Cape Rockjumper

The Cape rockjumper is 23–25 cm long with a long black tail and strong legs. The male has a dark grey and black head with a thin white supercilium and a broad white moustache (malar stripe). The back and wings are dark grey, and the underparts and rump are rufous red. The female and juvenile have a paler grey head, upperparts and wings, a duller head pattern, an orange rump, and buff underparts. The call varies from 1-4 piercing whistles to a series of trills. Adults have bright red eyes, while juveniles have black eyes until mature. The closely related Drakensberg rockjumper (Chaetops aurantius) does not overlap in range. The male of that species has orange underparts, and the female and young are paler below than the Cape rockjumper.

Cape rockjumpers inhabit only mountain Fynbos, specifically that dominated by low scrubby restio vegetation. They prefer steep slopes with plenty of large boulders from which they can perch to keep an eye out for predators. While there is an established population at sea level at Rooi-Els (~ 80 km east of Cape Town), this area nevertheless is made up of mountain Fynbos habitat.

Birds forage on rocky slopes and scree. Insects are the major part of the diet, although small vertebrates are reported to be taken by Cape rockjumpers. A range of insects are taken, including caterpillars, moths, grasshoppers, beetles and flies. In addition to insects other prey include lizards and geckos, amphibians, scorpions, annelid worms and spiders. Their wings are proportionately small and they do not fly very often, although they will often take long gliding "flights" across valleys or downslope. They spend most of their lives running and jumping among rocks and grasses while hunting arthropods, small lizards, and amphibians.