The Peregrine Falcon occurs on all continents except Antarctica. This wide distribution has resulted in it being well studied, and renowned for its incredible high-speed stoops that have been measured to exceed 240 km per hour....

The Hadeda’s raucous call is unmistakeable.  Loud, harsh and usually catching you by surprise.  Hadedas were not indigenous to strandveld or renosterveld of the South Western Cape.  Man-made changes in the form of cultivated...

Raptors, or birds of prey, always have some appeal to us because of their aerial antics and regal stance.  The Black Sparrowhawk is one of the stealthy hunters and has moved into the Western Cape over the past 20 years.  The...

Myths and superstition have been the lot of these nocturnal hunters.  Owls have adapted to feeding at night as they have developed acute hearing and their flight feathers are designed to support silent flight for stealthy swoops...

“Perky” best describes the cheerful Cape Robin-Chat. The orange breast and grey belly are offset by the white eyebrow and the striking black band across the face that resembles a highwayman’s mask. This species is widespread...

The Common Fiscal, or Fiscal Shrike, is boldly marked with pitch black above and crisp white below.  The white bar in the wings extends all the way up to the “shoulder” and, when perched, forms a distinct “V” pattern on the...

Birdlife South Africa has elected the Barn Swallow as the “bird of the year” to create awareness about migratory birds in general, wetland conservation and global climate change. Barn Swallows (Europese Swaeltjies) are one of...

The Bokmakierie, as opposed to his secretive cousins in the bush-shrike clan, calls from an elevated perch, giving the impression that they are plentiful. The far carrying call, which can be clearly heard all around the...

Tygerberg Nature Reserve conserves one of Cape Town’s most threatened types of vegetation, namely Swartland Shale Renosterveld. Some bird species are habitat specialist and are mainly restricted certain vegetation types....

The Jackal Buzzard, which is displayed on our logo, is endemic to southern Africa. It is the largest raptor that is resident on the Tygerberg Hills. It is not a secretive bird and can often be seen gliding on the thermals or...