Narina Trogon

Named after the Khoikhoi mistress of the 18th-century French explorer and ornithologist François le Vaillant, the Narina Trogon has a quite unfounded reputation for elusiveness. The reality is that this bird is not particularly shy, and is easily deceived by imitations of its call. Note, however, that trogons invari-ably sound much further away than they are — you may find yourself patiently trying to lure in a seemingly distant bird that is in fact only two trees away from you. They swoop in quietly to perch in the canopy, usually facing away from you, thus turning a cryptic green against the forest canopy. Look out for the beautiful patches of electric blue skin on their faces that puff out as they call.

Knysna Lourie

This charismatic endemic makes a worthy icon of the Garden Route. It is usually first observed as a flash of red gliding through the green foliage, and is easy to locate by its hoarse, repetitive and very loud call, rising to a crescendo — one of the most evocative sounds of the mist-wreathed canopy of South Africa’s afromontane forests. The Knysna Lourie is perhaps less shy than other forest louries and appears insatiably curious. Many a lunch stop will be enlivened by the discovery of a lourie peering at you through the overhead leaves.

Chorister Robin

The Afrikaans name for this species, ‘Lawaaimaker’, is rather less generous than the English! It means ‘racket-maker’, but however melodious one considers it, the Chorister Robin is a very fine-looking endemic. In the Western Cape, its range only extends eastwards from Mossel Bay, and it occurs in all the Garden Route forests described here. It is perhaps typical of many forest species in that it is brightly coloured and vocal, but often infuriatingly skulking. It calls mostly at dawn, often from the forest canopy, which may make it difficult to locate. Beware of its remarkable powers of mimicry, which may be to blame if you are baffled by Crowned Eagles or African Goshawks calling from dense forest understorey!

African Rock Pipit

This poorly-known endemic is characteristic of South Africa’s mountainous interior. It is localized and largely inaccessible in the region covered by this book, with the notable exception of the Karoo National Park (opposite); see also Bergenaars Pass (p.112). African Rock Pipit is curiously inconspicuous and best detected by call — a rather unpipit-like descending whistle. The yellow edging on the bird’s folded wing, rather optimistically exaggerated in some field guides, is not a good field character. Rather, concentrate on its very distinctive call, plain plumage and relatively conspicuous eye-stripe to distinguish it from the Long-billed Pipit, which favours similarly rocky landscapes.