Of all African kingfishers the most beautiful is the brilliantly-coloured and aptly named Malachite Kingfisher (Alcedo cristata). This tiny, agile bird is widely distributed throughout southern Africa on streams, lakes and even small pools where it stands out like a small blue jewel in the surrounding vegetation.

You wil often see many species of kingfisher including the Malachite bobbing their head up and down and side to side, I have heard this is to judge the depth of potential prey under the surface of the water as the light behaves differently as it penetrates the denser medium.

The bill is black in young Malachite Kingfisher’s and reddish orange in adults and their legs are bright red. There is only a small amount of sexual dimorphism (Sexes are similar), but juveniles are a duller version of the adult. Their call is a short shrill ’seek’, whilst the breeding song is a chuckling li-cha-cha-chui-chui.

Nesting & Breeding
The Malachite Kingfisher breeds from August to November and nests in burrows which it excavates in the vertical bank of a stream or river. The tunnel, often up to a meter in length, may also be used for two or more consecutive seasons, and opens up into a chamber where the glossy white eggs are laid.

The litter of fish-bones and insect remains found on the foor of the chamber were once believed to constitute the kingfisher’s nest and the British museum was preppaired to pay the handsome reward of £100 for an intact specimen! Actually these birds do not build nests but lay their eggs on the bare earth. Te debris which surrounds them is merely the regurgitated remains of indigestible food. Most birds remove faeces from the nest; however, in the case of burrow-nesting species this is not so easily done and represents a waste of precious energy in a bird that must work hard to find its food. The kingfisher’s chicks cope with this by defecating in particular spots in the burrow so that the nest is not itself fouled but, by the time they are od enough to emerge from the tunnel, it is – needless to say – evil-smelling!

Feeding
To feed, it perches close to the water, often on a reed stem, from which it will dive for small fish, tadpoles, beetles and other insects. On the wing it is a glorious sight, moving with lightning rapidity, darting off when disturbed over the water surface.

Large items of food are beaten on a branch or rail to either stun or kill the victim, whilst small fish and insects are swallowed immediately. A fish is usually lifted and carried by its middle, but its position is changed, sometimes by tossing it into the air, before it is swallowed head downwards.

Back to Birds of Africa main page

Beat About The Bush: Birds	Beat About The Bush: Mammals	Beat About The Bush
Highly Recommended The Beat about the Bush Birds Book delves into the fascinating lives of birds – discussing in detail their myriad forms, survival strategies, breeding and feeding behaviours, movements, migrations and vocalisations. The result is a comprehensive reference work in a style that appeals to novices, birders, twitchers, tourists, bush enthusiast and field guides alike	Highly Recommended Sitting between basic mammal guides and extensive academic texts, this resource answers everyday questions about mammals in the African bush in an understandable fashion that will appeal to safari tourists, bush enthusiasts, and professional safari guides. With verything from how an elephant’s trunk works to why the blue whale is not a fish, it is a must-have for anyone wanting to know about the mammals of Africa.	More comprehensive than a field guide yet more accessible than an academic text, this authoritative reference answers fundamental questions about mammals and birds in the African bush such as How does an elephant’s trunk work? Is the cheetah really the fastest animal? and Why do some bird species sit on animals? Photographs, charts, and tables accompany the question-and-answer format, making this all-in-one guide user-friendly for both wildlife enthusiasts and professionals.
Buy from Amazon.co.uk
Buy from Amazon.com

Photo Credit: Arno & Louise

The Fish Eagle (Haliaeetus vocifer) is a splendid creature, its imposing appearance and challenging call symbolic of the African wetlands. Not that it is confined to the wilderness: indeed it sometimes makes it home close to large cities.

African Fish Eagles are a common sight on many African lakes and Dams, including one of my favourite places, Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe where I took the photo used in this article.

The expressive term ‘raptor’ fits this bird well for it swoops down to pluck fish from the water with its fierce talons. They like almost all raptors have excellent eyesight and they can detect movement near the surface of the water indicating prey from distances of up to 200m or more. I recall once on a windy day, marvelling as a Fish eagle swept down again and again in a magnificent stoop to snatch fish carried along by the wash. Several times, as I sat watching, my attention was caught by a cormorant that had followed a fish towards the shore, but, on surfacing, the bird suddenly made off into the lake as fast as it could go. Next moment, the eagle flashed down and seized the fish but the cororant was obviously taking no chances that the indisputably superior bird might suddenly decide on a change in diet.

This is not the Fish Eagle’s only way of hunting. They will occasionally plunge dive and in the dry season, when when the fish are crowded together in shallower water, it may alight and hunt on foot, and will make a meal of any stranded fish it may chance upon. Chicks in the nest are another delicacy. A few years ago, at Rondevlei Bird sanctuary near Cape Town, a Fish Eagle took up its perch each day on a water tower overlooking a heronry. Its patience was never rewarded for the birds were only nest buildling, but so sinister was its vigilant presence that it inhibited laying and the whole colony was abandoned for that season.

It is likely, however that this particular eagle was a youngster, for immature birds prefer to feed off nestlings and carrion rather than take the risks of hunting in water. A great many inexperienced Fish Eagles do not survive their attempts to emulate the adults’ hunting methods. This species either flies at great speed along the water and snatches fish from near the surface, or – more dangerous – dives to capture its vistum. If it does not succeed on its first try, it will dive again, each time becoming more water-logged. Younger and less proficient birds often find themselves too wet and weak from repeated efforts to lift themselves from the water and occasionally drown or are snapped up by cruising crocodiles.

Some Fish Eagles will harass and bully herons, storks, pelicans, kingfishers and osprey into disgorging their prey. I have seen this happen only twice myself, and each time – unfortunately for the eagle – it had chosen the biggest South African heron – the Goliath. The heron crouched down with its dagger-like beak thrust upwards and the eagle, after one or two abortive stoops, gave up and went in search of an easier meal.

For more information: African Birds

Sasol Birds of Southern Africa	Newman’s Birds of Southern Africa	Collins Field Guide to the Birds of East Africa
Highly Recommended Features an advanced technique for improved field identification, and an extensive taxonomy featuring corrected misidentifications and recorded species splits that have occured since the previous edition. Uupdated names based on recommendations of the International Ornithological Committee and name hyphenations. The guide features distribution maps that feature dual shading to show relative abundance of a species in the region, as well as crosses to indicate occurances of vagrants.	Highly Recommended The eighth edition of this popular Southern African birding book has been updated to incorporate the information obtained since the previous edition relating to the birds of the region. The user-friendly design makes it ideal for use in the field, with aids such as colour-coding of major bird groups, running heads at the top of each page to indicate which family of birds is being described, large page numbers for easy reference and large accurate paintings which reflect the bird as it is seen in the field.	The Collins Field Guide to the Birds of East Africa, is an excellent book if you are visiting any of the countries in this this spectacular birding region, including Kenya and Tanzania. Review: ‘This is by far the best available guide to the birds in this region, but has one major drawback – virtually no migrants from Eurasia are illustrated.’
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Buy on Amazon.com	Buy on Amazon.com	Buy on Amazon.com

As its many common names ‘Lily-trotter’, ‘Lotus Birds’, ‘Jesus Birds’ indicate, the African Jacana (Actophilornis africana) is highly specialised for life on floating vegetation, and despite its extraordinarily long toes it has a certain grace. The large splayed feet which effectively distribute the bird’s weight over a wide area are excellently adapted to running over a yielding mass of water-plants. The Jacana is a tropical bird whose distribution is limited by the availability of suitable waterplants. This is also reflected in the Jacanas genus name of Actophilornis which means “shore-loving bird”.

African Jacanas are good divers and strong flyers. They squawk during flight and carry a pitch that resembles a loud, mournful, whining sound. The bright blue shiny covering on top of the bill and up the forehead is known as a frontal shield.

One Leg
It is quite common to see a Jacana (and other water birds) standing on one leg, with the other tucked up under their body. Most people would assume that they are just resting one leg, but it is actually thought, as it most often happens on colder days that they are keeping the uncovered leg warm.

Their essential dependence on water vegetation is reflected in its nesting habits. On some sheltered backwater, using a platform of emergent vegetation as a base, it builds a small floating nest by drawing plants together. Chicks hatched on this precarious structure must, perforce, be precocious to survive and immediately take to water and walk freely on the vegetation. However when in danger or moving greater distances and the chicks are still young, the male African Jacana will carry a few under each wing to get the chicks to safety. This only happens until they are about 2-3 weeks old and by then only one chick can be carried at a time.

Breeding
Polygamy is not uncommon among birds but polyandry is rare indeed. By its very nature it can only take place in areas where food is abundant and the jacana, living as it does in the tropical mashlands of southern Africa, is ideally placed for this activity. Here the female takes her mates one at a time and then leaves them to incubate and rear the nestlings while she flies off to find her next suitor and breed again. The fathers apear to adapt well to this apparent reversal of the traditional male/female roles and have been known to carry the chicks under their wings to safety when a predator is about.

Snakes, otters, water mongooses and many other birds will all eat the African Jacana’s eggs. Since African Jacana’s eggs and young chicks are often preyed upon, the survival of this species is largely dependent on the mother’s ability to lay several clutches of eggs in one season and that is probably why it has evolved for the male to stay back and look after the eggs and chicks, whilst the female goes off to find another mate.

The female African Jacana defends a large territory which contain the smaller nesting territories of the males. It is also not uncommon for the female to kill the chicks produced by other females when she takes over a new territory (Infanticide).

The eggs are distinctive, being remarkably glossy, pear -shaped and profusely marked with lines and scrolls of black on a yellowish ground.

Food
The African Jacana eats insects and other invertebrates picked from the floating vegetation or the water’s surface, they will also flip over lilly-pads to get at larvae underneath. They will also forage along the shoreline and I have seen them digging in elephant dung for insects.

Jacana Family
The jacanas are a group of waders in the family Jacanidae, which are identifiable by their huge feet and claws which enable them to walk on floating vegetation in the shallow lakes that are their preferred habitat. They are found worldwide within the tropical zone.

For more information: African Birds

Beat About The Bush: Birds	Beat About The Bush: Mammals	Beat About The Bush
Highly Recommended The Beat about the Bush Birds Book delves into the fascinating lives of birds – discussing in detail their myriad forms, survival strategies, breeding and feeding behaviours, movements, migrations and vocalisations. The result is a comprehensive reference work in a style that appeals to novices, birders, twitchers, tourists, bush enthusiast and field guides alike	Highly Recommended Sitting between basic mammal guides and extensive academic texts, this resource answers everyday questions about mammals in the African bush in an understandable fashion that will appeal to safari tourists, bush enthusiasts, and professional safari guides. With verything from how an elephant’s trunk works to why the blue whale is not a fish, it is a must-have for anyone wanting to know about the mammals of Africa.	More comprehensive than a field guide yet more accessible than an academic text, this authoritative reference answers fundamental questions about mammals and birds in the African bush such as How does an elephant’s trunk work? Is the cheetah really the fastest animal? and Why do some bird species sit on animals? Photographs, charts, and tables accompany the question-and-answer format, making this all-in-one guide user-friendly for both wildlife enthusiasts and professionals.
Buy from Amazon.co.uk
Buy from Amazon.com

References: Beat About The Bush Birds book By Trevor Carnaby
Photo Credit: Mister-E

Fiscal Flycatcher (Sigelus silens)

At first glance the Fiscal Flycatcher (Sigelus silens) might be mistaken for a Common Fiscal (Lanius collaris), not only because both have a habit of perching conspicuously on telephone poles. But to confuse the birds would do an injustice to the Flycatcher for it does not share the Fiscal Shrike’s notorious habits of preying upon and impaling small birds and reptiles. Yet the resemblance is not merely fortuitous: it is an example of the phenomenon of ‘mimicry’ for the Fiscal Shrike is a tough and savage bird and it is much to the Flycatcher’s advantage to be mistaken for it, since other birds are glad to leave it alone. One of the big differences between the two species of birds is that the Fiscal Flycatcher does not have the hooked bill of the Common Fiscal.

Its scientific genus name of Sigelus means silent or lack of a call and the species name of silens translated from Latin to English also means silent or still which is rather strange in that it does have a call of high pitched wheezing notes and whistles. The Fiscal Flycatcher can also mimic the calls of other birds and whilst it is not common, it has been recorded. I have however not been able to confirm which birds it has been recorded mimicking.

The Fiscal Flycatcher is endemic to Southern Africa and can be found from South Africa, to the extreme south of Mozambique, Zimbabwe and the south-eastern part of Botswana. In general it prefers open habitats with scattered trees or bushes to use as perches for foraging, but a fairly dense thicket or dense bush used for nesting. It occurs in the following biomes: moist and semi-arid grassland, fynbos, Nama Karoo, valley bushveld, scrub Acacia and kloof bush in highveld.

The female Fiscal Flycatcher builds an open cup nest in a dense bush often in thick forked branch or a branch next to the trunk. It is constructed from thin dry grass stems and other plant material such as everlastings (Helichrysum) and slangbos (Stoebe), as well as string and rags if the nest is near urban areas. The nest is then lined with feathers, plant down and rootlets and there is even a record of a Fiscal flycatcher attempting to pluck hair from a person’s head!

Between two and four eggs are laid from about July to February, with a peak around October to December. They are incubated solely by the female which lasts between 13 and 16 days, during this time she is fed by the male Fiscal Flycatcher. Not the best parent, she will often leave the nest for long periods, where it is more vulnerable to predation. Once hatched, the chicks are fed only by the female and the male shows little interest. The chicks will leave the nest after about 15 to 17 days and as fledglings they are still fed by their parents for a short time longer. An interesting note is that a Cape robin-chat (Cossypha caffra) was once observed feeding beetle larvae to the fledglings and then hiding when their parents approached!

The Fiscal Flycatcher feeds on insects, foraging from a high perch, pouncing on prey on the ground and occasionally hawking prey aerially, but sometimes taken in flight. It will supplement this with some fruit. Predators include the Ovambo sparrowhawk (Accipiter ovampensis)

Brood Parasite Hosts
The Fiscal Flycatcher also occasionally unwittingly plays host to the Jacobin Cuckoo (Clamator jacobinus) and less often the Red-chested Cuckoo (Cuculus solitarius) although both these Cuckoos prefer other species and only use the Fiscal Flycatcher as a host occasionally.

Names in Other Languages
Fiskaalvlieëvanger (Afrikaans), Icola (Xhosa]), Klauwiervliegenvanger (Dutch) Gobemouche fiscal (French), Würgerschnäpper (German), Papa-moscas-fiscal (Portuguese)

References:
SASOL Birds of Southern Africa. Ian Sinclair, Phil Hockey and Warwick Tarboton.
Roberts Birds of Southern Africa Hockey PAR, Dean WRJ and Ryan PG 2005. The Trustees of the John Voelcker Bird Book Fund, Cape Town.

Sasol Birds of Southern Africa	Newman’s Birds of Southern Africa	Collins Field Guide to the Birds of East Africa
Highly Recommended Features an advanced technique for improved field identification, and an extensive taxonomy featuring corrected misidentifications and recorded species splits that have occured since the previous edition. Uupdated names based on recommendations of the International Ornithological Committee and name hyphenations. The guide features distribution maps that feature dual shading to show relative abundance of a species in the region, as well as crosses to indicate occurances of vagrants.	Highly Recommended The eighth edition of this popular Southern African birding book has been updated to incorporate the information obtained since the previous edition relating to the birds of the region. The user-friendly design makes it ideal for use in the field, with aids such as colour-coding of major bird groups, running heads at the top of each page to indicate which family of birds is being described, large page numbers for easy reference and large accurate paintings which reflect the bird as it is seen in the field.	The Collins Field Guide to the Birds of East Africa, is an excellent book if you are visiting any of the countries in this this spectacular birding region, including Kenya and Tanzania. Review: ‘This is by far the best available guide to the birds in this region, but has one major drawback – virtually no migrants from Eurasia are illustrated.’
Buy on Amazon.co.uk	Buy on Amazon.co.uk	Buy on Amazon.co.uk
Buy on Amazon.com	Buy on Amazon.com	Buy on Amazon.com

For more information: Birds of Africa

Photo Credit: Lip Kee

Common Fiscal Shrike (Lanius collaris)

The Common Fiscal (Lanius collaris) has many names – Butcherbird, Jacky Hangman and Fiscal Shrike – all indicate something of the unpopularity of this small predator whose methods of dealing with victims bear a close resemblance to those of the fiskaal – an official or taxman of the Dutch East India company. This civil servant would arrive to collect the year end (fiscal) taxes wearing black and white that mirrors the birds plumage, viciously preying on people’s money and leaving them ‘out to dry’. The Common Fiscal has a small, strong hawk like beak, hooked in the manor of a raptor, and is able to deal not only with insects but also with frogs, lizards and even small birds which it sometimes impales, whether dead or alive, on thorns or barbed wire when not immediately required. The scientific name (Genus) of these shrikes, namely Lanius, means ‘butcher’ which is apt and another reason why this is known as the Butcher bird. The Lanius genus of shrikes of which there are four species in Southern Africa are known as ‘true shrikes’ because they are essentially like miniature eagles in their habits.

Courtship feeding has been observed in the Common Fiscal and they will also mimic the calls of other birds.

The Fiscal Shrike is a strongly territorial bird, each pair driving other Fiscals from the preserve. This is especially the case when nesting and the males will defend their territory ferociously against other males, often grabbing their opponent with their claws and then pecking them repeatedly. Even their own offspring are not exempt from this: as soon as they are sufficiently mature the parent-birds make it perfectly clear that they must move off and fend for themselves.

They are monogamous, and the female deals with most of the nest construction, a process which takes about 2-5 days. The nest is made of a thickly walled cup made of twigs, flower heads, bark, grass, leafy herbs and moss, sometimes also including paper, rags, spider web, feathers and cocoons. It is usually placed in the fork of a thorny bush or small tree, building a new nest each breeding season.

Usually two to three broods are produced within a single breeding season each consisting of between 1 and 5 eggs, but usually 3-4. The eggs are incubated mainly by the female which lasts for between 12 and 16 days.

Once hatched, the chicks are fed mostly by the female in the first week, after which the male gradually takes more responsibility. They stay in the nest for between 14 and 21 days and can feed for themselves after about 3 weeks after fledgling, but they only really become completely independent after a few more weeks, when they leave their parents territory when about four months old.

Though most share black and white plumage, the shrikes of Africa appear to have evolved from two different ancestors. Those related to the European Shrike are characterised by a guttural voice and decidedly unkempt nest-building habits; those related to the warblers are immediately identified by there melodious song and neat well-constructed nests.

Fiscal Shrikes are a common sight in most of southern Africa and it occurs almost everywhere in South Africa, extending into much of Namibia, Zimbabwe and southern Botswana. It lives in a wide variety of habitats but seems to prefer open habitats with scattered trees, such as savanna, open woodland, shrub-land and grassland. It is also extremely common in man-made habitats such as gardens, parks, farmland and roadsides and is a common sight in my parents garden in Harare, Zimbabwe.

Names in Other Languages
Fiskaallaksman (Afrikaans), Inxanxadi, Umxhomi (Xhosa), iLunga, iQola (Zulu), Nankuwo is a generic term for shrike (Kwangali) Tšemeli (also applied to Red-backed shrike and Lesser grey shrike) (South Sotho), Korera (Shona) Juka, Rhiyani (these terms also applied to Lesser grey shrike) (Tsonga) Tlhômêdi (Tswana), Gekraagde klauwier (Dutch), Pie-grièche fiscale (French), Fiskalwürger (German), Picanço-fiscal (Portuguese)

References
Roberts Birds of Southern Africa, VIIth ed. The Trustees of the John Voelcker Bird Book Fund, Cape Town. Hockey PAR, Dean WRJ and Ryan PG 2005.
Beat About The Bush Birds book By Trevor Carnaby

Sasol Birds of Southern Africa	Newman’s Birds of Southern Africa	Collins Field Guide to the Birds of East Africa
Highly Recommended Features an advanced technique for improved field identification, and an extensive taxonomy featuring corrected misidentifications and recorded species splits that have occured since the previous edition. Uupdated names based on recommendations of the International Ornithological Committee and name hyphenations. The guide features distribution maps that feature dual shading to show relative abundance of a species in the region, as well as crosses to indicate occurances of vagrants.	Highly Recommended The eighth edition of this popular Southern African birding book has been updated to incorporate the information obtained since the previous edition relating to the birds of the region. The user-friendly design makes it ideal for use in the field, with aids such as colour-coding of major bird groups, running heads at the top of each page to indicate which family of birds is being described, large page numbers for easy reference and large accurate paintings which reflect the bird as it is seen in the field.	The Collins Field Guide to the Birds of East Africa, is an excellent book if you are visiting any of the countries in this this spectacular birding region, including Kenya and Tanzania. Review: ‘This is by far the best available guide to the birds in this region, but has one major drawback – virtually no migrants from Eurasia are illustrated.’
Buy on Amazon.co.uk	Buy on Amazon.co.uk	Buy on Amazon.co.uk
Buy on Amazon.com	Buy on Amazon.com	Buy on Amazon.com

Photo Credit: fveronesi1

For more information: African Birds

Arrow-marked Babbler (Turdoides-jardineii)

Arrow-marked Babblers are highly gregarious birds, small parties foraging in the undergrowth. They poke about among dead leaves and debris in search of crickets, cockroaches and spiders, hopping vigorously to flush out their victims. Their flight is interspersed with short glides and, when disturbed, they quickly rise into the trees. Hidden from one another by branches and leaves, they keep in touch with grating but subdued calls which each bird answers in turn as if quietly swearing at its fellows. At the least alarm they burst into a vociferous chorus, the harsh sound reaching a crescendo, after which they quietly withdraw.

Although they are birds of the tropics, Arrow-marked Babblers are found as far south as the Transvaal and northern Natal. Between October and January they build their cup-shaped nests of sticks and grass in the veld. These are lined with rootlets and here the female lays three to four pale blue eggs. Arrow-marked Babblers are known as an altricial bird in that the chicks are born blind, unfeathered and basically immobile and helpless.

Brood Parasite Hosts
The Arrow-marked Babbler sometimes finds itself foster-parent to a young Levaillant’s Cuckoo, sometimes called a Striped-breasted Cuckoo which it rears together with its own chicks. The Levaillant’s Cuckoo (Clamator levaillantii), a resident breeding species in Africa south of the Sahara is a brood parasite, using the nests of bulbuls and babblers including the Arrow-marked.

Arrow-marked Babblers have adapted well to living with humans and they are a common sight on the lawn of my parents house in Harare, Zimbabwe, where the hop in groups around searching for insects and worms. They are a medium sized babbler, about 22–25 cm (8.7–9.8 in) in length and weigh around 56–85 g (2.0–3.0 oz).

Co-Operative Breeding
I have already mentioned that the Arrow-marked Babbler is a highly sociable bird, but what is interesting is that they are also Co-Operative Breeders where one pair of nesting birds is assisted with incubation and chick-rearing by others in the group. With Arrow-marked Babblers there can be up to and even more than 6 helpers, with some of them containing brothers or sisters from the previous brood. Both sexes help with the nest building, incubation and with the feeding of the chicks.

The common name of Arrow-marked for this species is derived from its plumage, which is brownish-grey above and lighter below, with white tips to the feathers on the throat, neck and head. The iris is bright red and the inner ring of the eye bright yellow or orange. The males and females are identical in appearance.

Their scientific or Latin name is Turdoides jardineii. Turdoides meaning ‘like a thrush’ is a genus of passerine birds in the Old World babbler family, Timaliidae. The Genus contains about 29 species distributed across Africa and southern Asia. They are typically fairly large, long-tailed birds which forage in noisy groups. The majority of species have drab brown or grey-brown plumage.

The species name of jardineii comes from a Sir William Jardine and Scottish naturalist and editor who lived from 1800 to 1874. Jardine made natural history available to all levels of Victorian society by editing and issuing the hugely popular forty volumes of The Naturalist’s Library. Jardine’s other publications included an edition of Gilbert White’s Natural History of Selborne which re-established White’s reputation, Illustrations of Ornithology (1825-43), and an affordable edition of Alexander Wilson’s Birds of America. Another point of interest is that Sir Matthew Pinsent, the English rower who won four consecutive Olympic gold medals is a direct descendant of William Jardine.

For more information: African Birds

Beat About The Bush: Birds	Beat About The Bush: Mammals	Beat About The Bush
Highly Recommended The Beat about the Bush Birds Book delves into the fascinating lives of birds – discussing in detail their myriad forms, survival strategies, breeding and feeding behaviours, movements, migrations and vocalisations. The result is a comprehensive reference work in a style that appeals to novices, birders, twitchers, tourists, bush enthusiast and field guides alike	Highly Recommended Sitting between basic mammal guides and extensive academic texts, this resource answers everyday questions about mammals in the African bush in an understandable fashion that will appeal to safari tourists, bush enthusiasts, and professional safari guides. With verything from how an elephant’s trunk works to why the blue whale is not a fish, it is a must-have for anyone wanting to know about the mammals of Africa.	More comprehensive than a field guide yet more accessible than an academic text, this authoritative reference answers fundamental questions about mammals and birds in the African bush such as How does an elephant’s trunk work? Is the cheetah really the fastest animal? and Why do some bird species sit on animals? Photographs, charts, and tables accompany the question-and-answer format, making this all-in-one guide user-friendly for both wildlife enthusiasts and professionals.
Buy from Amazon.co.uk
Buy from Amazon.com

Babbler Family in Southern Africa

There are five Southern African species of Babbler. The Black-faced Babbler is near-endemic and the Bare-cheeked Babbler marginally so, while the Southern Pied Babbler is endemic. Their Genus Turdoides which means ‘like a Thrush’ is in reference to their habit of mainly feeding on the ground in leaf litter. Babblers eat invertebrates, small vertebrates and occasionally fruit. There is no sexual dimorphism and all Babblers are sociable living in co-operative breeding groups.

References: Beat About The Bush Birds book By Trevor Carnaby
Photo Credit: Alan Manson

Rhinopomastus cyanomelas is also known as the Scimitar-billed wood-hoopoe in some parts of Africa, or Itaki’ Bafazi translated as ‘laughing women’ – is the Xhosa name for the Common Scimitarbil Wood Hoopoe which makes an incessant chattering sound, usually started by a single bird and then taken up by the entire flock.

It is essentially a veld bird which scrambles about on trees, propping itself against the trunk with its tail and probing deep into the bark for grubs and insects with its long beak. It is a fairly common bird in most of the top half of southern Africa, with smaller populations in the Limpopo Province, North-west Province, KwaZulu Natal and Northern Cape. It lives in tropical and subtropical arid woodland, favouring miombo and Mopane trees however it avoids closed canopy woodlands.

Scimitarbill – Meaning
Scimitarbill is a descriptive term referring to the bill being sharp and curved, resembling a scimitar blade.

Breeding
Wood Hoopoes move about in parties and the family bond is so strong that the feeding of the young, in their tree hole nests, is not the responsibility of the parents alone but of the whole flock. Nests are usually natural cavities in trees, but occasionally old Barbet holes. The nests are usually about 30cm deep, with a 4 cm wide entrance. It competes with Ashy tit (Parus cinerascens), Crested barbet (Trachyphonus vaillantii), Pied barbet (Tricholaema leucomelas) and Greater Blue-eared Starling (Lamprotornis chalybaeus) for nesting sites. It sometimes uses the same nest site repeatedly.

They usually lay between 2 and 4 eggs, laid daily, usually before noon. Nest-sanitation is unknown to the Wood Hoopoe whose ‘procreant cradle’ soon becomes foul-smelling and the bird itself, with its strong meaty smell.

Other names for the Common Scimitarbill
Swartbekkakelaar (Afrikaans), Musokoto (Kwangali), Yokoywana (Tsonga), Zuidafrikaanse boomhop (Dutch), Irrisor namaquois (French), Sichelhopf (German), Bico-de-cimitarra (Portuguese)

African Woodhoopoes in General

There are eight species of tropical African Wood-hoopoes included in two genera, Rhinopomastus and Phoeniculus, order Coraciiformes. They range in length from 22 to 38 cm (8.5 to 15 inches), and all are predominately greenish or purplish black, with long graduated tails that are sometimes tipped with white. The bill is slender, pointed, and slightly to strongly downcurved. In fact, the three species of the genus Rhinopomastus are often called scimitarbills, or scimitar-billed hoopoes, from the shape of their bills, which are adapted to probing for insects in crevices or under the bark of trees.

The woodhoopoes are related to the kingfishers, rollers, and the true Hoopoe. This relationship between the Hoopoe and the woodhoopoes is supported by the shared and unique nature of their stapes (The stapes or stirrup is the small bone or ossicle in the middle ear that are stirrup-shaped). Wood-hoopoes also resemble the true Hoopoe with their long down-curved bills and short rounded wings. According to genetic studies, the two genera Phoeniculus and Rhinopomastus, appear to have diverged about 10 million years ago, so some systematists treat them as separate subfamilies or even separate families.

For more information: African Birds

Sasol Birds of Southern Africa	Newman’s Birds of Southern Africa	Collins Field Guide to the Birds of East Africa
Highly Recommended Features an advanced technique for improved field identification, and an extensive taxonomy featuring corrected misidentifications and recorded species splits that have occured since the previous edition. Uupdated names based on recommendations of the International Ornithological Committee and name hyphenations. The guide features distribution maps that feature dual shading to show relative abundance of a species in the region, as well as crosses to indicate occurances of vagrants.	Highly Recommended The eighth edition of this popular Southern African birding book has been updated to incorporate the information obtained since the previous edition relating to the birds of the region. The user-friendly design makes it ideal for use in the field, with aids such as colour-coding of major bird groups, running heads at the top of each page to indicate which family of birds is being described, large page numbers for easy reference and large accurate paintings which reflect the bird as it is seen in the field.	The Collins Field Guide to the Birds of East Africa, is an excellent book if you are visiting any of the countries in this this spectacular birding region, including Kenya and Tanzania. Review: ‘This is by far the best available guide to the birds in this region, but has one major drawback – virtually no migrants from Eurasia are illustrated.’
Buy on Amazon.co.uk	Buy on Amazon.co.uk	Buy on Amazon.co.uk
Buy on Amazon.com	Buy on Amazon.com	Buy on Amazon.com

References

• Roberts Birds of Southern Africa, Hugh Chittenden. The Trustees of the John Voelcker Bird Book Fund.
• Encyclopaedia Britannica
• Hackett, Shannon J., et al.; Kimball, RT; Reddy, S; Bowie, RC; Braun, EL; Braun, MJ; Chojnowski, JL; Cox, WA et al. (2008). “A Phylogenomic Study of Birds Reveals Their Evolutionary History”. Science 320 (5884): 1763. doi:10.1126/science.1157704. PMID 18583609.

Photo Credit: fveronesi1

The Kurrichane Thrush (Turdus libonyanus), a relative of the European Blackbird, finds much of its food while it forages swiftly on foot on the forest floor. It was named by the Scottish doctor, explorer and naturalist Andrew Smith who first discovered it in the late 19th century near Kurrichane, the capital of an African tribe in the Western Transvaal.

The Kurrichane Thrush is another bird that has benefited from mans obscession with trying to tame naure, this time in the form of the garden lawn as shortly cut grass makes it far easier for them to hop about on looking for worms and other insects and they are a common sight on my parents lawn in Harare, Zimbabwe.

From Wikipedia: The Kurrichane Thrush (Turdus libonyanus) is a species of bird in the Turdidae family. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Its natural habitat is dry savannah.

Kurrichane Thrush’s can mimic other birds and whilst they do not do this often like the Chinspot Batis or Fork-tailed Drongo they will occasionally mimic under certain conditions or circumstances.

The Thrush species get their name from an old English name of Germanic origin, the meaning of which is unclear.

I got both the last two points of information from the excellent Beat About The Bush Birds book By Trevor Carnaby that I highly recommend for anyone wanting to go beyond just identifying birds. You can get it and the other books in the Beat About The Bush Series on Amazon:

Beat About The Bush: Birds	Beat About The Bush: Mammals	Beat About The Bush
Highly Recommended The Beat about the Bush Birds Book delves into the fascinating lives of birds – discussing in detail their myriad forms, survival strategies, breeding and feeding behaviours, movements, migrations and vocalisations. The result is a comprehensive reference work in a style that appeals to novices, birders, twitchers, tourists, bush enthusiast and field guides alike	Highly Recommended Sitting between basic mammal guides and extensive academic texts, this resource answers everyday questions about mammals in the African bush in an understandable fashion that will appeal to safari tourists, bush enthusiasts, and professional safari guides. With verything from how an elephant’s trunk works to why the blue whale is not a fish, it is a must-have for anyone wanting to know about the mammals of Africa.	More comprehensive than a field guide yet more accessible than an academic text, this authoritative reference answers fundamental questions about mammals and birds in the African bush such as How does an elephant’s trunk work? Is the cheetah really the fastest animal? and Why do some bird species sit on animals? Photographs, charts, and tables accompany the question-and-answer format, making this all-in-one guide user-friendly for both wildlife enthusiasts and professionals.
Buy from Amazon.co.uk
Buy from Amazon.com

Photo Credits: A Kruger, davieo

For more birds, check out my guide to African Birds

The Drongo (Dicrurus adsimilis), is common sight on safari in Southern Africa. It is an insect eating bird, and is often seen perched on the telegraph wire, or on a bare projecting branch that affords a good view of the countryside. From his airy perch the Drongo watches for insects and enemies.

Any flickering wing of butterfly or beetle or grasshopper will bring him swooping down on his prey, and if there seems a dearth of flying insects to appease his hunger the Drongo will feed on the ground, snapping up ants.

Drongos and Kleptoparasitism
Kleptoparasitism is defined as the theft of food procured or prepared by another individual and it has been shown that some Fork-tailed Drongos in the Kalahari will wait for suricates (a desert mongoose) to catch a largish prey item such as a scorpion, whereupon they then mimic the suricates alarm call for an aerial predator. The suricate then dashes below ground leaving the prey item, which the Drongo then swoops down to catch! (reference: Beat About the Bush by Trevor Carnaby, an excellent book that I highly recommend to those who want to learn more than just identifying African birds as it is full of incredible facts and information – see below)

The Drongo likes his country to himself. He and his mate will choose for themselves a stretch of treeveld which they will defend fiercely against any intruding bird of prey. Drongos are the most fearless of birds, they are called ‘Induna yezinyoni’ ‘Chieftain of the birds’ by the Africans, for they will attack and drive off hawks, owls and even eagles, in defence of their chosen territory.

The male and female Drongos are alike in plumage. Their feathers are a glossy black and their forked tails are unmistakable guide to identity. The square-tailed Drongo is the nearest relative, but they are easily distinguished from each other by the marked difference in tail feathers.

The Drongo builds a straddled open nest at the end of a bough. The nest is rather like a hammock, sagging slightly in the middle to accommodate the three or four eggs. Drongo eggs vary in size and colour. They may be as much as 27.5 x 18.5 mm or as small as 25 x 17mm. Colour ranges from white to salmon pink, with varying markings of lilac or red brown.

The Drongos nest from October to January and usually raise two broods in the same nest.

The Drongo has a sweet, rich song, and is a wonderful mimic of other birds.

The Drongo that takes up abode on a farm is one of the farmer’s best friends. He devours innumerable insects, he drives off the birds of prey that come sailing over the farm in search of chickens. If he perches on a branch in an orchid the frmer need have no fear for his fruit. The Drongo is not a fruit-eater and his presence in the orchid means death to many of the insects that gather to feed on the fruit.

Other Names for the Fork-tailed Drongo
French: Drongo brillant
German: Trauerdrongo
Spanish: Drongo Ahorquillado
Other common names: African Drongo

For more information: African Birds
Main Image by Mister-E

Sasol Birds of Southern Africa	Newman’s Birds of Southern Africa	Collins Field Guide to the Birds of East Africa
Highly Recommended Features an advanced technique for improved field identification, and an extensive taxonomy featuring corrected misidentifications and recorded species splits that have occured since the previous edition. Uupdated names based on recommendations of the International Ornithological Committee and name hyphenations. The guide features distribution maps that feature dual shading to show relative abundance of a species in the region, as well as crosses to indicate occurances of vagrants.	Highly Recommended The eighth edition of this popular Southern African birding book has been updated to incorporate the information obtained since the previous edition relating to the birds of the region. The user-friendly design makes it ideal for use in the field, with aids such as colour-coding of major bird groups, running heads at the top of each page to indicate which family of birds is being described, large page numbers for easy reference and large accurate paintings which reflect the bird as it is seen in the field.	The Collins Field Guide to the Birds of East Africa, is an excellent book if you are visiting any of the countries in this this spectacular birding region, including Kenya and Tanzania. Review: ‘This is by far the best available guide to the birds in this region, but has one major drawback – virtually no migrants from Eurasia are illustrated.’
Buy on Amazon.co.uk	Buy on Amazon.co.uk	Buy on Amazon.co.uk
Buy on Amazon.com	Buy on Amazon.com	Buy on Amazon.com

If you have ever been on a safari in Southern Africa, you may have noticed that when your guide and the tracker speak or the guide uses the radio to speak with other guides on the reserve, they often use the local African language, mixed in with English to communicate with each other. Quite often they do this when speaking about certain animals that may or may not be in the area.

The reason that they do it in the local language is so that they don’t give you the guests too high an expectation of what you may or may not find. Let me explain: Lets say for example your guide is speaking to another guide on the radio who is a 15 minute drive away and that guide says that he has just seem some lions, but they are mobile. (moving) If he was to do that in a language that everyone on the vehicle understands it may give the gusts an unrealistic expectation of definitely seeing those lions. If it is in a local language, the guide can then make his own mind up if it is worth driving there on the off chance that they may see the lions, but they may also not, without the pressure from the guests. I would often head in that direction still on the look out for other game and if we found the lions in the end, fantastic and if not because I had used the Shangaan name for lion (Nghala) no one on the vehicle other than myself would have been disappointed, but we still managed to see Nyari (buffalo), Hlongo (Kudu) and Mhala (Impala) along the way.

Now that I have given that secret away, I may as well tell you the animal names in some of the local Southern African Languages:

The Big 5 Animals

Lion
Afrikaans: Leeu
Zulu: Ngonyama
Shangaan: Nghala
Tswana: Tau
Swahili: Simba
Shona: Shumba
Ndebele: Isilwane
Venda: Ndau
Siswati: Ngwenyama
Sotho: Tau
Lozi: Tau
Yei: Undavu

Elephant
Zulu, Siswati, Xhosa: Ndhlovu
Shangaan: Ndlopfu
Sotho: Tlou
Venda: Ndou
Lozi: Tou
Yei: Unjovo
Shangaan – Ndlopfu
Tswana – Tlou
Swahili – Tembo

Buffalo
Afrikaans: Buffel
Zulu, Xhosa: Nyathi
Siswati: Inyatsi
Sotho: Nare
Venda: Nyati
Shangaan: Nyari
Tswana: Nari
Shona: Nyati
Ndebele: Inyathi
Lozi: Nali
Yei: Unyati
Swahili: Nyati

Leopard:
Zulu, Ndebele, Siswati, Xhosa, Shangaan, Tsonga, Venda: Ngwe, Ingwe
Shangaan: Ingwe
Swahili: Chui
Afrikaans: Luiperd
Lozi: Ngwe

Black Rhinoceros
Afrikaans: Swartrenoster
Xhosa: Mkhohombe
Shona: Chipenbere
Zulu: uBhejane / Ubejane
Venda: Thema
Tswana: Tshukudu
Lozi: Sukulu
Sotho: Makgale
Shangaan – Mhelembe
Swahili – Faru

Other Large African Animals:

White Rhinoceros
Afrikaans: Witrenoster
Shona: Chipenbere
Zulu: Mkhombe / Nkombe
Venda: Tshuguly
Tswana: Tshukudu
Sotho: Tshukudu
Shangaan – Mkhumbi

Hippopotamus
Afrikaans: Seekoei
Zulu, Xhosa, Siswati: Mvubu
Shangaan, Tsonga: Mpfubu
Ndebele: Imvubu
Sotho, Tswana: Kubu
Venda: Mvuvu
Shona: Mvuu
Lozi: Kubu
Yei: Unvuva
Tswana – Kubu
Swahili – Kiboko

Giraffe:
Afrikaans: Kameelperd
Shangaan: Nthutlwa
Ndebele: Htundla
Zulu: Ndhulamithi
Venda: Thuda
Tswana: Thutlwa
Lozi: Tutwa
Sotho: Unveweshe
Swahili – Twiga

Burchell’s Zebra
Afrikaans: Bontsebra
Shangaan: Tsonga / Mangwa
Ndebele: Idube
Zulu, Xhosa: Dube
Tswana, Sotho: Pise ya naga / Phiri
Siswati: Lidvubu
Lozi: Pizi
Yei: Umbiyi

Blue Wildebeest:
Afrikaans: Blouwildebees
Ndebele, Zulu, Xhosa: Nkhonhoni
Shangaan: Hongonyi
Siswati: Ngongoni
Shona: Ngongoni
Sotho: Kgokong
Tswana: Kgokong
Venda: Khongoini
Lozi: Kokonu
Yei: Unzonzo
Swahili – Nyumbu

Warthog:
Afrikaans: Vlakvark
Zulu: Ndlovudalana
Ndebele: Ngulube
Shangaan: Ngulube
Venda: Phangwa
Tswana: Kolobe
Siswati: Budzayikatana
Sotho: Kolobe
Lozi: Kolobe
Yei: Ungili
Swahili – Ngiri

Bushpig
Afrikaans: Bosvark
Zulu: Ngulube
Ndebele: Ngulugunda
Shangaan: Khumba
Venda: Nguluvhe
Tswana: Kolobe ya naga
Siswati: Ingulnbe ye siganga
Sotho: Kolobe
Lozi: Ngili
Yei: Unkutula

African Carnivores and Omnivores

Cheetah
Ndebele, Zulu: Ihlosi, Hlosi
Shangaan – Khankankha
Tswana, Sotho: Lengau
Swahili – Duma
Afrikaans: Jagluiperd
Venda: Dagaladzhie
Siswati: Lihlosi
Lozi: Linau
Yei: Unqaba

Caracal
Afrikaans: Rooikat
Xhosa: Nghawa
Shona: Hwang, Twana
Ndebele: Intwane
Zulu: Ndabushe
Venda: Thwani
Tswana: Thwane
Siswati: Indabushe
Lozi: Twani

Serval
Xhosa: Hlosi
Shona: Nzudzi
Ndebele: Inhlozi
Zulu: Ndlozi
Venda: Didingwe
Tswana: Tadi
Siswati: Indloti
Lozi: Nwela

African wild cat
Afrikaans: Vaalbokat
Shangaan: Mphaha
Ndebele: Igola
Zulu: Mpaka
Venda: Phaha
Tswana: Phage
Xhosa: Ngada
Siswati: Imbodla
Sotho: Tsetse
Lozi: Sinono
Yei: Uqhumu

Wild Dog:
Zulu – Inkanshane
Shangaan – Mohlolwa
Tswana – Lethalerwa
Swahili – Mbwa mwitu

Spotted Hyena:
Zulu – Mpisi
Shangaan – Mhisi
Tswana – Piri / Phiri
Swahili – Fisi
Afrikaans: Gevlekte Hiena
Shona: Bere
Venda: Phele

Jackal:
Zulu – Npungashe
Shangaan – Mangawana
Tswana – Phokoje
Swahili – Bweha

Aardwolf
Afrikaans: Aardwolf
Shona: Mwena
Ndebele: Inthuhu
Zulu: Nehi
Venda: Tshivingwi
Tswana: Thukwi
Siswati: Ngci
Lozi: Mutosi

African Antelope

Impala:
Afrikaans: Rooibok
Shangaan: Mhala
Ndebele, Zulu, Siswati: Mpala
Venda, Sotho, Tswana: Phala
Lozi: Pala
Yei: Umpala
Swahili – Swala pala

Kudu:
Zulu – Mgankla / Tshabalala
Shangaan – Hlongo
Tswana – Tholo
Swahili – Tandala

Sharpe’s Grysbok
Afrikaans: Sharpe se Grysbok
Shona: Himba
Ndebele: Isanempa
Shangaan: Pitsipitsi

Klipspringer
Afrikaans: Klipspringer
Shangaan: Ngululu
Ndebele: Igogo
Sotho: Kome
Shona: Ngururu
Tswana: Kololo
Siswati: Ligoka

Common Duiker
Afrikaans: Duiker
Zulu, Xhisa, Siswati: Mpunzi
Ndebele: Impunzi
Shangaan: Mhuti
Venda: Nfsa
Tswana: Phuti
Shona: Mhembwe
Sotho: Phuthi
Lozi: Puti
Yei: Unsa

Red Duiker
Zulu: Ncobo

Steenbok
Afrikaans: Steenbok
Zulu: Qhina
Ndebele: Ingina
Shangaan: Shipene
Venda: Phuluvhulu
Siswati: Lingcina
Sotho: Thiane
Lozi: Kabu
Yei: Ughwi
Tswana: Phuduhudu
Shona: Mhene
Xhosa: Shabanga

Reedbuck
Afrikaans: Rietbok
Xhosa: Ntlangu
Zulu: Nxala / Mziki
Shangaan: Nhlangu
Ndebele: Umziki
Tswana: Sebugatla
Sotho: Lekwena
Venda: Dahvu
Shona: Bimha
Lozi: Mutpobo
Yei: Unvwi

Tsessebe
Afrikaans: Basterhartbees
Shangaan: Nondo
Tswana: Tshesebe
Ndebele: Inkolomi
Sotho: Tshentshebe
Shona: Nondo
Siswati: Mzansi
Yei: Unsuru
Lozi: Sebesebe

Sable
Afrikaans: Swartwitpens
Zulu: Mpalampale
Shangaan: Mhalamhala
Tswana: Kwalata
Sotho: Phalafala
Ndebele: Ngwaladi
Venda: Phalafala
Shona: Mharapara
Siswati: Imphalampala
Lozi: Kwalata

Roan
Afrikaans: Bastergemsbok
Ndebele: Ithaka
Shangaan: Ndakadsi
Venda: Thavha-nda-lila
Siswati: Litagaezi
Sotho: Hlaba-ka-lela
Lozi: Kwalata
Tswana: Kunkuru
Shona: Ndunguza

Waterbuck
Afrikaans: Waterbok
Zulu, Siswati: Phiva
Shangaan: Mhitlwa
Ndebele: Isidumuka
Tswana: Pitlhwa
Sotho: Phitlwa
Venda: Phidwa
Shona: Dhumukwa
Lozi: Ngunguma

Bushbuck
Afrikaans: Bosbok
Shangaan: Mbvala
Ndebele, Zulu, Siswati: Imbabala
Sotho: Tshoso
Shona: Dsoma
Xhosa: Imbabala
Venda: Mbavhala
Tswana: Serolobotlhoko
Lozi: Mbabala
Yei: Ungulungu

Nyala
Afrikaans: Njala
Ndebele, Zulu, Shangaan, Venda: Inyala
Shona: Nyara
Siswati: Litagayezi

Kudu
Afrikaans: Koedoe
Zulu: Mgankla
Xhosa: Qudu
Siswati: Shongololo
Shangaan: Hlongo
Sotho, Venda, Tswana: Tholo
Shona: Nhoro
Ndebele: Ibhalabhala
Lozi: Tolo
Yei: Unzwa

Eland
Afrikaans: Eland
Zulu, Xhosa: Mpofu
Shangaan: Mhofu
Sotho: Phohu
Venda: Phofu
Shona: Mhofu
Tswana: Phofu
Mdebele: Impofu
Siswati: Impophi
Lozi: Pofu
Yei: Unshefu

Southern African Primates

Lesser Bushbaby:
Zulu – Nhlathini umntwana
Shangaan – Nwana kahina
Tswana – Kgajwanamasigo
Swahili – Komba

Baboon:
Zulu – Mfene
Shangaan – Mfenhe
Tswana – Tshwene
Swahili – Nyani

Vervet Monkey:
Zulu – Nkawu
Shangaan – Nkawu
Tswana – Kgabo
Swahili – Tumbili

Smaller African Mammals

Porcupine:
Zulu – Ngungumbane
Shangaan – Jelwana
Tswana – Noko
Swahili – Nungu

Slender Mongoose
Afrikaans: Rooimuishond
Shona: Hovo
Shangaan: Mangovo
Ndebele: Iwobo
Zulu: Chakide
Venda: Khohe
Tswana: Ramotsibodis
Siswati: Chakidze
Sotho: Kgano

Banded Mongoose
Afrikaans: Gebande Muishond
Shona: Sere,Tsere
Ndebele: Usikibhoror
Zulu: Buhala
Tswana: Letototo
Venda: Tshihoho
Shangaan: Nkala

Dwarf Mongoose
Afrikaans: Dwergmuishond
Ndebele: Iduha
Sotho: Motswitswane
Venda: Matswi

Aardvark
Afrikaans: Erdvark
Zulu: Sambane
Ndebele: Isambane
Shangaan: Xombana
Venda: Thagalu
Tswana: Thakadu
Siswati: Sambane
Sotho: Thakadu
Lozi: Takalo
Yei: Ungengu

Rock Dassie
Afrikaans: Klipdassie
Zulu, Xhosa, Siswati, Shangaan: Mbili
Ndebele: Imbila
Sotho: Pela
Venda: Mbila
Tswana: Pela

African Reptiles

Crocodile:
Zulu – Ingwenya
Shangaan – Ngwenya
Tswana – Kwena
Swahili – Mamba

What do you call a group of…?

I recently wrote an article on Tips for Photographers on Safari. In it I mentioned a group of giraffes that I photographed at a dam in South Africa. Because I did not know the collective term for giraffes, I looked it up – a group of giraffes is known as a Tower! What an excellent term!

So you are on a safari game drive and you come across a Tower of Giraffe, you will now be able to impress all, most likely even the safari guide!

Here are a fem more collective terms for some African wildlife that you may come across on safari:

• A Colony of Ants
• A Herd of Antelope
• A Troop of Baboons
• A Colony of Bats
• A Flock of Birds
  
• A Herd of Buffalo
• A Bask of Crocodiles
• A Convocation of Eagles
• A Herd Elephants
• A Stand of Flamingos
• A Business of Flies
• An Army of Frogs
• A Tower of Giraffes
• A Cloud or Horde of Gnats
• A Cloud of Grasshoppers
• A Sedge or Siege of Herons
• A Bloat of Hippopotamuses
• A Cackle of Hyenas
• A Deceit of Lapwings
• A Leap of Leopards
• A Pride of Lions
• A Plague of Locusts
• A Troop of Monkeys
• A Parliament of Owls
• A Congregation (wing in flight) of Plovers
• A Prickle of Porcupines
• A Crash of Rhinoceroses
• A Nest of Snakes
• A Host of Sparrows
• A Flight of Swallows
• A Knot of Toads
• A Herd of Wildebeest
• A Pack of African Wild Dogs
• A Descent of Woodpeckers
• A Herd of Zebra

If you can think of, or know any more terms for African animal congregations, I would love to hear them, just add them to the comments below.