia.

Pied Kingfishers primarily feed on fish, but may occasionally consume aquatic insects, amphibians, frogs, molluscs, and crustaceans. They hunt by hovering around 50 to 65 feet above the water, before plunge diving to catch their prey. With their unique ability, they are considered as the largest hovering bird in the world that can fly without using air currents.

They are skilled not only due to their exceptional hovering ability, but their remarkable vision also plays a vital role in their incredible hunting strategy. These birds can spot the exact position of their victim from above plus their eyesight is not affected by water refraction, allowing them to make sudden movements based on the reaction of their prey.

2-1-2024 LAMIN RICE FIELDS, GAMBIA - LONG TAILED CORMORANT (Microcarbo africanus)

The reed cormorant (Microcarbo africanus ), also known as the long-tailed cormorant, is a bird in the cormorant family Phalacrocoracidae. It breeds in much of Africa south of the Sahara, and Madagascar. It is resident but undertakes some seasonal movements.

The Reed Cormorant or Long-tailed Cormorant is a small, short-billed, long-tailed cormorant found in sub-Saharan Africa. There is a larger subspecies in Madagascar. It frequents a wide variety of freshwater habitats except the fast-flowing streams.

This is a small cormorant at 50–55 cm length and an 85 cm wingspan. It is mainly black, glossed green, in the breeding season. The wing coverts are silvery. It has a longish tail, a short head crest and a red or yellow face patch. The bill is yellow.

Sexes are similar, but non-breeding adults and juveniles are browner, with a white belly. Some southern races retain the crest all year round.

This is a common and widespread species, and is not considered to be threatened. It breeds on freshwater wetlands or quiet coasts. 

2-1-2024 LAMIN RICE FIELDS, GAMBIA - GREAT EGRET (Ardea alba)

The Great White Egret is a large, white heron. Great White Egrets can look similar to Little Egrets, but they are much larger - the same size as the familiar Grey Heron. Other identification features to look out for include black feet (not yellow), yellow beak (in juvenile and non-breeding plumage) and a different fishing technique, more like that of the Grey Heron. 

2-1-2024 LAMIN RICE FIELDS, GAMBIA - AFRICAN JACANA

The African jacana (Actophilornis africanus) is a wader in the family Jacanidae. It has long toes and long claws that enables it to walk on floating vegetation in shallow lakes, its preferred habitat. It is widely distributed in sub-Saharan Africa. For the origin and pronunciation of the name, see Jacanidae.

The African jacanas is a conspicuous and unmistakable bird. It measures 23 to 31 cm (9.1 to 12.2 in) in overall length. As in other jacanas, the female is on average larger than the male. Males can weigh from 115 to 224 g (4.1 to 7.9 oz), averaging 137 g (4.8 oz) and females from 167 to 290 g (5.9 to 10.2 oz), averaging 261 g (9.2 oz). Alongside the similarly-sized Madagascar jacana, this appears to be the heaviest jacana species. They have chestnut upperparts with black wingtips, rear neck, and eyestripe. The underparts are also chestnut in the adults, only in juveniles they are white with a chestnut belly patch. The blue bill extends up as a coot-like head shield, and the legs and long toes are grey.

African jacanas feed on insects and other invertebrates picked from the floating vegetations or the surface of the water.

African jacanas breed throughout sub-Saharan Africa. It is sedentary apart from seasonal dispersion. It lays four black-marked brown eggs in a floating nest.

The jacana has evolved a highly unusually polyandrous mating system, meaning that one female mates with multiple males and the male alone cares for the chicks. Such a system has evolved due to a combination of two factors: firstly, the lakes that the jacana lives on are so resource-rich that the relative energy expended by the female in producing each egg is effectively negligible. Secondly the jacana, as a bird, lays eggs, and eggs can be equally well incubated and cared for by a parent bird of either sex. This means that the rate-limiting factor of the jacana's breeding is the rate at which the males can raise and care for the chicks. Such a system of females forming harems of males is in direct contrast to the more usual system of leks seen in animals such as stags and grouse, where the males compete and display in order to gain harems of females.

The parent that forms part of the harem is almost always the one that ends up caring for the offspring; in this case, each male jacana incubates and rears a nest of chicks. The male African jacana has therefore evolved some remarkable adaptations for parental care, such as the ability to pick up and carry chicks underneath its wings.

1-1-2024 BAKAU, GAMBIA - LAUGHING DOVE (Streptopelia senegalensis)

 

The laughing dove (Spilopelia senegalensis) is a small pigeon that is a resident breeder in Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and Western Australia where it has established itself in the wild after being released from Perth Zoo in 1898. This small long-tailed dove is found in dry scrub and semi-desert habitats where pairs can often be seen feeding on the ground. It is closely related to the spotted dove (Spilopelia chinensis) which is distinguished by a white and black chequered necklace. Other names include laughing turtle dove, palm dove and Senegal dove while in Asia the name little brown dove is often used.

1-1-2024 NGALA LODGE, GAMBIA - RED BILLED HORNBILL

Fairly small, slim, long-tailed hornbill. Note the red bill, dark eye with a ring of black skin, and heavily spotted back. White patches on the wing and outer tail are conspicuous in flight. Found in savanna and woodland. Call is a series of clucks that starts with single notes, then becomes louder and more emphatic, with doubled notes. Similar to Northern Red-billed Hornbill, but separated by the black rather than pale bare skin around the eye.

The western red-billed hornbill is a species of hornbill in the family Bucerotidae. It is found from Senegal and Gambia to southern Mauritania and western Mali. There are five species of red-billed hornbills generally recognized now, but all five were once considered conspecific. Some authorities still categorize the group as Tockus erythrorhynchus with the remaining four as its subspecies.

Western red-billed hornbills are small hornbills in the genus Tockus. They have curved red beaks which are more orange on the lower beak and more bright red on the upper beak, with both ending with a dark orange colour. Their heads are greyish white and have black feathers along the back of their heads and neck. They have white plumage on their faces and large dark grey eye rings. Their sclera is dark brown and their pupils are black. Their wings are like all red-billed hornbills, with large and small circles of white feathers surrounded by black feathers on the exterior and white on the upper half of the interior and black on the lower half of the interior. They have long tail feathers that are black on the exterior and a greyish white on the interior.

1-1-2024 NGALA LODGE, GAMBIA - RED BILLED FIREFINCH (MALE) (Lagonosticta senegala)

The combination of a red bill, yellow-green eye-ring, and brown (not black) undertail are characteristic of this firefinch. The male has a pink face, crown, and underparts, while the female is mostly brown with a small pink patch between the eye and bill and a pink upper tail. Pairs and small flocks are resident in a variety of grassy savanna habitats and in cultivation, where they feed on the ground for seeds and fly into trees when disturbed. The species may join mixed-species flocks and often drinks or bathes. It gives a melodic “swee-tee-eeer” song and a spitting, tinny “prrrrrt” call. The Bar-breasted Firefinch is very similar to the Red-billed Firefinch, but has a brown (not reddish) crown; the Brown Firefinch has a brown rump.

They are residents of grassy habitats and thickets with a preference for Acacia Savanna. The Red-billed Firefinch have an extremely large geographic range, with a fairly stable population. They have one breeding partner and their nest is placed near the ground and forms a ball shape. Usually found in pairs or small flocks with other birds where they are seen feeding on seeds and grains on the ground and are considered sedentary, with some localised movements. 

 

1-1-2024 NGALA LODGE, GAMBIA - RED BILLED FIREFINCH (FEMALE) (Lagonosticta senegala)

The red-billed firefinch or Senegal firefinch is a small seed-eating bird in the family Estrildidae. This is a resident breeding bird in most of Sub-Saharan Africa with an estimated global extent of occurrence of 10,000,000 km². It was introduced to Egypt, but the population there has become extinct.

The red-billed firefinch is 10 cm (3.9 in) in length. The adult male has entirely scarlet plumage apart from brown wings. The bill is pink, and there is a yellow eye-ring. Females have uniformly brown upperparts and buff underparts. There is a small red patch in front of both eyes, with the bill also being pink. 

1-1-2024 BAKAU, GAMBIA - BROWN BABBLER (Turdoides plebejus)

The brown babbler (Turdoides plebejus) is a species of bird in the family Leiothrichidae. It is predominantly found in West Africa, but ranging from the Gambia to Kenya. The species is common across its range. The species is also known as the Sudan babbler.

The brown babbler is a medium-sized Turdoides babbler, measuring 22–25 centimetres (8.7–9.8 in) in length and weighs around 52–80 grams (1.8–2.8 oz). The plumage is grey-brown with a white-streaked throat and breast and a scaled head. The wings are bronze-brown, the bill black and the legs dusky or slaty black. The iris of the eyes are yellow. The sexes are alike, and juvenile birds are like the adults but with plainer and browner plumage and brown irises.

The brown babbler inhabits the broad band of the Sahel between the Sahara Desert and the tropical forests of Western Africa, from southern Mauritania, Senegal and the Gambia to southern Sudan, Uganda and western Kenya. The species lives in open savanna, wooded grasslands, riparian habitat in drier areas, degraded cultivation, farmlands, parks and gardens. The species is common across its range and readily lives in human-modified habitat and is not considered threatened with extinction.

The species is mostly sedentary (non-migratory), but is thought to make some seasonal movements based upon local conditions related to the rainy seasons. In central Burkina Faso it is observed more frequently during the rainy season, and it has also been observed to be erratically absent or present in the Kampala region of Uganda.

1-1-2024 BAKAU, GAMBIA - AFRICAN GREY HORNBILL

 The African grey hornbill (Lophoceros nasutus) is a member of the hornbill family of mainly tropical near-passerine birds found in the Old World. It is a widespread resident breeder in much of sub-Saharan Africa and the southwest of the Arabian Peninsula. The African grey hornbill has escaped or been deliberately released into Florida, USA, but there is no evidence that the population is breeding and may only persist due to continuing releases or escapes.

At 45–51 cm (18–20 in) in length, the African grey hornbill is a large bird, although it is one of the smaller hornbills. Its plumage is grey and brown, with the head, flight feathers and long tail being of a darker shade. There is a white line down each side of the crown and another down the back which is only visible in flight. Their long curved bills feature a small casque along the upper culmen, which is more prominent in males than females. A dark upper mandible with creamy-yellow mark or horizontal stripe is diagnostic of males, whereas females have tricoloured, red-tipped mandibles. The plumage of the male and female is similar. That of juveniles doesn't differ much from adults, but their bills are initially uniformly blackish. The flight is undulating. The similarly sized red-billed hornbills occur in similar savannah habitats but have pied plumage.

This conspicuous bird advertises its presence with a piping pee-o pee-o pee-o call.

28-12-2023 TENDABA, GAMBIA - LONG TAILED GLOSSY STARLING (Lamprotornis caudatus)

The long-tailed glossy starling (Lamprotornis caudatus) is a member of the starling family of birds. It is a resident breeder in tropical Africa from Senegal east to Sudan.

This common passerine is typically found in open woodland and cultivation. The long-tailed glossy starling builds a nest in a hole. The normal clutch is two to four eggs.

This ubiquitous bird is gregarious and noisy, with a harsh grating call.

The adults of these 54 cm (21 in) long birds have metallic green upperparts, violet underparts and a 34 cm (13 in) long purple tail. The face is black with a yellow eye. The sexes are similar, but juveniles are duller, with a brownish tone to the plumage.

 

28-12-2023 TENDABA, GAMBIA - LIZARD BUZZARD (Kaupifalco monogrammicus)

The lizard buzzard (Kaupifalco monogrammicus) or lizard hawk, is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It is native to Sub-Saharan Africa. Despite its name, it may be more closely related to the Accipiter hawks than the Buteo buzzards.

The lizard buzzard is a smallish stocky raptor with a total body length of 35–37 cm and a wingspan of about 79 cm. Males weigh 246 g, females 304 g on average. The upperparts, head and breast are grey. There is a vertical black line on the white throat, which distinguishes this species from all other raptors. The belly is white with fine dark barring. The underwings are white with dark tips. The tail is black with a white tip and a single white band. The eyes are dark reddish brown to black. The cere and legs are red to orange red. Sexes are similar. The flight pattern is undulating like a thrush. The juvenile lizard buzzard resembles the adult, the only variations are slight brown tinge to the wings with an orange yellow cere and legs. 

27-12-2023 BUKAU, GAMBIA - BRONZE MANNIKIN (Spermestes cucullatus)

The bronze mannikin or bronze munia (Spermestes cucullata) is a small passerine (i.e. perching) bird of the Afrotropics. This very social estrildid finch is an uncommon to locally abundant bird in much of Africa south of the Sahara Desert, where it is resident, nomadic or irruptive in mesic savanna or forest margin habitats. It has an estimated global extent of occurrence of 8,100,000 km2. It is the smallest and most widespread of four munia species on the African mainland, the other being black-and-white, red-backed and magpie mannikin. It co-occurs with the Madagascar mannikin on the Comoro Islands, and was introduced to Puerto Rico. Especially in the West Africa, it is considered a pest in grain and rice fields. It is locally trapped for the pet bird trade.

 The bronze mannikin is one of the smallest munia species, measuring 9–10 cm in length and weighing 7–12 grams. The adult is a compact bird with a short black tail, and stubby black and pale grey (not distinctly bluish) mandibles. It is black to brownish black on the head, chin, throat and center of the chest, with some purple-green iridescence on the face and sides of the breast. It has greyish brown upper parts and white underparts with irregular barring on the flanks and rump. A small green iridescent patch is present on the outer scapular feathers, besides, especially in the western race, the sides of the lower breast. Wing coverts and remiges are bordered in a paler or warmer tone. The sexes are similar. Immature birds are dun brown above with buff head and underpart plumage. They moult into full adult plumage by age six months, when the males also begin to sing and exhibit breeding behaviour. The race S. c. scutata has barred rather than bronzy green plumage at the junction of the lower breast and flanks. Rump and upper tail feathers only finely barred and almost uniformly dark. These characters are however somewhat variable and unpredictable.

This species has a number of calls including a rreep-rreeep in flight, a twittering when perched, consisting of various wheezy or buzzing notes. The song is a concatenated and somewhat repetitive series of notes.

27-12-2023 KOTU CREEK, GAMBIA - SACRED IBIS (Threskiornis aethiopicus)

The African sacred ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus) is a species of ibis, a wading bird of the family Threskiornithidae. It is native to much of Africa, as well as small parts of Iraq, Iran and Kuwait. It is especially known for its role in Ancient Egyptian religion, where it was linked to the god Thoth. The species is currently extirpated from Egypt.

The species did not breed in southern Africa before the beginning of the 20th century, but it has benefited from irrigation, dams, and commercial agricultural practices such as dung heaps, carrion and refuse tips. It began to breed in the early 20th century, and in the 1970s the first colonies of ibises were recorded in Zimbabwe and South Africa. Its population for example expanded 2-3-fold during the period between 1972 and 1995 in Orange Free State. It is now found throughout southern Africa. The species is a common resident in most parts of South Africa. Local numbers are swollen in summer by individuals migrating southwards from the equator.

Elsewhere in Africa it occurs throughout the continent south of the Sahara, but it is largely absent in the deserts of southwestern Africa (i.e. the Namib, the Karoo, the Kalahari) and probably the rainforests of the Congo. In west Africa it is fairly uncommon across the Sahel, except for the major floodplain systems. It can commonly found breeding along the Niger, in the Inner Niger Delta of Mali, the Logone of C.A.R., Lac Fitri in Chad, the Saloum Delta of Senegal, and other localities in relatively small numbers such as in The Gambia. It is common across eastern Africa and southern Africa. Large numbers can be found in the Sudd swamps and Lake Kundi in Sudan in the dry season. It is fairly widespread along the upper Nile River, and is quite common around Mogadishu, Somalia. In Tanzania there are a number of sites with 500 to 1,000+ birds, totalling some 20,000 birds.