© GW - monacoeye • All rights reserved • Gambia • March 2013

Bird name: Fork Tailed Drongo
Latin: Dicrurus adsimilis
Other: Drongo brillant (Fr)
Family: Dicruridae • Drongos
Range: Sub-Saharan Africa
Similar: Square-tailed Drongo

I saw Fork-tailed Drongos on several occasions on my visit to Gambia. These pictures were taken of a pair in Kartong, near the road. The long forked tail is characteristic. Not too shy.

Fork-tailed Drongo, Kartong, Gambia, March 2013


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© Tom C - monacoeye • Tanzania. All rights reserved

Bird name: Red and Yellow Barbet
Latin: Trachyphonus erythrocephalus
Other: Barbican à tête rouge (Fr), Flammenkopf-Bartvogel (De),
Family: Lybiidae - African Barbets
Range: East Africa
Similar:

Lovely shot of a Red-and-yellow Barbet above from Tom C, in Tanzania.

And more below from André S, at Olduvai Gorge, and Lake Manyara.More photos...

© André S - monacoeye • Lake Manyara, Tanzania • Oct 2009 • All rights reserved

Bird name: African Grey Hornbill
Latin: Tockus nasutus
Other: Calao à bec noir (Fr), Toco gris africano (Es), bico-de-serra-cinzento (Pt), Grautoko (De), Grijze tok (Nl)
Family: Bucerotidae - Hornbills
Range: Sub-saharan Africa, incl Tanzania, Gambia. Arabia
Similar:

Nice shot above of a female African Grey Hornbill at Lake Manyara in Tanzania, by André.

The female African Grey Hornbill is distinguished from the male by the red on her bill.

The male African Grey Hornbill’s bill is black, with a small white patch on the upper mandible.

Below, male African Grey Hornbill at Marakissa, the Gambia, Feb 2013. ©
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© AS/monacoeye • Serengeti • Oct 2009 • All rights reserved

Bird name: Silvery Cheeked Hornbill
Latin: Bycanistes brevis
Other:
Family: Bucerotidae - Hornbills
Range: Africa
Similar:

Fantastic looking Silvery-cheeked Hornbills, seen here feeding at Lake Manyara in Tanzania, by André.

They have a huge cream-coloured casque on the bill (males’, above, is larger) dark plumage with a white stripe running down the back.

In “more photos” you can see how delicately they can hold a small fruit in that huge bill of theirs.

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Copyright: GW - monacoeye • Gambia, Feb 2013 • All rights reserved

Bird name: Little Bee Eater
Latin: Merops pusillus
Other: Guêpier nain (Fr), Abejaruco chico (Es), Zwergspint (De)
Family: Meropidae • Bee Eaters
Range: Sub-saharan Africa, incl Gambia, Tanzania, Namibia etc
Similar:

The Little Bee-eater is found throughout much of sub-Saharan Africa. I saw them fairly frequently in dry scrubland near the coast in Gambia, often in pairs or groups.

The Little Bee-Eater has a bright yellow throat, bright red iris, black eye stripe, ochre belly bordered at the neck by a black line, greenish head and back. Sometimes visible a blue supercilium (different subspecies?).

There are 24 species of Bee-eater worldwide, mostly in the genus Merops. Bee-eaters live in the Old World from Africa to Australia, with the highest number in Africa.

They almost exclusively eat insects, usually catching them on the wing, with a predilection for bees and wasps. Insects with stings are knocked against a hard surface then rubbed, with the bird’s eyes closed, to discharge the venom.

Below, Little Bee-eater in the dry season, Gambia, February.
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Photo copyright: AS/monacoeye • Do not copy • Images: Lake Manyara • Oct 2009

Bird name: Nubian Woodpecker
Latin: Campethera nubica
Other:
Family: Picidae • Woodpeckers

The Nubian Woodpecker is found in Central and Eastern Africa. Seen here at Lake Manyara, Kenya.More photos...

Photos copyright: AS/monacoeye • Lake Manyara • Oct 2009 • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Spotted Morning Thrush
Latin: Cichladusa guttata
Other:
Family: Muscicapidae • Old World Flycatchers, Palm Thrushes
Range:
Similar:

The Spotted Morning-thrush is found in eastern sub-Saharan Africa. These were seen at Lake Manyara and Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania.

The Spotted-morning thrush is identified by its strongly spotted chest. Here also with rufous tail.

This ID probably needs confirmation…

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Photo copyright: AS/TC/monacoeye • Tanzania

Bird name: Grey Headed Kingfisher
Latin: Halcyon leucocephala
Other: Gray-headed Kingfisher
Family: Alcedinidae • Kingfishers
Range:
Similar:

These Grey-headed Kingfishers were seen on the Serengeti River and Lake Manyara in Tanzania. Their range covers much of sub-Saharan Africa into southern Arabia.

The Grey-headed Kingfisher hunts insects and small lizards - not fish.More photos...