African Oystercatchers on Robben Island
Hot off the press! A new paper, published in Wader Study and authored by Itxaso Quintana, Rio Button and Prof Les Underhill, describes a single-year study of th...
Category: Birds
Cape Sparrow (Passer melanurus)
Identification The Cape Sparrow is a small, boldly patterned bird which is sexually dimorphic; in other words, males and females look different to one another. ...
Eurasian Oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus)
The Eurasian Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus breeds in Europe and Asia. Most move south for the northern winter. Most remain in soutern Europe, some migrate...
Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)
The Little Egret Egretta garzetta belongs to a large family of birds called the Ardeidae, the herons, the egrets and the bitterns. The herons are, on average, l...
Birds on the coastline of the Western Cape
The focus here is on learning the really common birds which you can expect to see on the coastline in the Western Cape. These are the species you are most likel...
Refreshment dip into Yzerfontein during lockdown
“Starting in my home grid cell on 1 January 2021, I will upload records to the Virtual Museum of as many species as possible (and I will be especially careful n...
Biodiversity/Birding/BirdPix/Birds/Citizen Science/Industrial biodiversity/News/Site report/Virtual Museum
Industrial Biodiversity 2 : Black River in Paarden Eiland : novel ecosystem
This remarkable 200-m section of the Black River in Paarden Eiland is a novel ecosystem. There are many bird species breeding and feeding. It is a biodiversity ...
… and now for something a little bit different … BOPping birds … Birds with Odd Plumage
Since it started in March 2012, 450 records have been uploaded to the BOP section of the Virtual Museum. BOP stands for Birds with Odd Plumage. The BOP lo...
Alien opportunities: 10 bird species with feral populations in South Africa
Research opportunities on alien birds Although alien species are widely (and rightly) regarded as a “bad thing”, they offer special opportunities for research! ...
Calvinia BioBash: Citizen Science in the Hantam
The Hantam is the general area north of Calvinia in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. It’s an arid area, and poorly covered in biodiversity surveys. C...