Category Archives: South African Wildlife

The inhabitants of South Africa’s wild places

Ant-eating Chat

Myrmecocichla formicivora

Open, dry grasslands and shrublands, with numerous termite mounds, is the chosen habitat of the Ant-eating Chat, a common little bird that occurs only in South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Namibia and Botswana and is listed as “Least Concern” by the IUCN, despite certain farming practices having a negative impact on their preferred nesting sites. Adults are around 17cm long and weigh between 40 and 60g.

As its name suggests, they are especially fond of ants and termites, but also consumes a wide variety of other invertebrates. They are social birds, staying in small groups made up of a breeding pair assisted in their duties by offspring from previous broods.

Ant-eating Chats sleep and nest in burrows in the ground, excavating their own nesting chambers in earthen walls or inside the burrows of aardvarks, porcupines, springhares, ground squirrels and mongooses. These chambers are lined with dry grass and roots. The breeding season spans spring and summer. Clutches consist of up to 7, but more usually about 3, eggs, that are incubated by the female for two weeks. Chicks leave the nest before they are three weeks old but stay dependent on their parents for another week or two. Thereafter they usually stay part of the group and assist with the rearing of subsequent broods.

Ant-eating Chat

Anteating Chat

Anteating chats

Ant-eating Chat

Ant-eating Chat chick at nest burrow

Ant-eating Chat

Yellow-fronted Canary

24 Replies

Crithagra mozambica

The Yellow-fronted Canary occurs in savanna and woodland habitats, and seems to be dependent on the availability of surface water for regular drinking. They penetrate more arid areas along well wooded water courses, and have extended their range into parks and plantations established in otherwise unsuitable grassland areas. They feed mostly on the ground, foraging for seeds, flowers, nectar and insects, and often form mixed flocks with other seed-eating birds. Adult Yellow-fronted Canaries weigh only between 9 and 16g.

Breeding season for the Yellow-fronted Canary spans spring and summer in South Africa. While they occur in small flocks outside the breeding season, pairs are monogamous and usually nest well apart from others. Nest building is mostly the responsibility of the females, who build a cup shaped nest of plant material and spiderweb in a tree or bush, quite high above the ground. The female is also solely responsible for incubating the clutch of 2-5 eggs for 2 weeks, while the male feeds her. The female also broods the chicks for the first few days after hatching, with the male then bringing food for both her and the chicks. The chicks leave the nest when they’re about 3 weeks old, but still remain dependent on their parents for quite some time thereafter.

In South Africa, this species is common in the Eastern Cape, Kwazulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Gauteng and parts of the Free State and North West provinces. Furthermore, the Yellow-fronted Canary also has a wide distribution over west, central, east and southern Africa. While listed as “Least Concern”, the IUCN notes that the international pet trade is probably causing a decline in the population of the Yellow-fronted Canary.

Yellow-fronted canaries and a blue waxbill

Yellow-fronted canaries searching for food in rhino dung

Yellow-fronted Canary

Yellow-fronted Canary (photo by Joubert)

Yellow-fronted Canaries

Yellow-fronted Canary

Yellow-fronted Canary, with a bushbuck in the background

Yellow-fronted Canary

Yellow-fronted Canary (photo by Joubert)

Yellow-fronted Canary

Yellow-fronted Canaries

Yellow-fronted Canary

Yellow-fronted Canaries

Yellow-fronted Canary

Yellow-eyed Canary

Cape Longclaw

18 Replies

Macronyx capensis

The Cape, or Orange-throated, Longclaw, is an inhabitant of moist grassland and wetlands with dense grass cover, often at considerable elevations. They’re often seen standing atop large rocks, anthills or shrubs. It feeds mostly on insects, with seeds featuring occasionally in its diet. Adults weigh around 45g.

Cape Longclaws breed mostly in spring and summer. Pairs are monogamous and territorial. The female builds a well-hidden nest of grass and roots among dense stands of grass, in which she incubates a clutch of 1-4 eggs for around 2 weeks. Both parents feed the chicks, whic leave the nest at about 2 weeks old.

The Cape Longclaw occurs only in Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Swaziland and South Africa (Western and Eastern Cape, Kwazulu-Natal, Free State, Gauteng, North West and the Highveld regions of Limpopo and Mpumalanga) and marginally into Botswana and Mozambique. The IUCN considers the species as being of least concern.

Cape Longclaw

Cape Longclaws

Cape Longclaw

Cape Longclaw (photo by Joubert)

Cape Longclaw

Woodland Kingfisher

53 Replies

Halcyon senegalensis

The Woodland Kingfisher is a bird of tall, open woodlands and savannas (as well as suburban gardens and parks), and despite a preference for wooded river courses does not follow an aquatic diet at all. Instead, they feed primarily on insects, especially grasshoppers, though they have been recorded taking small reptiles and chicks from Red-billed Quelea nests. Adults weigh between 55 and 80g and measure up to 24cm from the tip of the beak to the tip of the tail.

Woodland Kingfishers migrate to South Africa (North West Province, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Gauteng and northern Kwazulu-Natal) to breed here in summer, arriving from September and departing again by end of April. They are mostly seen singly or in pairs. Pairs defend their territories aggressively against others of their kind as well as other species of birds and even humans. They nest in holes in trees, often taken over from woodpeckers and barbets. Clutches normally contain 2-4 eggs and are incubated by both parents for around two weeks. Although the chicks leave the nest at about 3 weeks old, the parents continue to care for the young for as long as 5 weeks after they’ve fledged.

The Woodland Kingfisher occurs over much of sub-Saharan Africa, from Senegal in the west to Ethiopia in the east and south to South Africa, at least for parts of the year, while they are resident in Africa’s equatorial regions throughout the year. The IUCN lists it as least concern.

The call of the Woodland Kingfisher is an unmissable part of the summer soundtrack in many of our favourite wild places, which must be why I’ve set it as the ringtone on my phone…

Woodland Kingfisher

Woodland Kingfisher in Letaba

Woodland Kingfisher – the sound of summer!

Woodland kingfisher

Woodland Kingfisher

Woodland Kingfisher in silhouette

Woodland Kingfisher

Woodland Kingfishers

Woodland Kingfisher

Woodland Kingfishers

Woodland Kingfisher

Woodland Kingfisher (photo by Joubert)

Woodland Kingfisher

Double-banded Sandgrouse

18 Replies

Pterocles bicinctus

Double-banded Sandgrouse inhabit open, dry woodlands, savannas and arid grasslands, often in association with low, rocky hills, and is especially fond of mopane savanna. These rather plump birds (26cm long, weigh up to 270g) are often seen on or beside gravel roads, freezing in their tracks in the hope that they’ll escape detection. They feed exclusively on seeds, and drink daily, usually just before sunset. They are usually encountered in family groups numbering 2 to 5 and only rarely in bigger groups of up to 10.

Breeding in this species peaks during the dry season, though breeding attempts have been recorded throughout the year. Pairs are monogamous and use a shallow scrape in soil, gravel or sand, lined with dry grass and leaves, as a nest. The nest is usually hidden among tufts of grass or under bushes, but is often quite exposed. Clutches contain 2-3 eggs and are incubated by both parents for little over 3 weeks.

Despite being common and widespread over southern Africa, and considered of least concern by the IUCN, the Double-banded Sandgrouse population is at risk of decreasing due to habitat loss. In South Africa, this species can be found in the Lowveld, western Limpopo, and parts of the North West and Northern Cape Provinces.

Double-Banded Sandgrouse female

Double-Banded Sandgrouse male

Male Double-banded Sandgrouse

Double-Banded Sandgrouse female

Double-Banded Sandgrouse chick

Well camouflaged Double-Banded Sandgrouse

Double-Banded Sandgrouse Male

Female Double-banded Sandgrouse

Double-banded Sandgrouse

Double-banded Sandgrouse (female)

Double-banded Sandgrouse (male)

Double-banded Sandgrouse

Cape Grassbird

27 Replies

Sphenoeacus afer

As its name suggests, the Cape Grassbird lives in areas of rank, tall grass as well as thick low-growing fynbos and stands of ferns, often on hillsides and in river valleys and usually near water. They are normally seen singly or in pairs. Cape Grassbirds follow an insectivorous diet, catching most of their food on the ground. Adults grow to 19cm in length and weigh between 26 and 34g.

Cape Grassbirds breed almost throughout the year, with a peak in spring and early summer. Pairs mate for life. The female builds the bowl-shaped nest of twigs, grass and leaves near the ground in a tussock of grass or a bush. The female incubates the clutch of 2 or 3 eggs for just over 2 weeks. After hatching, both parents feed the chicks, which fledge at around 2 weeks old.

The Cape Grassbird occurs only in South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland and in a limited area on the border between Mozambique and Zimbabwe. In South Africa they are found in the Western and Eastern Cape, Kwazulu-Natal, Free State, Gauteng and the Highveld of Mpumalanga and Limpopo. The IUCN currently lists it as “Least Concern” but also cautions that the population of the Cape Grassbird is decreasing due to habitat destruction (threatened by agriculture, urbanisation and invasion by alien trees).

Cape Grassbird

Pied Starling

10 Replies

Lamprotornis bicolor

The conspicuous Pied Starling prefers open habitats in hilly terrain (grasslands, arid scrub and agricultural fields and pastures). They are mainly insectivorous in their diet, but will also feed on fruit and seeds. They often associate with wild and domesticated herbivores, feeding on ticks and preying on insects disturbed by the movement of the large animals. Pied Starlings are about 27cm long and weigh around 100g.

Pied Starlings are gregarious, moving around in flocks that can number over a thousand, especially outside the peak summer breeding season. Pied Starlings prefer to nest colonially in tunnels in earth walls and river banks, which they line with soft plant material and discarded garbage. Clutches contain from 2-6 eggs (most usually 4) that are incubated by the female for two weeks. Both parents, and up to 7 helpers from previous broods, feed the chicks that fledge at between 3 and 4 weeks old.

Thanks to an abundant population, the IUCN considers the Pied Starling to be of least concern. It occurs only in Swaziland, Lesotho and South Africa (all provinces except Limpopo).

Pied Starling

Pied Starling striding across the lawns at Glen Reenen

Pied starling

Pied Starling

Pied Starling and chick

Pied Starling chick (photo by Joubert)

Pied Starling

Pied Starlings pecking flies from the back of a rhino

We were lucky to see this pair of Pied Starlings sharing tiny red berries at Rietvlei Nature Reserve.

African Pied Starlings

African Pied Starlings (photo by Joubert)

African Pied Starlings

African Pied Starlings (photo by Joubert)

African Pied Starlings

These Pied Starlings using a White Rhino bull as a catwalk for showing off was a rather amusing sighting!

Pied Starlings on their Rhino catwalk

Yellow-billed Kite

13 Replies

Milvus aegyptius

The Yellow-billed Kite spend spring and summer in South Africa, the first birds arriving from central and west Africa in July and the last departing again by April, with the birds being most numerous in December and January. They’ve been recorded from all over South Africa, though they are uncommon in the open and arid central and western parts of the country.

Yellow-billed Kites inhabit a wide range of habitats, from forest edges to grasslands, though they show a preference for woodlands and rural areas with dense human populations. These kites have a varied and opportunistic diet – they prey on a wide variety of birds, small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, insects (especially termites) and other invertebrates, will steal food from other birds and will also scavenge from carcasses and dumpsites. They’re rather fearless, and will even swoop down to steal from picnic tables and barbeques with humans in attendance! They are seen alone, in pairs or in flocks. Adults weigh up to 760g, with a wingspan up to 1.8m.

A large proportion of birds migrating to our country breed here, though it is unclear whether those that don’t breed here are unpaired or from populations that breed elsewhere. Pairs are monogamous and territorial. Nests are well concealed in the canopies of tall trees, and consist of a platform built of sticks and lined with a variety of soft natural and man-made materials. Clutches contain 1-3 eggs, incubated mostly by the female for 5 weeks. For the first month after hatching the male brings food to the female and chicks at the nest, after which she helps to bring food to the chicks. The chicks make their first flight when they are about 7 or 8 weeks old.

Some authorities consider the Yellow-billed Kite to be a race of the Black Kite (Milvus migrans), which also visits our shores in summer and often occurs alongside the Yellow-billed Kite.

Yellow-billed Kite

Yellow-billed Kite in low level flypast

Yellow-billed kite

Yellow-billed Kite, Matambeni

Yellow-billed Kite

Yellow-billed Kite (photo by Joubert)

Yellow-billed Kite

Curious Yellow-billed Kite flying overhead

Yellow-billed Kite

Yellow-billed Kite (photo by Joubert)

Yellow-billed Kite

Yellow-billed Kite (photo by Joubert)

Southern African Tree Squirrel

34 Replies

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.

DeWetsWild

Disappearing into South Africa's wild places… Again!

Category Archives: South African Wildlife

Ant-eating Chat

Myrmecocichla formicivora

Yellow-fronted Canary

Crithagra mozambica

Cape Longclaw

Macronyx capensis

Woodland Kingfisher

Halcyon senegalensis

Double-banded Sandgrouse

Pterocles bicinctus

Cape Grassbird

Sphenoeacus afer

Pied Starling

Lamprotornis bicolor

Yellow-billed Kite

Milvus aegyptius

Southern African Tree Squirrel

Paraxerus cepapi

African Scops-Owl

Otus senegalensis