Category Archives: South African Wildlife

The inhabitants of South Africa’s wild places

Burchell’s Sandgrouse

Pterocles burchelli

Burchell’s Sandgrouse is a denizen of arid savannas and is especially common in the sparsely vegetated, sandy Kalahari. These seed-eaters normally drink daily, usually 2-5 hours after sunrise, and is subject to localized movements to access food sources and waterholes. Adults weigh around 200g and are about 25cm long.

Burchell’s Sandgrouse move around in small flocks of up to 50, but are monogamous, solitary breeders. Their nests are simple scrapes in the ground, lined with dry plant material and usually placed next to some kind of vegetation. They nest from late autumn to early spring, usually laying 3 eggs. Both parents incubate the eggs and look after the precocial chicks. The adult birds’ breast feathers are adapted to absorb water, which is then flown back to the chicks.

The IUCN considers Burchell’s Sandgrouse to be of least concern. It is distributed over parts of Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana and South Africa (Northern Cape, North West and Limpopo) and has benefited from farming enterprises sinking boreholes to provide water for livestock in otherwise inaccessible areas.

Burchell’s Sandgrouse in flight

Burchell’s Sandgrouse (male)

Burchell’s Sandgrouse

Burchell’s Sandgrouse (female)

Burchell’s Sandgrouse

Female Burchell’s Sandgrouse

Burchell’s Sandgrouse in formation

Female Burchell’s Sandgrouse

Shepherd’s Tree

20 Replies

Boscia albitrunca

The Shepherd’s Tree, growing up to 7m tall, is one of the most important fodder trees where it occurs. It has a very high protein content in its evergreen leaves and both the flowers and fruits are eagerly eaten by birds and antelope. It is also incredibly valuable as a shade tree – it is said that even ground temperatures of 70°C is lowered to 21°C in the shade of a Shepherd’s Tree! In South Africa, Shepherd’s Trees grow in the savanna regions from northern Kwazulu-Natal, through Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Gauteng, the North West and the Free State to the arid west of the Northern Cape. It is also found widely in Botswana, Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The dried, ground roots of the Shepherd’s Tree can be used to make a kind of coffee, while fresh roots can be pounded and eaten as porridge. Its bark is used to brew traditional beer and the edible fruit is an ingredient in traditional dishes.

Shepherd’s Tree

Rocky hill with Shepherd’s Tree

Bat-eared Fox

36 Replies

Otocyon megalotis

The Bat-eared Fox is probably the most attractive Canid occurring in South Africa. Adults weigh in the region of 4kg and stand up to 40cm high at the shoulder. They inhabit open, dry areas – scrublands, grassland, semi-desert and open savanna – where their favourite prey, the harvester termite, occurs. While termites constitute up to 80% – 95% of their diet, they also consume other insects and invertebrates, some small vertebrates, eggs and wild fruit that they come across. They find their prey underground using their exceptional hearing, for which the outsized ears come in very handy, and then dig it out with their front paws. They can survive without access to drinking water, sourcing enough for their needs from their food.

Bat-eared Foxes are active by day and night, warming up in the early morning sun and resting up in burrows (which they dig themselves or take over from other mammals) or deep shade during the heat of the day. They are usually seen in groups numbering from 2 – 13, consisting of an adult pair (that may remain together for life) and their offspring. The female gives birth to litters of 1-6 pups annually, usually in the rainy season. Both parents take an active part in raising the pups, with the male being more involved in their care than is the case with most other members of the dog family. The youngsters grow quickly and are fully grown by the time they’re 4 months old. Bat-eared Foxes may live from 6 to 12 years in the wild, being susceptible to various diseases and drought (due to the negative impact it has on their preferred prey) and featuring on the menu of all the larger carnivores.

Bat-eared Foxes occur in two discrete parts of the African continent – one population in East Africa (from Somalia and Sudan to Tanzania) and the other in the western parts of Southern Africa (South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and marginally into Angola, Zambia and Mozambique). Though they are occasionally hunted for their pelts or as perceived stock thieves, this is thankfully not a major threat and the IUCN considers the Bat-eared Fox to be of least concern. Mokala National Park and the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park are excellent locations to find and photograph the Bat-eared Fox.

Bat-eared fox

Bat-eared Fox

Bat-eared Foxes

Bat-eared Fox

Bat-eared Fox (photo by Joubert)

Bat-eared Fox

Karasburg Tree Skink

26 Replies

Trachylepis sparsa

The Karasburg Tree Skink is a close relative of the Striped Skink and was once regarded a subspecies of it. It grows to about 8cm long (excluding the tail) and occurs in a small area around the borders of Botswana, Namibia and South Africa’s Northern Cape, in and around the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, where it is frequently observed. These Skinks inhabit arid savanna habitats and, as their name suggests, are largely arboreal in habit. They feed mainly on insects and other invertebrates. Females give birth to three to nine live babies in summer.

Karasburg Tree Skink

White-backed Mousebird

18 Replies

Colius colius

The White-backed Mousebird is the smallest of the three species of mousebird occurring in South Africa, with adults weighing in at about 30-55g and growing to 31cm long (including the elongated tail). They inhabit coastal fynbos, arid savannas and thickets in semi-desert, usually near rivers, as well as orchards and gardens, where they feed on buds, flowers, fruits and berries, seeds, leaves and nectar, often leading to conflict with farmers and gardeners. They very rarely forage on the ground, and then usually it is to feed on seeding grasses.

White-backed Mousebirds are social birds, moving around in groups of 2 – 10 (occasionally up to 40) and often mixing with the two other species of mousebirds sharing parts of their range. They breed throughout the year, with a peak in spring and early summer. The nest is an unneat cup built of plant material by both sexes. Clutches of 1-6 eggs are incubated by both parents for 2 weeks, with the youngsters becoming independent within 3 weeks of hatching. Young birds from previous broods often assist in raising the latest clutch.

White-backed Mousebirds are considered of least concern by the IUCN, owing to a common and increasing population which is also expanding its distribution range. They occur only in parts of Botswana, Namibia and South Africa (provinces of the Eastern, Northern and Western Cape, Free State and North West).

White-backed Mousebird

White-backed Mousebirds

White-backed Mousebird

Pale Chanting Goshawk

11 Replies

Melierax canorus

The Pale Chanting Goshawk is one of the most commonly encountered birds of prey in its arid habitats, occupying dry savanna, semi-desert and Karoo scrubland in which there’s ample open ground and perches to hunt from. Small mammals, birds and reptiles make up the bulk of their prey, though they will also take insects and other invertebrates. Adults can weigh as much as 1.4kg, with a wingspan of up to 1.1m. As to the “chanting” in its name, after listening to this recording it will be perfectly clear to you.

Pale Chanting Goshawks are usually seen singly or in pairs but sometimes in family groups of five or more birds, sitting conspicuously on an elevated vantage point (such as a tree top or utility pole) from where they attack their prey. It is well documented that Pale Chanting Goshawks follow predators around, like the black-backed jackal or honey badger, in the hope that it can snatch any small prey the carnivore flushes from its hiding place.

While breeding attempts have been recorded almost throughout the year, there’s a noticable peak in nesting activity in the spring season. Nests are platforms of sticks lined with a wide variety of natural and man-made materials, placed on trees or artificial structures. Pairs are monogamous (though sometimes assisted by a third, usually male, individual) and males may fight to the death defending their territory. Both parents incubate the small clutch of 1 to 3 eggs for a period of about 5 weeks, with the hatchlings leaving the nest when they’re about 7 weeks old. While the youngsters are independent by 3 months old they will remain in their parents territory for up to a year.

The Pale Chanting Goshawk is common, even in farming areas, in southern Angola, Namibia, Botswana and western Zimbabwe and South Africa (everywhere except the eastern half of the Eastern Cape, Kwazulu-Natal and the lowveld of Limpopo and Mpumalanga) and listed as being of least concern by the IUCN.

Pale Chanting Goshawk

Pale chanting Goshawk

Pale Chanting Goshawk

Pale Chanting Goshawk (Immature)

Pale Chanting Goshawk

Pale Chanting Goshawk (Immature)

Pale Chanting Goshawk (Immature) with dove kill

Pale Chanting Goshawk

Pale Chanting Goshawk taking on rooster-duty

Pale Chanting Goshawk

Pale Chanting Goshawk (photo by Joubert)

Pale Chanting Goshawk

Juvenile Pale Chanting Goshawk

Pale Chanting Goshawk

Swallow-tailed Bee-eater

35 Replies

Merops hirundineus

The beautiful Swallow-tailed Bee-eater is a highly nomadic bird, especially outside of the breeding season, and inhabits a wide-range of habitats, although they’re mostly associated with arid and semi-arid savannas and woodlands and especially riparian vegetation in these parts. They mostly feed on flying insects, especially bees and wasps, caught on the wing by making short dashes from an open perch. They are quite adept at disarming the stings of their prey by beating and rubbing it against the perch before consuming it. Adults grow to about 21cm in length and 23g in weight.

Swallow-tailed Bee-eaters are usually found in pairs or small flocks. Outside the breeding seaon, which spans spring and summer, they sleep communally, in tightly packed rows on their favourite perches. Pairs are monogamous and make solitary nest tunnels in earth walls, riverbanks or inside mammal burrows. Broods of 2-4 chicks are cared for by both parents.

Swallow-tailed Bee-eaters are distributed widely over the Sahel and Africa south of the equator, and the IUCN considers the species to be of least concern. In South Africa, Swallow-tailed Bee-eaters are mainly found in the Northern Cape, North West, Free State and west of the Limpopo Province, occasionally venturing into other parts of the country.

Swallow-tailed Bee-eater

Swallow-tailed Bee-eaters

Swallow-tailed Bee-eater

Camel Thorn

16 Replies

Vachellia (Acacia) erioloba

The Camel Thorn is an iconic tree of many arid Southern African landscapes. These trees grow in deep, dry, sandy soils in South Africa (Northern Cape, North West, Free State, Gauteng, Limpopo), Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and parts of Angola and Zambia.

Camel Thorns can grow to 18 meters high, with a widely spreading crown and a tap root that can grow up to 60m deep in order to reach underground water (young trees grow very slowly above ground until their roots reach a reliable supply of ground water). The thorns are paired, often swollen and up to 6cm long. Flowers (clumps of small, yellow balls) are borne from late winter through summer. Camel Thorns are estimated to live to around 250-300 years old.

The wood of Camel Thorns is highly regarded both for lumber and as firewood but as it is a slow-growing species it has been declared a protected species in South Africa in order to prevent it being exploited to extinction. The seeds can be roasted and make a reasonable substitute for coffee. Various parts of the tree is used in traditional medicine to treat ailments ranging from head, ear- and toothache to tuberculosis and gonorrhea, even rabies in dogs. The English name of this tree derives from its Afrikaans name, Kameeldoring, in reference to the leaves and seedpods being a favoured food source for the giraffe (kameelperd), as it is for many other herbivores, both wild and domesticated. Humans also prepare the pods as a porridge.

Camel Thorn tree with sociable weaver nest

Camel Thorn with pods

Came Thorn thorns

Camel Thorn pods

Camel Thorn tree

Young Camel Thorn tree

Camel Thorn leaves

Camel Thorn tree

Camel Thorn seeds

Camel Thorn pods dropped from the tree

Camel Thorn tree

Camel Thorn

Sociable Weaver

20 Replies

Philetairus socius

You’d probably expect that the bird that is responsible for building the largest nests on earth must be a massive winged behemoth, but you’d be wrong. Meet the Sociable Weaver. Their enormous communal nests, constructed of thorny sticks and dry grass in large, indigenous trees or artificial structures like windpumps and utility poles, house up to 500 adults birds and their chicks and are used for generations – some nests are over a 100 years old and weigh over a tonne! The nests provide excellent insulation from the outside weather, never getting colder than 15°C in winter nor warmer than 30°C in summer. These nests are often also utilised and shared by other kinds of birds and animals.

This Sociable Weaver nest near Twee Rivieren in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park may well be one of the biggest constructions by birds on the planet!

The Sociable Weaver is a small (30g, 14cm) sparrow-like bird endemic to parts of Namibia, Botswana and South Africa’s Free State, Northern Cape and North West Provinces, where they inhabit arid Kalahari savanna and feed on seeds and small insects.

Sociable Weavers don’t breed until after it has rained, which in their distinctly arid range is very unpredictable. While they may not breed at all during severe droughts, in years of good rainfall the monogamous pairs, assisted by chicks from previous broods, may attempt to raise from 4 to as many as 9 clutches of 2-6 chicks each! The youngsters fledge at about 3 weeks old and remain dependent on their parents and their helpers for another 45 days or so after leaving the nest.

As a common species with a stable population, the IUCN considers the Sociable Weaver to be of least concern.

Sociable Weaver

A flock of sociable weavers at Haak-en-Steek’s waterhole

Sociable Weaver

Mokala road and sociable weaver nest

Camel Thorn tree with sociable weaver nest

Sociable Weaver Nest

Sociable Weaver nest

Sociable Weaver Nest

This Sociable Weaver nest near Twee Rivieren in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park may well be one of the biggest constructions by birds on the planet!

Sociable Weaver Nest

Quiver Tree with Sociable Weaver Nest

Sociable Weaver nest

Tawny Eagle on a Sociable Weaver nest

Sociable Weaver nest

Camel Thorn Tree with Sociable Weaver nest

Sociable Weaver

Sociable Weaver nest looking suspiciously like a head staked on an electricity pole…

Sociable Weaver nest

Carnivorous Ground Squirrels!?

40 Replies

While exploring with his camera in Mata Mata Rest Camp in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Joubert came across something really remarkable, if somewhat gruesome: Southern African Ground Squirrels feeding on the carcass of a Cape Turtle Dove. While it is doubtful the squirrels killed the dove and it isn’t clear how the dove succumbed (probably attacked by a raptor), Joubert captured some really fascinating behaviour, as none of the literature we consulted give any indication at all that ground squirrels will eat meat (other than an occasional hapless insect).

These photos were all taken by Joubert (who turns nine soon).