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Bokmakierie Telophorus zeylonus Scientific name definitions

Hilary Fry
Version: 1.0 — Published March 4, 2020
Text last updated January 1, 2009

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Originally Appeared in

HBW Alive

Field Identification

22–24 cm; male 57–71 g, female 48–76 g. Nominate race has grey forehead to hindneck, well-demarcated bright yellow superciliary stripe from bill to above or just behind eye, bright olive-green upperparts, including upperwing; central pair of tail feathers dark olive-green, remainder black with bright yellow tips, yellow area progressively larger from rectrix T2 to T6; lores black, chin and throat bright yellow, bordered by black band 3–5 mm wide at side of throat and 12–17 mm wide in mid-line; lower breast and belly yellow to rich olive-yellow becoming olive-green or grey on sides of breast and, broadly, on flanks, thighs olive-green sometimes with variable amounts of grey or yellow, undertail-coverts yellow; underwing-coverts greyish-yellow; iris mauve-brown; bill black; legs blue-grey. Sexes alike, female's gorget perhaps on average narrower than male's. Immature has forehead to hindneck dark greyish olive-green, upperparts like adult but dark area of tail feathers brownish-slate (not black), lores and ear-coverts dark grey, chin and throat pale grey, merging into yellowish-olive on breast and greyish-olive on rest of underparts, breast and flanks finely and inconspicuously barred or vermiculated with blackish, eyes greyish-brown, bill horn-coloured with paler base; juvenile at fledging like immature, but with large patch of bare grey skin around eye, visible skin between other feather tracts pale yellow and bright pink, gape yellowish-white, mouth bright yellow, yellow throat patch begins to show at 70 days of age. Race thermophilus is paler than nominate, particularly on crown and nape, mantle greyer, no greenish tinge on side of breast and flanks; phanus is like previous but paler still, flanks chalky white, bill slightly heavier; restrictus is darker than nominate, particularly on crown and nape, and with heavy grey wash on flanks, also somewhat shorter-winged and longer-tailed.

Systematics History

Editor's Note: This article requires further editing work to merge existing content into the appropriate Subspecies sections. Please bear with us while this update takes place.

Sometimes placed in Chlorophoneus, but differs in lack of mouth spots and in nest structure, egg coloration, semi-terrestrial habits, and communication behaviour. Four subspecies recognized.

Subspecies

EBIRD GROUP (POLYTYPIC)

Bokmakierie (Southern) Telophorus zeylonus [zeylonus Group]

SUBSPECIES

Telophorus zeylonus phanus Scientific name definitions

Distribution
SW Angola (arid coastal plain) and NW Namibia (Kaokoveld).
SUBSPECIES

Telophorus zeylonus thermophilus Scientific name definitions

Distribution
Namibia (S from c.andnbsp;21°andnbsp;S), SW and SE Botswana and W and N South Africa (E to Limpopo and W Free State).
SUBSPECIES

Telophorus zeylonus zeylonus Scientific name definitions

Distribution
E and S South Africa (C and E Free State and KwaZulu-Natal S to SE Western Cape), Swaziland and Lesotho.
EBIRD GROUP (MONOTYPIC)

Bokmakierie (Chimanimani) Telophorus zeylonus restrictus Scientific name definitions

Distribution

Chimanimani Mts, on Zimbabwe–Mozambique border.

Distribution

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.

Habitat

Bushes and thickets with plenty of quite open ground around. Thickets in open grassland, bushy and rocky hillsides, scrub in hillside ravines, broken thornveld on stony ground with aloes (Aloe) and euphorbias (Euphorbia), also plantations, farmyards, gardens, tamarisk (Tamarix) growth along dry watercourses, dense protea (Protea) scrub, coastal fynbos and red dunes. In Mozambique, steep boulder screes with Philippia heath or Hymenodyction scrub and borders of forested ravines where rugged quartzite and schist massifs fold; in Namibia, occurs on arid boulder-strewn mountainsides with scattered bushes, and dunes with sparse scrub. To 2550 m.

Movement

Resident. Longest distance covered by ringed individual 5 km.

Diet and Foraging

Mainly invertebrates, including longhorn and shorthorn grasshoppers (Orthoptera), stick-insects (Phasmida), heteropteran bugs, mantises (Mantidae), moths and both hairless and hairy caterpillars (Lepidoptera), adult and larval beetles (of families Tenebrionidae, Scarabaeidae, Curculionidae, Lampyridae), flies (Diptera), termites (Isoptera), spiders (Araneae), sun-spiders (Solifugida), centipedes (Chilopoda); less commonly geckos (Gekkonidae), young chameleons (Chamaeleonidae), small snakes, and frogs; rarely, takes small birds up to size of prinias (Prinia) and white-eyes (Zosteropidae); occasionally a few seeds and small fruits. Hunts in grass tufts and in clumps of bushes and small trees, moving on ground, searching bases of vegetation, sometimes jumping up to seize prey; hops about in shrub, searching stems and leaves, gradually working its way upwards, and then flies down to base of another clump nearby. Most prey caught on ground, the bird often chasing it by hopping and running in zigzags with long, swift strides, with head drawn in and tail depressed; may fly up from bush to seize insect in flight. Large prey generally beaten and chewed on ground, then carried in bill to concealed perch in foliage; caterpillar usually wiped on ground or wedged in grass fork and scraped with the bill before before being consumed. When flushed from ground, flight rather laboured, close to ground, with fast shallow wingbeats and tail generally fanned; dives straight into cover. Usually in pairs.

Sounds and Vocal Behavior

Song loud, liquid, far-carrying, generally by two paired individuals in antiphonal duet; twelve or more different songs identified; male and female seem to have different repertoires but share some notes, and may utter sounds simultaneously or in rapid succession antiphonally. Male sings loud ringing whistles, varying from slow "houuuu" or double "hu-hu" or "hwe-hwe" to a rapidly delivered phrase including both slow "huu-huhuhu" and rapid, higher-pitched "hehehe"; female responds with lengthy, rapidly repeated whistles, which include "wikwikwikwikwikwik..." and high-pitched "hwehwehwehwehwe" or "teuteuteuteu...". Duetting initated usually by male, sometimes by female, and mate responds whether nearby or distant; if mate has disappeared, partner can sing complete duet sequence by itself. Songs have marked individual and regional variation, and different pairs can be identified by their duets; species' vernacular name is onomatopoeic, from duet of "bok-bok..." or "wok-wok..." followed by trilling "trrrreee". Immature starts to sing, imperfectly, at 55–70 days, joining parents to make trio songs. Other sounds are variety of stuttering, croaking, tearing and slashing notes, bill-clicking and wing-fripping; in territorial threat, pair duets with rising trills "trrrrrrrrree...", tearing "tzzrrreeo...", buzzing noises and sharp bill-clicking; when one individual changes notes, mate also does so; frips wings when excited; alarm at predator on ground slow "tok" notes, at aerial predator harsh scolding and "krrr..." sounds.

Breeding

Season lengthy in South Africa, mainly Aug–Nov (but clutches in all months except Apr) in Limpopo, Sept–Mar in KwaZulu-Natal, Jul–Mar in Eastern Cape and Jul–Oct in Western Cape; female with oviduct egg in Apr in Namibia, and birds in breeding condition Aug–Sept in Zimbabwe. Territory or home range c. 5 ha in suburban habitats, larger in open bushy country and arid areas (after young have left, adults move into larger territory which may be extension of breeding one), defended vigorously by pair and advertised throughout year, bird perching on top of low eminence, body inclined, neck stretched, bill open and pointing upwards so that yellow throat displayed, and sings solo or duets; in territorial threat, tenses body and bows jerkily, flicks wings and fans tail, while making bill-clicking, croaking and ripping sounds; in one encounter, adult pursued another at distance of 1–1·5 m, each often turned to face opponent and displayed by raising and spreading a wing (usually the right one) and pointing bill skywards (revealing yellow throat and gorget), then bowing forwards with tail cocked and spread (showing black-and-yellow pattern), pursuer uttered low "kok-kok, wit", and the two fought briefly until, after 20 m of quite slow pursuit, the intruder crossed back into its own territory. Courtship not known to differ from territorial threat display. Nest built by both sexes, sometimes constructing several before settling on one, a shallow bowl, quite neat and compact, made from dry grass, wet stems (e.g. of Helichrysum), herbs, fine twigs, roots and rootlets, sometimes with woolly plant down, leaves and man-made materials, sometimes decorated externally with asparagus fern (Asparagus), lined with fine grass and rootlets; placed on ground or, on average, 60 cm above it on fork of branch in dense foliage in bush, hedge or tree. Clutch 2–6 eggs, usually 3; incubation by both sexes, usually only female at night, period 14–19 days, usually 16 days; chicks brooded and fed by both parents, which carry more than one food item in bill at a time, parents take shifts in feeding and guarding, both remove faecal sacs (dropping them good distance away), nestling period 14–21 days, average 18 days. Nest occasionally parasitized by Jacobin Cuckoo (Clamator jacobinus).

Conservation Status

Conservation status on Birdlife LC Least Concern
Not globally threatened. Locally common within its large range. Not uncommon in Angola from Lobito Bay S to R Cunene; occasional in Iona National Park. Widespread in W & S Namibia; in Botswana, uncommon in SW (from Nossob Camp to Bokspits and Khuis) and sparse in extreme SE. Isolated population in Chimanimani Mts, on Zimbabwe-Mozambique border, estimated in 1981 at 400 birds, mainly in Mozambique (at 1350–2100 m), with only a few pairs in Zimbabwe. Common and widespread in South Africa and Swaziland; in N South Africa restricted to highveld and escarpment region (N to about Ohrigstad) and bushveld (N to about Rust der Winter). Common throughout Lesotho at 1970–2550 m, where population estimated at 10,000–100,000 individuals.
Distribution of the Bokmakierie - Range Map
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Distribution of the Bokmakierie

eBird and Macaulay Library

Recommended Citation

Fry, H. (2020). Bokmakierie (Telophorus zeylonus), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.bokmak1.01
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