South Africa - A Summary

BIRD OF THE DAY! - on our final morning in South Africa - Speckled Mousebird

A very successful first trip to South Africa provided a great introduction to the birding and travel potential of this country.

Our birding was successful; we achieved a list of some 190 bird species, including many Southern African endemics.

We saw the following 'Cape' species; Cape Batis, Cape Bulbul, Cape Bunting, Cape Canary, Cape Cormorant, Cape Crow, Cape Gannet [albeit distantly], Cape Grassbird, Cape Longclaw, Cape Penduline Tit, Cape Robin-Chat, Cape Rock Thrush, Cape Rockjumper, Cape Shoveler, Cape Siskin, Cape Sparrow, Cape Spurfowl, Cape Sugarbird, Cape Teal, Cape Wagtail,
Cape Weaver and Cape White-eye!

Thanks are certainly due to Birding Eco Tours who arranged our vehicles and guides. A special thanks to our guides; Wian Van Zyl and Matt Prophet. Both of these guys worked hard to keep us safe and to show us the birds. All in our party were impressed with the knowledge and dedication of our guides.

Wian is a young man whose knowledge and passion for birds and birding quickly become apparent.  He is already an excellent birding guide; confident and knowledgeable without arrogance. He is a proud South African who seems committed to playing a positive role in the future of his country and was keen to discuss politics, issues, history, culture and birding within South Africa. We consider ourselves lucky that he was able to guide us. From his bio; Wian’s passion for all things birding developed in his teenage years, and since then his interests and knowledge of birds have been growing. After completing High School, Wian became a professionally qualified field guide through the “Field Guides Association of Southern Africa” (FGASA) and has been working as a professional guide ever since. He also volunteers his time and knowledge to citizen science projects recording bird, plant, and animal species of all kinds.

Matt, as far as I am concerned is still a young man. He, too, is an excellent guide. Matt had a deep knowledge of birds and their conservation and would often provide us with an insight into management of species and habitats within South Africa. As a native South African he also was able to provide insights into the culture and history of his country; an interpretation that we really valued. Matt, to his credit, is also an Australian so he could easily see things from an Australian perspective which allowed him to compare places, habitats and birds. From his bio; He has worked in conservation and ecotourism in South Africa, Australia, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Angola. Organisations for which he has worked include the Western Cape Nature Conservation Board, the Peace Parks Foundation, Queensland Parks and Wildlife, and more recently the Department of Environment and Conservation in Western Australia.

I hope I get an opportunity to travel and bird with these guys again.

Birds recorded in South Africa [some heard only]

1. Common Ostrich Struthio camelus 
2. Spur-winged Goose Plectropterus gambensis 
3. Egyptian Goose Alopochen aegyptiaca 
4. South African Shelduck Tadorna cana 
5. Cape Teal Anas capensis 
6. African Black Duck Anas sparsa 
7. Yellow-billed Duck Anas undulata 
8. Cape Shoveler Anas smithii 
9. Red-billed Teal Anas erythrorhyncha 
10. Hottentot Teal Anas hottentota 
11. Southern Pochard Netta erythrophthalma 
12. Helmeted Guineafowl Numida meleagris 
13. Cape Spurfowl Pternistis capensis 
14. Grey winged Francolin Francolinus africanus
15. African Penguin Spheniscus demersus 
16. Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis 
17. Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus 
18. Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus 
19. Lesser Flamingo Phoeniconaias minor 
20. White Stork Ciconia ciconia 
21. African Sacred Ibis Threskiornis aethiopicus 
22. Hadada Ibis Bostrychia hagedash 
23. Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus 
24. African Spoonbill Platalea alba 
25. Western Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis 
26. Grey Heron Ardea cinerea 
27. Black-headed Heron Ardea melanocephala 
28. Purple Heron Ardea purpurea 
29. Little Egret Egretta garzetta 
30. Great White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus 
31. Cape Gannet Morus capensis 
32. Reed Cormorant Microcarbo africanus 
33. Crowned Cormorant Microcarbo coronatus 
34. Bank Cormorant Phalacrocorax neglectus 
35. White-breasted Cormorant Phalacrocorax lucidus 
36. Cape Cormorant Phalacrocorax capensis 
37. African Darter Anhinga rufa 
38. Western Osprey Pandion haliaetus 
39. Black-winged Kite Elanus caeruleus 
40. African Harrier-Hawk Polyboroides typus 
41. European Honey Buzzard Pernis apivorus 
42. Martial Eagle Polemaetus bellicosus 
43. Booted Eagle Hieraaetus pennatus 
44. Verreaux's Eagle Aquila verreauxii 
45. Pale Chanting Goshawk Melierax canorus 
46. Rufous-breasted Sparrowhawk Accipiter rufiventris 
47. African Marsh Harrier Circus ranivorus 
48. Black Harrier Circus maurus 
49. Yellow-billed Kite Milvus aegyptius 
50. African Fish Eagle Haliaeetus vocifer 
51. Common Buzzard Buteo buteo 
52. Jackal Buzzard Buteo rufofuscus 
53. Ludwig's Bustard Neotis ludwigii 
54. Karoo Korhaan Eupodotis vigorsii 
55. Southern Black Korhaan Afrotis afra 
56. African Rail Rallus caerulescens 
57. Black Crake Amaurornis flavirostra 
58. Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus 
59. Red-knobbed Coot Fulica cristata 
60. Blue Crane Grus paradisea 
61. African Oystercatcher Haematopus moquini 
62. Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus 
63. Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta 
64. Blacksmith Lapwing Vanellus armatus 
65. Crowned Lapwing Vanellus coronatus 
66. Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola 
67. Common Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula 
68. Kittlitz's Plover Charadrius pecuarius 
69. White-fronted Plover Charadrius marginatus 
70. Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica 
71. Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus 
72. Marsh Sandpiper Tringa stagnatilis 
73. Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia 
74. Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos 
75. Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres 
76. Little Stint Calidris minuta 
77. Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea 
78. Ruff Philomachus pugnax 
79. Grey-headed Gull Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus 
80. Hartlaub's Gull Chroicocephalus hartlaubii 
81. Kelp Gull Larus dominicanus 
82. Caspian Tern Hydroprogne caspia 
83. Greater Crested Tern Thalasseus bergii 
84. Sandwich Tern Thalasseus sandvicensis 
85. Common Tern Sterna hirundo 
86. Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybrida 
87. Rock Dove Columba livia 
88. Speckled Pigeon Columba guinea 
89. African Olive Pigeon Columba arquatrix 
90. Lemon Dove Columba larvata 
91. Red-eyed Dove Streptopelia semitorquata 
92. Ring-necked Dove Streptopelia capicola 
93. Laughing Dove Spilopelia senegalensis 
94. Namaqua Dove Oena capensis 
95. Spotted Eagle-Owl Bubo africanus 
96. Alpine Swift Tachymarptis melba 
97. African Black Swift Apus barbatus 
98. Little Swift Apus affinis 
99. White-rumped Swift Apus caffer 
100. Speckled Mousebird Colius striatus 
101. White-backed Mousebird Colius colius 
102. Red-faced Mousebird Urocolius indicus 
103. European Bee-eater Merops apiaster 
104. African Hoopoe Upupa africana 
105. Ground Woodpecker Geocolaptes olivaceus 
106. Cardinal Woodpecker Dendropicos fuscescens 
107. Olive Woodpecker Dendropicos griseocephalus 
108. Rock Kestrel Falco rupicolus 
109. Greater Kestrel Falco rupicoloides 
110. Lanner Falcon Falco biarmicus 
111. Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus 
112. Cape Batis Batis capensis 
113. Pririt Batis Batis pririt 
114. Bokmakierie Telophorus zeylonus 
115. Southern Boubou Laniarius ferrugineus 
116. Southern Fiscal Lanius collaris 
117. Fork-tailed Drongo Dicrurus adsimilis 
118. African Paradise Flycatcher Terpsiphone viridis 
119. Cape Crow Corvus capensis 
120. Pied Crow Corvus albus 
121. White-necked Raven Corvus albicollis 
122. Cape Rockjumper Chaetops frenatus 
123. Fairy Flycatcher Stenostira scita 
124. Grey Tit Melaniparus afer 
125. Cape Penduline Tit Anthoscopus minutus 
126. Spike-heeled Lark Chersomanes albofasciata 
127. Grey-backed Sparrow-Lark Eremopterix verticalis 
128. Karoo Lark Calendulauda albescens 
129. Large-billed Lark Galerida magnirostris 
130. Red-capped Lark Calandrella cinerea 
131. Cape Bulbul Pycnonotus capensis 
132. Sombre Greenbul Andropadus importunus 
133. Black Saw-wing Psalidoprocne pristoptera 
134. Brown-throated Martin Riparia paludicola 
135. Banded Martin Riparia cincta 
136. Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica 
137. White-throated Swallow Hirundo albigularis 
138. Pearl-breasted Swallow Hirundo dimidiata 
139. Rock Martin Ptyonoprogne fuligula 
140. Greater Striped Swallow Cecropis cucullata 
141. Cape Grassbird Sphenoeacus afer 
142. Long-billed Crombec Sylvietta rufescens 
143. Lesser Swamp Warbler Acrocephalus gracilirostris 
144. Little Rush Warbler Bradypterus baboecala 
145. Grey-backed Cisticola Cisticola subruficapilla 
146. Levaillant's Cisticola Cisticola tinniens 
147. Neddicky Cisticola fulvicapilla 
148. Zitting Cisticola Cisticola juncidis 
149. Karoo Prinia Prinia maculosa 
150. Bar-throated Apalis Apalis thoracica 
151. Rufous-eared Warbler Malcorus pectoralis 
152. Karoo Eremomela Eremomela gregalis 
153. Layard's Warbler [tit-babbler] Sylvia layardi 
154. Cape White-eye Zosterops virens 
155. Cape Sugarbird Promerops cafer 
156. Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris 
157. Wattled Starling Creatophora cinerea 
158. Pied Starling Lamprotornis bicolor 
159. Red-winged Starling Onychognathus morio 
160. Olive Thrush Turdus olivaceus 
161. Karoo Scrub Robin Cercotrichas coryphoeus 
162. Fiscal Flycatcher Melaenornis silens 
163. African Dusky Flycatcher Muscicapa adusta 
164. Cape Robin-Chat Cossypha caffra 
165. Cape Rock Thrush Monticola rupestris 
166. Sentinel Rock Thrush Monticola explorator 
167. African Stonechat Saxicola torquatus 
168. Sickle-winged Chat Emarginata sinuata 
169. Karoo Chat Emarginata schlegelii 
170. Tractrac Chat Emarginata tractrac 
171. Capped Wheatear Oenanthe pileata 
172. Familiar Chat Oenanthe familiaris 
173. Orange-breasted Sunbird Anthobaphes violacea 
174. Malachite Sunbird Nectarinia famosa 
175. Southern Double-collared Sunbird Cinnyris chalybeus 
176. Dusky Sunbird Cinnyris fuscus 
177. House Sparrow Passer domesticus 
178. Cape Sparrow Passer melanurus 
179. Southern Grey-headed Sparrow Passer diffusus 
180. Cape Weaver Ploceus capensis 
181. Southern Masked Weaver Ploceus velatus 
182. Southern Red Bishop Euplectes orix 
183. Yellow Bishop Euplectes capensis 
184. Swee Waxbill Coccopygia melanotis 
185. Common Waxbill Estrilda astrild 
186. Pin-tailed Whydah Vidua macroura 
187. Cape Wagtail Motacilla capensis 
188. Cape Longclaw Macronyx capensis 
189. African Pipit Anthus cinnamomeus 
190. Common Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs 
191. Cape Siskin Crithagra totta 
192. Yellow Canary Crithagra flaviventris 
193. Brimstone Canary Crithagra sulphurata 
194. Streaky-headed Seedeater Crithagra gularis 
195. White-throated Canary Crithagra albogularis 
196. Cape Canary Serinus canicollis 
197. Black-headed Canary Serinus alario 
198. Cape Bunting Emberiza capensis 

Mammals recorded

1. Cape Rock Hyrax Procavia capensis
2. Chacma baboon Papio ursinus
3. Four-striped Grass Mouse Rhabdomys pumilio
4. Cape Fur Seal Arctocephalus pusillus
5. Small Grey Mongoose Herpestes pulverulenta
6. Yellow Mongoose Cynictis penicillata
7. Common Eland Taurotragus oryx
8. Rhebok Pelea capriolus
9. Klipspringer Oreotragus oreotragus
10. Bontebok Damaliscus pygargus pygargus
11. Springbok Antidorcas marsupialis
12. Southern Right Whale Eubalaena australis

Reptiles recorded

Souther Rock Agama Agama atra

Cape Girdled Lizard Cordylus cordylus

Cape Crag Lizard Pseudocordylus microlepidotus

Angulate Tortoise Chersina angulata