287 : Green-winged Pytilia

Green-winged Pytilia - Pytilia melba

I really am scraping the barrel now from holiday. Half snapped shots of small birds lurking in bushes - its the real flavour of birding ! This from my only afternoon birding on my own in Tanzania. A grey head, green wings, red tail and a light barring on a pale front reduce the candidates considerably to the Pytilias. Of them Green-winged seems 95 % likely and this a female.

These are small brightly colourd waxtails found in pairs and small flocks in bush country and wooded grasslands. Whats the difference between bush and wooded grassland ? Oh dear I will have to go back to Africa to sort that one out ! These birds are often on the ground or low down in thick cover - on that basis I did well to get this shot in grass, bush and wood !!

287 - creeping in-inexoribly foward toward the 300 although I am not sure I have the gas in the tank. I'll keep keep going but at some point heaven forbid I will have to start birding again !!

Ruaha National Park, Tanzania
July 2013