The Cape Bunting (Emberiza capensis) is one of the delightful birds that occurs over much of South Africa, where they can be seen in rocky areas as well as in grassland and along dry watercourses.
Even though the boldly striped head and bright chestnut wings immediately draws attention, their colouring helps them to easily blend into their environment.
Their chestnut wing coverts contrast beautifully with their greyish nape and mantle.
These sparrow-like birds hop on the ground in search of seeds, although they also catch insects and feed on fruit and flower buds.
Cape Buntings are not the easiest birds to photograph as they seldom remain still enough. These ones were seen around the rest camp in the Mountain Zebra National Park, where they have possibly become habituated to human company – and so are a delight to observe.
Something Over Tea 
You have demonstrated their camouflage so well
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Thank you, Derrick. These ones seemed quite tame and didn’t mind the clicking of my camera.
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Lovely little bird!
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I am very fond of them.
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😊
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Lovely Anne! We occasionally have the Golden Breasted Buntings here, love them, xxx
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They are very pretty birds too.
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Such a lovely little bird! My first thought was that Cape Bunting looked like a sparrow and then a little later that’s exactly how you described it.
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Thank you, Laurie. It is lovely to hear from you.
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Vacation is over! Back to blogging and other writing projects.
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He is so good-looking! Easy to love…
I’m continually blessed by your camera work and your constancy in sharing small beauties and points of interest from your world. As the years pass, the images and stories pertaining to South Africa which accumulate in my mind create quite a presence!
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What a kind comment to make. Thank you very much indeed 🙂
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Nice looking bird. It looks very similar to ‘our’ Rock Bunting – but with brighter wing flashes and without the grey bib. https://ebird.org/species/rocbun1
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Thank you for providing this link: the Emberiza family have strong characteristics that groups them together! We have a few species and they all look lovely – as does yours!
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It is a lovely little bird. Fine shots, Anne!
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Thank you, Belinda. They were very co-operative at the time 🙂
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That looks like two different birds sewn together. The back section looks like our dunnocks,
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I see the similarity to your Dunnock. Alittlebitoutoffocus has included a link above that shows your Rock Bunting that looks equally attractive.
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I have never seen a rock bunting.
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The Rest Camp at Mountain Zebra NP really is such a treat for anyone hoping to find otherwise hard-to-photograph birds from that part of the country. Your shots are marvelous, Anne.
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It is like the picnic site at Addo – excellent for photographing birds that would not otherwise be close enough for a good picture.
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Lovely little one!
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It is – and it is lovely to hear from you again.
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They are lovely little birds and it must have been a pleasure seeing them so tame. (I recall when I was a kid the black and white on their heads reminded me of the old-fashioned bull’s eye sweets.)
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Your mention of those sweets takes me right back in time … the comparison you make is perfect!
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🙂 I am not sure if bull’s eye sweets even exist anymore!
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I haven’t seen any for years.
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