Kalahari Scrub Robin.. another difficult bird..

Kalahari Scrub Robin (Erythropygia paena)

It is sometimes known as the Sandy Scrub Robin. It is found in northern South Africa, where it occurs in sandveld with low trees and scrub, on the edges of woodland, and in savannah. It will also inhabit human-altered environments including old fields and gardens.

But it won’t come to me and it won’t stand still… Urgh… it has taken me a while to capture these poor photos, but at least I can say now I’ve taken his photo…

It is a seasonal breeder, August to February, peaking in November. The species is monogamous and territorial, protecting sizes varying from 0.7 – 4.3 ha. Females build the nest, weaved of shrubs and grasses in low thorny bushes. The nest building stage takes around 5 days.

The average clutch size is around 2 eggs, although the go big later in the season. Only the female sits on the eggs and the male defends the nest, aggressively attacking intruders and warning when predators approach.

The incubation lasts around 12 days. When hatched the female removes the eggshells and drops them away from the nest to disguise the nest from  predators. Both parents help in feeding the chicks and removing the faecal sacks.

Here’s the poor photos, but they are photos…..   Click on the photo to enlarge them…