Birds

Vidua Chalybeata (Genus: vidua, Latin = widow, referring to black plumage used for mourning, or the long tail in some species which is…

Euplectes orix (Genus: euplectes, Greek = woven, referring to nests; orix, Greek 'oriza' = rice, presumably referring to habit of feeding in rice-fields)Chikenya (Shona), Euplecte ignicolore(French), Cardeal-tecelao-vermelho(Portuguese)…

Lophaetus occipitalis (Genus: Lophaetus = Greek, a crested eagle; species: occipitalis = Latin, of the back of the head) Kondokondo, pfinye (Shona),  Aiglehuppard, (French),  Aquia-de-penacho (Portuguese) Call:  http://www.xeno-canto.org/268792 I have…

Clamator levaillantii (Genus Clamator = Latin: noisy, referring to the loud chattering noises of the genus; species levaillantii = Latin: after Francois Le Vaillant (1753-1824), French…

Merops apiaster (Genus: Merops, Greek = 'bee-eater'; species: apiaster, Latin = 'bee-eater')  Bonganyuchi (Shona: bonga = to pick, nyuchi = bee); other Shona terms: Gamanyuchi, Fukarusheshe, Pfukepfuke  Call:  http://www.xeno-canto.org/280449 These pretty…

Bubo africanus (Genus: Bubo = Latin: an eagle owl, probably onomatopoeic; species: africanus = Latin: from Africa) Zizi (Shona, generic for owls);  Grand-duc africain (French);  Bufo-malhado (Portuguese) Call:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jw8tlxj8CMg This…

Ardea melanocephala (Genus Ardea: Latin = a heron; species melanocephala: Greek = black head)  Shorechena, nyarupani (Shona);  Heron melanocephale (French);  Garca-de-cabeca-preta (Portuguese) Call:  http://www.xeno-canto.org/200791 Aren't the lines…

Stactolaema whytii  (Genus: Stactolaema = Greek "with drip like marks on the throat"; species whytii = after Alexander Whyte (1834-1905), government naturalist in Nyasaland (Malawi) under…

Trachyphonus vaillanti (Trachyphonus: Greek = rough voice; vaillanti: Latin, named after Francois Le Vaillant [1753-1824], "the first ornithologist to visit the Cape [South Africa]",…