Category Archives: South African Wildlife

The inhabitants of South Africa’s wild places

African Openbill

Anastomus lamelligerus

The African Openbill is a fairly small stork (up to 1.3kg) that migrates across the African equatorial zone following the rains to areas where their favourite food is in easy supply. Their preferred habitat is shallow wetlands and quiet backwaters of large rivers and lakes, where they feed mainly on aquatic molluscs (snails and mussels) which they easily open using their superbly adapted bill. They’ll also consume fish, frogs, crabs and other kinds of invertebrates they find while scouring the water. Breeding takes place colonially (up to 100 or more pairs, often in mixed groups with other kinds of birds as well) during the rainy season, when nests of sticks are built in vegetation over water or in reedbeds. Eggs are incubated by both parents for 25-30 days and the chicks fledge at about two months of age. African Openbills forage alone, in pairs or in dispersed flocks that can number up to 50 or more.

African Openbill

African Openbills

African Openbill

African Openbill Stork

The African Openbill has a wide distribution and a fairly large, though decreasing, population in Africa south of the Sahara, being considered of “Least Concern” by the IUCN. In South Africa, where they’re classified as near-threatened due to loss of habitat, they occur mostly in the Lowveld of Limpopo and Mpumalanga (with a resident population of around 300 in the Kruger Park) and Kwazulu-Natal, although vagrants have been recorded in all the other provinces.

Saddle-billed Stork

13 Replies

Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis

The Saddle-billed Stork is one of the most strikingly attractive bird species in South Africa (in stark contrast to their cousin, the marabou). They are very large birds, standing up to 1.5m high, with a wingspan over 2.5m and a weight of up to 7.5kg.

Saddle-billed Storks are usually seen singly or in pairs in wetlands, pans and along rivers and streams, where they feed predominantly on fish, frogs, crabs and other aquatic animals, occasionally taking small reptiles, mammals and birds. The breeding season coincides with the dry season to ensure food is in easy supply from shrinking pools. Nests are platforms constructed from sticks in large trees near water in which one or two eggs only are incubated for around 30 days.

Saddle-billed Stork

Saddle-billed Stork fishing at Nkuhlu

Saddle-billed Stork

Saddle-billed stork

Juvenile Saddle-billed stork

Saddle-billed stork

Saddle-billed Stork

Immature Saddle-billed Storks

Saddle-billed Stork

Saddle-billed Stork at Shitlhave Dam, Kruger Park

Saddle-billed Stork with nestlings

Saddle-billed Stork (Photo by Joubert)

Saddle-billed Stork

Saddle-billed Stork (photo by Joubert)

Saddle-billed Stork

Immature Saddle-billed Stork

Saddle-billed Stork

Saddle-billed Stork (photo by Joubert)

Saddle-billed Stork (immature)

Saddle-billed Storks

Saddle-billed Stork in silhouette at sunrise

Young Saddle-billed Storks

Saddle-billed Storks

The Saddle-billed Stork has a wide distribution in sub-saharan Africa, though despite being considered “Least Concern” by the IUCN they are uncommon throughout this range and their population is probably decreasing due to loss of habitat. In South Africa they are considered endangered and occur only in the north of Kwazulu-Natal and the Lowveld of Mpumalanga and Limpopo, with about 30 breeding pairs occurring in the Kruger National Park.

Marabou

31 Replies

Leptoptilos crumeniferus

The Marabou has a reputation as the undertaker of Africa’s wild places. Even if you didn’t know about their love for the dead and dying (or rather, how those taste) you’d still think they just simply look the part when you see them solemnly striding around a carcass. Staining their otherwise dignified, albeit grotesque, appearance, their legs are whitewashed with excrement, thought to assist in keeping the bird cool. These enormous storks have a wingspan of 3m or more, weigh up to 9kg and stand up to 1.5m tall.

The Marabou occurs in savannas and grasslands where it can often be found in swamps and on the shores of rivers, dams and receding pools, though they spend much of the day soaring on the thermals kilometers above the ground. They feed on carrion, fish, eggs, insects and small vertebrates – even baby crocodiles! They also frequent the grounds of abattoirs (blogger Rondomtaliedraai has a great shot on her blog) and rubbish dumps, having learned that human waste is an excellent food source. Breeding in colonies numbering from twenty to thousands of pairs starts in the dry season, when nests (platforms of sticks) are built in tall trees, on cliffs and even on buildings, usually in close proximity to a reliable food source. Two to three eggs are laid.

Roosting marabou

Marabou Storks

Marabou Stork

Marabou roost near Skukuza

The marabous are rather suspicious of the approaching crocodile!

Marabou stork

Marabous perched in a dead tree

Marabou gathering

Marabou

Marabous

Marabou in flight

Marabou

Marabou roost at sunset

Marabou

Marabou Stork

Marabou

Marabou Storks

Marabou Stork

Marabou

Marabou catching frogs

Marabou

Captive Marabous building a nest

Marabou

Marabou (photo by Joubert)

Marabou

Marabous

Marabou (photo by Joubert)

Marabou Stork (photo by Joubert)

Marabou

Marabou Stork

The Marabou occurs over much of sub-saharan Africa, and their population appears to be growing. The IUCN evaluated their overall conservation status “Least Concern“, but in South Africa, where they are most often found in the large game reserves of Kwazulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and North West Provinces, they are considered near-threatened, with even the Kruger National Park‘s resident population estimated at only between 200 and 400 adult birds.

Southern Crested Guineafowl

30 Replies

Guttera edouardi

As familiar as South Africans are with the Helmeted Guineafowl, it may be surprising that relatively few people know that our country is home to another, slightly smaller, species of guineafowl, the Crested Guineafowl.

The Crested Guineafowl is an inconspicuous species that inhabits forests and dense riverine woodlands and occurs in pairs or small flocks, feeding on fruits, berries, seeds and invertebrates. They often follow feeding monkeys, pecking up any food items the primates drop from the tree tops. Breeding takes place in spring and summer, when hens lay small clutches (4-5 eggs) in scraped hollows hidden among thick vegetation.

Crested Guineafowl

Crested Guineafowl family

Joubert’s picture of a baby Crested Guineafowl taking off quite strongly!

Crested Guineafowl chicks

Crested Guineafowl family

Crested Guineafowl

Crested Guineafowl leaving home for work (photo by Joubert)

Crested Guineafowl

Crested Guineafowls

Crested Guineafowl

The IUCN considers the Southern Crested Guineafowl as being of “Least Concern“, being found in large, stable populations over a wide area that includes Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. In South Africa they are in no immediate danger of extinction, although they have a very limited distribution, occurring only in the north of Kwazulu-Natal and the north-eastern corner of Limpopo Province. Good places to go searching for them would be Cape Vidal and uMkhuze in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park and the areas around Pafuri and Punda Maria in the Kruger National Park.

Crested Guineafowl – iSimangaliso Wetland Park

Helmeted Guineafowl

19 Replies

Numida meleagris

The Helmeted Guineafowl is one of South Africa’s best known and most abundant gamebirds, occurring in a wide range of naturally open habitats, from forest edges to semi-deserts, as well as being regularly seen in farming areas. They can weigh as much as 1.8kg.

Guineafowl feather

Helmeted Guineafowl are gregarious, feeding and roosting in groups normally numbering around 25, but can congregate in flocks of hundreds. Like other guineafowl they are mostly terrestrial, and will only take flight when in extreme danger or to reach their roosts. Omnivorous in their diet, Helmeted Guineafowl will feed on seeds, fruits, invertebrates of all descriptions and even small amphibians, reptiles and mammals. Nests are little more than scrapes in a well-hidden place, in which the hen incubates a clutch of 6 – 12 eggs for 28 days during the summer months. Helmeted Guineafowl can live up to 12 years in the wild.

Helmeted Guineafowl chicks

Helmeted Guineafowl juveniles

Helmeted Guineafowl sub-adults

Helmeted Guineafowl

Helmeted Guineafowl juvenile

Helmeted Guineafowl

Helmeted Guineafowl quickly learn that humans are a source of food

Helmeted Guineafowl

Helmeted Guineafowl in flight

Helmeted Guineafowl

Helmeted Guineafowl youngsters

Helmeted Guineafowl

Guineafowl sunrise

Helmeted Guineafowl

Helmeted Guineafowl (photo by Joubert)

Guineafowl chick (photo by Joubert)

Helmeted Guineafowl chick (photo by Joubert)

Guineafowl chick (photo by Joubert)

Helmeted Guineafowl

Helmeted Guineafowls crossing the Sand River

Helmeted Guineafowl

Helmeted Guineafowl (photo by Joubert)

Helmeted Guineafowl

Helmeted Guineafowl chick (photo by Joubert)

Helmeted Guineafowl

Helmeted Guineafowl chick

Helmeted Guineafowl

The IUCN considers the Helmeted Guineafowl “Least Concern” thanks to its extremely wide natural distribution range (almost all of Africa south of the Sahara, except the forests of the Congo and the Somali desert) and large and apparently stable population. In South Africa they are a common sight almost everywhere, even occurring in the leafy suburbs and parks of the big cities, and is one of the few species that have actually expanded their distribution range in recent years, despite fairly substantial hunting pressure. The species has also been domesticated and widely introduced to other continents. These domesticated strains often sport quite different plumage.

Domesticated Guineafowl often have varying plumage

Red-crested Korhaan

20 Replies

Lophotis ruficrista

The Red-Crested Korhaan, also known as the Red-Crested Bustard, is a common ground-dwelling bird occurring in many of South Africa’s conservation areas, inhabiting arid thornveld, savanna-bushveld and woodlands. . They are about 50cm long and weigh up to 900g. Their diet includes insects, seeds, berries and tree-gum. Males perform an acrobatic aerial display during the spring-summer breeding season, involving flying 10 – 30m straight up into the air before tumbling out of the sky as if they’ve been shot, only to glide to a safe landing at the last possible moment. The red crest from which they take their name is shown by the male only when displaying for females, and males will mate with as many hens as they can impress in this fashion. Eggs are laid in shallow hollows, usually scraped beneath bushes. Their characteristic shrill call is a feature of the areas in which they occur.

Red-crested Korhaan

Close-up of aRed-crested Korhaan

Red-crested Korhaan calling

Red-crested Korhaan

Red-crested Korhaan keeping an eye on an eagle flying overhead (photo by Joubert)

Red-crested Korhaan

Red-crested Korhaan (photo by Joubert)

Red-crested Korhaan

Owing to its wide distribution in Southern Africa, few pressures on its habitat and apparently stable populations, the Red-Crested Bustard is considered “Least Concern” by the IUCN. In the Republic of South Africa, this species can be commonly found in all provinces, with the exception of the Eastern and Western Cape.

Kori Bustard

18 Replies

Ardeotis kori

Considered one of the world’s heaviest flying birds, Kori Bustard males weigh as much as 18kg or even more. They have a wingspan of up to 2.75m, and stand up to 1.2 meters tall. Females however are much lighter and seldom exceed 7kg in weight.

Kori Bustards occur in flat, open, dry habitats and have an omnivorous diet that includes carrion, seeds, berries, flowers, eggs, insects and small vertebrates, often following fires and herds of game to catch flushed prey. Their Afrikaans name, “Gompou“, comes from their liking for Acacia-tree gum. Where water is easily available, Kori Bustards will drink regularly. They normally forage alone or in small groups, but are sometimes seen in bigger groups numbering up to 40 in areas of abundant food or at waterholes. These bustards are mostly terrestrial, taking to the wing only when necessary and even preferring to escape threats by running or hiding, though they are strong flyers once airborne. They forage during the cooler hours of early morning and late afternoon, preferring to spend the heat of the day in the shade. Nesting occurs in the warmer months, when usually two eggs are laid in shallow hollows on the ground. Following an elaborate courtship display, males attempt to mate with as many females as possible, and play no part in incubating the eggs (which lasts for about 25 days) or rearing the precocial chicks. Large raptors and big mammalian predators prey on both adult and young Kori Bustards.

Kori Bustard

Kori Bustard searching the burnt veld for prey

Kori Bustards

Kori Bustard

Kori Bustard displaying

Kori Bustard male displaying

Kori Bustard

Kori Bustard on Tshwene Drive

Kori Bustard in flight (photo by Joubert)

Kori Bustard (photo by Joubert)

Kori Bustard

Ongoing declines in the Kori Bustard’s population across its range, which stretches from Ethiopia and The Sudan to South Africa’s Mpumalanga, Limpopo, North-West, Northern, Eastern and Western Cape Provinces, has prompted the IUCN to raise its conservation status to “Near Threatened“. The South African population is estimated at between 2,000 and 5,000, with hundreds dying annually due to collisions with powerlines. The threats of illegal hunting and habitat degradation is placing further pressure on their numbers, and the species may well soon be confined only to conservation areas like the Kruger National Park, where the population is estimated around 250 adult birds. They can also be found in the Mapungubwe, Mokala and Pilanesberg National Parks.

Secretarybird

30 Replies

Sagittarius serpentarius

The Secretarybird is a very unusual raptor, with a long neck, even longer legs and a bunch of quill-like feathers at the back of its head, like pens behind a secretary’s ear, possibly earning it its name. Another explanation for the name comes from a French corruption of an Arabic word, saqr-et-tair, meaning “hunter bird”, which is a great description of its lifestyle. They are up to 1.5m tall, with a wingspan of over 2 meters and a weight up to 5kg.

Secretarybirds roam savannas, grasslands and semi-deserts, usually singly or in pairs, walking along in search of prey, which ranges from eggs, insects and other invertebrates to small mammals (up to the size of hares), birds, amphibians and reptiles – even large, poisonous snakes – which they immobilise or kill by vigorously stomping on it with their feet. Secretarybirds breed throughout the year, in nests built of sticks atop flat-topped trees. Two to three eggs are laid and incubated mostly by the female for about 45 days, though both parents feed the chicks until they leave the nest at about 80 days old and then are taught how to hunt for themselves. At times they congregate in flocks of up to 50 birds at waterholes, but pairs are monogamous.

Secretarybirds nest on flat-topped trees

Secretarybird

Secretarybird searching for victims of a recent fire

Secretarybirds nest on flat-topped trees

Secretarybird

Secretarybird nest building

Secretary Bird

Secretary Bird taking off

Secretary Bird

Secretary Bird on the Kamberg Road

Secretary Bird (photo by Joubert)

Secretarybird in flight

Secretarybird

Secretary Bird on the hunt

Thirsty Secretarybird

Secretarybirds

Secretarybird

Wind-blown Secretarybird

Secretarybird

Secretarybird (photo by Joubert)

Wind-blown Secretary Bird

Secretarybird

Secretary Bird

Secretary bird flying off

Secretary Bird in flight

Secretary Bird

Secretary Birds

Secretary Bird

Secretary Bird (photo by Joubert)

Secretary Bird

Secretary Bird (photo by Joubert)

A Secretarybird features prominently on the coat of arms of South Africa, and can be found all over the country, although they are not very common and even less so outside the major conservation areas. Even in the Kruger National Park it is thought that the population stands at only about 250 – 300 adult birds. The IUCN considers them “Vulnerable” as their populations have declined severely, mostly due to habitat loss and hunting for traditional medicine (the belief being that their ground-up bones confers respect, power and fearlessness).

Grey Crowned Crane

27 Replies

Balearica regulorum

The Grey Crowned Crane with its eye-catching “hairstyle” must be one of the most easily identifiable birds in South Africa. Their Afrikaans name, Mahem, is a good imitation of their call. They stand about 1m high and weigh roughly 3.5kg.

Grey Crowned Cranes can be found in or near wetlands and flooded grasslands, and is one of the few crane species that will perch in trees. Their diet is omnivorous, ranging from grass-seeds and grains to insects, crabs and small vertebrates. Pairs are territorial during the nesting season, which stretches over the wetter seasons in South Africa. Nests are platforms built from grass and sedges in waterlogged areas. Courtship includes elaborate dances involving jumping and bowing. Two to five eggs are incubated for four weeks, and the precocial chicks fledge within 100 days of hatching. Outside the breeding season Grey Crowned Cranes flock and roost communally in groups numbering up to 200.

Grey Crowned Crane

Grey Crowned Cranes at their nesting site

Flock of Grey Crowned Cranes in flight

Grey Crowned Crane

Grey Crowned Crane (photo by Joubert)

As a result of wide-spread habitat loss and illegal collection of eggs and live birds from the wild for the illegal wildlife trade and traditional uses, the IUCN considers the Grey Crowned Crane to be endangered, despite their wide distribution in Eastern, Central and Southern Africa. The population in South Africa is estimated at between 4,000 and 5,000 (out of a total population probably below 64,000 on the continent) and is mostly found in the provinces of the Eastern Cape, Kwazulu Natal, Free State and Mpumalanga.

Blue Crane

47 Replies

Anthropoides paradiseus

South Africa’s national bird is a relatively small, blue-grey species of crane that stands around a meter high, with a wingspan of up to 2 meters and a weight up to 6kg.

Blue Cranes inhabit open grasslands, karoo-scrublands, fynbos and marshes, and have adapted to feeding in grainfields and pastures where these intrude into their preferred habitat. Grass and sedge seeds are their primary food source, though they’ll also take insects, frogs, crabs, and small reptiles and mammals. Blue Cranes are diurnal, roosting in wetlands at night.

Outside the summer breeding season Blue Cranes congregate in large (from 50 to 1000 birds), nomadic flocks, while in the breeding season they can be found in pairs or family groups. They perform an elaborate courtship dance, involving running, jumping, flapping and calling. Two eggs are laid in a simple nest constructed of reeds or grass in marshes and grasslands, and parents take turns to incubate the clutch for around 30 days. Any animal – human, herbivore or predator – is relentlessly attacked when they come too close the nest.

Blue Crane sharing its range with a plains zebra

Blue Crane standing tall

Blue Crane in Ithala Game Reserve

Blue Cranes at Chelmsford Nature Reserve

Blue Crane at Austin Roberts Bird Sanctuary

Blue Crane close-up

Blue Crane in Ithala Game Reserve

Blue Crane

Blue Crane on the wing

Blue Cranes on the Lower Loteni Road

Blue Cranes in flight over Bontebok National Park

Blue Cranes in flight

Blue Crane (photo by Joubert)

Blue Crane

Blue cranes with their chick

Blue Crane

Blue crane chick (photo by Joubert)

Blue crane chick

Blue Crane

Blue Cranes with chicks

Blue Cranes

The IUCN considers the Blue Crane “Vulnerable” as their population has been seriously decreased by poisoning, loss of habitat and collisions with power lines. Population estimates put their numbers in the region of 25,000 in South Africa (almost half of which can be found in the Western Cape Province) with less than a 100 in neighbouring Namibia.

DeWetsWild

Disappearing into South Africa's wild places… Again!

Category Archives: South African Wildlife

African Openbill

Anastomus lamelligerus

Saddle-billed Stork

Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis

Marabou

Leptoptilos crumeniferus

Southern Crested Guineafowl

Guttera edouardi

Helmeted Guineafowl

Numida meleagris

Red-crested Korhaan

Lophotis ruficrista

Kori Bustard

Ardeotis kori

Secretarybird

Sagittarius serpentarius

Grey Crowned Crane

Balearica regulorum

Blue Crane

Anthropoides paradiseus