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Familiar Chat
Oenanthe (syn. Cercomela) familiaris
-19.1195, 13.6224
Field Notes
Description:
This is a small chat, or flycatcher from Muscicapidae family, roughly size of sparrow, but appearing smaller because less massif. Mainly grey-brownish bird, quite nondescript, but easily recognized because of that orange-rufous tail - well seen in pic N° 1. In pictures 4 and 5, I believe it's a juvenile or a subadult bird, judging by those bluish patches on chest.
Habitat:
Seen in Kunene region of Namibia (northwest), around Sesfontein town. It seems few of them had fledglings or nests around the guesthouse where we were staying, and I would see them often, few times a day. These cage like structures are fences around and under a guesthouse water-tower. The landscape around the this rural town is arid open acacia woodland. In general, this part of Kunene is an arid region, but at the moment, following a three-year dry-spell, it is even more dry - but still magnificent and rich in wildlife, as it seems the wildlife suffered much less than domestic animals.
Notes:
These guys must have some identity problems, as I'm finding them under three genera: Oenanthe, Cercomela and Emarginata... I'm not finding any explanation or a summary for this, but it appears that the name Oenanthe familiaris is currently replacing the Cercomela familiaris... and I don't know what to do about the Emarginata familiaris one; mentioned in the newest edition of one of the respected field guide books (Roberts Bird Guide, Southern Africa).
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