Very very difficult id
This very young unfletched bird was sitting on the banks of the Nioungou River in Loango NP in Gabon. It was s small it could easily fit into the palm of my hand. I thought it some kind of sunbird but a South African bird exert I know guessed it to be some kind of weaver.
Any help would be vastly appreciated.
Per-Gunnar
need help from our African contributors/members!
I would assume that weavers would have a more conical shape to the bill. This is indeed a tough one and may remain unresolved. A hierarchical approach may be useful. Can we at least determine the family and then go on from there.
It is indeed a toughy. Here is another image to indicate how small it is. and below I will include an image of the nest
its only a guess,but could it be some type of african wren,I am saying this because of the size,and beak.thanks.
and here is the nest on the banks of the river (actually in the river)
I agree with John as to the shape of the beak. I have bred and shown weavers in the past and that is not a weavers beak. At least not the ones I'm familiar with.Originally Posted by John Chardine
As for the nest, I believe weavers nest in colonies. Are there many more nests around? As for what it is I don't have a clue.:)
It was a single nest.
I think we can rule weavers out then. But we are still no closer to the real ID of the bird.
After some research, I would suggest this may be a Little Green Sunbird Anthreptes seimundi which is a member of the Sunbird & Spiderhunters family. It is very small, i.e 3.54'' - 3.94'' (9 - 10cm) & widespead across a large area of Africa including Gabon. Birdlife International evaluates the species as 'Least Concern'.
Cheers: Wayne
Wayne,
thank you very much for your research. I truly appreciate it.
Per-Gunnar
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