Monthly Archives: October 2017

Southern African Tree Squirrel

Paraxerus cepapi

The Southern African Tree Squirrel (also known as Smith’s Bush Squirrel) occurs in bushveld and woodland, and is especially plentiful in riverine bush and mopane veld. They feed on leaves, flowers, seeds, fruit and berries, bark, pods, gum, moss and occasionally insects, eggs and chicks. They can live independently of drinking water. On average they’re about 35cm long (including their bushy tail) and weigh around 175g.

Although they are usually seen foraging alone, Tree Squirrels live in small groups consisting of 1 or 2 males, females and young. The whole group shares a nest, usually a hole in a tree lined with soft plant material. Tree Squirrels are diurnal, and enjoy baking in the sun near their nest hole in the early morning. Their noisy alarm calls is often a good clue as to the whereabouts of predators. When threatened they run to the nearest tree, moving around the trunk so that it is always between them and the attacker, but they can jump distances of up to 2 metres when the need arises.

Females give birth to 1-3 tiny (10g) babies at anytime of year, though mostly in the rainy season. The young leave the nest from about 3 weeks old. Snakes, eagles, owls, genets, cats and mongooses are the chief predators of Tree Squirrels, which has a life expectancy of about 8 years in the wild.

The Southern African Tree Squirrel is found in southern Angola, Zambia, southern DRC, Malawi, Tanzania, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, northern Namibia, Swaziland and northern South Africa (Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Gauteng, North West and extreme northern Kwazulu-Natal), where it is a common species and regarded as being of least concern by the IUCN.

Tree squirrel

Squirrel at Skukuza

Squirrel at Skukuza Day Visitors Area

Tree squirrels squabbling next to the Timbavati

Doubt it was this squirrel that growled so ferociously at us at Mooiplaas!

Tree Squirrel

Tree Squirrel in the camping area at Pretoriuskop

Tree Squirrel (Photo by Joubert)

Southern African Tree Squirrel

Tree Squirrel

Southern African Tree Squirrel (photo by Joubert)

Southern African Tree Squirrel

Curious Tree Squirrel

Southern African Tree Squirrel

South African Tree Squirrels

Tree Squirrels

African Scops-Owl

29 Replies

Otus senegalensis

At between 60 and 80g in weight and with a wingspan under 50cm, the African Scops-Owl is one of the smallest owl species on the continent. It inhabits savannas, especially those dominated by thorn trees or mopane, and dry, open woodlands. They feed primarily on insects but will also prey on small mammals, birds, geckos and frogs. By day they are expertly camouflaged, roosting against tree trunks with their cryptic markings blending in perfectly with the textures of the bark. At night, their distinctive “prrrp” call is a familiar sound in many of our favourite wild places.

In southern Africa the Scops-Owl breeds in cavities in trees during late winter and spring. Pairs are monogamous, and the female incubates the clutch of 2-6 eggs for three weeks while the male brings food to her on the nest. After hatching the female stays with the chicks for another two weeks, at which point both parents need to hunt to feed the growing brood. The chicks leave the nest when they’re about a month old.

In South Africa, the African Scops-Owl is found in Kwazulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Gauteng, North West and the Kalahari regions of the Northern Cape, with a small and seemingly isolated population on the Eastern Cape coast and adjacent interior between East Londen and Port Elizabeth. North of our borders they occur widely over sub-Saharan Africa. The IUCN describes it as common throughout this range and considers the African Scops-Owl of least concern.

African Scops Owl

Scops Owl

African scops owl

An African Scops-Owl that routinely roosts outside the reception office at Satara in the Kruger National Park must be one of the most photographed individuals of its species.

Black-headed Oriole

28 Replies

Oriolus larvatus

The Black-headed Oriole inhabits acacia savannas, broad-leaved woodlands and montane and coastal forests, where it feeds on fruit, seeds, nectar and insects. It also recently adapted to plantations, suburban parks and gardens. Adults weigh between 60 and 80g and are about 20cm long from beak to tail-tip. They are usually seen singly or in pairs.

Black-headed Orioles breed mostly in spring and summer in South Africa. Nests are cup-shaped and built of grass, lichens and moss, usually high up in the slim forks of trees. Clutches of 2 or 3 eggs are incubated for two weeks, and the chicks fledge about two weeks after hatching.

The Black-headed Oriole occurs from Ethiopia to Angola and South Africa. In South Africa, the species is resident year-round and occurs from the Garden Route in the Western and Eastern Cape, through Kwazulu-Natal to Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Gauteng and parts of the North West Province. The IUCN considers the species of least concern, siting an increasing population and expanding distribution range.

Black-headed Oriole

Black-headed oriole

Black-headed Oriole

Black-headed Oriole (photo by Joubert)

Yellow Mongoose

26 Replies

Cynictis penicillata

The lithe little Yellow Mongoose can grow to lengths of up to 75cm, and adults weigh from 440 to 900g. They inhabit a wide variety of open habitats, from semi-desert scrub to grasslands and savannas. They are independent of drinking water, and feed mainly on insects, other invertebrates, rodents, small birds and reptiles and frogs, and occasionally carrion and fruit. They have been known to raid chicken runs.

Yellow Mongooses are diurnal and live in colonies that number from 5 to 50, lead by a dominant breeding pair. Within their home ranges, colonies usually have several extensive burrow systems that they normally dig themselves, but often share with meerkats and ground squirrels. They usually forage alone and when threatened while out foraging they will hide in any available thicket or hole.

Litters of 1 to 5 pups are usually born in the summer, and while it is usually only the dominant pair that breeds, all group members assist with the care of the babies. Yellow Mongooses’ main predators are raptors and jackals, while snakes and monitor lizards will take babies from the burrows. Yellow Mongooses are notorious carriers of rabies. They have a natural life expectancy of about 12 years.

Yellow Mongooses occur in Namibia, Botswana, South Africa and marginally into adjacent areas of Angola and Zimbabwe. They occur all over South Africa, with the exception of the Lowveld of Mpumalanga and Limpopo and the coastal plain of Kwazulu-Natal. The IUCN lists the species as being of least concern.

Yellow Mongoose

Yellow mongoose on burnt veld

Yellow mongoose

Yellow Mongoose

Yellow mongooses

Yellow Mongoose

Yellow Mongooses at the Rhino & Lion Nature Reserve

Yellow Mongoose

Yellow Mongoose on a trot

Yellow Mongoose

Curious baby Yellow Mongoose

Yellow Mongoose

Crested Barbet

33 Replies

Trachyphonus vaillantii

Crested Barbets inhabit forests, riverine thickets, woodland and savannas and is a common sight in parks and gardens in our towns and cities. They feed on fruit, insects, eggs and occasionally chicks of other birds and small reptiles and mammals. Crested Barbets are great friends to gardeners, as they are especially fond of snails. They are usually seen singly or in pairs and act aggressively towards other birds, even species larger than themselves. Adults weigh between 60 and 80g.

Like other kinds of barbet, these birds nest in holes in trees that they peck themselves or take over from other birds. Pairs are monogamous and territorial when breeding, which peaks in spring and summer. Clutches consist of 1 to 5 eggs and are incubated mostly by the female for around 17 days. The chicks are fed insects by both parents and fledge when they’re around a month old.

Although currently considered common and of least concern, the IUCN does note that collection for the cagebird trade is causing some populations to decline. Apart from South Africa, where they occur in all provinces with the exception of the Western Cape, the Crested Barbet is found in Tanzania, DRC, Angola, Zambia, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Swaziland.

Crested Barbet

Crested Barbet at hole in nestlog

Crested Barbet

Crested Barbet peering from its nest

Crested Barbet

Crested Barbet (photo by Joubert)

Scarlet-chested Sunbird

24 Replies

Chalcomitra senegalensis

The Scarlet-chested Sunbird inhabits woodland, savanna (especially with thorn trees) and parks and gardens in South Africa’s Kwazulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Limpopo Provinces, where it is considered a common resident. Outside our borders it occurs widely in Africa south of the Sahara, though avoiding the equatorial forests and dry desert areas. These are tiny birds, weighing only between 10 and 17g. Scarlet-chested Sunbirds feed on nectar and small invertebrates.

Breeding in Scarlet-chested Sunbirds has been recorded throughout the year. with a distinct peak in the summer months. The female is solely responsible for building the pear-shaped hanging nest from grass, leaves, bark and spider web, and incubating the eggs, of which there are between 1 and 3 in a clutch, for around two weeks. Both parents feed the chicks, who leave the nest at 2-3 weeks old and then stay with their parents for up to two months more.

With an abundant and stable population, the IUCN lists the Scarlet-chested Sunbird as least concern.

Scarlet-chested Sunbird (male)

Scarlet-chested Sunbird (female)

Scarlet-chested Sunbird (male)

Scarlet-chested Sunbird (female)

Scarlet-chested Sunbird

Scarlet-chested Sunbird (male)

Female Scarlet-chested Sunbird

Scarlet-chested Sunbird

Scarlet-chested Sunbird (male)

Thick-tailed Bushbaby

31 Replies

Otolemur crassicaudatus

Also known as the Greater Galago, the Thick-tailed Bushbaby is a noctural primate named for its loud call that sounds very much like a crying human baby. Including their tail they can grow to 80cm in length, and weigh just over a kilogram.

Thick-tailed Bushbabies are found in riverine thickets, dense woodland and forests, mostly in areas of high rainfall. They subsist mainly on wild fruits and berries, seeds, flowers and tree gum, but will also eat insects, small reptiles and mammals, eggs and birds up to the size of guineafowls.

Groups of 2 – 6 are usually made up of related females and their young accompanied by a single mature male. Home ranges are marked by urinating on their hands and feet. Group members forage singly at night but sleep together in hide-aways like thick vegetation, densely leaved trees or self-constructed nests during the day. They’re mostly searching for food up in the trees, being capable of jumps over two meters far, though they spend more time on the ground than other kinds of bushbaby.

Most females give birth to 2 babies in spring and summer. The female carries the babies along on her back or hanging from her stomach when she goes in search of food. Greater Galagos fall prey to owls, pythons and leopards and other predators capable of climbing trees, though they are feisty and can dish out a nasty bite. Many die in bush fires. They have a life expectancy of up to 14 years.

The Thick-tailed Galago occurs widely over Central and Eastern Africa, but is restricted to the wetter eastern parts of Southern Africa. In South Africa they occur only in the north of Kwazulu-Natal and the Lowveld of Mpumalanga and Limpopo Province. It is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN.

Thick-tailed Bushbabies visited our tent at uMkhuze every night

Thick-tailed Bushbaby

At night, Skukuza’s bushbabies come out to play

Walk around in camp after dark and you're bound to come across the thick-tailed bushbabies

Walk around in Skukuza after dark and you’re bound to come across the thick-tailed bushbabies

Thick-tailed Bushbaby

Grey Go-away-bird

28 Replies

Corythaixoides concolor

Named for its distinctive call, often giving advance warning of approaching danger, the Grey Go-away-bird, or Grey Lourie, is a large (50cm long, weighing up to 300g) and easily recognisable bird occurring in groups numbering from 2 or 3 to as many as 30.

The Grey Go-away-bird inhabits open woodlands and savanna, rich in fruiting trees and with easily accessible water sources, and has of late become increasingly numerous in towns and cities across its range. They feed primarily on fruits and berries, but also consume flowers, nectar, buds, leaves, snails and insects.

Grey Go-away-birds breed throughout the year, with a peak in the spring and summer months. The nests are flimsy constructions of sticks and twigs, and clutches usually consist of two or three eggs (range 1-4). Parental duties of incubation, which takes about 4 weeks, and chick rearing are shared equally between the male and female. The chicks are fed on regurgitated food and can fly when they’re about 35 days old, although they already leave the nest at about three weeks old.

With a stable population distributed over the DRC, Angola, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Swaziland and South Africa, the Grey Go-away-bird is considered of least concern by the IUCN. In South Africa, Grey Go-away-birds can be commonly found in the provinces of Gauteng, North West, Limpopo and Mpumalanga, with a small number in extreme northern Kwazulu-Natal. The population in the Kruger National Park alone is estimated at about 65,000 birds.

Grey Go-away-bird

Grey Go-away-bird hiding from the heat in a shady Lower Sabie tree

Grey Go-away-bird

Grey Go-away-birds

Grey Go-away Bird

Grey Go-Away Bird

Grey Go-away Bird (photo by Joubert)

Grey Go-away-bird

Grey Go-away Bird

Burchell’s Coucal

36 Replies

Centropus burchelli

Burchell’s Coucal is a common resident of South Africa’s wetter southern, eastern and northern provinces, where it is usually seen singly or in pairs in riverine thickets, dense, wet grasslands and marshes, reedbeds and densely planted parks and gardens. It is also found in Mozambique, Swaziland and parts of Botswana and Zimbabwe. They are carnivorous birds, preying on a variety of small mammals, birds, eggs, reptiles, amphibians, snails and insects, although they will consume a small quantity of fruit.

Breeding in this species takes place in spring and summer. Pairs are monogamous and males build the pair’s nest in thickets of low trees and shrubs or other dense vegetation. Clutches usually numbering four (range between 2 and 5) eggs are incubated for a little over two weeks, mostly by the male. Nestlings leave the nest at around three weeks old, but are still cared for by their parents for quite some time thereafter.

Adult Burchell’s Coucal grow to a total length of over 40cm and weigh up to 210g. Their distinctive call, like water flowing out of a bottle, is often heard at dawn and dusk. Some authorities consider Burchell’s Coucal to be a race of the White-browed Coucal (C. superciliosus).

Burchell’s coucal

Burchell’s Coucal

Burchell’s Coucal (photo by Joubert)

Burchell’s Coucal

Burchell’s Coucal seemingly trying to catch raindrops

Immature Burchell’s Coucal

Burchell’s Coucal

Scrub Hare

13 Replies

Lepus saxatilis

Scrub Hares inhabit open scrublands, grassland and bushveld with patches of long grass and thickets. They are also commonly found in planted fields. They feed on fresh, green grass – preferring the shoots and rhizomes – but to a lesser extent will also feed on leaves and twigs of shrubs. They are independent of drinking water, gaining enough moisture from their food. Scrub Hares are quite variable in size as adults, those in the southwest of their range being largest and those in the northeast smallest: In length they vary from 40 – 70cm, in weight from 1.5 – 4.5kg. Females are larger than males from the same population.

Scrub Hares are mostly nocturnal, feeding from dusk to dawn, and resting by day in a regularly used patch of long grass or under a bush. They are mostly solitary animals, sometimes congregating in small groups in patches of good grazing or when several males assemble around a female on heat (which often leads to serious fights among them). They can attain speeds of up to 60km/h, but will usually only flee when a predator is almost on top of them, running in a zig-zag motion to cover.

Babies are born year-round, with a peak in spring and summer. Females give birth to between 1 and 3 young after a gestation of 42 days. The young are sexually mature at 6 months of age. All of Africa’s medium to large birds of prey and mammalian predators, as well as pythons, include the Scrub Hare in their diet. They have a short life expectancy of between 5 and 8 years.

The Scrub Hare is found all over South Africa, as well as in Lesotho, Swaziland and the south of Namibia. The IUCN regards it as being of least concern, however it also points out that the population is declining due to habitat loss and hunting.