Marico flycatcher (Maricovlieevanger)

Scientific name: Melaenornis mariquensis 

The Marico flycatcher is found in Angola, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It's natural habitat is  is dry savanna.
This bird forages for food on the ground and within the tree foliage. This bird eats insects such as butterflies, bees, wasps, locusts and ants. These invertebrates are usually hawked aerially, killed and then eaten.
The Marico Flycatcher has a height of 18 cm and weighs around 24 g. The head is coloured brown while the bill is coloured black. The Bradornis mariquensis has a white coloured throat, black legs and a brown coloured back. The eyes are brown.

Pearl-spotted Owlet (Witkoluil)

Scientific name: Glaucidium perlatum

Occurs south of the Sahara in Africa from southern Mauritania across to Ethiopia and south to northern Cape Province in South Africa Absent only from deserts and rainforests.
Open savanna with short grass or a small amount of ground cover, scattered trees and thorny shrubs. Also dry semi-open woodland and semi-open riverine forest with adjacent savanna.
At only 18-19 cm this is one of the smallest owls of southern Africa. The facial disc is pale greyish-brown with some diffuse concentric lines. Eyebrows are whitish and prominent. Eyes are pale yellow. The cere is brown and the bill yellowish-horn. Upperparts are chestnut-brown, somewhat paler on the mantle and back, finely spotted whitish on the forehead and crown. The nape has two large sooty-brown spots that are diffusely bordered whitish (false eyes). The throat is whitish, and the rest of the underparts are off-white, with the upper breast and flanks having a brownish or rufous wash.

Rock Kestrel (Kransvalk)

Scientific name: Falco rupicolus

Rock Kestrels occur naturally in southern Africa. They are quite common in Namibia, South Africa, Botswana, Swaziland, Lesotho and central Mozambique. They are found in a wide range of habitats; however, seem to favor mountainous, hilly, and rocky areas.
The rock kestrel  is a slender, medium sized kestrel, between 30 and 33 centimeters tall.
On the male the back is a bright chestnut color; and the plumage below is bright chestnut with black spots that contrasts with the nearly unmarked white underwings. The females have grey heads and tails, and the backs are spotted rather than barred.
They eat primarily invertebrates, but have been known to consume rodents, reptiles and birds.

Lanner falcon (Edelvalk)

Scientific name: Falco biarmicus

The Lanner Falcon (Falco biarmicus) is a large bird of prey that breeds in Africa, southeast Europe and just into Asia. It is a large falcon, at 43–50 cm length with a wingspan of 95–105 cm. The Lanner Falcon is a bird of open country and savanna.
The Lanner falcon has unmarked blue-grey upperparts and creamy-rufous underparts and a rufous forehead and crown. Unlike the similar but smaller Peregrine, which has an all-black head, it appears pinkish underneath with a barred tail when in flight, feathered legs and yellow talons.

Green-winged Pytilia (Gewone melba)

Scientific name: Pytilia melba

This bird can be found in the dry regions of tropical Africa and part of south Africa (but not in the western and central African rain forest regions.
Its main habitat is thickets and thorn scrub, dry acacia thornland, dry and open wooded areas, semi desert, cultivated areas. Its stays near surface water.
It feeds on live food namely termites (very insectivorous) and grass seeds.
The mail bird has a red beak, gray head and lores with red forehead and throat down to upper chest, olive green back, wings, and chest, red rump and tail, off-white belly and vent, white spots starting at upper chest which converge into white and grey barring covering flanks, flesh colored legs.

Anti-eating chat (Swartpiek)

Scientific name: Myrmecocichla formicivora

It is found in Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland and subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland. They are common throughout the Kalahari.
They are dark-brown overall with a dark-brown bill and black feet and legs. The males also have a white shoulder patch that are sometimes difficult to observe.
They mainly feed on ants but also eat termites and other insects.

Pygmy falcon (Dwergvalk)

Scientific name: Polihierax semitorquatu

The Pygmy falcon lives in eastern and southern Africa and is the smallest raptor on the continent at only 19 to 20 cm long.
Adult pygmy falcons are white below and on the face, grey above, and females having a chestnut back. There are white "eye spots" on the nape. Juveniles have a brown back, duller than adult females, with a rufous wash on the breast. The flight feathers of the wings are spotted black and white (more black above, more white below); the tail is barred black and white.
It preys on insects, small reptiles, and small mammals.

Verreaux's Eagle-Owl (Reuse-ooruil)

Scientific name: Bubo lacteus

The Verreaux's eagle-owl is widespread in sub-Saharan Africa. It is the largest African owl, measuring up to 66 cm in total length. This eagle-owl is a resident primarily of dry, wooded savanna. The Verreaux's eagle-owl is a fairly uniform and somewhat pale gray, with light and fine brownish vermiculations on the underside. The back is more solidly light brown with white spots on the shoulder. The oval facial disc is paler, sometimes ranging into a whitish color, than the rest of the front side of the bird with strong black borders bracketing either side. One other feature that immediately distinguished adult Verreaux's eagle-owls in good light are its pink eyelids.
Verreaux's eagle-owl is a highly opportunistic predator equipped with powerful talons. Just over half of its known diet is comprised by mammals but equal or even greater numbers of birds and even insects may be hunted locally, along with any other appropriately sized prey that is encountered.
Verreaux's eagle-owl is considered an avian apex predator, meaning it is at or near the top of the food chain and healthy adults normally have no natural predators.

Black-chested prinia (Swartbandlangstertjie)

Scientific name: Prinia flavicans

 A medium-sized unstreaked prinia with distinctive white throat and yellowish breast and belly, tail strongly graduated. eyes are brown, feet are pinkish and the bill is black.
In southern Africa there distribution are limited to the dryer west, north and central areas.
Diet mainly insects and other small invertebrates, including termites.

Groundscraper Thrush (Gevlekte lyster)

Scientific name: Psophocichla litsitsirupa

The groundscraper thrush is 22–24 centimetres long with an erect posture, short tail, heavy bill and fairly long legs. The upperparts are plain grey-brown with a chestnut wing-panel. The underparts are white with black spots and the face is white with bold black markings. The underwing has a black and white pattern which is visible during the undulating flight.
There are four subspecies: P. l. litsitsirupa is the most southerly form, occurring from Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique south to northern and eastern parts of South Africa. These birds are fairly common South African residents but is absent from the south of South Africa, KZN coastal belt and dry western parts.
The species is found in savannas, grassland and open woodland. It can be tame and will forage in parks, gardens and around picnic sites. They run well on the ground, flicking one wing at a time every now and then.

Crimson-breasted Shrike (Rooiborslaksman)

Scientific name: Laniarius atrococcineus

The upper parts, including the wings and tail, are black, the wings having a broad white bar. The underparts are vivid scarlet. A yellow-breasted form is occasionally seen, and was at first thought to be a separate species. Young birds have a mottled and barred buff-brown appearance with a pale bill
Found in the dry interior, the western half of Limpopo, North West Province, Northern Cape, the whole of Botswana and Namibia, this shrike is a common resident that enjoys acacia savanna, riverine thornbush and semi-arid scrub.
They forage mostly by running about on the ground, but also search rough-barked trunks and branches of trees for insects.

Steppe Eagle (Steppe-arend)

Scientific name: Aquila nipalensis

This is a large eagle with brown upperparts and blackish flight feathers and tail. This species is larger and darker than the tawny eagle, and it has a pale throat which is lacking in that species. Immature birds are less contrasted than adults, but both show a range of variation in plumage colour.
The steppe eagle breeds from Romania east through the south Russian and Central Asian steppes to Mongolia. The European and Central Asian birds winter in Africa. Throughout its range it favours open dry habitats, such as desert, semi-desert, steppes, or savannah.
The steppe eagle's diet is largely fresh carrion of all kinds, but it will kill rodents and other small mammals up to the size of a hare, and birds up to the size of partridges. It will also steal food from other raptors.

Cape Glossy Starling (Kleinglansspreeu)

Scientific name: Lamprotornis nitens

The Cape Glossy Starling goes by a few names including Glossy Starling and Red-shouldered Glossy Starling. The plumage is a fairly uniform bright, glossy colour. The head is blue with darker ear coverts and the upper parts of the body are greenish-blue.

The Cape starling is found in the southern part of Africa. Its range encompasses the extreme south of Gabon, the west and south of Angola, the extreme south of Zambia, the southern half of Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho and South Africa.
The Cape starling is found where trees in which it can roost and nest are found. It is not a bird of dense forest or of pasture and is not associated with any particular plant type. It does occur in open woodland, plantations, savannah, bushveld, rough grassland, parks and gardens and is quite numerous in the central Kalahari where isolated trees occur.
It usually feeds on the ground often foraging alongside other species of starlings. Its diet includes fruit, insects and nectar.
It is a host to the greater honeyguide, a brood parasite that lays its eggs in other birds' nests.

White-browed Sparrow-Weaver (Koringvoël)

Scientific name: Plocepasser mahali

mating call

The White-browed Sparrow-Weaver is a large brown and white weaver that is fairly common. It has a conspicuous broad white stripe from above the eye backwards, and 2 prominent white wing-bars and wing edgings. In flight, a large white patch on the rump and uppertail-coverts is visible.
The White-browed Sparrow-Weaver is the most widespread of the sparrow-weavers, occurring in southern and eastern Africa, . It has four subspecies: P. m. mahali in southern Africa, P. m. ansorgei in northern Namibia to Angola and P. m. pectoralis from Zimbabwe and Zambia to central Tanzania and P. m. melanorhynchus from northern Tanzania to Sudan.
The White-browed Sparrow-Weaver inhabits mopane and acacia savanna. <600 also="" and="" annual="" found="" fringes="" gardens.="" in="" is="" it="" mm="" p="" rainfall.="" riverine="">The White-browed Sparrow-Weaver feeds on insects and seeds. 

Scaly-feathered Finch (Baardmannetjie)

Scientific name: Poropipes squamifrons

The Scaly-feathered finch is very small bird and is a member of the social weavers of semi-arid parts of Africa. It has a moustachial malar stripe and white-tipped black feathers on the crown and wings witch give a "scaly" appearance. This, together with the black malar stripe and rose pink bill, makes it unmistakable. The sexes are alike. The young have the crown and forehead dull grey-brown with no scaling, and the malar stripes are absent.
The Scaly-feathered finch is found through southern Africa and the extreme southern parts of Angola and Zambia. It inhabits dry Acacia savanna, arid scrub and bush along dry watercourses, and shrubs near houses. This species is found in pairs or flocks of up to 20 birds, and it regularly flocks with waxbills. The Scaly-feathered finch forages on the ground, feeding mainly on small seeds, with insects being fed to their young. They drink when water is available but, remarkably, they can survive for months without drinking as they can produce metabolic water from their diet of dry seeds.

White-faced owl (Witwanguil)

Scientific name: Ptilopsis granti

White-faced owl is 22–28 centimetres long and weighs 185–220 grams. The upperparts are grey with dark streaks and there are white spots on the scapular feathers. The underparts are whitish with dark streaks. The face is white with a black border and black around the large orange eyes. The head has two short "ear" tufts with black tips
The Southern white-faced scops-owl is common in many parts of southern Africa, living in a wide variety of habitats, ranging from Miombo woodland to low thorn scrub. It is most common in areas with scattered thorn trees and scarce patches of ground cover, but it also occurs in suburban gardens, grassland and semi-desert scrub, typically near watercourses or alien tree stands.
It hunts by flying from perch to perch, trying to locate prey. Once prey is spotted, it descends to the ground to pluck the animal up with its talons.

Brown snake-eagle (Bruinslangarend )

Scientific name: Circaetus cinereus

Their plumage is entirely brown, but some of them could have some white feathers.
The brown snake eagle is of average size, compared with larger species and reaching only 60-70 centimeters in height.
In southern Africa, it is locally common across Mozambique, northern and eastern South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana and the northern half of Namibia (including the Caprivi Strip). It generally prefers more wooded habitats such as Kalahari thornveld.
It mainly eats snakes, doing most of its hunting from a perch, dropping onto prey from above and smashing its spine with its feet. If the prey is a snake, it crushes the head to discharge any venom then swallows it whole. Its legs are thickly scaled to protect it from snake bites, but it is not immune to venom.

Martial eagle (Breëkoparend)

Scientific name: Polemaetus bellicosus

The largest eagle in Africa, the Martial eagle weighs in at almost 6.5kg and has a wingspan of about 188 to 260 cm, is 78 to 96 cm long. The upperparts are dark brown with a white belly with black streaks, the legs are white and has very large talons. The immature bird looks quite different from the adult.
In southern Africa, it is widespread but uncommon, generally preferring flat, open woodland, such as savanna, forest edges and drainage woodland in shrubland. It may move into open farmland with stands of trees.
It eats a variety of animals, especially birds, mammals and reptiles; the relative proportion of these animals in it's diet varies greatly in different areas. It does most of its hunting aerially, soaring high in the air so that it can spot prey up to 6 km away. Once it finds something, it descends in a long swoop, dropping to the ground with wings and tail spread (as in the photo above) and striking the prey. Small animals are usually killed by the impact, but larger prey may have to be strangled to finish them off.

Wahlberg's eagle (Bruinarend)

Scientific name: Aquila wahlbergi

Wahlberg's eagle is a medium-sized raptor, and the sexes are similar. It is about 53–61 cm in length with a wingspan of 130–146 cm and a body mass of 437–845g  for males and 670–1,400 g for females on average. The head has a small crest, and the legs are yellow. The plumage tone is variable but may be dark brown except for dark-streaked grey undersides to the flight feathers, and a barred grey undertail. Light and dark plumage phases occur. A pale variant may be much lighter brown with whitish, rather than grey undertail and flight feather undersides.
While the large brown eagles are generally a tricky group to identify, Wahlberg's eagle have some distinctive features. A small, pointed crest is usually visible. The gape only extends at maximum to the middle of the eye, whereas in lesser spotted eagle, it extends to the back of the eye. Round nostrils are not present in either tawny or steppe eagles, but the two spotted eagles also have round nostrils.
In southern Africa, it is common in Zimbabwe, Mozambique, north-eastern South Africa, northern and south-eastern Botswana and northern and central Namibia (including the Caprivi Strip). It generally prefers well-wooded savanna (especially if moist) as well as cultivated areas with tall trees.
It eats a wide variety of animals, especially birds, mammals and reptiles, often hunting from a perch. It also soars across the sky in search of prey; if it spots something, it gradually descends and then rapidly plunges to the ground, straight onto it's prey.

Tawny eagle (Roofarend)

Scientific name: Aquila rapax 

This is a large eagle, although it is one of the smaller species in the genus Aquila. It is 60–75 cm in length and has a wingspan of 159–190 cm. Weight can range from 1.6 to 3 kg. It has tawny upperparts and blackish flight feathers and tail. The lower back is very pale.
Occupies much of sub-Saharan Africa excluding the lowland forests of the DRC and surrounding countries. It generally prefers lightly-wooded savanna, but it also occurs Nama Karoo and treeless grasslands, provided that there are pylons and alien trees to nest in.
It usually hunts from a perch, swooping down to catch a bird in flight or pounce on prey on the ground. It also regularly scavenges roadkills, and sometimes competes with vultures and Marabou storks at carcasses.