Southern Masked Weaver
Scientific Name: Ploceusvelatus (Genus: ploceus [Greek = weaver]; species: velatus [Latin = masked]); Shona Names: Jesa, Nzvidya, Dombwa; Other Names: Tisserin à tête…
Dark-Capped Bulbul
Dark-capped Bulbul, formerly known as the Black-eyed Bulbul. (In Southern Africa , it is also often called by its Afrikaans nick-name, which…
Pangolins
Pangolins or scaly anteaters are estimated to have lived on earth for nearly 80 million years. They were originally thought to…
Yellow-bellied Sunbird
Yellow-bellied Sunbird (a.k.a. Variable Sunbird) Cinnyrus (Greek = shining) Venustus (Latin = beautiful, charming or graceful); [Family Name = Nectariniidae, eaters of nectar] (A…
Red-billed Wood Hoopoe
Phoeniculus purpureus (Greek: phoen- = red, -iculus = billed; Latin: purpureus = purple, referring to the iridescence) Shona: Shavi-shavi OR haya - according to Dale's dictionary. According to Hannan's…
Cape Turtle Dove
Latin: Streptopelia capicola (streptopelia = Greek 'a collared dove'; capicola = Latin 'an inhabitant of the Cape')Shona: Njiva (generic name for doves) Call: http://www.xeno-canto.org/382937 There are two doves we…
Laughing Dove
Latin: Streptopelia senegalensis (streptopelia = a collared dove; senegalensis = from Senegal) Shona: Njiva. This is a very common bird around us,…
“Hermaphrodite” Hyenas
The idea that hyenas are hermaphrodite has been around for centuries. A number of writers over the centuries have claimed that…
African Hoopoe
Scientific name: Upupa Africana ("Upupa": imitating the bird's call; "Africana" plus Latin = 'from Africa') Shona: mhupupu or chigubhubhuNB All these names - 'hoopoe', 'upupa', 'mhupupu, 'chigubhubhu' - are onomatopoeic,…
What Bird Is That?
Each week a common Zimbabwean garden bird will be added to this site with some notes on its appearance and habits.…
