Tag Archives: nature

Bronze-winged Courser

Rhinoptilus chalcopterus

The Bronze-winged Courser is a nocturnal bird with a solitary, nomadic lifestyle and as such not seen very often. They inhabit savanna-woodland type habitats with bare patches, on which they hunt for a wide variety of insects and other invertebrates in the dark. They breed mainly in the months of spring as monogamous pairs nesting in a simple hollow scraped in gravel or sand and raising clutches of usually only 2 chicks that hatch after an incubation period of 4 weeks.

In South Africa, Bronze-winged Coursers occur mainly in Kwazulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Gauteng and Limpopo, while they’re also found widely over the continent south of the Sahara and are considered to be of least concern.

Bronze-winged Courser

Bronze-winged Coursers

Lesser Grey Shrike

1 Reply

Lanius minor

A very competent hunter of invertebrates, especially beetles, the Lesser Grey Shrike inhabits open savanna-type habitats where it likes to hunt from a prominent perch. They visit southern Africa in our summer months, arriving from November and departing by April, when they’re found in South Africa (in all our provinces, though significantly more numerous in the northern parts) and our neighbouring countries. During our winter the Lesser Grey Shrike is to be found in their northern breeding grounds spanning much of Europe and western Asia. According to the IUCN it is of least concern.

Lesser Grey Shrike

White-winged Widowbird

1 Reply

Euplectes albonotatus

The white-winged Widowbird is a bird that is closely associated with open grasslands and wetlands with a dense grass covering. Grass seeds make up the staple of their diet. During the breeding season the male builds a number of nests in his territory just in case the females find his advances to their liking, and then he tries to mate with as many females as possible. Females are solely responsible for incubating the clutch of up to 4 eggs, which hatch within two weeks of laying, and feeding the chicks until they fledge at about two weeks of age.

White-winged Widowbirds occur widely over Africa south of the equator, and in South Africa it is common in the wetter north-eastern parts of the country. The IUCN considers the species to be of least concern.

White-winged Widowbird

White-winged Widowbird (non-breeding)

White-winged Widowbird

African Yellow Warbler

2 Replies

Iduna natalensis

The African Yellow Warbler, formerly known as the Dark-capped Yellow Warbler, has a rather limited distribution in South Africa, where it is found along the coast and escarpment from the Wild Coast northwards to the Limpopo Province and marginally into Gauteng. Its distribution in the rest of the continent is equally patchy, stretching northwards to Nigeria and Ethiopia. It is not considered to be in any danger of extinction.

These small birds, weighing only about 12g, are most commonly encountered in areas with rank vegetation along streams and on the edges of forests. They feed on insects gleaned from the vegetation while moving slowly through the undergrowth. African Yellow Warblers breed in spring and summer. The female incubates a clutch of 2 or 3 eggs for about 12 days, with the chicks leaving the nest at about two weeks of age and then becoming fully independent of their parents before they’re two months old.

Dark-capped Yellow Warbler

African, or Dark-capped, Yellow Warbler

Dark-capped Yellow Warbler

Lanner Falcon

3 Replies

Falco biarmicus

The Lanner Falcon is a very efficient bird of prey, specialised in hunting mainly birds, especially doves and pigeons, and poultry, and often caught in flight at high speed. Accordingly it is usually found in fairly open habitats. They prefer to nest on cliff ledges but in towns and cities tall buildings are also used. Pairs are territorial and monogamous and may stay together their entire lives, nesting through the winter months when they raise clutches of 1-5 chicks. The female takes responsibility for most of the incubation duties, which takes about a month for the eggs to hatch, while the male provides food to her and the newly hatched chicks at the nest. The chicks take their first flight at about 6 weeks of age and become independent of their parents when they’re about 4 months old.

Lanner Falcons occur all over South Africa, and beyond our borders throughout Africa, Arabia and southern Europe. The IUCN lists the species as being of least concern.

Lanner Falcon

Lanner Falcon with prey

Lanner Falcon

Immature Lanner Falcon

Montagu’s Harrier

1 Reply

Circus pygargus

Montagu’s Harrier is a relatively rare bird of prey that visits South Africa between December and March, when it may be seen coursing the open grasslands and floodplains of the Lowveld, Mpumalanga, Gauteng and Free State (though it is occasionally recorded in our other provinces as well). It is seasonally widely distributed over much of Africa, Europe, Arabia and western Asia and, despite a population declining mainly due to loss of habitat, is still considered to be of least concern by the IUCN. They feed mainly on insects and are particularly fond of locusts. Females are considerably larger than males and weigh about 370g.

Montagu’s Harrier female

Montagu’s Harrier male

Dusky Indigobird

1 Reply

Vidua funerea

The Dusky Indigobird inhabits forest edges and clearings, woodlands, savannas and thickets in grassland in areas with higher rainfall. It feeds mainly on grass seeds supplemented with termites and other small insects. Male Dusky Indigobirds are territorial and will mate with as many females as possible. Being a brood parasite the female Dusky Indigobird will enter the nest of a pair of African Firefinches, destroy any eggs she finds in the nest and then lay a single egg of her own for the host family to incubate and rear.

In South Africa, Dusky Indigobirds are found in all provinces with the exception of the Northern and Western Cape. Their distribution further extends patchily over other African countries south of the equator and while the species is not commonly seen and easily overlooked it is considered to be of least concern.

Dusky Indigobird male

Dusky Indigobird female

Dusky Indigobird

Purple-pod Cluster-leaf

2 Replies

Terminalia prunioides

These attractive seedpods belong to the Purple-pod, or Lowveld, Cluster-leaf, a densely branched shrub or small tree that is found in our Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces. It proliferates in clay-like soils, often in rocky areas next to large rivers, and is heavily used by browsing animals.

Purple-pod Cluster-leaf

Common (Kurrichane) Buttonquail

2 Replies

Turnix sylvaticus

The Common, or Kurrichane, Buttonquail is a small ground bird inhabiting grasslands and savannas. In South Africa they’re to be found mainly in Kwazulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Gauteng, North West, the Free State and Kalahari regions of the Northern Cape. Their distribution range further extends over much of the rest of sub-Saharan Africa and through much of Asia from Pakistan to Taiwan, the Philippines and Indonesia. According to the IUCN the Common Buttonquail is of least concern. They live on an omnivorous diet of insects and seeds and are highly nomadic, moving around in response to good rainfall.

Common Buttonquails are usually seen singly or in pairs and breed during the rainy season. They are polyandrous, meaning that the female mates with several males in a season and leaves the incubation of the eggs and rearing of the chicks to them. It takes the male about 2 weeks to hatch the clutch of 2-4 eggs. The chicks leave the nest soon after hatching to wander around with their father, and are fully grown by the time they’re 4 weeks old. Adults weigh about 40g.

Common (Kurrichane) Buttonquail

Common (Kurrichane) Buttonquail (note tiny chick!)

Leadwood

2 Replies

Combretum imberbe

The Leadwood is an iconic tree of South Africa’s savanna regions, occurring from northern Kwazulu-Natal through the Lowveld and bushveld regions of Mpumalanga and Limpopo to northern Gauteng and the North West Province. These trees favour alluvial soils in lower-lying areas near rivers and streams.

Leadwoods are slow growing, may reach to over 20m in height with an equally wide-spread canopy and have exceptionally hard, heavy wood – a 1m³ block of dry wood from the Leadwood weighs more than 1,200kg! These trees are long-lived and mature Leadwoods may exceed 1,000 years in age. Even dead trunks may stand for another century, the hard wood being so resistant to rot and termites.