Can't quite figure out what these are, especially the first two ...
http://www.hiltonphotography.net/tests/dunno-birds/

Anyone?

Is #4 a African Guineafowl? Wonderful pictures!

<b>Is #4 a African Guineafowl?</b>

The bird books I have for east Africa list Crested, Helmeted and Vulturine guineafowls but no 'African' guineafowl for Tanzania ... here's a pic of the Helmeted ... http://www.pbase.com/hilton_photography/image/89201312 (click the 'birds of Tanzania' link on that page to see about 100 other birds)

Bill

Sorry Bill.

I'm not up with East African birds. i haven't been to East Africa since 1986.

You have some impressive images though.

Great Backgrounds &amp; nice feather details. Most of the birds have dull plumage, suggesting females or juveniles

#1 reminds me of a type of Robin.

#4 I think is a francolin. it's the red colored legs. Guineafowls have black legs.

Geoff.

I was thinking thinking #4 was a spurfowl because of the red colored legs with spurs. However, it may be a Jackson's francolin; I'm going strictly by the plumage here though as I'm not sure if it should have an all red beak.
The others are those little brown ones I'm still struggling with.
Beautiful shots!

First one I am fairly sure is a Spotted Flycatcher, the last one I think Hildebrandt's Francolin.
Sorry have absolutely no idea on the middle two.

Thanks for the tips guys &amp; gals ... even the ones that don't pan out are forcing me to lQQk carefully in the guide book to see why not

<b> &quot;(# 4) may be a Jackson's francolin&quot; </b>

Safarimama, according to my guidebook the Jackson's range is a small area only in Kenya, so unless it's a stray it's in the wrong place (Manyara). Also one guidebook (Stevenson/Fanshawe) says the Jackson's has &quot;whitish throat and bright chestnut underparts&quot; with &quot;bill and legs red&quot; and none of those quite fit the photos ... I still think it's a Hildebrandt's francolin but it's not an exact match to the pics in the two guidebooks (they probably interbreed and it could be a juvenile or changing plummage when I got the shot, so it's hard to be too exact). So I'm open to examining other options.

<b>&quot;First one I am fairly sure is a Spotted Flycatcher&quot;</b>

Thanks keah05, I was thinking 'flycatcher' or 'cisticola' but couldn't find a good species match in the books for either. One thing throwing me off was the 'whiskers' at the base of the bill, which are lacking in the guidebooks ... but the description (if not the actual drawing) of the spotted flycatcher in Stevenson/Fanshawe is the best match I've yet come up with, so thanks for that one.

<b>&quot;#1 reminds me of a type of Robin&quot;</b>

Geoff, I can't find robins in my Tanzania bird books that match this guy's plummage, but thanks (at least I now know what the robins look like after looking at those images). I agree with you on # 4, just trying to pin down which francolin (or possibly spur-fowl, but I think I eliminated all the spur-fowl).

Thanks again!

Bill

I got an email reply from an expert level birder from Scotland, who has been to Uganda and Kenya on birding trips ... here is what he had to say:

<b><i>I think bird 1 is an old world Flycatcher of the genus Muscicapa.....it looks like a Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapa striata), a bird which summers in Europe &amp; winters in East Africa.

Bird 2 is a Cisticola species............ I would take a look at Rattling (C. chiniana) &amp; Winding (C. galactotes) Cisticolas with the plain rufous crown of your bird suggesting Winding.
Cisticolas are a very difficult group however &amp; I struggle with them.

I think you're right about bird 3 being a juvenile Shrike. The bird looks like a first-winter Lanius sp -I think probably Isabelline Shrike (Lanius isabellinus) but possibly L.collurio (Red-backed Shrike).

For bird 4 your suggestion of Hildebrandt's Francolin gets my vote.</i></b>