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Buff-spotted Flufftail | Sarothrura elegans

The Buff-spotted Flufftail is a Southern African bird that belongs to the Rallidae bird family group which includes birds such as Flufftails, Rails, Crakes, Gallinules, Swamphens, Moorhens, Coots.

The description for the Buff-spotted Flufftail (Latin name Sarothrura elegans) can be found in the 7th Edition of the Roberts Birds of Southern Africa. The Sarothrura elegans can be quickly identified by its unique Roberts identification number of 218 and the detailed description of this bird is on page 315. You will find a picture of the Buff-spotted Flufftail on page 320.

NOTE: The reference for the information following is "Roberts Birds of Southern Africa", 7th Edition*. This edition contained a number of taxonomic changes as well as changes to English names used traditionally and in earlier editions of most bird books in South Africa. The following paragraph notes such changes if any.

There have been no changes in the common name between the Roberts 6th and Roberts 7th Edition. There have been no changes in the Latin name for the Buff-spotted Flufftail between the Roberts 6th and Roberts 7th Edition

The Buff-spotted Flufftail is known in Afrikaans as Gevlekte Vleikuiken.

The Buff-spotted Flufftail has a height of 17 cms and weighs around 45 gms. The head is coloured orange while the bill is coloured black. The Sarothrura elegans has a orange coloured throat, black legs and a black coloured back. The eyes are brown.

The male Sarothrura elegans has physical features that are slightly different from the female bird.

Take note of the main distinguishing features such as colour, size and leg length relative to the body size. Colours of body parts can be helpful. Be aware what may appear brown to one person is described in Roberts using some other word ... for example brown, black. See colours used in Roberts.

Head is orange

Eyes are brown

Bill is black

Legs are black

Throat is orange

Back is black

Feeding Habits ...

This bird forages for food on the ground

This bird eats insects such as butterflies, bees, wasps, locusts and ants. These invertebrates are usually hawked aerially, killed and then eaten .

Breeding, Habitat and Nesting Habits ...

The Buff-spotted Flufftail is a monogamous bird which means that the bird finds and breeds with one partner for the rest of its life. The bird lays between 3 to 5 eggs and they are coloured white.

The bird builds its nest on the ground with figs, straw and leaves. The nest is placed under a bush to protect the young from predators.

This bird is very common in most of the Southern African Forests

The bird is an urban dweller as well, being at home in parks, gardens and in old vacated buildings

Seen in Flocks, Singles or Pairs Normally ...

The Buff-spotted Flufftail is mainly seen singly or in pairs in the wild.

The reference for the information following is "Roberts Birds of Southern Africa", 7th Edition * edited by PAR Hockey, WRJ Dean and PG Ryan, published by "The Trustees of the John Voelcker Bird Book Fund."