Chirping with Kloof Conservancy – Mountain Wagtail
Find out more about this feathered Highway local below.
Kloof Conservancy
THIS is one of the most endearing species in our area as they will ‘guide’ visitors along ‘their’ section of river, often with their young in tow. The term ‘mountain’ in the name is a bit misleading as this species in South Africa is found along the eastern coastline and parts of Mpumalanga, which is not mountainous. It does, however, like hilly, forested areas with good quality streams.
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This is an elegant, small and unmistakable bird as it never stops wagging its tail. It is about the size of a weaver bird but is slender with long legs. It has bluish-grey upperparts while its chest and below is white with a narrow black breast band. The wings are predominantly black with white bars. Males and females are identical in appearance.
It could be mistaken for the very similar Cape Wagtail and the African Pied Wagtail, both of which occur in our area. These two species will not be found in the same habitat as the Mountain Wagtail.
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They are found across Africa but in isolated patches, mainly in Afromontane regions. In South Africa, they are found in a narrow band along the east coast through eSwatini and into parts of Mpumalanga outside of the Kruger National Park. Their area in KwaZulu-Natal does extend into some parts of the Drakensberg.
They are found almost exclusively in hilly, forested areas along small streams with clear running water. They enjoy streams that have small waterfalls and flat rocky areas where they can walk and hunt for food in shallow, slow moving water.
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This species feeds almost exclusively on small fish, shrimp, tadpoles, crabs and insects that live in freshwater streams.
Mountain Wagtails are monogamous and mate for life. The nests are built by the male and the female and are made from plant stalks and other fibrous material. The nests are usually placed in the stream bank or on boulders, but always close to running water. The female lays up to four eggs in the period from August to May. Incubation takes 13to 14 days and both parents feed the chicks.
They are listed as least concern by the IUCN. The biggest threat to them in our area is from poor-quality water. Incidents of sewerage pollution from pump failures in the Hillcrest area, or seepage from soak-away septic tanks in Kloof, often result in contamination of our small streams and creates very poor-quality water. This severely impacts this species.
Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting
