Systemmatic list - part 26: Buntings, Canaries and Sparrows
Cinnamon-breasted Rock Bunting (Cinnamon-breasted Bunting) Emberiza tahapisi [9+]
2+ Dzalanyama 23rd and up to 7 Chongoni 24th-25th.
|
|
|
Cinnamon-breasted Rock Bunting, Dzalanyama, 23rd May 2011
|
|
Cabanis's Bunting Emberiza cabanisi [4]
3+ Dzalanyama 23rd and 1 Chongoni 25th.
|
|
|
Cabanis's Buntings, Dzalanyama, 23rd May 2011
|
|
|
|
|
Cabanis's Bunting, Chongoni, 25th May 2011
|
|
Yellow-fronted Canary (Yellow-eyed Canary) Serinus mozambicus [29]
Common:
6 Cape Maclear/Otter Point area 18th, 5 between Blantyre and Lengwe (Shire), 10 along the entrance to Lengwe and 4 in Lengwe 20th, 2 Dzalanyama 23rd and 2 Liwonde 25th.
I'm still intrigued as to why this species was ever called Yellow-eyed Canary!
|
|
|
Yellow-fronted Canaries, Otter Point, 18th May 2011 (left) and Dzalanyama, 24th May 2011 (right)
|
|
Southern Citril Serinus hyposticutus [15+]
2 Zomba 15th and 3-6 Zomba Plateau 15th-17th.
This species was formerly regarded as a race of African Citril Serinus citrinelloides .
|
|
|
Southern Citrils, Zomba Plateau, 17th May 2011
|
|
| |
|
Southern Citrils, Zomba Plateau, 15th May 2011 (left) and 16th May 2011 (right)
|
|
Brimstone Canary (Bully Canary) Serinus sulphuratus [16]
3 along the entrance to Lengwe 21st, 1 Dzalanyama 24th and 12 Chongoni 25th.
Birds in southern Malawi belong to the race shelleyi.
|
|
|
Brimstone Canaries, Lengwe approach road, 21st May 2011 (left) and Chongoni, 25th May 2011 (right)
|
|
|
|
|
Brimstone Canary, Dzalanyama, 24th May 2011
|
|
House Sparrow Passer domesticus [36+]
Last time I only found these at two locations but they seemed a bit commoner this time - maybe that was coicidence?
1-3 Blantyre 14th-28th, 3 between Blantyre and Zomba 14th and about 30 Cape Maclear 18th-19th. I think there were a few more which I forgot to write down.
|
|
|
House Sparrows, Cape Maclear, 18th May 2011
|
|
|
|
|
House Sparrow, between Blantyre and Zomba, 14th May 2011
|
|
Southern Grey-headed Sparrow Passer diffusus [36]
Common:
1 Blantyre 14th, up to 10 Cape Maclear 18th-19th, 1 along the exit from Cape Maclear 19th, 6 Lengwe 20th and 21st and 1 Dedza 25th.
Two forms of Grey-headed Sparrow occur in Malawi: stygiceps in the Lower Shire Valley and south end of Lake Malawi and mosambicus throughout the country. Most authorities treat both of these forms as races of Southern Grey-headed Sparrow, however in The Birds of Malawi, Dowsett-Lemaire & Dowsett suggest that mosambicus might be better placed with (Northern) Grey-headed Sparrow Passer griseus. They also suggests that the form stygiceps might be of hybrid origin.
I can't identify them anyway! Dedza falls outside of the range plotted in The Birds of Malawi for stygiceps so that one at least should be mosambicus; those at Lengwe (and Blantyre?) should be stygiceps on range.
Yellow-throated Petronia Petronia superciliaris [c12]
Up to 6 Dzalanyama 23rd-24th and 4 Chongoni 24th.
|
|
|
Yellow-throated Petronias, Dzalanyama, 24th (left) and 23rd (right) May 2011
|
|
|
|
|
Yellow-throated Petronias, Chongoni, 25th May 2011
|
|
Or here to return to the start of the sytemmatic list
