Occurs in West Africa, East Africa, Central Africa and
Southern Africa. Within southern Africa, found in N Limpopo, N KwaZulu-Natal, E
Swaziland, Mozambique, SE and NW Zimbabwe, Caprivi in Namibia. Preferred
habitats are forest edges, thickets and dense woodland.
Known to forage in association with Vervet monkeys Cercopithecus
aethiops: eats wasted fruit material dropped by the monkeys and also feeds
from their faeces.
Breeding
Nest a shallow scrape in the ground, hidden among
grass.
Breeding season (laying dates): October to February -
after first heavy rains.
After laying 2-12 eggs (usually 4-7), the female
incubates them for about 23 days before they hatch.
The parents guard the chicks throughout their
development. After two weeks, the chicks can fly short distances and after
about a month they moult into juvenile plumage.
References
Hockey PAR, Dean WRJ and Ryan PG (eds) 2005. Roberts
- Birds of southern Africa, VIIth ed. The Trustees of the John Voelcker
Bird Book Fund, Cape Town.
