Category Archives: South African Wildlife

The inhabitants of South Africa’s wild places

Double-banded Courser

Smutsornis africanus

The mainly nocturnal Double-banded Courser inhabits rocky and sparsely vegetated semi-arid scrublands and grasslands as well as desert plains, where they subsist on a diet comprised of insects, particularly ants and termites. Adults weigh up to 100g and have a wingspan of about 45cm.

Double-banded Coursers are usually seen singly or in pairs, with larger groups of adults being a very rare occurrence. This species breeds throughout the year with a peak in the summer months. No nest is built and instead the well camouflaged single egg is laid directly on the ground, surrounded by pebbles, plant material or antelope droppings. Both parents take short turns to incubate the egg over a period of 3 weeks. The chick fledges when it is 5 to 6 weeks old.

The IUCN considers the conservation status of the Double-banded Courser as of least concern, with a stable population. The species occurs in two seperate parts of the African continent: one in East Africa and the other in the arid west of Southern Africa. In South Africa they are found in the Northern, Western and Eastern Cape, Free State and North West Province.

Double-banded Courser

Namaqua Sand Lizard

14 Replies

Pedioplanis namaquensis

Without their tails, Namaqua Sand Lizards grow to around 5cm and weigh only about 4g. They inhabit arid savannas, scrubland and semi-deserts, and specifically open sandy or gravelly areas. These diurnal lizards are extremely active, constantly dashing around at great speed in search of food, which is mainly small insects. At night and during cold spells they stay in burrows dug at the base of bushes. Females lie 3-5 eggs in early summer. Namaqua Sand Lizards occur from the Eastern Cape Province northwards through South Africa’s arid western parts, as well as Botswana and Namibia to southern Angola.

Namaqua Sand Lizard

White-browed Sparrow-Weaver

17 Replies

Plocepasser mahali

The White-browed Sparrow Weaver is a dominant and conspicuous inhabitant of drier woodlands, thornveld, savannas and grasslands. They usually move around in small flocks of 4-10 birds, feeding on a wide variety of fruit, seeds, leaves and insects on the ground. Adults grow to 19cm in length and weigh around 50g.

White-browed Sparrow-Weavers nest in small colonies, building untidy grass nests in taller trees (including exotics) or artificial structures (like utility poles), in which they stay throughout the year. Families of White-browed Sparrow-Weavers aggressively defend their territories against intruding neighbours. Each bird in the group has its own nest, and only the dominant, monogamous, pair in the group breed. While breeding has been recorded throughout the year in response to rain, there is a definite peak in the warm summer months. Sleeping nests can be identified by having two entrances, while breeding nests have a single opening. The dominant female is responsible for incubating the clutch of 1-3 eggs for 2 weeks but the entire group assists her in the feeding of the chicks as they grow. The chicks fledge when they’re about 3 weeks old.

The IUCN describes the White-browed Sparrow-Weaver as being common to abundant and lists it is “least concern“. They occur from Ethiopia south to Angola and South Africa. In South Africa, White-browed Sparrow-Weavers are found mainly in the drier north-western parts of the country – the provinces of the Northern Cape, North West, Free State, Gauteng and Limpopo and parts of Mpumalanga and the Eastern Cape – and it would appear that they are expanding their range and increasing their numbers.

White-browed Sparrow-Weaver

White-browed Sparrow-weaver

White-browed Sparrow Weaver

White-browed Sparrow-Weaver

Sweet Thorn tree with Sparrow-Weaver nests

White-browed Sparrow-weaver nests

White-browed Sparrow-weaver nest

White-browed Sparrow-weaver

White-browed Sparrow Weaver

White-browed Sparrow-Weaver

White-browed Sparrow Weaver

White-browed Sparrow-weaver (photo by Joubert)

Cape Bulbul

12 Replies

Pycnonotus capensis

The Cape Bulbul is endemic to South Africa, and specifically the Northern, Western and Eastern Cape Provinces. The IUCN lists the Cape Bulbul as being of least concern, and describes it as common to abundant. They inhabit thorny thickets in the semi-arid Karoo, fynbos, coastal scrub and dune forest, have adapted extremely well to suburban parks and gardens, and feeds mainly on fruit, supplemented with nectar, seeds and invertebrates. Adults are about 20cm long and weigh around 40g.

Cape Bulbuls are active and noisy birds, generally seen in pairs or small groups, and breed throughout the spring and summer months. The female is solely responsible for the building of the nest (a sturdy cup of plant material placed on the outer branches of a tree or shrub) and incubating the clutch of 2-5 eggs for a period of two weeks. Both parents provide food to the chicks, which leave the nest at about two weeks old, without yet being able to fly. The chicks fledge a few days later, and then become fully independent at about 7 weeks old.

Cape Bulbul

Very curious Cape Bulbul

Cape Bulbul hoping for a handout (which didn’t come)

Cape Bulbul

Cape Bulbul coming to welcome us at our cottage

Read the sign! 😀

Cape Bulbul

Swift Tern

15 Replies

Thalasseus (Sterna) bergii

The Swift Tern, or Greater Crested Tern, usually inhabits the shallow tropical and sub-tropical waters of lagoons, estuaries, bays, harbours and open beaches where it feeds mainly on fish (up to 90% of its diet) as well as squid, crustaceans and insects. Adults have a wingspan of up to 1.2m and weigh up to 430g.

These terns are gregarious birds, nesting and roosting in fairly large and dense colonies, often mixed with gulls and cormorants, usually on offshore islands, reefs or sandbanks and occasionally on top of buildings. Nests are shallow scrapes in the bare sand or on rocks and often quite exposed. The breeding season in Swift Terns stretches from late summer through winter to early spring. Pairs are monogamous. Clutches consist of 1 or 2 eggs and are incubated for around 4 weeks by both parents. Chicks fledge at a little over a month old, but don’t become fully independent until they’re about 5 months old.

The IUCN considers the Swift Tern to be of least concern, estimating the total population at around a million birds, with an enormous distribution stretching from Namibia and South Africa along the Indian Ocean coasts of Africa, the Middle East and Asia, and into the Pacific Ocean far to the north-east of Australia. They occur along the entire South African coastline, though about 80% of the local population, estimated in the region of 25,000 birds and increasing, is found in the Western Cape during the breeding season.

Swift Tern

Swift Terns

Swift and Common Terns on a rock at Cape Columbine

Swift and Sandwich Terns

Swift Tern

Swift Tern (photo by Joubert)

Swift Tern

Common (left) and Swift (right) Terns

Kelp Gull

14 Replies

Larus dominicanus vetula

One of the most familiar seabirds in South Africa, Kelp Gulls inhabit a wide range of habitats along or near the coast, including harbours, bays, lagoons, estuaries, dams, lakes, rivers, streams and rocky and sandy beaches. They’ll also scavenge in large numbers at dump sites, food factories, abattoirs and sewerage works and have been recorded following fishing trawlers up to a 100km from the coast. Their natural diet is composed of marine invertebrates, fish, the chicks and eggs of other birds, small vertebrates, and carrion.

Adult Kelp Gulls have a wingspan of up to 1.4m, and weigh around 1kg.

Kelp Gulls are a gregarious species, occurring in large flocks throughout the year and breeding colonially during the southern spring and summer. Nesting colonies are usually located in hard to reach places, such as cliffs, rocky islands, exposed reefs, sandbanks and even on top of shipwrecks or buildings, where the bulky nest consists of dried plants, seaweed. twigs, shells, feathers and small stones. They’re very protective of their nests and will dive-bomb and defecate on any perceived threat, including humans. Pairs are monogamous and usually stay together through several breeding seasons. Clutches are usually made up of 2 to 4 eggs, which are incubated for about 4 weeks by both parents. Kelp Gull chicks fledge when they’re about two months old but stay with their parents for up to 6 months. They reach adulthood at between 3 and 4 years of age.

With an expanding population estimated at as many as 4,3-million, and a distribution range that spans much of the southern hemisphere, the IUCN considers the Kelp Gull of least concern. The race occurring in South Africa, also known as the Cape Gull, is considered to be a seperate species by some authorities and numbers at least 20,000 breeding pairs. They occur along the entire South African coastline and adjacent interior, though in lower densities along the coastline of Kwazulu-Natal than in the Eastern, Western and Northern Cape.

Kelp Gull

Immature Kelp Gull

Kelp Gull

Immature Kelp Gull

Juvenile Kelp Gulls

Kelp Gull

Kelp Gull chick stretching its wings

Kelp Gull chick on nest

Kelp Gull

Kelp Gull scavenging on the beach

Kelp Gull

Kelp Gull flying away with stolen bait (photo by Joubert)

Kelp Gull feasting on stolen bait

Kelp Gull

Kelp Gull (photo by Joubert)

Kelp Gull

Immature Kelp Gull

Kelp Gull

Kelp Gulls facing the waves

Kelp Gull

Immature Kelp Gull

Kelp Gull

Kelp Gull (photo by Joubert)

Kelp Gull

Kelp Gull flying away with a piece of cormorant chick

Kelp Gull feasting on a dead cormorant chick

Kelp Gull

Kelp Gulls

Kelp Gull

Knysna Turaco

26 Replies

Tauraco corythaix

The Knysna Turaco, or Knysna Lourie, is a very colourful bird inhabiting the evergreen montane and riverine forests of southern and eastern South Africa (from the Garden Route through the Eastern Cape and Kwazulu-Natal to the escarpment of Mpumalanga and Limpopo), extending marginally into Swaziland. Knysna Louries feed mainly on fruit, with seeds and insects making up only a small proportion of its diet. The IUCN lists it as being of least concern although it may be locally impacted by uncontrolled deforestation.

Often heard long before it is seen (its loud kok-kok-kok call being a familiar sound in the forests it inhabits), these beautiful birds are commonly encountered in the Garden Route National Park, though getting decent photographs of them in their dense and dark habitat can prove tricky! Adult Knysna Turacos grow to a length of 46cm and weigh up to 350g.

Both parents are involved in building the nest, which is little more than a flimsy platform of sticks and twigs among dense foliage, and incubating the clutch of one or two eggs for just over 3 weeks. The chicks grow quickly, start practicing to fly before they are a month old, and stay with their parents until they’re about 3 months old. Their breeding season stretches almost throughout the year, but peaks from September to December.

Knysna Turaco

Knysna Turaco visiting us at our chalet in Nature’s Valley (photo by Joubert)

Knysna Turaco

African Oystercatcher

28 Replies

Haematopus moquini

The African Oystercatcher occurs only along the coastline of Namibia and South Africa (mainly the Cape Provinces and only sporadically into Kwazulu-Natal) where they frequent the intertidal zone on rocky and sandy beaches, estuaries, lagoons and coastal wetlands looking for molluscs (mostly mussels and limpets) and other aquatic invertebrates.

With an average weight of around 730g, females are slightly larger than males. Adults have a wingspan of about 80cm.

While non-breeding individuals can congregate in flocks of up to 200 birds, especially at roosts, breeding pairs of African Oystercatchers are territorial and monogamous and may stay together for as long as 25 years. They breed in spring and summer, with a peak over December and January, which makes them especially vulnerable to disturbance by holiday makers. Nests are located on rocky islands or beaches and is little more than a bare scrape above the high-water mark. Despite the meagre appearance of the nest the eggs are extremely well camouflaged. Both parents take turns to incubate the clutch of 1-3 eggs for between 4 and 5 weeks, with the chicks leaving the nest as soon as they are a day or so old. Chicks fledge when they are about 6 weeks old but can remain with their parents for up to 6 months.

Today, the IUCN considers the African Oystercatcher as being of least concern, with an increasing population size thanks to improved conservation measures (such as banning 4×4 driving on beaches). It is estimated that there is now around 6,700 of them, which is probably about double the number that existed in the 1970’s, and their conservation status could recently be upgraded from “near-threatened”. Birdlife South Africa has designated the African Oystercatcher as the 2018 Bird of the year – good places to see them is the Agulhas, Garden Route and Table Mountain National Parks.

African Oystercatcher

African Oystercatcher at nest with eggs

African Oystercatcher on nest

African Oystercatcher nest – can you spot the egg?

African Oystercatcher

African Oystercatcher flock

African Oystercatcher

African Oystercatchers

African Oystercatcher

African Oystercatcher (photo by Joubert)

African Oystercatcher

Black Oystercatchers

African Black Oystercatcher

Angulate Tortoise

17 Replies

Chersina angulata

The most commonly encountered tortoise in the thickets, fynbos and karoo scrub of South Africa’s south-western corner, Angulate Tortoises show a marked preference for sandy areas, and feed on grasses, annuals and succulents. They drink water through their nostrils! Adult male Angulate Tortoises are noticeably larger than the females, grow to as much as 30cm in length and can weigh up to 1.5kg, which is unusual as females are bigger than males in most other tortoise species.

Adults are usually solitary, except when mating, and have small home ranges of up to only 2 hectares. Angulate Tortoises are diurnal, often hiding under vegetation, among rocks or in holes in the ground during the hottest parts of the day or in bad weather. To escape danger they will retract their head, neck and limbs into the shell and will squirt the contents of its bowels if picked up.

Both sexes reach breeding age at between 10 and 12 years old. During the mating season, which spans spring and summer, males will engage in intense fights for dominance and try to flip each other over (with some effort they are normally able to get back on their feet). After mating, females can delay fertilisation until favourable environmental conditions prevail, which is normally just after rain has softened the soil. She then digs a small hole, lies a single egg weighing between 20 and 25g, fills the hole back up and taps the soil down with her shell. Under favourable conditions females can lay up to 6 eggs in a season. Incubation takes 90 to 200 days, depending on ambient temperatures, and when the tiny hatchlings emerge they weigh only 8-12g.

The Angulate Tortoise is commonly seen in parts of the Eastern, Western and Northern Cape Provinces, as well as in southern Namibia. The IUCN considers it as being of least concern as it is very numerous with few significant threats (such as habitat destruction and the illegal pet trade) to its continued survival. They are unfortunately very prone to dying in wildfires. The Angulate Tortoise has a life expectancy in the wild of around 30 years.

Angulate Tortoise

Angulate Tortoise hatchling

Angulate Tortoise

Angulate Tortoises

Angulate Tortoise

Bontebok

13 Replies

Damaliscus pygargus pygargus

The Bontebok is a medium-sized antelope endemic to a small piece of South Africa’s southern coast and adjacent interior, stretching from Caledon in the west to Mossel Bay in the east, and from the Langeberg Mountains southwards to the ocean both east and west of Cape Agulhas. Considered abundant in early colonial times, hunting, competition for grazing with domestic stock and loss of habitat almost drove it to extinction. The IUCN considers the Bontebok’s conservation status as “Vulnerable” due to its restricted distribution, fragmented and transformed habitat, low numbers and the threat of hybridisation with the closely related (at subspecies level) Blesbok. The effort to save the Bontebok from extinction became a national priority in the 1930’s with the proclamation of the Bontebok National Park (read here for more). While there may now be as many as 3,500 Bontebok in the country, many of these are on private properties both within and outside their historical range and may possibly be hibridised, with only approximately 700 or so individuals tested for genetic purity and occurring at four formally protected areas (of which Bontebok National Park is one) within the historic distribution of the species. The Cape of Good Hope section of the Table Mountain National Park is another good place to see Bontebok, but that population is considered to be outside their natural distribution range.

Bontebok

Bontebok grazing in the Postberg section of the West Coast National Park

Bontebok

Bontebok on the beach at Buffelsbaai in the Table Mountain National Park

Bontebok

Bontebok lying in a sea of Cape Snow

Bontebok on the run

Bontebok

Bontebok are almost exclusively grazers, showing a preference for areas of short grass and recently burnt veld, usually in open, undulating areas with good visibility in the heathland (fynbos and renosterveld) that cover their limited distribution range. They are dependent on easily accessible water sources and stay within 1.5km from a reliable supply, especially in the dry season. Thickets are important as refuges from cold weather. Bontebok stand around a meter high at the shoulder and weigh around 60kg.

From about the age of 5 years, adult Bontebok rams establish small territories (4 to 30 hectares) which they mark with dung heaps and defend throughout the year, and in which they attempt to keep breeding herds consisting of ewes and lambs for as long as possible so as to mate with any receptive females. The females in the breeding herds, which number between 6 and 30 animals, maintain a strict hierarchy. Young rams, and older males displaced from their territories, roam together in bachelor herds which are often even bigger than the breeding herds. The rutting season peaks from January to March, with most lambs being born in September and October. Ewes give birth to single lambs weighing around 6kg that can run with the herd within an hour of birth!