Aquila spilogaster An inhabitant of woodland and savanna habitats, the African Hawk-Eagle is a medium-sized eagle preying primarily on birds, mammals and reptiles up to 4kg in weight – no small feat for a bird that itself weighs only about 1.5kg (females are slightly bigger than males). African Hawk-Eagles are normally encountered in monogamous, territorial […]
African Hawk-Eagle — de Wets Wild
Gerrhosaurus flavigularis The Yellow-throated Plated Lizard is a medium-sized (45cm total length, of which two-thirds are made up by the tail) and very graceful reptile occurring in all South Africa’s provinces, being absent only from the arid western and central parts of the country, and northwards to Ethiopia and Sudan. They’re a diurnal and burrowing […]
Yellow-throated Plated Lizard — de Wets Wild
The vast majority of man eating is down to only two Croc species. The Saltwater Crocodile (from South East Asia and parts of Australia) and The Nile Crocodile (who is comfortable roaming pretty much all over Africa). Between the two of them, they are responsible for hundreds of fatal attacks on humans for the sole purpose of […]
The crocodile — E-knowledge hub
Bubo africanus The Spotted Eagle-owl is one of our most frequently encountered nocturnal birds, even in towns and cities where they can become quite confiding with humans (beware though that they will defend their nests ferociously!). They’re not very picky about their habitat and feed on an enormous variety of rodents and other small mammals, […]
Spotted Eagle-owl — de Wets Wild
The Guardian reports When Onon the common cuckoo took off from Mongolia last June no one expected him to make a 26,000km round trip to southern Africa When Onon took off above the rolling hills of the Khurkh valley in Mongolia last June, researchers had no idea if they would see him alive again. Along with one […]
Cloud cuckoo land? How one bird’s epic migration stunned scientists — Natural History Wanderings
Vanellus lugubris The Senegal Lapwing, also known as the Lesser Black-winged Plover, is a rather uncommon denizen of open savannas and woodlands with a covering of short grass, being especially fond of recently burned veld, and prone to localised migrations as soon as the grass cover grows too long for them to easily find the […]
Senegal Lapwing — de Wets Wild
Merops pusillus The Little Bee-eater is, at a weight of about 15g and length of around 16cm, the smallest of Africa’s bee-eaters and probably also in the world. Despite their small size they’re excellent at catching the bees, wasps and hornets that make up the bulk of their diet. Seldomly encountered far from water, Little […]
Little Bee-eater — de Wets Wild
Catopsilia florella The African Migrant is one of the most widespread butterflies occurring in South Africa and can be found in every corner of the country in an extensive variety of habitats, reaching their highest densities in savanna areas. Adults are on the wing throughout the year. This species is well known for its migrating […]
African Migrant — de Wets Wild
Pytilia melba The Green-winged Pytilia is a beautiful little finch occurring in all South Africa’s provinces with the exception of the Eastern and Western Cape. It has a wide, if patchy, distribution over much of sub-Saharan Africa and is listed as being of least concern by the IUCN, with its range reflecting the species’ preference […]
Green-winged Pytilia — de Wets Wild
Hypolimnas misippus The Common Diadem is a large butterfly with a wingspan of 6 to 8cm. The males are distinctive with a velvety black and blue sheen and striking white blotches to the top of their wings, while the females are excellent mimics of the notoriously foul-tasting African Monarch, which supposedly aids in evading predators. […]
Common Diadem — de Wets Wild
