It’s no great struggle to find birds in Cape Town. However, our eager birdwatchers out there may be wondering: why are there so many birds of prey in the suburbs? Well, there’s a reason for that, writes Joshua Kearney.
High-flying predators
Black Sparrowhawk eggs/Wikimedia Commons
A Yellow-Billed Kite in the Karoo/Wikimedia Commons
The Western Cape has a number of distinct species of birds of prey. These range from the striking Yellow-Billed Kite to the more camouflaged Verreaux’s Eagle. Such is their range that you can find them nearly anywhere in the state, though of course each species has its preferences.
Where many other forest birds have been increasingly put at risk by deforestation, South Africa’s aerial hunters are surprisingly unaffected. Many of them find themselves just as at home among the concrete jungle of modern society as they are within the boughs of trees.
Some of these birds are more exceptional than others in this regard.
Urban survival tactics
A Black Sparrowhawk after a successful hunt/Wikimedia Commons
An African Goshawk/Wikimedia Commons
Birds in general tend to survive habitat loss better than other animals do, as they are inherently geared for adapting between climates. This is not always true, but it is a noticeable trend even among non-migratory birds, who are typically more threatened by invasive species than a change in their surroundings.
The Cape Peninsula’s predatory birds are a particularly stand-out example of this. Human habitation mostly does not threaten them in the way that it does many other species. This is because humans usually do not go out of their way to hunt them and they rarely have reason to interact with humans in even the most cursory way; we are too big to eat, after all.
Black Sparrowhawks have especially been found to thrive in urban environments. Their nesting habits are already quite durable, variance in height does little to change their strategies, and food is actually less scarce within cities than without.
Put into practice
A Yellow-Bileld Kite at rest/Wikimedia Commons
A Cape Eagle-Owl in Pretoria zoo/Wikimedia Commons
If you’re staying in suburban Cape Town – Kenilworth, Wynberg, etc. – you are more than likely to have seen or heard at least a few of these birds. Plumstead in specific is home to at least one particularly large Yellow-Billed Kite, as well as a Cape Eagle-Owl, though the latter has proven rather shy of late.
Starlings and pigeons form one of the most abundant sources of food for many of these birds of prey. As common as both are within the Cape Peninsula, this is likely not terribly surprising to learn.
If you aren’t an experienced birdwatcher, but are still curious to perhaps see a suburban bird of prey, a common tell is to watch the other birds. When they suddenly fall quiet, or vanish to hide in trees and underbrush, this is a strong sign that someone is on the hunt above you.
Not all sunshine and rainbows
A Jackal Buzzard in Kgalagadi Tronsfrontier Park/Wikimedia Commons
A Tawny Eagle in Tal Chhapar Sanctuary in India/Wikimedia Commons
With all of that said, it’s still important to note that these birds are not the only ones to inhabit South Africa. A great many of them are not handling anthropogenic climate change as well as the Peregrine Falcon or the Black Sparrowhawk.
The Tawny Eagle, once a very common sight across sub-Saharan Africa and even further beyond, is steadily being pushed to the brink of extinction. Although still quite common and adaptable, the Jackal Buzzard is similarly struggling: it is the bird most often killed by wind turbines as well as disproportionately over-represented among those raptors hit by cars. Fully 10% of all raptors admitted to a Pietermaritzburg rehabilitation centre were Jackal Buzzards.
If you want to do your part in bird preservation, the easiest thing to do is simply to drive carefully and do your best to avoid hitting anything. It may surprise you how often this advice is useful. Failing that, you can always make donations, volunteer, or otherwise assist bird rescues – such as WWF Kirstenbosch, SANCCOB Cape Town, or the World of Birds Wildlife Sanctuary.
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