Olivebacks in Angola?
October 2011. Rockjumper Birding Tours take serious birders to most corners of the world, and often to places that few other birders go - So occasionally they make some very interesting observations. Rockjumper clients recently made what may be a very important discovery of a new population of Heteromirafra larks in Ethiopia. And now in Angola they have found what may be a new species altogether.
During Rockjumper's recent tour to Angola, their group was birding the Northern Scarp Forests near Uige when tour leader Markus Lilje observed a group of three Olivebacks (Small, colourful finches in the waxbill family, genus Nesocharis) on the forest edge. No records of olivebacks exits for Angola, so this of course led to much ...excitement!
They initially perched on dry leafless twigs affording excellent views and then flew to a more concealed site, but here allowed prolonged views. Markus was able to take a few photos (admittedly not great, but certainly better than none!).
These birds most closely resemble White-collared Oliveback N.ansorgei but differ in having a more slender body shape, longer tail and a white collar running on the back of the neck unlike the white collar on the throat of White-collared Oliveback. Furthermore, White-collared Oliveback is a highly localized bird endemic to the Albertine Rift, a great distance from Angola.
This exciting discovery may well prove to be a new species to science but this can only be verified by further research and observation.
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/oliveback-angola.html
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