tags: African Pied Wagtail, Motacilla aguimp, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] African Pied Wagtail, Motacilla aguimp, photographed in East Usambara Mountains, Tanzania, Africa. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Dan Logen, 12 January 2010 [larger view].
Nikon D300, 600 mm lens ISO 320, 1/200 sec, f/ 7.1 Exp comp -.3
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
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Guess I'll start off, looks like a Hirundine. Only two Martins in the region have breast bands and only one of these has white over the eye, I think.
That long tail with 2 white outer feather pairs tells me the genus rings of Detroit.
Adrian -- aren't the wings a bit short for a Hirundine? The closed one barely appears to reach the base of the tail.
Hello Paul, Yes I'm wrong about this. I've looked closer at the larger view and the legs are far too long for a hirundine. The white outer tail feathers are wrong as well. I now think we are looking at a a long tailed species that reminds me of a happy dog.
The large white panel on the wing and dingy plumage leads me to believe it's a juvenile member of a species possibly named for a weak and timid farmer.
Incidentally, the type of stretching this bird is engaged in was called "warbling" in archaic English. This was probably the original meaning of this word, which gradually changed to describe a different avian activity.