Miles To The Wild

VIDEOS

Beautiful footage from Namibia

Documentary slide show in German but still interesting to English speakers.

Rüppell’s Parrot (Poicephalus rueppellii)

Posted on November 12, 2017 by Tara

Rüppell’s Parrot (Poicephalus rueppellii) or Rueppell’s Parrot is named after the German naturalist and explorer Eduard Rüppell.

They can be found in Namibia and Angola. I saw this one at Huab Lodge high in a tree but at least he stayed there awhile!

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Biodiversity Explorer

VIDEOS

There weren’t a lot of wild bird clips but lots of pet Ruppell’s Parrots out there!

Lilian’s Lovebird (Agapornis lilianae)

Posted on September 19, 2017 by Tara

The Lilian’s Lovebird (Agapornis lilianae), also known as Nyasa Lovebird, is a small African parrot species of the lovebird genus. At 13 cm (5 inches) long, they are the smallest parrot on mainland Africa. I was so excited to get really good sightings of these cuties in South Luangwa NP.

With a very limited range in Zambia, Zimbabwe & Malawi, you need to plan well to find these lovely but rare birds. I got lucky at South Luangwa in Zambia.

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Birdlife – Conservation

VIDEOS

Amazing clip of a large flock drinking at a waterhole.

A bonded pair foraging on a tree.

Black-cheeked Lovebird (Agapornis nigrigenis)

Posted on August 26, 2017 by Tara

The Black-cheeked Lovebird (Agapornis nigrigenis) is a rare and endangered small parrot species of the lovebird genus.

They are endemic to a small part of Zambia. The only realistic way to see them in the wild is by visiting the Machile IBA on a day trip from Livingstone.

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VIDEOS

I couldn’t find any clips of wild birds on Youtube but here’s some captive Lovebirds to see their movements and hear their calls. There are others on HBW.

Grey-headed Parrot (Poicephalus fuscicollis suahelicus)

Posted on August 7, 2017 by Tara

It seems every time I turn around this bird has a new taxonomy, my head is spinning! The Brown-necked Parrot (Poicephalus fuscicollis) is a large Poicephalus parrot species endemic to Africa consisting of the savanna-dwelling brown-necked parrot (P. fuscicollis fuscicollis) and grey-headed parrot (P. f. suahelicus) subspecies. It formerly included the Cape parrot (now Poicephalus robustus) as a subspecies before the Cape parrot was re-classified as a distinct species. Birdlife has the most recent explanation.

These guys are hard to find but if you are lucky you may get a glimpse of them flying overhead to their roosting sites on a Zambezi River cruise. I did see a couple in the distance but didn’t get a photo so here’s Wikipedia’s pic.

The Birdlife distribution map has all 3 Poicephalus species – Cape, Brown-necked and Grey-headed Parrots. The Grey-headed Parrots (suahelicus) are in the yellow shaded area with the Zambezi River indicated by the dot. The easiest access is from Livingstone, Zambia. We did the Lady Livingstone cruise and birders tend to congregate in the top level near the rear. One of the staff is an experienced birder (I didn’t get his name but he will notice your camera and binoculars and offer to help) so just ask him to help you find these parrots. He knows them by their calls.

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The Flacks Photography (nice photos of wild birds)

VIDEO

You think it’s hard to get a photo of these guys in the wild, try looking for videos!

Yellow-fronted Parrot (Poicephalus flavifrons)

Posted on July 27, 2017 by Tara

The Yellow-fronted Parrot (Poicephalus flavifrons) is endemic to the Ethiopian Highlands. It is a mostly green parrot with a yellow head. Although this bird was one of my main targets for my Ethiopian birding trip, all I could manage was some furtive birds calling from distant trees so I will have to share the Wikipedia photos.

The easiest places to search for this bird are around Lake Langano, Wondo Genet and Menagesha Forest in Ethiopia.

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VIDEO

Hardly anything on Youtube but at least I found this one of a hungry Yellow-fronted Parrot! Looks like someone was lucky enough to get close to one!

Black-winged Lovebird (Agapornis taranta)

Posted on July 22, 2017 by Tara

The Black-winged Lovebird (Agapornis taranta) also known as Abyssinian Lovebird is the largest of the lovebird genus, a group of small parrots. The adult male is easily identified by its red forehead, and the adult female by its all green head.

They are only found in Ethiopia and Eritrea. Good places to look for them are Hara Langano Lodge, Menagesha Forest & even the city of Addis Ababa in flowering trees.

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VIDEOS

I couldn’t find much on wild birds on Youtube but if you search “Abyssinian Lovebirds” there are lots of pet birds.

Red-headed Lovebird (Agapornis pullarius)

Posted on July 9, 2017 by Tara

The Red-headed Lovebird (Agapornis pullarius) also known as the Red-faced Lovebird is a member of the genus Agapornis, a group commonly known as lovebirds. Like other lovebirds it is native to Africa. Although I have seen them in foliage in both Accra and Entebbe, I wasn’t able to get a photo so I will have to use Wikipedia’s. I don’t know why these beauties are so bashful but at least it’s not me as I couldn’t find many other pics or videos of them in the wild.

Their range covers a swathe through central Africa but only Ghana and Uganda are easy to get to for eco-tourists on a budget. I got glimpses of them in Accra and Entebbe Botanical Gardens.

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VIDEOS

Once again, I had a hard time tracking down clips of wild birds on Youtube. This is an older one.

And a close up of captive birds just to show the gorgeous colours.

Blue-naped Parrot (Tanygnathus lucionensis)

Posted on May 29, 2017 by Tara

The Blue-naped Parrot (Tanygnathus lucionensis), also known as the Blue-crowned Green Parrot, Luzon Parrot, the Philippine Green Parrot, and locally known as Pikoy, is a parrot found throughout the Philippines.

I was only able to get these photos at the Puerto Princesa Conservation Centre.

They are found throughout the Philippines. I saw a pair streaking overhead near Sabang, Palawan.

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