Ubizane has an amazing diversity of bird life. I have
always been fascinated with birds and with over 450 different species
frequenting our little slice of heavenly bush, it is inevitable that
living here will lead to one developing at least some interest in Birding. It's
also very likely that cases of mistaken identity will occur!
Recently I made the error of confusing a female Violet
Backed Starling with a Striped Swallow. The following spell of embarrassment at
this obvious mistake has since prompted me to do some research into these two
species to ensure the error is not made again!
The Lesser Striped Swallow
A pair of Lesser Striped Swallows at Zululand Safari Lodge.
Photo of a juvenile Lesser Striped Swallow by Andrew Pickles (http://www.barbetbirding.co.za/african-swallows/lesser-striped-swallow)
The Lesser Striped swallow grows to between 10cm and
15cm and can be distinguished from the Greater Striped Swallow by its smaller
size, darker strips and a brighter head colour. The species is considered
a common partially migratory bird, migrating further north for the winter. That
being said, the greatest distance between original point of capture and point
of re-capture of a ringed bird of this species is only 83.94 km which supports
the idea that pairs of Lesser Striped Swallows will return to the same nesting
site each year and re-use their nests when possible. Like all swallows, this
species mates for life which is why they are often referred to as the bird of
love.
Violet-Backed Starling
The Violet-Backed Starling is a sexually dimorphic
bird. This means that the male and female are very different in appearance as
we can clearly see in the pictures above. Like swallows, these birds are
monogamous and will return to re-use their nest after a successful breeding
session. Nests can often be found in tree holes or hollow fence posts. It is
believed that only the female will incubate the eggs while both the male and
female will line the entrance of the nest with green leaves and both will feed
their young. Violet-Backed Starlings are the smallest of the South African
Starling species, reaching a maximum of 16cm in length, similar in size to a large
Lesser Striped Swallow. Thess birds are inter-African migratory, venturing
further north in the winter and are one of the more striking bird species of
South Africa. They are omnivorous like all starlings, and can often be found
near termite swarms enjoying a hearty feast!
In Conclusion
This whole thing had me mildly confused for a little
while so, for a quick summery. The Greater Striped Swallow is bigger than the
Lesser Striped Swallow (measuring 18cm - 20cm long), The Lesser Striped Swallow
has a more bold stripe pattern on its under-belly while the Greater Striped
Swallow's under-belly is not as boldly striped.
Then we have the female Violet-Backed Starling, which
is also striped, smaller than the Greater Striped Swallow and slightly bigger
than the Lesser Striped Swallow. Oh, and just to throw in that extra little
curve ball, it isn't violet. There are some obvious differences though! The female Violet Backed Starling has brown and black wings while the two Striped Swallows
have blue-black wings. The tail and beak are also clearly different in shape
and well, basically the Starling is just that, a Starling.
Hope this all helps any amateur, avid birders out
there from making the same little hasty mistake as I did! Don't forget to
comment and check back in a little while for our next blog!
The Greater Striped Swallow (Photograph by Warwick Tarboton)
