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The following are largely unconfirmed records published originally in the ABC Bulletins for interest only.

A Pennant-winged Nightjar Macrodipteryx vexillarius was photographed c.10 km offshore from Cabinda on 26 July 2006.

Belated records from 2005 include the following. In the Mount Moco area, Huambo, visited on 11–17 August, Afromontane forests were found to be highly disturbed, and have almost certainly been reduced significantly in size since the 1970s. Still, birds seen here included endemic subspecies of Western Green Tinkerbird Pogoniulus coryphaeus, Bocage’s Akalat Sheppardia bocagei, Mountain Chat Oenanthe monticola, Evergreen Forest Warbler Bradypterus lopezi, Grey Apalis Apalis cinerea, African Hill Babbler Pseudoalcippe abyssinica and Swee Waxbill Coccopygia melanotis. The call of a francolin was recorded and subsequently identified as belonging to Swierstra’s Francolin Francolinus swierstai. At a nearby mountain, a pair of Verreaux’s Eagle Aquila verreauxii, not previously recorded this far north in Angola, was watched hunting along a ridge, and a pale-morph Booted Eagle Hieraaetus pennatus, apparently only the third country record, was seen. Three pairs of Swierstra’s Francolin were found.

The most interesting find in the Cassongue area, Cuanza Sul, on 18 August, was Brazza’s Martin Phedina brazzae, which was seen in two consecutive river valleys, a range extension of c.800 km. This species was again seen about two weeks later, c.100 km to the east, and is suspected to breed in the region at low densities.

Records of Dusky Long-tailed Cuckoo Cercococcyx mechowi, Least Honeyguide Indicator exilis and Mountain Chat at Kumbira Forest represented range extensions. Elsewhere in the Gabela area, Yellow-throated Tinkerbird Pogoniulus bilineatus was found to be fairly common; this species was previously known only from Cabinda. Another range extension in this area was Little Green Sunbird Anthreptes seimundi.

The first ABC sponsored conservation tour, organised and operated by Birding Africa, took place to Angola on the 9th - 16th October 2005 and recorded 14 Angolan endemics and several range extensions. The highlights of this tour are documented in ABC Bulletin 13(1) pp 6-7. Red-backed Mousebird Colius castanotus, Rufous-tailed Palm Thrush Cichladusa ruficauda, White-fronted Wattle-eye Platysteira albifrons, Bubbling Cisticola Cisticola bulliens, Angola Batis Batis minulla and Golden-backed Bishop Euplectes aureus were all found near the mouth of the Rio Longa. Red-crested Turaco Tauraco erythrolophus, Gabon Coucal Centropus anselli, Yellow-throated Tinkerbird Pogoniulus subsulphureus, Yellow-throated Nicator Nicator vireo, Rufous Flycatcher-Thrush Neocossyphus fraseri, Black-throated Apalis jacksoni and Buff-throated Apalis A. rufogularis, Green Crombec Sylvietta virens, Southern Hyliota Hyliota australis and Red-headed Bluebill Spermophaga ruficapilla, were all found close to Gabela. The Sunbird family was well represented in this area and many species were seen such as Carmelite Chalcomitra fuliginosa, Green-headed Cyanomitra verticalis, Little Green Anthreptes seimundi, Superb Cinnyris superbus and Olive-bellied C. chloropygius.

Gabela Helmet-Shrike Prionops gabela

near Bimbe, Angola

One of the first photos taken of this little known Angolan endemic species.

Photo: John Caddick

Angola Cave-Chat Xenocopsychus ansorgei, Miombo Rock-Thrush Monticola angolensis, a single Damara Rockjumper Chaetops pycnopygius, several Oustalet’s Cinnyris oustaleti and Montane Double-collared Sunbirds C. ludovicensis and a party of Dusky Twinspots Euschistospiza cinereovinacea were all seen on the escarpment near the village of Conda. The Kumbira forest in the same area held African Emerald Cuckoo Chrysococcyx cupreus, Least Honeyguide Indicator exilis, Petit’s Cuckoo-Shrike Campephaga petiti, Gabela Akalat Sheppardia gabela, Pulitzer’s Longbill Macrosphenus pulitzeri, Rufous-vented Paradise-Flycatcher Terpsiphone rufocinerea, the trio of Gabela Laniarius amboimensis, Monteiro’s Malacanotus monteiri and Perrin’s Bush-Shrikes Telophorus (viridis) viridis, Pale-billed Firefinch Lagonosticta (rubricata) landanae and Black-faced Canary Serinus capistratus. In the area of Bimbe, eight Gabela Helmet-Shrikes Prionops gabela were seen in the tallest trees of what was essentially an area with grass and scrub. In the same area were African Barred Owlet Glaucidium capense, Bohm’s Neafrapus boehmi and Mottled Spinetails Telacanthura ussheri, Black Scimitarbill Rhinopomastus aterrimus and Pale-olive Greenbul Phyllastrephus fulviventris.

A visit to the north in January-February 2005 yielded the following interesting records. Five of the poorly known White-headed Robin Chat Cossypha heinrichii were found in fairly degraded gallery woodland 30 km north-east of Calandula, Malanje, on 1 February; this species, listed as Vulnerable, has a very limited range. Two Slender-tailed Cisticolas Cisticola melanurus, a Data Deficient species, were seen in pristine climax miombo woodland 26 km north-east of Calandula, Malanje, on 2 February. Three pairs of the Endangered Braun’s Bush-Shrike Laniarius brauni were duetting in a small patch of degraded forest 30 km south of Uíge, Uíge Province, on 31 January. The sighting of two male Bob-tailed Weavers Brachycope anomala in swampy, grassy habitat on a flooded area of the Luinha River, 2 km south of Luinha village, Cuanza Norte, on 1 February, appears to constitute the first record of this species for the country.

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Grey-striped Francolin Francolinus griseostriatus, an Angolan endemic, was seen at Quiçama National Park (two, 18 March 2001; four, 10 May 2002) and Kumbira, a forest 7 km south of Conda, Cuanza Sul, on the road to Seles (several pairs, 6 February 2003). Allen’s Gallinule Porphyrio alleni was abundant on the Queve River floodplain on 26th. Fourteen Gull-billed Terns Sterna nilotica, a rare Palearctic visitor, were recorded at Luanda Bay on 9th, with six there on 28th. Red-crested Turaco Tauraco erythrolophus was found to be common in the Gabela and Kumbira areas. Two Gabon Coucals Centropus anselli were seen at Kumbira on 6th. In Quiçama National Park, Loanda Swifts A. (horus) toulsoni (usually treated as a dark-rumped morph of Horus Swift A. horus, but possibly constituting a separate species) were seen on 18 March 2001 (two) and 10 May 2002 (four). Records of Hairy-breasted Barbet Tricholaema hirsuta (fairly common at Kumbira), Long-legged Pipit Anthus pallidiventris (two at Sumbe, Cuanza Sul) and Slender-billed Greenbul Andropadus gracilirostris (one at Kumbira) on 25th apparently constitute southerly range extensions.

Gabela Akalat Sheppardia gabela, an endangered Angolan endemic, was observed at Kumbira on 6th (one) and 25th (one). The rare and local Pulitzer's Longbill Macrosphenus pulitzeri was found to be fairly common at Seles on 26th. White-fronted Wattle-eyes Platysteira albifrons were seen at Quiçama National Park on 18 March 2001 and 10 May 2002 (several), and at Seles on 26 February 2003 (two). Records of Damara Rockjumper Chaetops pycnopygius inland from Seles (one) and Bare-cheeked Babbler Turdoides gymnogenys inland from Sumbe (fairly common) on 26th constitute northerly range extensions. Monteiro's Bush-Shrike Malaconotus monteiri was fairly common at Kumbira on 6th and 25th. The little-known endemic Gabela Bush-Shrike Laniarius amboimensis was common at Kumbira. Seven Gabela Helmet-Shrikes Prionops gabela, another endangered Angolan endemic, were seen on the road between Kumbira and Seles on 6th. Southerly range extensions were noted for Slender-billed Weaver Ploceus pelzelni (common on the Queve floodplain on 25th) and Compact Weaver Pachyphantes superciliosus (small groups near Kumbira on 6th).

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