South Africa Bird Guide
Bird Behaviour and Birding Facts
The South Africa Bird Guide offers a wide range of bird behaviour and birding facts that will interest even the most reluctant student. The actions of a bird in response to environmental situations with differ from species to species, but gives insight into the lives of nature's high-flyers.
From bird monogamy, to feeding, interactions with other birds, catching parasites and decoding why birds sing, the Bird Guide is designed to answers all questions regarding the behavourial patterns of South Africa's birds.
Southern Africa has one of the most diverse ranges of bird species in the world. The different climates, vegetation types, and habitat reflect greatly on the more than 900 species of birds in Southern Africa....
moreAs important as a well maintained aircraft is to a pilot, so too are well cared for feathers to a bird...
moreBirds have to catch food and feed their chicks directly as they have no internal source of nourishment like the mammary glands of mammals....
moreWhen a bird wishes to vocalize, it contracts its lungs sending a jet of air through the syrinx and by vibrating the fleshy membranes it controls the pitch and tone of the sound....
moreAlthough the red winged starling, Onychognathus morio, is found mainly in mountainous areas, where its mellow, whistling call is everywhere, it happily roosts and breeds in cities...
moreBecause eating seeds are much like eating dry biscuits without any milk, doves are very water dependent and can be found in droves at waterholes early morning and late afternoon....
moreOne of the criteria that help ornithologists divide the bird kingdom into different groups is the condition of their young when they hatch. Chicks will either be altricial or precocial at birth....
moreBrood parasites are birds that make use of host parents to brood and rear their young. They do not build nests of their own nor do they play any parental role in raising their offspring....
moreBirds of different species of birds, frequently associate in mixed feeding parties and are found together in what is known as a ‘bird party’....
moreIn order to survive in the animal kingdom, an individual must find enough food to sustain itself while avoiding danger in the form of predators....
moreCo-operative breeding is a system employed by many species of birds, and a few mammals, which has developed over evolutionary periods of time because these species breed more successfully...
moreBirds have feathers to enable them to fly, another feature virtually unique to them amongst warm-blooded creatures (except bats)....
moreSymbiosis refers to a protracted relationship between two species, where one of the species may either benefit from the association, be negatively affected or not affected in any way....
moreSouth Africa is a dry country; its rivers are often stretches of sand rather than of flowing water....
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