Tag Archives: wildlife

Leopard Tortoise

Stigmochelys pardalis

Leopard Tortoises are the most widely distributed of Africa’s tortoises, inhabiting habitats ranging from moist savannas to arid scrub, and from sea level to 2900m above. They feed on a wide variety of plants, especially grasses, succulents, forbs, flowering annuals and fallen fruit. They’ll also gnaw on bones or faeces to supplement their calcium intake, and are dependent on a reliable source of fresh water. It is mainland Africa’s largest species of tortoise, adults averaging 40cm in length with a weight around 13kg, though they can exceptionally grow to weigh 40kg under favourable conditions. Females are bigger than males.

Leopard tortoises are diurnal in habit and most active in the warmer months of the year. In very hot or very cold temperatures, they will take cover in dense vegetation, between or under rocks and logs, or in abandoned holes in the ground. They are surprisingly adept at swimming. As is well known in most species of chelonians, the Leopard Tortoise retracts into its carapace at the slightest sign of danger.

Leopard Tortoises only attain sexual maturity at between 12 and 15 years of age and are mostly solitary, except in the mating season. Males will fight over females in the mating season, which in South Africa stretches from September to April, and will attempt to turn each other over. Female leopard tortoises may lay multiple clutches of up to 30 (more usually 6-15) eggs during spring and summer in pits they dig with their hind feet in a sunny, well-drained spot. After laying she fills the hole again and stamps the ground flat with her feet and body. Depending on temperatures the eggs take from 8 to 15 months to hatch, often only after rain has softened the soil above them so that the hatchlings can dig themselves out. Females hatch from warmer nests while males develop at lower temperatures. Hatchlings are only 4-5 cm long and weigh only 20-50g. Eggs and young tortoises fall prey to most of Africa’s reptilian, avian and mammalian predators, and lions and hyenas will take adults occasionally. They are also very vulnerable to veld fires and often infested with ticks. Leopard Tortoises have lived to 75 years in captivity and some sources claim they could reach 100 years in the wild.

The Leopard Tortoise is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, having a wide distribution in Eastern and Southern Africa. While still numerous in conservation areas, they are dwindling in numbers in areas with high human populations due to habitat modification, illegal collection from the wild for the pet trade (for which several countries have set up captive breeding programs) and to a lesser extent consumption as food. In South Africa they occur at least in parts of every province but can only be considered common in protected areas.

Leopard Tortoises are named for the mottled yellow-and-black carapace of young animals, which dulls and darkens with age.

Tortoise have right of way on uMkhuze’s roads

Leopard Tortoises

Leopard Tortoise

Leopard tortoise feeding on fresh shoots next to the road

Leopard tortoise

Thirsty Leopard Tortoise

Ground hornbill and Leopard Tortoise feast

Leopard Tortoise

Leopard Tortoise hatchling, just a little bigger than a match box

Leopard Tortoise in the camping area at Karoo National Park

Leopard Tortoise

Leopard Tortoise female being courted by two (smaller) males

Leopard Tortoise

Shy leopard tortoise…

…coming out of his shell

Leopard Tortoise cooling off

Leopard Tortoise

Tortoises are common in Bontebok National Park – this one being a Leopard Tortoise seen at the reception building

Leopard Tortoises are commonly encountered in Addo

Leopard Tortoise (photo by Joubert)

Baby Leopard Tortoise

Leopard Tortoise

Leopard Tortoise (photo by Joubert)

Leopard Tortoise

Newly hatched Leopard Tortoise

Leopard Tortoise

Leopard Tortoise seeking respite from the heat in the shade beneath our car

Leopard Tortoise

Black-winged Kite

10 Replies

Elanus caeruleus

Black-winged Kites prefer open habitats, ranging from semi-deserts to the edges of and clearings in forests, but they are most abundant in grasslands, fynbos and cultivated fields. The opening up of large areas for cultivation has aided this species to expand its range and increase its populations. They feed on small mammals (rodents make up about 80% of their diet), birds, reptiles, frogs and insects, hunting from a perch or by hovering above. A Black-winged Kite consumes at least 2 mice per day – about 25% of its body weight of 250g (average). They have a wingspan of roughly 80cm.

Outside of the spring & summer peak breeding season (though some breed year-round), Black-winged Kites often roost communally in groups usually numbering up to 20, though congregations of up to 500 have been recorded. By day they hunt singly or in pairs.

Nests are built of small twigs and lined with finer material, in the tops of trees (or on telephone pylons) that are often used for several consecutive years, though a new nest is built every season. Males defend the territory, but both parents incubate the clutch of 2-6 eggs and bring food back to the hatchlings which emerge after about 5 weeks of incubation. The chicks start flying at about 5 weeks old, but only become fully independent when they are about 4 months old.

The IUCN describes the Black-winged Kite as one of the commonest birds-of-prey throughout its wide distribution range, which covers all of Sub-Saharan Africa, parts of North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula, the Indian subcontinent and Indo-China, and considers it of least concern although it is susceptible to accidental poisoning through pest control measures. It occurs in all of South Africa’s nine provinces, being absent only from the driest parts of the Northern Cape.

Black-winged Kite

Black-winged Kite (photo by Joubert)

Black-winged Kite

Black-winged Kites

Black-winged Kite

Soppy Black-winged Kite

Black-winged Kite

Black-winged Kite preparing to dive onto its prey

Black-winged Kite

Black-winged Kite using a fence to look for rodents in a canola field

Black-winged Kite (photo by Joubert)

Black-winged Kite

Black-winged Kites

Black-winged Kite

Blue Waxbill

32 Replies

Uraeginthus angolensis

Blue Waxbills inhabit savannas, woodlands and gardens with easily accessible water sources. They feed mostly on grass-seeds, and to a lesser extent insects like termites. They are normally seen in pairs or small groups, though larger flocks do occur. At night they prefer roosting in the top of a tall thorn tree. They will also often mix with other kinds of small seed-eaters.

These small birds (8-13g) breed almost throughout the year, with a peak in summer after good rains. Both sexes construct the oval-shaped grass-nest, normally in a thorny tree and near wasp nests. Sometimes they’ll take over disused nests built by other species and adapt it to their requirements. Both parents incubate the clutch of 2-7 eggs, which hatch in less than 2 weeks, and feed the chicks on seeds and insects until they fledge and become independent within 3 – 5 weeks.

The Blue Waxbill occurs commonly from South Africa to Angola in the northwest and Tanzania in the northeast, and is listed as being of least concern by the IUCN. In South Africa it is found from Kwazulu-Natal and the Free State nothwards and is one of the most populous species in these parts, probably numbering in the hundreds of thousands at least. The species is exploited for the pet trade to a limited extent.

Blue waxbill

Feathered friends visiting our cottage at Shingwedzi: Blue waxbills

Blue waxbill in Crocodile Bridge

Blue waxbill, Masorini (Kruger Park)

Blue waxbill

Blue Waxbill

Blue waxbill

Blue Waxbill

Blue Waxbills

Blue Waxbill (photo by Joubert)

Blue Waxbill

Blue Waxbill female

Blue Waxbill

Blue Waxbills

Blue Waxbill

Vervet Monkey

24 Replies

Chlorocebus pygerythrus

Along with the Chacma Baboon, the Vervet Monkey must be South Africa’s best known indigenous primate. Male Vervets are considerable stronger built than the females, weighing in at an average of 6kg compared to females at 4kg. Including their tail, Vervet Monkeys are usually just over a meter long.

The cutest monkey in Hilltop

Dominant male vervet monkey showing off his weaponry

Ample opportunity to enjoy the antics of Skukuza’s vervet monkeys

Timbavati’s white vervet monkey

Vervet monkeys

Thoughtful Vervet Monkey

Grooming Vervet Monkeys

Vervet Monkey

Baby Vervet Monkey

Vervet Monkey youngster with a pod of some kind

Vervet Monkey

Vervet Monkeys

Vervet Monkey

Vervet Monkeys inhabit coastal and mountain forests, woodland, bushveld, riverine thickets, and adjacent grasslands. They’ve adapted to suburban living in many of our towns and cities, and they’ll even forage in plantations and on beaches, provided there is sufficient natural vegetation nearby. Access to drinking water is a crucial habitat requirement for them. Vervet Monkeys follow an extremely wide diet, feeding on fruits and berries, seeds, pods, flowers, leaves, roots, bulbs, tree gum, grass, herbs, spiders and scorpions, snails, insects, eggs and small birds, other small vertebrates, and even marine organisms. Unfortunately they also quickly learn that humans are an easy source of food, either through deliberate feeding or irresponsible discarding of food waste, and can then become a dangerous nuisance.

Vervet Monkey

Vervet monkeys raid picnic sites next to the river

Vervet Monkey in a mangrove tree

Vervet monkey

Vervet monkeys

Vervet monkey in Crocodile Bridge

Vervet Monkey

Vervet Monkey female with baby

Thieving Vervet Monkey with a stolen bounty (photo by Marilize)

Vervet Monkey

Vervet Monkey (photo by Joubert)

Vervet Monkey looking for mischief in Crocodile Bridge’s camping area

Vervet Monkey

Vervet Monkey drinking from an airconditioner outlet

Vervet Monkey

Vervet Monkey and Warthog

A highly gregarious species, Vervet Monkeys live in troops numbering from 8 to 140 members (usually around 25) made up of a dominant male, several other males, females (who have their own pecking order) and their young. Troop members have strong bonds of friendship and alliances with others of similar status in the group. Vervets are diurnal, being most active in the morning and afternoon and resting in the midday heat. At night they sleep huddled in small groups in high trees or on inaccessible cliffs. They spend about an equal amount of time foraging in the trees and on the ground.

Vervet monkey

Energetic youngsters

Squabbling family members

Vervet monkey

Keep an eye open for the vervet monkeys while having a picnic at Mission Rocks

Vervet monkey

Monkey antics

Vervet Monkey

Grooming Vervet Monkeys

Vervet Monkey

Female Vervet Monkeys give birth to a single baby – twins are very rare – at any time of the year, though most babies arrive in the spring or summer when food is more abundant, after a 7 month pregnancy. All troop members are very protective of the little ones. Females may live their entire lives in the troop they were born in, while males leave their maternal group at the age of about 4 years to join other troops, staying on average about 3 years with a troop before moving along to another again. Leopards, smaller wild cats, large raptors and pythons are the biggest predators of Vervet Monkeys, which can live to between 12 and 24 years old in the wild.

The cutest monkey in Hilltop

Vervet monkey

Vervet monkeys hiding from the wet weather (iSimangaliso 22122014)

Ample opportunity to enjoy the antics of Skukuza’s vervet monkeys

Vervet monkey family portrait

Vervet Monkey

I did it my way…

Vervet baby suckling (photo by Joubert)

Playful Vervet Monkey baby

Vervet Monkey

Young Vervet Monkeys

Vervet baby

The Vervet Monkey occurs in a wide band from Somalia and Ethiopia in the north to South Africa, where they are found in all provinces and most of our conservation areas, though their occurrence in the arid west and open central parts of the country is restricted to major riverine arteries. They are regarded as a pest in farming communities and in suburbs, but being a widespread and abundant species the IUCN lists the Vervet Monkey as “Least Concern”.

Vervet Monkey

Cute little Vervet Monkeys – just look at that smile!

Peek-a-boo! Mother and baby Vervet Monkey

Grooming Vervet Monkeys

Vervet Monkey

Grooming Vervet Monkeys

Alarmed Vervet Monkey

Baby Vervet Monkey

Vervet Monkey (sitting on a thorn, perhaps!?)

Vervet Monkey

Dominant male Vervet Monkey

Vervet monkey waiting for a gap at our tent in Tlopi Tented Camp

Vervet monkey waiting for a gap at our tent in Tlopi Tented Camp (photo by Joubert)

Vervet monkey jumping across the stream feeding into Tlopi’s dam

Vervet Monkey waiting for a lift at Bakubung Gate

Vervet Monkey

Vervet Monkey (photo by Joubert)

Vervet Monkeys admiring their reflections

Vervet Monkey

Young Vervet Monkey (photo by Joubert)

Vervet Monkey

Vervet Monkey (photo by Joubert)

Vervet Monkey at Kumasinga

Vervet Monkey at Kumasinga (photo by Joubert)

Vervet Monkeys gossiping (photo by Joubert)

Vervet Monkey in Mapungubwe National Park

Joubert got this photograph of a Vervet Monkey sneaking into Tlopi Camp by jumping across the electric fence spun over the entrance to camp

Young Vervet Monkey in Marakele National Park

Vervet Monkey portrait (photo by Joubert)

Vervet Monkey (photo by Joubert)

Vervet Monkey eating gum from a thorn tree (photo by Joubert)

In Northern Botswana and around the Victoria Falls occurs a different subspecies of Vervet Monkey, C. p. ngamiensis, which is characterised by the richer hues of its coat.

Vervet Monkey of the race C. p. ngamiensis photographed in the Chobe National Park

Vervet Monkey of the race C. p. ngamiensis photographed in the Victoria Falls National Park

Crowned Lapwing

7 Replies

Vanellus coronatus

The Crowned Lapwing inhabits dry, open habitats like pastures, short grassy savannas, open patches in bushveld, shrublands, semi-deserts and cultivated fields, golf courses and sports fields, avoiding areas where the grass is any taller than 60mm. It is especially fond of overgrazed or recently burnt areas. They feed on insects, especially termites, and other invertebrates.

Outside of the breeding season, Crowned Lapwings come together in loosely associated flocks, usually numbering between 10 and 40 though occasionally as many as 150 individuals, and often associate with the closely related Blacksmith Lapwing. Crowned Lapwings pair for life. They prefer to nest in shallow scrapes on the ground, among newly sprouting grass following veld fires and often in the shade of trees. The nest is further camouflaged with little stones, dry dung, dried grass, etc. In areas with high density, nests are spaced between 25 and 50m apart. Spring is the peak breeding season although some pairs may nest throughout the year. Females are mainly responsible for incubating the eggs, of which there are 2 to 4 in a clutch, though the males will take over for short periods in hot weather. The chicks leave the nest within hours of hatching, walking around and searching for food with their parents. They fledge at about 4 weeks old but often stay with their parents until the start of the next breeding season.

Crowned Lapwings can live up to 20 years of age and weigh on average around 185g.

The IUCN considers the Crowned Lapwing of least concern – it has an increasing population (thanks in no small part to human modification of the environment) and wide distribution over East and Southern Africa. It is found in high densities in all South African provinces.

Crowned lapwing

Crowned Lapwing

You’ll need to look carefully to notice these two Crowned Lapwing chicks!

Crowned Lapwing

Crowned Lapwing chick

Crowned Lapwing (immature)

Crowned Lapwing

Crowned Lapwing chick

Crowned Lapwing

Crowned Lapwing nest (Moreletakloof)

Crowned Lapwing

Crowned Lapwing in a puddle on the road

Immature Crowned Lapwing

Crowned Lapwing (photo by Joubert)

Crowned Lapwing

Crowned Lapwings

Crowned Lapwing

Crowned Lapwing (photo by Joubert)

Crowned Lapwing

Crowned Lapwing chicks

Crowned Lapwing chick

Newly hatched Crowned Lapwing chick

Crowned Lapwing (photo by Joubert)

Crowned Lapwing chick

Common Moorhen

22 Replies

Gallinula chloropus meridionalis

Commonly seen singly, in pairs or small family groups, the Common Moorhen inhabits almost any freshwater habitat but prefers water bodies with thickly vegetated borders. They are omnivorous feeders, eating a wide range of algae, moss, other aquatic plants, green shoots, seeds, flowers, berries and fruits, worms, insects, crustaceans, molluscs, small fish and tadpoles and occasionally bird eggs. They have a wingspan up to 62cm and weigh around 250g.

In South Africa the Common Moorhen breeds throughout the year, with pairs isolating themselves from others of their species except for a few helpers from previous broods. The nest is a cup built of plant material, either floating on a platform on the water or raised above it in emergent vegetation, built by the female with material provided by the male. Clutches contain from 4 to 9 eggs, incubated for three weeks by both sexes. Chicks fledge when they’re about 2 months old.

With a stable population estimated at over 8-million birds, distributed widely over Asia, Europe and Africa, the Common Moorhen is listed as being of least concern by the IUCN. In South Africa it is mostly found in the wetter southern, central and eastern parts of the country, being absent from large areas of the arid western parts.

Common Moorhen

Common Moorhen at Karoo National Park’s birdhide

Common Moorhen

Common Moorhens

Common Moorhen chick

Common Moorhen

Common Moorhen and almost fully grown chick

Common Moorhen

Immature Common Moorhen

Common Moorhen (immature)

Common Moorhen

Common Moorhens

Common Moorhen

Common Moorhen (photo by Joubert)

Common Moorhen

White-faced Whistling Duck

15 Replies

Dendrocygna viduata

Commonly found in vegetated freshwater habitats in open areas – lakes, swamps, large rivers, dams, estuaries, rice fields (can be a pest when they feed on young rice plants) and even sewage treatment installations, with mudbanks and sandbars for roosting, White-faced Whistling Ducks feed on grasses, seeds, buds, aquatic plants and algae, and aquatic invertebrates like worms, molluscs, insects and crustaceans. The sexes are quite alike, both weighing around 740g.

White-faced Whistling Ducks are most active at night, feeding from dusk to dawn, although they do become more diurnally active in winter. Outside of the breeding season White-faced Whistling Ducks often congregate in enormous flocks numbering several thousands – as many as 70,000 have been counted on river deltas in West Africa!

Breeding commences at the start of the wet season and lasts throughout, when they build their nests on dry ground in dense vegetation, mostly but not always near the water, and occasionally in loose groups or colonies. Pair bonds are very strong and they mate for life. Unusually for ducks, White-faced Whistling Duck males actively take part in the incubation of the eggs and care of the ducklings. The nest is a hollow lined with plant material, hidden in and under dense vegetation. The clutch consists of between 4 and 16 eggs, but normally about 7 to 11, and is incubated for about 4 weeks. Parents will feign a wing injury when predators approach, in order to distract its attention away from the ducklings. The ducklings grow quickly and start flying at about two months old, though they often stay with their parents until the next breeding cycle starts. Following the breeding season, adults undergo a three week period of flightlessness while they moult, keeping to densely vegetated wetlands during this time.

The IUCN estimates the global population of the White-faced Whistling Duck at as many as 2.8-million, and growing, and lists the species as being of least concern. It occurs widely and commonly in Madagascar, Sub-Saharan Africa, parts of South America and the Caribbean. In South Africa, this species is found along the coast in the Western and Eastern Cape, and throughout Kwazulu-Natal, the Free State, North West, Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Limpopo.

White-faced Whistling Duck at Kumasinga, uMkhuze

White-faced Whistling Duck

White-faced Whistling Ducks

White-faced whistling ducks, Kwelamadoda Pan, iSimangaliso

White-faced Whistling Duck

White-faced Whistling Ducks

White-faced Whistling Duck

White-faced Whistling Duck being chased by an African Black Duck

White-faced Whistling Ducks

White-faced Ducks

White-faced Duck

White-faced Whistling Duck

White-faced Whistling Duck (photo by Joubert)

White-faced Whistling Duck surrounded by Little Grebes

White-faced Whistling Duck (photo by Joubert)

White-faced Whistling Ducks

White-faced Whistling Duck family

White-faced Whistling Ducks

Family of White-faced Whistling Ducks

White-faced Whistling Ducks

White-fronted Bee-eater

30 Replies

Merops bullockoides

White-fronted Bee-eaters inhabit wooded grasslands and savannas, mostly near large rivers or other reliable water bodies, where they feed mainly on flying insects caught on the wing – most notably honey bees, which make up about ¾ of their diet. They weigh between 30 and 40g.

White-fronted Bee-eaters have a complex and interesting social system. They roost and nest colonially (colonies can number between 20 and 300 birds), requiring large sandbanks in which to dig their tunnels, and will also utilise quarries and erosion ditches for this purpose. Each colony is made up of several distinct groups, known as clans, within which there are between 3 and 6 families made up of a monogamous breeding pair (mating for life) and between 1 and 5 non-breeding birds, usually offspring from previous broods, that will assist their parents to raise a brood. Breeding reaches a peak in spring and early summer. Nesting tunnels are 1-1.5m long with a chamber at the end and dug by both parents and their helpers at the onset of the breeding season. Females lay between 2 and 5 eggs, and cases have been noted of unattached females lying eggs in the nests of unrelated birds when they are not at their post. The eggs are incubated for three weeks by both parents and helpers, and the chicks then fledge at between 3 and 4 weeks old, after which their parents start teaching them to hunt.

The IUCN views the White-fronted Bee-eater as being of least concern, with a widespread, common and increasing population. In South Africa the species is distributed over most of the Free State, Kwazulu-Natal, Gauteng, North West, Limpopo and Mpumalanga and a few locations in the Northern and Eastern Cape into which it appears they are expanding their range of late. Outside of our borders, these bee-eaters are found in a wide area of East and Central Africa, avoiding the arid regions in the south-west.

White-fronted Bee-eater

White-fronted bee-eater

White-fronted bee-eaters

White-fronted Bee-eater

White-fronted Bee-eater nest colony

White-fronted Bee-eater

White-fronted Bee-eater in flight

White-fronted Bee-eater

White-fronted Bee-eater (photo by Joubert)

White-fronted Bee-eater

White-fronted Bee-eater (photo by Joubert)

White-fronted Bee-eater

White-fronted Bee-eater (photo by Joubert)

White-fronted Bee-eater snacking on a Guineafowl butterfly

White-fronted Bee-eater

Dark-capped Bulbul

21 Replies

Pycnonotus tricolor

The Dark-capped, or Black-eyed, Bulbul, occurs in savanna and woodland habitats with a reliable supply of fruiting trees and bushes, and is especially common in the gardens and parks of our towns and cities. They feed primarily on fruit, berries and seeds, but will also eat nectar, flower petals and small invertebrates (especially termites). Dark-capped Bulbuls are mostly seen singly, in pairs or in loosely associated small groups, and adults weigh between 30 and 48g.

Nests are cup-shaped formations of roots, grass and twigs placed among dense leaves in trees or bushes. In South Africa they breed almost through the year (except the harshest parts of winter), with a peak in the summer. The female incubates the clutch of 2-3 eggs for around two weeks while the male defends their territory and brings food back for her at the nest. The chicks leave the nest around two weeks after hatching, although they usually can’t fly by then and stick around their nesting tree for a while longer.

In South Africa the Dark-capped Bulbul is found in the Eastern Cape, Kwazulu-Natal, extreme eastern Free State, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Gauteng and North West Provinces. It also occurs over most of Africa southwards from the Cameroon in the west and Ethiopia in the east, with the exception of the arid western parts of southern Africa. The IUCN considers the Dark-capped Bulbul to be a race of the Common Bulbul (P. barbarus) distributed over almost all of Sub-Saharan Africa, the Mediterranean coast of North Africa, and the Nile Valley, but it differs in having a conspicuously yellow vent compared to the white vent of the Common Bulbul.

Dark-capped Bulbul

Dark-capped Bulbuls

Dark-capped Bulbul

Dark-capped Bulbul (photo by Joubert)

Dark-capped Bulbul

Dark-capped Bulbul (photo by Joubert)

Dark-capped Bulbul

Chinspot Batis

9 Replies

Batis molitor

The Chinspot Batis is a common inhabitant of savanna and woodland, and more recently also orchards and gardens, where it feeds almost exclusively on insects and spiders foraged from among the bark and leaves of trees and shrubs. They avoid forests and exotic plantations.

These very active little birds (adults weigh only about 12g) move around singly or in pairs, often in mixed groups together with other small insectivorous bird species.

Both sexes build the cup-shaped nest of shredded leaves bound together with spider web and camouflaged with lichen in a fork of a (often thorny) tree. Breeding takes place in spring and summer, when 1-4 eggs are incubated by the female for around 18 days. During this time the female rarely leaves the nest as the male supplies her with food. Both parents take care of the chicks, which leave the nest at around 16-18 days old but stay with their parents for another 6-14 weeks. The male defends the pair’s territory year round.

The Chinspot Batis occurs widely from Kenya (in the east) and Angola (in the west) southwards and is listed as being of least concern by the IUCN. In South Africa it can be found from the Eastern Cape, through Kwazulu-Natal, to Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Gauteng and the eastern parts of the North West Province.