By far one of South Africa's most beautiful yet interesting endemic birds is the Cape Rockjumper.
The Cape Rockjumper which is similar to the Drakensberg Rockjumper share their own family endemic to South Africa! The Drakensberg Rockjumper is found more north-east and prefers a habitat with a similar structure in the highlands of Lesotho and adjacent areas including a small population in the northern Eastern Cape.
Cape Rockjumpers are native to only mountainous, sandy, restio-like fynbos areas across the Cape. Locating one of these birds will require long amounts of hiking due to their love for higher areas. Although against the southern coast of the Western Cape lies a town called Rooi-els where the birds can be appreciated without much physical effort.
Identifying the Cape Rockjumper is not difficult due to its very distinct features. The males have a dark brown chest downards which is one of the key ways to distinguish it. Females are more duller and has more of a rufous plumage. On side of the throat, there's two white stripes on the contrasting black plumage which cover the rest of the bird's throat and face. It aslo has a dark-red iris which adds to the contrast. They have a grey-ish cap which is more noticeable in the males. The feathers on the back of the bird have a similar black and grey pattern as the cap. The base of the tail has the same colour as the chest. The rest of the tail is black with white edges on the outer tail feathers which is more noticeable in flight. The bird generally measures between 23 and 25 centimeters tall.
Insects and small reptiles form most of the Cape Rockjumper's diet as they can eat grasshoppers, caterpillars and even geckos. It will not take anything much bigger than a lizard or gecko but that in itself is quite big for a bird of this size. The bird normally pecks out its prey in the sandy soils but often holds it for a while before consuming it (this creates great photographic opportunities).
In terms of nesting, the Cape Rockjumper is a Monogamous breeder but makes use of groups of more than 3 in most cases to help out. This is referred to as Cooperative breeding. Everyone contributes to the building of the nest which compromises an untidy bowl made out of rootlets, grass, restios and other items. Most Cape Rockjumpers build their nest on the ground at a base of a large rock which is semi-hidden by vegetation. Two plain white eggs are laid by the female at a time and both the male and female will incubate the eggs for 19-21 days. They will generally lay their eggs between the months of September and October when you will also find that they are most active. The Cape Rockjumper is without a doubt one of our most magnificent endemic birds but is staring at various threats including climate change and encroaching alien vegetation on its sensitive habitat. Birdlife South Africa is doing a great job by implementing conservation measures for the species and was Birdlife South Africa's Bird of the Year for 2021.
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Written by Levi Bass
Designed by Ruven Schoeman
Where is Rooi-els