PER CHING-BIRDS 



M5 



In this mode of life they closely resemble the buffalo-weavers, or ox-birds, already 

 mentioned. The better known of the two is the common ox-pecker (Bv/phaga 

 africana), a species earthy-coloured above and pale rufous brown on the lower part 

 of the back and under-parts, with a range extending over Africa generally. In 

 this species the beak is yellow tipped with red, but in the second species, 

 B. erytkrorhynchus, which ranges from Abyssinia to Natal, it is wholly red. The 

 glossy starlings form another very characteristic group of African birds. They 

 have short, slightly curved beaks, and are distinguished by the beautiful metallic 

 sheen of their plumage. While some are forest-dwellers, frequenting the summits 



OX PUCKERS AT WORK. 



of high trees, others prefer open country. All resemble ordinary starlings in flight 

 and song, but their long tails and relatively large bodies make them look more like 

 magpies. In the breeding-season these birds associate in flocks and nest in the 

 hollows of trees, while later on they wander about in flocks with their young. 

 The bronze-starling (Lamprotomis ceneus) of West Africa, the amethyst-starling 

 (L. eytoni), the copper-starling (L. porphyrojrteriis), and the green glossy starling 

 (L. chalybceus) of north-eastern Africa are well-known members of this group. 



The crow tribe (Corvidce) is represented in Ethiopian Africa, as well as 



in Madagascar, by the white-bellied crow (Corvus scapulatus), a species with 



a white gorget and white on the breast, but otherwise glossy black, and of about 



the size of an ordinary crow. The thick-billed raven (Corvultsur crassirostris) of 



vol. in. — 10 • 



