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Peckish

Tree Squirrel or Smith’s Bush Squirrel coat colour varies throughout the region. In the western and arid parts of its range it is pale grey, and in the eastern localities browner. Head and legs are a rusty colour. The colouration on the chest varies from yellowish to buffy in the east, to white in the west. The Tree Squirrels’ bellies are white. Primarily vegetarian, but like most rodents will take insect prey. Tree squirrels use their forefeet to manipulate food items when feeding. They scatter-hoard seeds next to tree trunks or grass tufts, thereby facilitating tree regeneration. Essentially arboreal animals, but spend a great deal of time on the ground, foraging for food. When disturbed, Tree Squirrels will always seek the refuge of trees.

21 January 2019Picture of the day, Wildlife

Burst

The common bulbul is usually seen in pairs or small groups. It is a conspicuous bird, which tends to sit at the top of a bush. As with other bulbuls they are active and noisy birds. The flight is bouncing and woodpecker-like. The call is a loud doctor-quick doctor-quick be-quick be-quick. This species nests throughout the year in the moist tropics, elsewhere it is a more seasonal breeder with a peak in breeding coinciding with the onset of the rainy season. The nest is fairly rigid, thick-walled, and cup-shaped. It is situated inside the leafy foliage of a small tree or shrub. Two or three eggs is a typical clutch. It, like other bulbuls, is parasitised by the Jacobin cuckoo. These species eat fruit, nectar, seeds and insects.

16 January 2019Picture of the day, Wildlife

Stance

The Kurrichane thrush is found in Angola, Botswana, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Its natural habitat is dry savanna. Its name is derived from Kaditshwene (rendered as ‘Kurrichane’) in Botswana. Thrushes are plump, soft-plumaged, small to medium-sized birds, inhabiting wooded areas, and often feeding on the ground. They are insectivorous, but most species also eat worms, land snails, and fruit. Many species are permanently resident in warm climates, while others migrate to higher latitudes during summer, often over considerable distances. Thrushes build cup-shaped nests, sometimes lining them with mud. They lay two to five speckled eggs, sometimes laying two or more clutches per year. Both parents help in raising the young.

20 December 201820 December 2018Picture of the day, Wildlife