How to identify that bird you saw in the Kruger National Park.


It can be very difficult to identify a bird especially when you only see it it at a distance or for a short time only. This search facility has been created to make it easier for you. However before doing a search read the notes CAREFULLY ...

Notes | How to use this search effectively...

First of all this site is new and until Google indexes all pages the search may not work as well as it will later. If you want to identify a bird accurately and quickly you will need to do the following to reduce the number of possibilities that will match your criteria. For example it will not help just to look for a bird with black legs

 
Web www.thekruger.com

Enter search term exactly as follows ... "head is COLOUR" + "eye is COLOUR" + "bill is COLOUR" + "throat is COLOUR" + "Back is COLOUR" + "Legs are COLOUR". Of course substitue the word COLOUR for the actual colour (see table below).

You only need to add a phrase for the information you have eg ... if you only have eye colour and bill colour then you just type those 2 sections into the search box. However the more of these variables you type in the easier it will be to identify the bird from the list returned. You can use either upper or lower case or mix of both.

Try this example ... type EXACTLY as below ...

"Eye is brown" + "throat is white" + "Legs are red" + "back is black" + "Bill is carmine".

This is the answer you will get if you typed correctly ...

1. Grey-headed Kingfisher ( Halcyon leucocephala fam. Dacelonidae) Kruger Park Birds ...
plumage and colours Head is grey. Eye is brown. Bill is carmine. Throat is white. Back is black. Legs colour is red. This bird has normally proportioned leg length. Main diet items
http://www.thekruger.com/knpbirds/halcyonleucocephala.htm
 
 

This is the only bird in the Kruger Park that matches such a description.

It is important to only use those colours shown in the table below. Do NOT use any other colour because they do not appear in the data base. These colours are those used in Roberts 7th edition.

Table showing colours to use for searching for unidentified birds

Eye Bill Back Back Head Head Throat Throat Legs
black black black grey, brown black grey azure pink black
blue blackish brown blackish brown grey, olive blackish brown grey, black black pink, red black, grey
brown blue black, blue grey, pink black, blue, white grey, brown black, brown purple black, red
brown, red blue, grey black, brown grey, white black, brown grey, olive black, grey purple, black blue
chestnut brown black, grey maroon black, grey grey, pink black, purple red blue, green
cream carmine black, purple mauve black, purple grey, white black, red reddish brown blue, grey
crimson crimson black, white olive black, red mauve, pink black, white red, brown blue, pink
green green blue olive, brown black, white olive blue scarlet brown
grey greenish black blue, black olive, green blue olive, brown blue-green umber brown, pink
hazel greenish yellow blue, green olive, grey blue-green olive, green blue, black violet crimson
orange grey blue, grey orange, yellow blue, black olive, grey blue, green white green
red grey, black blue, purple pink blue, chestnut orange blue, grey white grey
red brown grey, green bronze, green pink, red blue, green pink brown white, black grey, black
reddish brown grey, white bronze, pink purple blue, grey pink, red brown, black white, brown grey, pink
red, brown ivory brown purple, black blue, purple purple brown, white white, chestnut grey, white
sepia mauve brownish green purple, brown bronze purple, blue chestnut white, grey olive
white olive brown, black purplish-black bronze, green purple, brown chrome yellow orange
white, yellow orange brown, blue red brown red cinnamon   orange, yellow
yellow pink brown, grey red, brown brown, grey red, brown cream   pink
  pink, black chestnut red, olive brown, white red, pink green   pink, brown
  purple cinnamon scarlet chestnut scarlet green, black   purple
  red copper umber cinnamon silver, grey grey   purplish red
  scarlet cream velvet cream umber grey, black   red
  white green violet golden, rufous velvet grey, brown   red, pink
  yellow green, olive white green white grey, white   white
    green, yellow white, black greenish blue white, black grey, yellow   yellow
    grey yellow green, black white, brown lilac   yellowish pink
    grey, black yellow, brown green, brown white, grey mauve   yellow, green
    grey, blue yellow, green green, olive yellow orange