Orange-throated Longclaw Macronyx capensis Scientific name definitions

20–21 cm; male 49·2–55 g, female 45·2–52·2 g, unsexed 40–55 g. Large, chunky, short-tailed longclaw with reddish to orange throat, upright stance . Adult male nominate race has bright orange supercilium, white or pale yellow lores and line below eye, greyish-horn to dull cinnamon ear-coverts; forehead to mantle and scapulars dark olive-brown, pale feather fringes forming greyish (sometimes cinnamon) collar, back to uppertail-coverts greyish-horn to dull cinnamon; remiges dark olive-brown, edged orange-yellow, outer primary edged cream, secondaries tipped buff, tertials fringed buff to dull cinnamon; upperwing-coverts dark olive, fringed orange, orange-yellow or cinnamon; rectrices dark olive-brown, central pair with narrow buff fringes, remainder with white at tip (becoming progressively greater towards outer pair) and with outer webs narrowly edged pale yellow to pale orange, outer pair with white outer web except at base; chin, throat, malar region and foreneck bright deep orange, bordered by brownish-black necklace, latter broadening in centre; centre of breast and belly orange-yellow, breast side (sometimes entire breast), flanks, thighs and undertail-coverts cinnamon to cinnamon-brown, breast side usually obscurely streaked olive-brown to buff-brown; underwing pale olive-brown, axillaries white, edged bright orange; iris hazel to dark brown; bill brown to blackish, greyish base of lower mandible; legs light brown, tinged flesh, reddish or yellow. Adult female is duller, has necklace browner and less well defined, breast and side of belly more greyish-horn to dull cinnamon. Juvenile has less orange-yellow below, narrower necklace; immature male has paler hindneck, darker feather centres above, pale cinnamon to creamy fringes forming bolder pattern on wing, throat patch creamy to orange, incomplete necklace, pale and duller orange-yellow centre of lower breast and belly, rest of underparts washed dull cinnamon to dark grey; immature female is paler below than young male. Race colletti is paler and brighter below than nominate, centre of breast and belly orange-yellow, breast side, flanks and thigh cinnamon to tawny-olive, sometimes pale grey on thigh and undertail-coverts; stabilior differs from previous in well-developed black feather centres on upperparts, is more rufous and less grey above, darker wings and tail, duller below, male has pronounced brownish suffusion on breast side.

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Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Song, in flight, a series of clear, piping, far-carrying “dweet” or “deweet” whistles, sometimes with added “meew”, e.g. as “deweet, meew, deweet, meew”. Calls include a series of clear, piping, far-carrying whistles “dweet” or “deweet”, sometimes with an added “meew” rendered as “deweet, meew, deweet, meew”. Calls include whistled “tsweet” from ground or in flight, also cat-like “meew” as alarm; also, harsh “chack”, chirping “chi-rup” or “cheeerr-up”, loud “choi”, “chio”, “chi-cho”, “choik” and similar notes, often run together and given with other calls. May occasionally mimic other species.

Sept–Mar, mostly Nov–Feb, in Zimbabwe, and from Sept in Mozambique; in South Africa, Aug–Apr (mainly Nov–Jan) in N & E, and Jul–Dec (peak Aug–Sept) in SW. Monogamous; territorial. In display-flight, male rises to c. 10 m, sings while fluttering wings, drops back to ground. Nest a deep cup of grass, lined with finer grass and rootlets, built on ground close to or within grass tussock or well hidden in other dense vegetation cover. Clutch 2–5 eggs, mean 3; incubation and fledging periods not recorded.