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Virginia Bush Nature Reserve
Virginia Bush Nature Reserve is a 38 hectare coastal bush reserve in the suburb of Durban North, Durban, South Africa. The reserve is currently under the auspices of the Durban Metropolitan Open Space System (D'MOSS). History Previously natural grassland, the area was once used for market gardening and military purposes, but is now a demarcated municipal nature reserve. The area is in the process of being proclaimed a national nature reserve. Flora and fauna Birds The following birds can be in Virginia Bush: the natal robin, bluebilled firefinch, boubou shrike, bush shrike, flycatcher, green twinspot, grey waxbill, purple crested-lourie and the whitebrowed robin. Mammals Dwarf mongoose, red and white duiker and spotted gennets are known to inhabit the area. Vegetation Wild hibiscus ''Hibiscus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae. The genus is quite large, comprising several hundred species that are native to warm temperate, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN and known as "the garden province") is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It is located in the southeast of the country, with a long shoreline on the Indian Ocean and sharing borders with three other provinces and the countries of Mozambique, Eswatini and Lesotho. Its capital is Pietermaritzburg, and its largest city is Durban. It is the second-most populous province in South Africa, with slightly fewer residents than Gauteng. Two areas in KwaZulu-Natal have been declared UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the iSimangaliso Wetland Park and the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park. These areas are extremely scenic as well as important to the surrounding ecosystems. During the 1830s and early 1840s, the northern part of what is now KwaZulu-Natal was established as the Zulu Kingdom while the southern part was, briefly, the Boer Natalia Repu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Flycatcher-shrike
The flycatcher-shrikes are two species of small Asian passerine bird belonging to the genus ''Hemipus''. They are now usually placed in the Vangidae. Description They are in length.Robson, Craig (2002) ''A Field Guide to the Birds of South-east Asia'', New Holland, London. They are slender birds with fairly long wings and tails. The bill and feet are black.MacKinnon, John & Phillipps, Karen (1993) ''A Field Guide to the Birds of Borneo, Sumatra, Java and Bali'', Oxford University Press, Oxford. The plumage is dark above and pale below with white on the rump. The bar-winged flycatcher-shrike has a large white patch on the wing which the black-winged flycatcher-shrike lacks. Distribution and range They are found in broad-leaved forest, forest edge and secondary forest in southern Asia. Both species have large ranges and are not considered to be threatened. The bar-winged flycatcher-shrike occurs in the Indian Subcontinent, south-west China, mainland South-east Asia and on t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Duiker
A duiker is a small to medium-sized brown antelope native to sub-Saharan Africa, found in heavily wooded areas. The 22 extant species, including three sometimes considered to be subspecies of the other species, form the subfamily Cephalophinae or the tribe Cephalophini. Taxonomy and phylogeny The tribe Cephalophini (formerly the subfamily Cephalophinae) comprises three genera and 22 species, three of which are sometimes considered to be subspecies of the other species. The three genera include ''Cephalophus'' (15 species and three disputed taxa), ''Philantomba'' (three species), and ''Sylvicapra'' (one species). The subfamily was first described by British zoologist John Edward Gray in 1871 in ''Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London''. The scientific name "Cephalophinae" probably comes from the combination of the New Latin word ''cephal'', meaning head, and the Greek word ''lophos'', meaning crest. The three disputed species in ''Cephalophus'' are Brooke's dui ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Common Dwarf Mongoose
The common dwarf mongoose (''Helogale parvula'') is a mongoose species native to Angola, northern Namibia, KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, Zambia and East Africa. It is part of the genus ''Helogale'', along with the Ethiopian dwarf mongoose. Characteristics The common dwarf mongoose has soft fur ranging from yellowish red to very dark brown. It has a large pointed head, small ears, a long tail, short limbs and long claws. With a body length of and a weight of , it is Africa's smallest member of the order Carnivora. Distribution and habitat The common dwarf mongoose ranges from East to southern Central Africa, from Eritrea and Ethiopia to the provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga in the Republic of South Africa. The common dwarf mongoose inhabits primarily dry grassland, open forests and bushland up to an elevation of . It is especially common in areas with many termite mounds, its favorite sleeping place. It avoids dense forests and deserts. Subspecies *''Helogale parvula parv ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
White-browed Robin
The white-browed robin (''Poecilodryas superciliosa'') is a species of bird in the family Petroicidae. It is endemic to north-eastern Australia. Its natural habitats are forest, woodland and scrub, often near water. It formerly included the buff-sided robin as a subspecies. The white-browed robin was described by the naturalist John Gould in 1847; the genus name is derived from the Ancient Greek words ''poekilos'' 'spotted' and ''dryas'' 'dryad'. The species name is derived from the Latin word ''supercilium'' 'eyebrow'. It is a member of the Australasian robin family Petroicidae.* Sibley and Ahlquist's DNA-DNA hybridisation studies placed this group in a Corvida parvorder comprising many tropical and Australian passerines, including pardalotes, fairy-wrens, honeyeaters, and crows. However, subsequent molecular research (and current consensus) places the robins as a very early offshoot of the Passerida, or "advanced" songbirds, within the songbird lineage. The white-bro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Purple-crested Turaco
The purple-crested turaco (''Gallirex porphyreolophus'') or, in South Africa, the purple-crested loerie, is a species of bird in the clade Turaco with an unresolved phylogenetic placement. Initial analyses placed the purple-crested turaco in the family Musophagidae'','' but studies have indicated that these birds do not belong to this family and have been placed in the clade of Turacos with an unresolved phylogeny. It is the National Bird of the Kingdom of Eswatini, and the crimson flight feathers of this and related turaco species are important in the ceremonial regalia of the Swazi royal family. Description This bird has a purple coloured crest above a green head, a red ring around their eyes, and a black bill. The neck and chest are green and brown. The rest of the body is purple, with red flight feathers. Purple-crested turacos are considered to be large frugivores that are known to carry cycad seeds from various plant species long distances from feeding to nesting sites. Af ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Grey Waxbill
The grey waxbill or black-tailed waxbill (''Glaucestrilda perreini'') is a common species of estrildid finch found in wetter land of Southern Africa. It has an estimated global extent of occurrence of . There are two recognized subspecies: *''Glaucestrilda perreini perreini'' (Distribution: Gabon to northern Angola and east to southern Tanzania) *''Glaucestrilda perreini incana'' (Distribution: Southern Malawi and Mozambique to eastern South Africa) Habitat It is found in subtropical/ tropical (lowland) moist shrubland habitats in Angola, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Gabon, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia & Zimbabwe. The status of the species is evaluated as Least Concern A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Green-backed Twinspot
The green-backed twinspot or green twinspot (''Mandingoa nitidula'') is an estrildid finch found in many parts of Sub-Saharan Africa. The IUCN has classified the species as being of least concern. Subspecies The green-backed twinspot has four sub-species: * ''Mandingoa nitidula chubbi'' * ''Mandingoa nitidula nitidula'' * ''Mandingoa nitidula schlegeli'' * ''Mandingoa nitidula virginiae'' Habitat The green-backed twinspot inhabits lowland moist forests of the tropical region. It may also be found in grassland and shrubland habitats. Males are distinguished from females by their bright red facial feathers. Females have an olive-green face and darker (almost black) beak. Aviculture The green backed twinspot prefers its privacy in regards to breeding. Males in the breeding season will raise their heads, looking straight up while "dancing" on the perch next to the female, moving in a side-stepping fashion. The female, if receptive, will crouch down and point her tail to the m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shrike
Shrikes () are passerine birds of the family Laniidae. The family is composed of 34 species in four genera. The family name, and that of the largest genus, ''Lanius'', is derived from the Latin word for "butcher", and some shrikes are also known as butcherbirds because of their feeding habits. The common English name shrike is from Old English , alluding to the shrike's shriek-like call. Distribution, migration, and habitat Most shrike species have a Eurasian and African distribution, with just two breeding in North America (the loggerhead and northern shrikes). No members of this family occur in South America or Australia, although one species reaches New Guinea. The shrikes vary in the extent of their ranges, with some species, such as the great grey shrike, ranging across the Northern Hemisphere; to the Newton's fiscal, which is restricted to the island of São Tomé. They inhabit open habitats, especially steppe and savannah. A few species of shrikes are forest dwell ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Durban
Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from 25 October 2017. Retrieved 2021-03-05.The names and the naming of Durban Website ''natalia.org.za'' (pdf). Retrieved 2021-03-05. is the third most populous city in after and |
Firefinch
The firefinches form a genus, ''Lagonosticta'', of small seed-eating African birds in the family Estrildidae. The genus was introduced by the German ornithologists Jean Cabanis in 1851. The type species was subsequently designated as the African firefinch. The name combines the Ancient Greek words ''lagōn'' "flank" and ''stiktos'' "spotted". The genus ''Lagonosticta'' is sister to the brown twinspot which is placed in its own genus ''Clytospiza The brown twinspot (''Clytospiza monteiri'') is a common species of estrildid finch found in sub-Saharan Africa. It is the only member of the genus ''Clytospiza''. It is found in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, the Republic of ...''. Species The genus contains 11 species: References Finches Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Estrildidae-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Red-capped Robin-chat
The red-capped robin-chat or Natal robin (''Cossypha natalensis'') is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Gabon, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Description left, 250px, Individual in Ithala Game Reserve, showing brightly coloured underpart plumage It is mostly orange-brown with slate-grey wings and darker tail. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests. References External links * Natal robin/red-capped robin-chat Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds red-capped robin-chat Birds of Sub-Saharan Africa red-capped robin-chat The red-capped robin-chat or Natal robin (''Cossypha natalensis'') is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Burun ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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