GAME: name that bird!

[inyathi]

@Galana I was pretty sure my answer would be wrong, as I didn't really think it looked like a flycatcher, but since you said the pose was non typical, I talked myself into the idea that it could be, since the Marico lives in a part of Africa that you are rather fond of. I had initially thought that perhaps it was one of the cisticolas but couldn't see one that matched, I had looked at warblers, but evidently hadn't found the right one, I'm guessing that you were possibly a little further north, than I had assumed, I'm not totally convinced, but I will suggest Spectacled Warbler (Sylvia conspicillata)? 

[Galana]

Well at least my Shakespearean verse helped you get a lot closer. If only @Soukoushad held that light a bit steadier who knows what he might have seen? Both those answers were pretty good.

I am not sure what further help I should provide to either of you other than not to get too hung up on my haunts with migrant birds.

[Soukous]

A Garden Warbler maybe, or is that too large?

[Galana]

5 hours ago, Soukous said:

or is that too large?

If anything a bit small.

[Soukous]

too small?  what happened to " Size wize you are not far out with apalis."

That would make it about 11cm.

 

[Galana]

1 hour ago, Soukous said:

Size wize you are not far out with apalis."

That would make it about 11cm.

Hmmm. My book, Fanshawes , has the Apalis at 13cm, Prinias 11-13cm. Garden Wobbler 14cm. Lesser WThroat 13.5cm, Spectacled Wobbler a tiny 12.5cm.  Given that,  'size wise you are not far out with Apalis' seems not far out.

[inyathi]

@GalanaI can't say that I'm not confused over this question of size, because Birds of Africa South of the Sahara, has 26 species of Apalis that range in size from 10-13cm and I would say the average is 12, it suggests 13-15cm for garden warbler so it should be slightly bigger than any of the Apalis species and you appear to be suggesting that your bird is bigger still.  Whatever the case, of the remaining options, I will try Common Whitethroat (Slyia communis) ? 

[Galana]

It's a bit much when two books can't agree if size matters.

Good try with Common Whitethroat but as @Soukousmentioned Lesser is closer in poor light. Indeed one of my Field Guides actually compares the two using big words such as concolorous.

[Peter Connan]

I am very glad I don't have any books that use words like that!

[Galana]

6 hours ago, Peter Connan said:

I don't have any books that use words like that!

But I bet you have a book with that bird in it.

[Soukous]

Well, you've got me skipping between regions now, although I guess @Peter Connanmay well have a Fanshawe on his shelf.

Based on what I can find I still think my first suggestion of Karoo Chat is the closest match, but that's not it, so I'll try Familiar Chat 

 

[Soukous]

57 minutes ago, Soukous said:

Well, you've got me skipping between regions now, although I guess @Peter Connanmay well have a Fanshawe on his shelf.

Based on what I can find I still think my first suggestion of Karoo Chat is the closest match, but that's not it, so I'll try Familiar Chat 

 

 

yes, I know, wrong. Not Sylvia  Pay attention boy.

[Galana]

You are going backwards. Remember "Who is Sylvia?"

 

You have replied while I was researching a clue so I will leave it in.

 

This poor little bird is quite widespread. It occurs, but I have never seen it, in Africa. It is in many Field Guides by many authors but not the one by Offenbach.

 

[Soukous]

A Blackcap?

[inyathi]

Before my last answer, I was toying with two possibility, it seems I chose to go with the wrong one, and that I should gone with the other one, so I will now suggest Orphean Warbler, this bird has recently been split into Eastern Orphean (Sylvia crassirostris) and Western Orphean (Sylvia hortensis) but since you could well have seen either, I thought it was best to just to go with Orphean, I didn't suggest Orphean before because the illustrations in the African books that it is in, didn't exactly point that way, and at the time that I looked at my Indian book, I didn't know or even think that it was a warbler, but one of the illustrations in that book of a first winter Orphean, does look slightly more like your bird. Birds of Africa South of the Sahara just illustrates one adult bird, with a black face and head that looks nothing like your bird, this is why it's always a good idea to check photos online, rather than just rely on the books, then you can hopefully find images of juveniles or females that may nor be illustrated. However, after looking at plenty of photos, I rejected Orphean in favour of common whitethroat.

 

Your clue would seem to indicate that I am right, as I presume that your reference to Offenbach was intended to point us to Orpheus in the Underworld, since Orphean means essentially like Orpheus, according to Greek myth Orpheus was a legendary musician, this warbler is Orphean because it too is a great musician, it has a beautiful song.  

 

I have seen Western Orphean in both Europe and Africa, I don't believe that I have ever seen Eastern Orphean, my recollection is of a bird that looks much like the illustrations with the black-head, the illustration in Birds of Africa South of the Sahara also shows a pale-eye, which your bird doesn't have, so your shot certainly did not call Orphean Warbler to mind. 

 

 

Edited February 8, 2021 by inyathi

[Soukous]

I hope you are correct @inyathi'cos this challenge is onto it's third page. 

The reason I ruled out the Orphean Warbler was because in all my books it has a light eye, whereas the bird posted by Fred appears to have a dark eye with a faint eye ring.

[Galana]

Well it is good to see the reference to Orpheus was not wasted.

I won't drag you out to go for which split. Seen whilst I was wandering the banks of the Indus a few miles outside Leh (recommended on aclimatisation day or any day really) so  I would suggest Eastern. I have also seen Eastern in Greece although I did not know it at the time.

Birds of Africa S. of Sahara shows a restricted African range where my only visit was to The Gambia.

It also mentions that the juv has a dark eye as in my offering.

TBH I have yet to see decent illustrations in books. Look at that bill in Sinclair!

Here is  a more normal pose for the sake of completeness.

Finally it is Inskipp et al that used words like concoloured but at least they show a juv with its huge similarity to Lesser Whitethroat.

Over to you Rob. @inyathi

Good game, good game as Brucie would say.

[inyathi]

@SoukousIn a good few species of bird, eye-colour changes with age, so it is not that unusual for the adult to have a different eye-colour to the juvenile, that’s why you need to look at photos, if the book doesn’t illustrate the juvenile and doesn’t mention the change in eye-colour in the text, or you only looked at the plate and didn’t read the text, then you might well mistakenly rule out the right answer. Looking at photos had confirmed for me, that the dark-eye didn’t rule out Orphean, but I was also referring to illustrations @Galanathe bill in Sinclair’s did put me off Orphean a bit, that contributed to my not going for it, when I first thought it might be. I didn't want to rush straight back with the answer, I wanted to see if my only real competitor Martin would have another go, but when you posted your last clue and he didn't take advantage of it, I thought the clue had told me, that I definitely had the correct answer, I might as well take it, I can't always make sense of your clues, but that one led me straight to the answer.

 

How about this bird?

 

 

 

 

 

[Soukous]

8 hours ago, inyathi said:

but when you posted your last clue and he didn't take advantage of it

Ah Rob, you keep forgetting that cultural clues are wasted on me 

[Peter Connan]

Wryneck? Not going to guess which one as I have nothing to reply with should I get it right.

[Galana]

Beaten to the crunch. Been out all morning seeing ammunition. Looked in and thought "Wryneck" but needed a book.

Peter leads in. as he says 'which one?'

I will go for Eurasian.

[inyathi]

@SoukousI wouldn't want to disabuse you of the notion that I am a highly cultured and learned person, but on the odd occasion when my knowledge fails me, I ask my personal assistant who knows almost everything  

 

@Peter Connan

@GalanaThat was clearly much too easy, I didn't think it was that easy, seen from that angle, it's fortunate I've got loads of photos to choose from, as I was originally going to post something else and changed my mind at the last minute, now I think the other bird would have been a better choice, but I'll find that out another time, I will hand it back to you, as Peter doesn't have a photo to contribute.

 

 

  Eurasian wryneck

Edited February 9, 2021 by inyathi

[Galana]

Try this one then.

 

[ElaineAust]

Rouget's Rail?

[Galana]

1 hour ago, ElaineAust said:

Rouget's Rail?

Correct. Almost as quick. I knew it was one of those that would be known or not.

Good to see another winner.

 

On an infamous trip to Ethiopia some years back (before I knew better) the group I was with were beating themselves silly trying to get clear shots of this skulker.

I pulled back my Hotel bedroom curtains early one morning and there they were, feeding on the darn 'lawn' whilst the rest of the 'team' slept on. I have felt bad about not waking them ever since.

Edited February 10, 2021 by Galana
additional text.