Category Archives: South African Wildlife

The inhabitants of South Africa’s wild places

Scarlet-chested Sunbird

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.

Scrub Hare

Scrub hares are often seen in the early morning

Scrub hare in Mopani

Scrub Hare

Scrub Hare baby

Scrub Hare

Scrub Hare at Haak-en-Steek

Scrub Hare

Scrub Hare next to the fence at Shingwedzi

Scrub Hare inside Tamboti

Scrub Hare

Scrub Hares

Scrub Hare

Scrub Hare (photo by Joubert)

Scrub Hare

Scrub Hare (photo by Joubert)

Crested Francolin

18 Replies

Dendroperdix sephaena

Crested Francolins inhabit dense woodlands, often in riverine areas and with a sparse grass cover, and areas of thicket in more open savannas. They follow an omnivorous diet, including insects, seeds, leaves, shoots and fruits and berries according to whatever is most easily available in the season. Adults weigh from 240 to 460g and are about 33cm long.

During the breeding season, which stretches through spring and summer, Crested Francolins are usually seen in monogamous pairs or small family parties, forming mixed groups of up to 7 birds at other times. Their nests are shallow scrapes in the ground lined with soft plant material, well hidden among grass and shrubs. Clutches consisting of 3-7 eggs are incubated by the female for around 3 weeks. The chicks are precocious and leave the nest about two hours after hatching to start foraging with their parents.

The Crested Francolin is distributed over much of eastern and southern Africa, and considered of least concern by the IUCN. In South Africa it occurs commonly in the provinces of Kwazulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Gauteng and North West.

Brett Hilton-Barber and Lou Arthur in their guide to birding in Kruger Park mentions an apparent symbiotic relationship between African Wild Dogs and Crested Francolins, in which the francolins are allowed to peck up scraps of leftover meat around wild dog dens without harrassment, and in turn provide advance warning to the pack of dogs whenever dangerous predators are close to their den.

The distinctive call of the Crested Francolin is often heard at sunrise in many of our favourite wild places.

Crested Francolin

Crested francolin

Crested Francolin chick

Feathered friends visiting our cottage at Shingwedzi: Crested Francolin

Crested Francolin

Crested Francolins

Crested Francolin

Crested Francolin (photo by Joubert)

Crested Francolins

Crested Francolin

Crested Francolins

Crested Francolin hen and chicks

Crested Francolin

African Wattled Lapwing

6 Replies

Vanellus senegallus

African Wattled Lapwings are diurnal birds, usually seen singly, in pairs or small groups. Larger aggregations of 20 to 60 birds form occasionally in response to favourable local conditions. They feed on insects and grass seeds, and inhabit areas of short grass in marshes, flooded grasslands, and the edges of lakes, dams and rivers but are also found at times in dry grasslands, savannas and agricultural and sports fields and are particularly attracted to recently burnt areas. The African Wattled Lapwing is the biggest plover in Africa, and weigh around 250g with a wingspan of up to 86cm.

African Wattled Lapwings nest on the ground in shallow depressions scraped among weeds or short grass, almost always near water, during spring and summer. The nest is lined with grass, pebbles or dry dung before a clutch of 2-4 eggs are laid. Both parents incubate the eggs for around 4 weeks, and although the chicks fledge at about 40 days old, they remain with their parents until the next breeding season starts. Pairs are highly territorial.

Due to its wide distribution over much of sub-Saharan Africa, and an apparently stable population, the IUCN considers the African Wattled Lapwing of least concern. In South Africa they are found in the north-east of the country, particularly in Kwazulu-Natal and on the Highveld (NE Free State, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, SW Limpopo and the North West Province)

African Wattled Lapwing

African Wattled Lapwing adult

African Wattled Lapwing chick

African Wattled Lapwing

African Wattled Lapwing (immature)

African Wattled Lapwing

African Wattled Lapwings

Wattled Lapwing

Wattled Lapwing (photo by Joubert)

Wattled Lapwings

African Wattled Lapwing

African Wattled Lapwing at her nest with eggs

African Wattled Lapwing nest with eggs

African Wattled Lapwing (photo by Joubert)

African Wattled Lapwing at her nest with egg

African Wattled Lapwing

Wattled Lapwing

African Wattled Lapwing

African Wattled Lapwing covered in frost

Wattled Lapwing

Wattled Lapwing (photo by Joubert)

African Wattled Lapwing (photo by Joubert)

African Wattled Lapwing

Wattled Lapwing

African Green Pigeon

33 Replies

Treron calvus

You’d be forgiven for confusing the African Green Pigeon with a parrot at first glance, especially if you glimpse these colourful birds clambering among the branches or hanging upside down in the canopies of tall trees, foraging for fruit and seeds! African Green Pigeons inhabit forests, woodland, dense savannas (usually along river courses) and well-planted parks and gardens populated by various fruiting trees, showing a special fondness for wild figs (genus Ficus) and jackalberry (Diospyros). Adult African Green Pigeons are between 25 and 29cm long and weigh between 210 and 250g.

African Green Pigeon females build flimsy nests (of twigs and leaves gathered by the male) in the forks of trees at any time of year (with a peak in early summer in South Africa), the female incubating the small clutch (usually only 1 or 2 eggs) for around two weeks. The young pigeons leave the nest around two weeks after hatching. They are gregarious, and occur in small groups or flocks numbering up to 50 or more.

In South Africa, African Green Pigeons are common along the coast in the Eastern Cape, through much of Kwazulu-Natal, and into the bushveld and lowveld regions of Mpumalanga, Limpopo and Gauteng. North of our borders this species occurs widely over tropical Africa south of the Sahara. The IUCN considers them to be of least concern, though noting that loss of habitat and hunting is causing their overall population to decline.

African Green Pigeon

African Green Pigeon in a Jackalberry

Adult African Green Pigeon

African Green Pigeon

Banded Mongoose

20 Replies

Mungos mungo

The diurnal Banded Mongoose inhabits woodland and savanna, showing a strong preference for areas along rivers and marshes with an abundance of logs and termite mounds. These little carnivores prey on insects (especially dung beetles and their larvae), other invertebrates, amphibians, reptiles (including venomous snakes), birds, eggs and rodents, and occasionally also eat fruit. They grow to longer than half a metre, and weigh between 600g and 2kg.

Banded Mongooses live in troops usually numbering from 5 to 30 though exceptionally up to 75, roaming a small home range of up to 4km², within which they have a number of dens used intermittently. These dens are usually holes dug by themselves or other animals, often in termite mounds, or crevices in rocky hills. Though they are not strictly territorial, conflict does sometimes erupt when neighbouring troops meet. Banded Mongooses often associate with warthogs and baboons.

Banded Mongoose pups are born at anytime of the year, though usually in the spring or summer. Most females in the troop get babies at more or less the same time, and the little ones will drink from any lactating female. Litters number from 2 to 8, and the babies tag along with the troop when they go searching for food from about 5 weeks old. Fewer than half of the babies live to 3 months of age, though they can live to between 8 and 13 years. Large raptors and medium-sized mammalian carnivores (jackals, servals, wild dogs, etc.) pose the biggest threat to Banded Mongooses.

The Banded Mongoose has a wide distribution over most of Sub-Saharan Africa, although they are rare in West Africa and absent from the equatorial forests of Central Africa and the arid south-west of the continent. The IUCN regards it as being of least concern, siting its wide distribution, stable and common populations in suitable habitat, presence in major conservation areas and adaptability to human encroachment. In South Africa they are found in the provinces of Kwazulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Gauteng and North West.

Banded mongoose

Banded Mongoose

You’ll often see troops of banded mongoose crossing roads in the Kwaggasvlakte section of Marakele National Park

Banded mongoose troop at Skukuza

Banded mongoose

Banded mongooses in the road

Banded mongooses at the curbside in St. Lucia town

Banded mongoose in Skukuza

Banded Mongoose

Banded Mongooses doing their early morning rounds Crocodile Bridge Rest Camp

Banded Mongoose

Several groups of Banded Mongooses are to be seen in the Kwaggasvlakte section of the Park

Banded Mongooses

Banded Mongoose

Banded Mongooses

Banded Mongoose

World Rhino Day

13 Replies

Today is World Rhino Day.

The statistics on the number of rhinos being killed in South Africa for their horn continues to make for heart-wrenching reading. We continue to loose hundreds of black and white rhinos annually to supply an illegal black market demand from Asian countries.

But the war continues. The brave rangers working daily to protect our natural heritage have not yet given up hope, and neither should we. We’ll continue to do our part to spread the word that rhino horn has no medicinal properties, and by rights should really not be worth any more than fingernails!

Let us celebrate these prehistoric-looking beasts for the magnificent beings that they are, deserving of a place on this planet for eternity.