Tag: bird

Colony

The beautiful Boulders Beach is one of Cape Town’s most visited beaches and the only place in the world where you get close to African Penguins. In 1982 a couple of these little crowd-pleasers settled on the soft white sand between the large granite boulders that protect the beach from wind and large, stormy waves, and currently the population is estimated between 2,000 and 3,000 birds. Sadly the African Penguin has been classified as an endangered species, due to things like over-fishing, habitat destruction, pollution, and irresponsible tourism activities, and the Boulders Beach colony has also felt the effect, with numbers dwindling over the last couple of years.

Colony

Picture of the day, Travel, Wildlife

Whistler

White-faced whistling duck vocalizes frequently with distinctive high-pitched, multi-syllabic whistles which sound very unduck-like. Male and female calls differ slightly and may be a bonding mechanism. Its attractive appearance make it a popular bird in waterfowl collections. They are usually in flocks. They spend a lot of time sitting on the banks. Most foraging activity takes place at night; during the day the birds roost near the water, often in flocks of several hundred, and preen themselves and others. Whistling ducks are more arboreal than many other species of duck, spending part of the day perched on a branch. They are fast swimmers but do not dive except for food.

Whistler

Picture of the day, Wildlife

Forage

Helmeted guinea fowl are characterized by their black or grey plumage with vivid white spots. Their bald faces and necks have blue skin with red wattles (males’ wattles are larger than those of the females). The beak is short and stout and there is a brown or orange helmet on their crown that has a triangular horn shape. The wings are medium in size, with a rounded edge. Although they are accomplished flyers, they prefer to run on the ground. These birds are omnivorous and they forage for food. They are opportunistic eaters and will dine on a variety of seeds, fruit, vegetables, snails, small mammals, worms, spiders, frogs, lizards, and small snakes. They usually feed in the early morning and late afternoon.

Forage

Picture of the day, Wildlife