Living in Water:

Wetland Birds

Numerous birds live in or near wetlands, where they feed, breed and nest. Some wetland birds live here permanently while others migrate each year, some between Europe or Asia and South Africa.

This section introduces a few common wetland birds. For more information and to observe these birds in their habitats, contact Rondevlei, Rietvlei or Zandvlei Nature Reserves or Edith Stephens Wetland Park, which offer school field trips.

• The Egyptian Goose is a large brown and grey duck with pink legs and a dark brown patch around the eyes and on the chest.

• Its numbers have increased greatly in parts of the City where the habitat is suitable. It is now one of the commonest water birds in Cape Town.

• Egyptian Geese are grazers, so they feed on lawns and sport fields. They sometimes nest or roost in trees and the many alien trees introduced to Cape Town provide them with sites.

• Like other ducks, these birds are adapted to life on the water: they have webbed feet for swimming and water-resistant feathers, which they preen to keep waterproof. They are found along rivers, on dams and estuaries and even on beaches.

Wetland Birds: Egyptian Goose, Kolgans, Ilowe (Alopochen aegyptiacus)

• When they are not breeding, Egyptian Geese live in large flocks. When breeding season starts, they form pairs that become very territorial. They often sit on a high place (e.g. a tree or the roof of a building) overlooking their territory and cackle, hiss and honk loudly, especially when other geese come close. They will fight other geese that try to enter their territory and even kill their goslings.

• Egyptian Geese have very few predators in the City. They may lay up to a dozen eggs and both parents care for the goslings until they are adults. As a result, their population has grown rapidly.

• Some people think this indigenous duck is a pest. It causes damage to grain crops in farming areas and is very noisy and messy in suburbs where it occurs in large numbers (e.g. Marina da Gama).

• The Grey Heron is a large grey bird with a long, straight yellow beak and long brown legs. It stands about a metre tall.

• It is carnivorous and wades in shallow water hunting fish, frogs, crabs, ducklings and other small animals. It can stand very still for a long time waiting for its prey.

• Herons usually hunt on their own but they roost in a large, noisy group called a heronry on islands or in trees. This provides them with protection from predators.

• They usually nest with other herons in trees or reed beds. They build a large nest of sticks and raise two or three chicks. Both parents care for the chicks until they are able to fly.

• The Pied Kingfisher is a medium-sized black and white bird with a large, straight black beak and small feet for perching.

• It is the commonest kingfisher in Cape Town. It is found along rivers, wetlands and even on the coast.

• As its name implies, this kingfisher feeds on small fish; it will also eat crabs and insects. It hunts by sitting on a perch over the water or hovering above the water. When it sees a fish, it dives straight down and grabs the fish in its strong beak. It brings it back to its perch and beats it to death before swallowing it.

• Kingfishers nest in holes in the banks of rivers and wetlands. Both parents care for the young until they are fully grown and able to catch their own prey.

• The Red-knobbed Coot is a black water bird about the size of a chicken, with a white shield in front of the face, a sharp grey-white beak and two fleshy red knobs on top of its head.

• It feeds mainly on water weeds, which it dives for and cuts with its sharp beak. It spends most of its time on the water and has lobed toes that enable it to swim and to walk on the muddy banks of wetlands.

• When not breeding, coots can form huge flocks of more than 1000 birds. But, like the Egyptian Goose, breeding pairs are very territorial. They will chase and attack other coots and ducks that enter their territory

• A pair of coots builds an untidy nest of water weed on the water, which is safe from land-based predators. The chicks can swim as soon as the eggs hatch, and the parents care for them until they are fully grown.

Click the links to find out more about how plants and animals live in water.