Cape Longclaw
SA4x4|May 2017

It is interesting to note the complete dissimilarity between the English and Afrikaans names for this bird. The Afrikaans name seems, in a way, to make a bit more sense. Look at the bird. The orange throat is very visible and equally descriptive. Admittedly the kalkoentjie (small turkey) part is not so glaringly obvious and one wonders where that comes from.

Koos Pieters
Cape Longclaw

However you are never going to miss a turkey when it crosses your path, and neither should you miss this striking and brightly-coloured little bird when you stumble across it.

The English name, on the other hand, clearly refers to the unusually long claw on the hind toe, but (given the fact that they spend much of their lives foraging in grassy surrounds) you’d have to wonder how visible their claws are to the average onlooker. And why call it Cape Long claw if the bird occurs nowhere in the Cape accept for a narrow coastal belt of the western and southern Cape, and then all over the Free State and Gauteng, and even in parts of Zimbabwe? Strange, indeed, particularly taking into account that it was previously aptly called the Orange throated Long claw.

Denne historien er fra May 2017-utgaven av SA4x4.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra May 2017-utgaven av SA4x4.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA SA4X4Se alt
SA4x4

Uganda The Pearl Of Africa

This trip, the very last in the series of stories from Dan Grec’s two-year Africa round trip, details a scary mishap and some extraordinary wildlife encounters

time-read
10+ mins  |
March 2020
Chewy, But Edible
SA4x4

Chewy, But Edible

Take another look at those garden pests

time-read
4 mins  |
March 2020
Auto Perfection?
SA4x4

Auto Perfection?

Adding a six-speed auto to Mahindra’s workhorse ups the game for this value proposition

time-read
3 mins  |
March 2020
SA4x4

Defenders On Tour

The second 2019 Defender Trophy event kicked off in Limpopo and was unique in that participants camped in three different countries…

time-read
9 mins  |
March 2020
SA4x4

Rad Rig The Dream Catcher

Motorhome world’s one-of-a-kind luxury globetrotter

time-read
4 mins  |
March 2020
The Difference Between An Overlander And An Offroader
SA4x4

The Difference Between An Overlander And An Offroader

A very important distinction needs to be made between the offroader and the overland traveller; often the two are thought to be the same.

time-read
5 mins  |
March 2020
Steelmate TP-S9
SA4x4

Steelmate TP-S9

Solar powered TPMS (External sensor)

time-read
3 mins  |
March 2020
SA4x4

Light on the dark side

VW AMAROK DARK LABEL

time-read
4 mins  |
March 2020
Monkey business!
SA4x4

Monkey business!

Vervet Monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) are the most widespread of the African monkeys; occurring from the Ethiopian Rift Valley, highlands east of the Rift, and southern Somalia, through the eastern lowlands of Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia (east of the Luangwa Valley), Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and all nine provinces in South Africa.

time-read
3 mins  |
March 2020
SA4x4

GREAT ZOOKS

There are a few mishaps as a bunch of Jimnys tackle one of Lesotho’s premier off-road challenges, Baboon’s Pass

time-read
10 mins  |
March 2020