News and Stories
A Family of Specialised Nest Parasites
A Family of Specialised Nest Parasites Most people are familiar with the nest parasitism – or brood parasitism – that is shown by our cuckoos, such as the Jacobin cuckoo and Diederik Cuckoos, where the birds lay their eggs in the nests of other bird species. These other species, the hosts, then feed and rear the young as if they were their own offspring. There are two other groups of birds in our area that are also brood-parasites, the family
Fruiting Ecology of the Jackalberry Tree
Fruiting Ecology of the Jackalberry Tree The Jackalberry Tree (Diospyros mespiliformis), also known as African ebony, is a common lowveld tree in South Africa, and an important fruit for fruit-eating birds in late winter. The tree occurs all around Africa, from Senegal to the Sudan, down into Namibia and northern South Africa as far as southern Eswatini. In South Africa, it is most common in the Limpopo and Mpumalanga lowveld. You often find it along river banks of seasonal rivers.
Secrets of the Marula Tree
Secrets of the Marula Tree There are few trees that are more iconic of the Lowveld than the marula tree (Sclerocarya birrea). It is a medium-sized, single-stemmed tree with a broad, spreading crown, reaching heights of 9 to 18 meters. It has a thick trunk with very distinctive bark, which transitions from smooth on young branches to flaky on older ones, and the trunk is usually covered in flaking patches of similar size. Once seen, the tree is unmistakable. Marula