Category Archives: South African Wildlife

The inhabitants of South Africa’s wild places

Long-tailed Widowbird

Euplectes progne

The Longtailed Widowbird is a grassland species, even occurring up to 2,750m above sea level in the Drakensberg mountains. They feed primarily on seeds, and occasionally insects. Long-tailed Widowbirds live in flocks consisting of 1 or 2 males and several females. At night they roost in reedbeds or long grass.

The male Long-tailed Widowbird only carries the exceptionally long tail (up to 50cm) in the breeding season, displaying it prominently by flying slowly over his patch of grassland. In winter the males have the same drab colouration of the females. The breeding season stretches from October to April in South Africa, and during this time males may mate with up to 5 females. Either sex weave the dome-shaped nests in tall, dense grass in wetlands or along rivers, in which 1-4 eggs are incubated by the female only for two weeks. The chicks leave the nest at just over two weeks old, but are not very strong flyers yet and thus remain dependent on their mother for another two weeks or so. Adults weigh between 25 and 46 grams.

The Long-tailed Widowbird is patchily distributed in pockets of East and Central Africa, with the largest part of the population concentrated in parts of Lesotho, Swaziland and South Africa, particularly the Eastern Cape, Kwazulu-Natal, Free State, North West, Gauteng and the Highveld of Limpopo and Mpumalanga. The IUCN lists it as least concern, describing its populations as common and stable, despite much of its range being intensively farmed.

Long-tailed Widowbird female

Long-tailed widowbird

Long-tailed Widowbird female

Long-tailed Widowbird

Long-tailed Widowbird (female)

Long-tailed Widowbird

Long-tailed Widowbird (female)

Long-tailed Widowbird female

Long-tailed Widowbird (non-breeding)

Long-tailed Widowbird male in transitional plumage

Long-tailed Widowbird female

Long-tailed Widowbird

Long-tailed Widowbird having lost much of its breeding plumage (photo by Joubert)

Long-tailed Widowbird male in transitional plumage

Long-tailed Widowbird (non-breeding)

Long-tailed Widowbird

Male Long-tailed Widowbird starting to sprout his summer plumage

Long-tailed Widowbird

Long-tailed Widowbird male in flight

Female Long-tailed Widowbird (photo by Joubert)

Familiar Chat

6 Replies

Cercomela familiaris

The confiding little Familiar Chat occurs in open, often dry, habitats, usually in hilly or rocky areas. It is also very common around rural human settlements. They feed mainly on flies, but will also consume other insects, fruits, seeds, and human scraps. Their Afrikaans name “spekvreter” (meaning “bacon eater”) comes from their habit of eating the fat used to grease the axles of ox wagons in the old days. They have the curious habit of flicking their wings every time they’ve moved from one spot to another. Adults weigh between 14 and 26g, and grow to 15cm in length.

Familiar Chats breed almost throughout the year (though there is a peak in spring and summer in breeding activity). The nest is a cup built of plant material and lined with fur and feathers, placed in holes in trees or in the ground or crevices in rocks or buildings. Clutches contain 2-4 eggs, incubated for 2 weeks, with the chicks fledging at about the same age. They usually move around singly, in pairs or in small family groups of up to 6 birds at the end of the breeding season.

The Familiar Chat has a wide, if patchy, distribution in the more open areas of sub-Saharan Africa, stretching from the Sahel in west Africa eastwards to Ethiopia, then south to southern Africa and again up the west coast to Angola. The IUCN considers it of least concern. It occurs commonly all over South Africa.

Familiar Chat

Familiar chats

Familiar Chat

Familiar Chat (photo by Joubert)

Familiar Chat

Southern Red Bishop

28 Replies

Euplectes orix

The Southern Red Bishop is a grassland bird, closely associated with water. They are also very common in agricultural areas where they can become pests to grain farmers, as their diet consists mainly of seeds and to a much lesser extent insects.

Red Bishops are a gregarious species, foraging in flocks and breeding in colonies, and often associate with other species of weaver and finch at roosting and feeding sites. They breed almost exclusively in reedbeds during the spring and summer. At the onset of the breeding season, males weave up to 13 grass-nests and display continuously to attract as many females as possible, mating with as many as 8 females in a season. Females are solely responsible for the incubation over a two week period of the clutch of 1-5 eggs and raising of the chicks, which leave the nest at about two weeks old. Southern Red Bishops weigh between 18 and 29g.

The Southern Red Bishop is widely, but discontinuously, distributed over much of East, Central and Southern Africa and, being regarded as common to abundant over this wide range is listed as least concern by the IUCN. It is found virtually all over South Africa, being absent only from portions of the arid Northern Cape Province.

Red Bishop

Red Bishop females

Red Bishop

Red Bishop female

Red Bishop male

Red Bishop at the Birdhide in the camp at Karoo National Park

Red Bishop female

Red Bishop male

Red-Bishop female

Red Bishop pair

Red Bishop in winter plumage

Red-Bishop female

Red Bishop male in transitional plumage

Red Bishop male

Red Bishop females

Red Bishop male

Female Red Bishop

Female Red Bishop (photo by Joubert)

Red Bishop male

Female Red Bishops

Red Bishop male

Red Bishop female

Red Bishops (photo by Joubert)

Blacksmith Lapwing (photo by Joubert)

Red Bishop

Southern Red Bishop

Southern Red Bishop male in breeding plumage

Red Bishop

Southern Red Bishop female

Steppe Buzzard

28 Replies

Buteo vulpinus

The Steppe Buzzard is a common summer visitor to South Africa, migrating to our country (and much of southern, east and central Africa) from Europe and Asia when it is winter in their northern hemisphere breeding range. They can be seen in all South African provinces between September and April.

Steppe Buzzards are medium-sized raptors, with a wingspan of 1.3m and a weight of around 550-900g. Females are noticeably larger than males. They are usually seen singly, in pairs or small family groups, but do form large flocks numbering 100 or more while migrating.

Steppe Buzzards utilise a wide range of habitats, but do require at least some tree cover for roosting and nesting. When visiting our southern environs they show a preference for open habitats, ranging from grasslands, arid scrub and fynbos to savannas and open woodland, as well as croplands. They prey mostly on small mammals, birds, reptiles and invertebrates, often using utility poles and fences as perches from which to attack, and will scavenge from carcasses.

Some authorities consider the Steppe Buzzard to be a subspecies of the Common, or Eurasian, Buzzard (Buteo buteo) which the IUCN considers to be of least concern with a population estimated in the millions.

Steppe Buzzard

Steppe Buzzard in flight (Joubert’s photo)

Steppe Buzzard

Steppe Buzzard (photo by Joubert)

Steppe Buzzard

Steppe Buzzard (photo by Joubert)

Steppe Buzzard

Steppe, or Common, Buzzard

Steppe Buzzard

Steppe Buzzard (photo by Joubert)

Steppe, or Common, Buzzard on Mankwe Way

Not everything at the West Coast Fossil Park has turned to rock – this is a dark-morph Common Buzzard flying over the centre

Steppe, or Common, Buzzard

Common Buzzard

Common Buzzard (photo by Joubert)

Four-striped Grass Mouse

34 Replies

Rhabdomys pumilio

The diurnal Four-striped Grass Mouse is easily identified by its distinctive coat markings. Including their tail they grow to between 18 and 21cm long and weigh between 30 and 55g.

Four-striped Grass Mice have a very wide habitat tolerance provided there is a good covering of grass, occurring from desert fringes to mountains up to 3,500m high. They are also often found in close association with human habitation (quite unafraid around humans) and can become a pest. They excavate a system of burrows, usually shared by a few individuals, with the entrances hidden among vegetation (or in the lodges of the Bush Karoo Rat), and use a network of pathways radiating from the burrow to search for food. Four-striped Grass Mice are omnivores, feeding mostly on a wide range of green plants, seeds and invertebrates, but have also been recorded consuming bird chicks, eggs and even babies of their own kind.

Females give birth to litters of 2 to 9 helpless young in the summer months after a 25 day gestation, usually in grass nests within their burrows. They can have several litters in a season. The little ones start exploring when they are 2 weeks old and can start breeding when they’re 2 months old. Their life expectancy in the wild is only 18 months.

The Four-striped Grass Mouse is distributed patchily in eastern and central Africa but occurs widely over Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Swaziland and South Africa (except in the Lowveld of Mpumalanga and Limpopo). The IUCN describes it as abundant and lists the Four-Striped Grass Mouse as being of least concern.

Four-striped Grass Mouse

Four-Striped Grass Mouse

Four-striped Grass Mouse

Four-striped Grass Mouse (photo by Joubert)

Four-striped Grass Mouse

Karoo Prinia

25 Replies

Prinia maculosa

The diminutive Karoo Prinia (adults weigh only about 9g) inhabits Karoo scrublands and fynbos both in flatlands and in mountainous areas, often at or near drainage lines and wetlands, and is being seen more and more in gardens and plantations of alien vegetation as well. They feed almost exclusively on insects and other invertebrates.

Pairs of Karoo Prinia defend their territories year-round. They build an oval grass nest with a side entrance deep in a dense bush or shrub and lined with a dense layer of soft plant material and fur. They breed almost throughout the year, with a distinct peak in spring and early summer. The female alone incubates the clutch of 1-5 eggs for a period of about two weeks but the chicks are cared for by both parents after hatching. They fledge about two weeks after hatching.

Despite noting that their population is probably declining due to grazing pressure, the IUCN describes the Karoo Prinia as being common to abundant throughout its range, and considers it of least concern. The Karoo Prinia occurs in Lesotho, South Africa (Free State, Western, Eastern and Northern Cape) and marginally into Namibia.

Karoo Prinia

Karoo Prinia at Jack’s Picnic Spot

Karoo Prinia

Karoo Prinia (photo by Joubert)

Can you spot the Karoo Prinia among the mussel shells? (photo by Joubert)

Karoo Prinia

Southern African Ground Squirrel

29 Replies

Xerus inauris

The Southern African Ground Squirrel is a common animal with a stable population (to the point of being considered a pest in many agricultural areas), and listed as being of least concern by the IUCN. They’re found widely in Namibia, Botswana and marginally into western Lesotho. In South Africa they are to be seen in the Northern and Eastern Cape, Free State and North West Provinces. This distribution reflects the species’ preference for arid to semi-arid open scrublands with a hard substrate. They feed chiefly on a wide variety of plant species, consuming bulbs, tubers, roots, leaves, grass, stems, flowers and seeds, but also some insects. They are independent of drinking water, gaining enough moisture from their diet. Adults are about 45cm long (including the bushy tail) and weigh around 600g.

Southern African Ground Squirrels are diurnal and highly gregarious. Colonies number up to 30 individuals, usually with no more than 3 adult females and a coalition of unrelated males in attendance. Colonies construct elaborate burrow systems with as many as 30 entrances, in which nesting chambers are lined with grass. These burrows are often shared with meerkats and yellow mongooses, though these species do at times prey on the baby ground squirrels. They will only rarely climb into bushes but will use termite mounds as lookout points instead. While out foraging in the hot sun they often hold their bushy tails above them like a parasol. Southern African Ground Squirrels easily become habituated to humans.

Southern African Ground Squirrels breed throughout the year, though most litters are born in summer. Litters number between 1 and 4 babies, born after a gestation of 7 weeks. The young are weaned at about 7 weeks old. Females usually have a single litter annually, but may have as many as three under favourable conditions. When they’re about 8 months old young males leave their maternal colonies to join neighbouring groups, but females may stay with their birth colony throughout their life. In the wild they have a life expectancy of 4 to 5 years.

Southern African Ground Squirrel

Ground Squirrels

Ground Squirrel burrows in the Kalahari

Southern African Ground Squirrel

Southern African Ground Squirrel (photo by Joubert)

Ground Squirrel

Southern African Ground Squirrel

Southern African Ground Squirrels

Karoo Scrub Robin

17 Replies

Tychaedon coryphoeus

A common inhabitant of Karoo scrublands and fynbos, the Karoo Scrub Robin grows to around 15cm in length and 20g in weight. They feed mainly on insects and spiders.

Karoo Scrub Robins are usually encountered in territorial pairs, which are often assisted at their nest by helpers from a previous brood. They breed in spring and summer, when the female builds a cup-shaped nest in a large heap of twigs placed at the base or in the foliage of a dense shrub, ably assisted in the provision of building materials (dry grass, leaves, fur and so on) by her mate and helpers. The female incubates the clutch of 2-4 eggs for around 2 weeks, during which time the male regularly provides food to her. The chicks fledge before they are 3 weeks old, but often stay with their parents to assist in the rearing of the next brood.

The Karoo Scrub Robin occurs only in southern Namibia, western Lesotho, and South Africa’s western provinces (Northern, Western and Eastern Cape as well as drier western parts of the Free State). The IUCN lists it as being of least concern.

Karoo Scrub Robin

Karoo Scrub-Robin

Karoo Scrub Robin

Karoo Scrub-Robin

Meerkat (or Suricate)

47 Replies

Suricata suricatta

The Meerkat, or Suricate, is one of the best known mongoose species, thanks to the lovable character Timon in Disney’s The Lion King and the long-running documentary Meerkat Manor on Animal Planet. Adults average about 50cm long and can weigh up to 960g.

Meerkats inhabit open, dry areas, usually with a hard substrate. They feed mainly on invertebrates, but will also consume small amphibians, reptiles (including venomous snakes, to which they appear to have a high degree of immunity), eggs, rodents and succulent plants, which provides their required intake of water.

Suricates are diurnal in habits, though confining most of their activity to the cooler hours of the day. They live in colonies with up to 40 members of both sexes and all ages, with the adult males aggressively defending the group’s territory. Within this home range there are several nesting burrows as well as hundreds of bolt-holes, into which they flee at the slightest sign of danger. Nesting burrows are often shared with springhares, yellow mongooses and ground squirrels. While the group is out foraging they take turns to act as sentry, climbing into trees and bushes up to 7m high for a better vantage point. Meerkats love to bask in the sun on cold mornings.

In small colonies only the dominant female will breed, but in larger groups there may be two or three females with babies. Females give birth at any time of year (though mostly in summer) to litters of 2-7 pups, and can raise up to 3 litters annually in favourable conditions. While out foraging, the mother will leave the babies in the care of a babysitter at the nesting burrow until they start foraging with the group at about a month old. All the group members help to look after young and sick or injured troopmates. Meerkats have a life expectancy of up to 12 years in the wild.

The IUCN considers the Meerkat of least concern. They occur from south-western Angola through Namibia and Botswana to South Africa, where they are found in all provinces except Limpopo and Kwazulu-Natal.

Meerkat sentry

Suricates (or meerkats) are frequently seen

Meerkat family

Meerkat / Suricate

Meerkat

Meerkat family

Curious Meerkat

Meerkat

Meerkat Family (Suricates)

Meerkat

Meerkat keeping watch

Meerkat digging furiously

Meerkat

Meerkats searching for food

Meerkat sentry

Meerkats foraging

Meerkat sentry

Meerkat

Meerkats

Meerkat (photo by Joubert)

Meerkat

Meerkat (photo by Joubert)

Meerkats

Meerkat

Karoo Korhaan

14 Replies

Heterotetrax vigorsii

As its name suggests, the Karoo Korhaan is a species that favours arid scrublands, preferring areas with a good ground cover and stony ground where its camouflage renders it very difficult to detect. It has also recently adapted to parts of the fynbos-biome as well the as planted croplands in that area. They follow an omnivorous diet, consuming flowers, fruit, leaves, bulbs and a wide range of invertebrates. Adult Karoo Korhaans weigh up to 2kg, with males quite a bit larger than the females.

These small bustards move around in pairs or small groups of up to 5. Breeding attempts have been recorded through most of the year, but summer appears to be the peak breeding season for the Karoo Korhaan. Pairs are monogamous and stay together throughout the year. The nest is a shallow scrape in the ground, usually hidden between shrubs and rocks. They lay a single egg, incubated by the female alone. Chicks leave the nest soon after hatching to forage along with their parents.

Thanks to a large and apparently increasing population and no apparent threats despite most of the population occurring outside formal conservation areas, the IUCN considers the Karoo Korhaan to be of Least Concern. They occur only in southern Namibia and parts of the Northern, Western and Eastern Cape Provinces in South Africa.