Willem is a wildlife artist based in South Africa. He says "My aim is simply to express the beauty and wonder that is in Nature, and to heighten people's appreciation of plants, animals and the wilderness. Not everything I paint is African! Though I've never been there, I'm also fascinated by Asia and I've done paintings of Asian rhinos and birds as well. I may in future do some of European, Australian and American species too. I'm fascinated by wild things from all over the world! I mainly paint in watercolours. . . but actually many media including 'digital' paintings with the computer!"

Today I have a charming little birdie for you! It's a Cape Bunting, Emberiza capensis. The genus name comes from the Old German name for bunting, 'Embritz'. In Afrikaans, we call it a 'Rooivlerkstreepkoppie' ('red-winged streaky-head). I remember the first time I noted seeing this species. It was at my cousin Marina's wedding, in the eastern Free State, in the late eighties. There was a lovely hill close to the wedding venue; I wasn't much into social events at the time, so after the ceremony as the others were hobnobbing, I went to explore the hill instead. I found a wonderful set of avian residents there, to which a fine little Cape Bunting belonged. Fond memories! My cousin Marina now lives in Australia, and I wonder if she misses the Free State and all its birds.

Cape Buntings are found over most of South Africa, and a bit further to the north, into southern Angola and Tanzania. It was first scientifically collected at the Cape of Good Hope (hence the name) in the eighteenth century. It's about the size of a sparrow, and easily identified by its grey-brown coloration with bright chestnut wings, and bold black-and-white head stripes. Males and females look alike. It's one of four bunting species occurring in South Africa. Amazingly, all four of these species can be seen around my home town of Polokwane, and I even once saw three bunting species (including the Cape) in the same place – Rheebokvlei in the Wolkberg Mountains.

In Limpopo Province, and further to the north, Cape Buntings are mostly birds of mountains and hills. They occur on the highest, bleakest mountains, such as found in Kwazulu-Natal, Lesotho, and yes, the eastern Free State. They like jumbled, broken terrain with boulders and scrubby growth, but also occur on flat, sandy or rocky soils with short grass and shrubs. They're commonly found in the semi-desert areas of the Karoo and Namibia, and also the shrubby Fynbos of the southwestern Cape. They're not hard to see where they occur, and can become tame at camp- and picnic sites. They typically occur alone, in pairs, or small family groups.

This is largely a ground-living bird, walking or hopping around and picking up seeds with its strong, stubby bill. It will also consume small invertebrates like grasshoppers and spiders, if it finds them. If alarmed, the bird will fly up onto a rock or low bush. The male chooses such a perch as well in the breeding season, from where he sings his bright, chirpy song. The birds otherwise have a more nasal contact call, by which they can be easily identified. In spring and summer, they make their nests, usually low above the ground in a dense and thorny bush. The nest is cup-shaped and the parents line it with grasses and animal hairs, especially the tail hairs of horses and cattle. The two to four eggs are camouflaged with brown to purplish blotches.

The buntings of the world as currently classified have a family and genus to themselves, and there are about forty-five recognized species, most in Europe and Asia, but with a significant African contingent. Most African buntings look rather similar to each other, but can be told apart by details of the plumage. The bunting family used to be much bigger, but a large number of species have been granted families of their own, namely the Calcariidae (Longspurs and Snow Buntings) and the Passerellidae (New World Sparrows). Sadly there is one known bunting species that became extinct recently, namely the Long-legged Bunting of the Canary Islands. This was one of only a handful of songbirds that became flightless, all of which are now extinct. Long-legged buntings were driven to extinction when humans colonized their island, destroying the vegetation and introducing mammals like rats which fed on these defenceless buntings and their eggs. Fortunately, Cape Buntings are still widespread, adaptable and common.

Willem

05.06.23 Front Page

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