List of animals found on Mahlathini private game reserve.
Serval
Wild cat
Civet cat
Genet cat
Caracal
Zebra
Eland
Impala
Waterbuck
Kudu
Duiker
Nyala
Steenbok
Giraffe
Wildebeest
Buffalo
Baboon
Giant plated lizard
Rock and water monitors (Leguaans)
Tree agama
Squirrel
Dormice
Bush Baby
Aadvark
Porcupine
Wild Dog
Jackal
Honey Badger
Warthog
Rock dassie
White tailed mongoose
Banded mongoose
Slender mongoose
African rock python
Mozambique spitting cobra
Snouted cobra
Shield nose snake
Boomslang snake
Vine snake
Spotted bush snake
Whip snakes
Puff adder snake
Night adder
Egg eater snake
Mopani snake
Eastern Stiletto snake
Blind snakes
List of birds found on Mahlathini private game reserve.
8
62
63
71
74
76
78
81
84
86
88
89
90
91
95
99
102
115
121
123
125
131
132
135
140
142
143
146
148
154
159
161
163
169
188
189
196
199
200
203
230
237
249
258
264
266
279
297
298
303
347
349
352
354
355
356
358
361
363
366
373
374
375
377
380
381
382
385
386
391
392
396
397
398
401
402
405
409
411
421
424
426
428
431
432
433
435
438
441
443
Little Grebe
Grey Heron
Blackheaded Heron
Cattle Egret
Greenbacked Heron
Blackcrowned Night Heron
Little Bittern
Hamerkop
Black Stork
Woollynecked Stork
Saddlebilled Stork
Marabou Stork
Yellowbilled Stork
Hadeda Ibis
African Spoonbill
Whitefaced Duck
Egyptian Goose
Comb Duck
Hooded Vulture
Whitebacked Vulture
White-headed Vulture
Verreaux’s Eagle
Tawny Eagle
Wahlberg’s Eagle
Martial Eagle
Brown Snake Eagle
Black-breasted Snake Eagle
Bateleur
African Fish Eagle
Lizard Buzzard
Shikra
Gabar Goshawk
Dark Chanting Goshawk
African Harrier Hawk
Coqui Francolin
Crested Francolin
Natal Francolin
Swainson’s Spurfowl
Common Quail
Helmeted Guineafowl
Kori Bustard
Redcrested Korhaan
Threebanded Plover
Blacksmith Plover
Common Sandpiper
Wood Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
Spotted Thick-knee
Water Thick-knee
Bronzewinged Course
Doublebanded Sandgrouse
Speckled Pigeon
Red-eyed Dove
Cape Turtle Dove
Laughing Dove
Namaqua Dove
Emerald-spotted Wood-dove
African Green Pigeon
Brownheaded Parrot
Rose-ringed Parakeet
Grey Go-away Bird
Common Cuckoo
African Cuckoo
Redchested Cuckoo
Great Spotted Cuckoo
Levailant’s Cuckoo
Jacobin Cuckoo
Klaas’s Cuckoo
Diederik Cuckoo
Burchell’s Coucal
Barn Owl
African Scops-Owl
Southern Whitefaced Scops-Owl
Pearlspotted Owlet
Spotted Eagle Owl
Verreaux’s Eagle Owl
Fierynecked Nightjar
Square-tailed Nightjar
Common Swift
African Palm Swift
Speckled Mousebird
Redfaced Mousebird
Pied Kingfisher
Malachite Kingfisher
African Pygmy Kingfisher
Woodland Kingfisher
Brownhooded Kingfisher
European Bee-eater
Southern Carmine Bee-eater
Whitefronted Bee-eater
444
446
447
451
452
454
457
458
459
463
464
465
473
475
483
486
498
505
518
541
543
544
545
548
550
554
560
568
576
593
596
613
643
651
657
659
672
678
683
689
701
710
733
735
740
741
744
748
751
753
754
756
760
761
762
764
765
769
771
772
779
787
792
798
801
804
805
814
819
821
829
834
841
842
844
845
855
857
860
861
862
869
884
886
Little Bee-eater
European Roller
Lilacbreasted Roller
African Hoopoe
Green Woodhoopoe
Common Scimitarbill
Grey Hornbill
Redbilled Hornbill
Yellowbilled Hornbill
Southern Ground Hornbill
Blackcollared Barbet
Acacia Pied Barbet
Crested Barbet
Scalythroated Honeyguide
Goldentailed Woodpecker
Cardinal Woodpecker
Sabota Lark
Dusky Lark
Barn Swallow
Forktailed Drongo
Golden Eurasian Oriole
African Golden Oriole
Blackheaded Oriole
Pied Crow
White-necked Raven
Southern Black Tit
Arrowmarked Babbler
Blackeyed Bulbul
Kurrichane Thrush
Mocking Cliff-chat
African Stonechat
Whitebrowed Scrub-Robin
Willow Warbler
Longbilled Crombec
Green-backed Camaroptera
Stierling’s Wren-Warbler
Rattling Cisticola
Croaking Cisticola
Tawnyflanked Prinia
Spotted Flycatcher
Chinspot Batis
African Paradise Flycatcher
Redbacked Shrike
Magpie Shrike
Black-backed Puffback
Brubru
Blackcrowned Tchagra
Orange-breasted Bush-Shrike
Grey-headed Bush-Shrike
White-crested Helmet-Shrike
Retz’s Helmet-Shrike
Southern White-crowned Shrike
Wattled Starling
Violetbacked Starling
Burchells’s Starling
Cape Glossy Starling
Greater Blue-eared Starling
Redwinged Starling
Yellow-billed Oxpecker
Red-billed Oxpecker
Marico Sunbird
Whitebellied Sunbird
Amethyst Sunbird
Redbilled Buffalo Weaver
House Sparrow
Southern Greyheaded Sparrow
Yellowthroated Sparrow
Southern Masked Weaver
Redheaded Weaver
Redbilled Quelea
White-winged Widow
Greenwinged Pytilia
Jameson’s Firefinch
Redbilled Firefinch
Blue Waxbill
Voilet-eared Waxbill
Cutthroat Finch
Bronze Mannikin
Pintailed Whydah
Shafttailed Whydah
Longtailed Paradise Whydah
Yellow-fronted Canary
Goldenbreasted Bunting
Rock Bunting
List of frogs found on Mahlathini private game reserve
Mottled shovel-nosed frog
Rattling frog
Bubbling kassina
Ornate frog
Red toad
Sharp-nosed grass frog
Tremelo Sand frog
Southern Foam nest frog
African Bullfrog
Northern Pigmy Toad
Reed Frog
Eastern Olive Toad
Banded Rubber Frog
Brown backed tree Frog
Knocking Sand Frog
Bushveld Rain Frog
Broad banded Grass Frog
List of trees found on Mahlathini private game reserve
Tree Wisteria – Bolusanthus speciosus
Fast grower from seed , nice display of purple flowers.
Transvaal Gardenia – Gardenia volkensii
Attractive small tree, white to yellow flowers
Baobab – Adansonia digitata [introduced]
Slow growing, by the time it gets to fruiting we will be living on the moon.
Grewia Thicket.
Good for birds, which eat the berries and use the cover.
Sour Plum – Ximinea Species
Fruit eaten by birds and squirrels
Marula – Sclerocarya birrea
Fruit bearing, large tree. Fruit eaten by a large variety of animals
Spiny Monkey Orange – Strychnos spinosa
Edible fruit
Sjambok Pod / Long-Tail Cassia – Cassia abbriviata
Attractive small tree, striking yellow flowers, visited by various butterflies and other insects. Seeds are sought after by Brown-headed Parrots and Grey Louries
Fever Tree Acacia – Acacia xanthophloea [introduced]
Attractive, fast growing tree, used by weaver birds for nesting. Striking yellow-green trunk
Tamboti – Spirostachys africana
Attractive tree, upright, slow growing. Bark fed on by porcupine and black rhino
Impala Lily – Adenium obesum
Flowers attract butterflies and various insects
Flame Creeper / Flame Climbing Bushwillow – Combretum microphyllum [introduced]
Attractive creeper, striking sprays of brilliant red flowers
Aloes
Various lowveld aloes attract birds during flowering and seeding
Species Ficus
Any of the indigenous figs are easy to grow, make good shade trees, are fast growing and attract a host of wild birds and animals.
Common Fig – Ficus natalensis
Corkwood / Kanniedood/ Xifati – Comifora ingens ( various species)
Fruit is eaten by Yellow-billed Hornbills
Black Monkey Thorn – Acacia burkei
Shepherds Tree – Boscia angustifolia
Common Hook Thorn – Acacia Caffra
Knob Thorn Acacia – Acacia nigrescens
Striking feature is woody knobs on the trunk of the tree and branches. Leaves, flowers and pods eaten by kudu, elephant, giraffe, baboon, monkey.
Common White Thorn
Sickle- Bush – Dichrostachys cinerea
The pink-yellow flowers resembles Chinese lanterns. Their tightly coiled pods are very distinctive and are eatn by a wide variety of animals, such as rhino, monkey, giraffe, buffalo.
African Weeping-wattle – Peltophorum africanum
The tree has striking, dull green, large, Acacia-like, soft, feathery leaves and has no thorns. Abundant yellow flowers amongst the leaves in summer. The tree is often infested with the spittle bug, which secretions drip down, causing it to “rain” under the tree.
Magic Guarri – Euclea divinorum
Evergreen. Fruit is eaten by birds such as hornbills.
Bushveld Albizia -Albizia harveyi
Bridelia Mollis
Buffalo-Thorn – Ziziphus mucronata
The fruit and leaves are eaten by a large variety of animals such as rhino, impala, nyala, kudu and giraffe. Butterflies breed in the trees.
Silver Cluster-Leaf – Terminalea sericea
The young leaves have silver hairs, giving the tree a characteristic silver shine. A wide variety of animals feed on the leaves and branches.
Mopani pomergranate – Rhizygom Zambeziacum
An explosion of pleasant smelling yellow flowers in spring.
Red Bushwillow – Combretum apiculatum
The medium-sized, russet, four-winged pods are visible most of the year.The fruit is eaten by Brown-headed Parrots. Young and fallen leaves are eaten regularly by a variety of animals.
Mopani – Colophospermum mopane
The butterfly-shaped leaves are characteristic. The leaves are eaten by elephant.
Other indigenous plants to grow in your garden
Sausage Tree – Kigelia africana
Fast growing, good shade, beautiful red flowers. Attracts birds and bats.
Natal Mahogany – Trichilia emetica
Fast grower, good shade, attracts birds. Seed are eaten by squirrels, birds, porcupine, duiker.
Forest Natal Mahogany – Trichilia dregeana
Similar to Natal mahogany, good shade tree.
Dog Plum – Ekebergia capensis
Good shade, fruit edible fast growing.
Kooboo Berry – Cassine aethiopica
Edible fruit
Common Coral Tree – Erythrina lysistemon
Flowers striking red, utilized by sunbirds.
Scented-Pod Thorn Acacia – Acacia nilotica
Attractive smallish acacia, nice fragrance.
Num Num – Carissa bispinosa
Edible fruit. Attracts birds and squirrels.
Jackal-Berry – Diospyros mespiliformis
Slow growing large tree, fruit attracts numerous animals and birds.
Wild Plum – Hyperphylum
Fruit edible, good shade and brings in birds.
Kudu Lily
White flowers, attractive garden plant.