Old World Warblers (Sylviidae)
Cape Grass-warbler (Sphenoeacus afer) - HBW 11, p. 611
French: Sphénoèque du Cap
German: Kapgrassänger
Spanish: Yerbera de El Cabo
Other common names: (Cape) Grassbird
Taxonomy: Muscicapa afra J. F. Gmelin, 1789, Cape of Good Hope, South Africa.
Has sometimes been linked in a superspecies with Melocichla mentalis and Achaetops pycnopygius, but the latter now classed as a babbler (Timaliidae) and the three species now thought not to be closely related. Four subspecies recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution:
- excisus Clancey, 1973 - E Zimbabwe highlands and adjacent Mozambique.
- natalensis Shelley, 1882 - NE South Africa (Northern Province S to N & E Free State and KwaZulu-Natal), W Swaziland and N Lesotho.
- intermedius Shelley, 1882 - E South Africa (extreme S KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape S to former Transkei); probably also S Lesotho.
- afer (J. F. Gmelin, 1789) - Western Cape and SW Eastern Cape (E to about R Gamtoos), in SW & S South Africa.
- Least Concern Enlarge map
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A front sight of an individual in a bush, flying away Locality Betty’s Bay, Western Cape Province, South Africa (ssp afer)
Helmut Schenkel Brunner 31 July 2003 5 years ago 9 sec 4.5 -
single male singing from a perch in coastal fynbos Locality De Hoop Nature Reserve, Western Cape Province, South Africa (ssp afer)
Alexander Lees 8 July 2007 1 year ago 8 sec 4.5 -
An adult singing. Locality Cape Point, Cape Town, Western Cape Province, South Africa (ssp afer)
Francesc Capdevila i Torr... 19 October 2000 10 years ago 20 sec 4.3 -
An adult carrying food near its nest site Locality Darling, Western Cape Province, South Africa (ssp afer)
Greg Baker 25 September 2002 36 weeks ago 26 sec 4.2 -
An adult singing Locality Cape Point, Cape Town, Western Cape Province, South Africa (ssp afer)
Francesc Capdevila i Torr... 19 October 2000 10 years ago 19 sec 3.4 -
A brief view of an adult singing before it flies away Locality De Hoop Nature Reserve, Western Cape Province, South Africa (ssp afer)
Greg Baker 2 October 2002 33 weeks ago 7 sec 3.3
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On the top a of a bush
Locality Rooi–Els, Western Cape Province, South Africa (ssp afer)
Guy Poisson 25 November 2010 21 weeks ago 4.5 -
A bird singing on the bush
Locality Cape Town, Western Cape Province, South Africa (ssp afer)
Libor Vaicenbacher 30 October 2009 3 years ago 4.5 -
An adult perched on a plant.
Locality Bontebok National Park, Swellendam, Western Cape Province, South Africa (ssp afer)
Carmelo López 22 November 2010 2 years ago 4.3 -
Bird singing on a branch
Locality Polokwane (Pietersburg), Limpopo Province, South Africa
jmdebruyn 1 September 2012 35 weeks ago 4.2 -
Cape Grassbird, Sphenoeacus afer excisus, this is the relict excisus subspecies of the Cape Grassbird that is confined to Nyanga
Locality Harare, Zimbabwe (ssp excisus)
BirdExplorers 2 March 2007 1 year ago 4.1 -
Male in coastal fynbos at Koppie Alleen.
Locality De Hoop Nature Reserve, Western Cape Province, South Africa (ssp afer)
Martin Flack 28 October 2011 1 year ago 4
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Singing from a low branch. Response to playback. Locality Rooi–Els, Western Cape Province, South Africa
(ssp afer)
Charles Hesse 1 November 2009 3 years ago 4
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