Rockjumpers

[Dindingwe]

Rockjumpers

The rockjumpers are medium-sized insectivorous or omnivorous birds in the genus Chaetops, which constitutes the entire family Chaetopidae. The two species, the Cape rockjumper, Chaetops frenatus, and the Drakensberg rockjumper, Chaetops aurantius, are endemic residents of southern Africa. The Cape rockjumper is a resident of the West Cape and south-west East Cape, and the orange-breasted (or Drakensberg) rockjumper is distributed in the Lesotho Highlands and areas surrounding them in South Africa. The two rockjumpers have been treated as separate species but differ in size and plumage. The ranges do not overlap, but come close to doing so.


Description
These are small birds with mostly black, white, and red plumage. Both species have long, white tipped black tails, black throats, broad white submoustachial lines and eyebrows, rufous or orange bellies and rumps, and grey and black patterned backs and wings. Females have similar pattern to males, but duller. The iris is red and the bills and legs are black. Their wings are very small and they do not fly very often. They spend most of their lives running and jumping among rocks and grasses while hunting insects.


Diet and feeding
The rockjumpers feed in groups, foraging on the ground. The groups can number up to 6 birds (for Cape) and 12 birds (for Drakensberg), but the groups may also spread out quite widely during feeding. Insects are the major part of the diet, although small vertebrates are reported to be taken by Cape rockjumpers. A range of insects are taken, including caterpillars, moths, grasshoppers, beetles and flies. In addition to insects other prey include lizards and geckos, amphibians, scorpions, annelid worms and spiders.


Breeding
They are monogamous and pairs establish territories which are defended year round. In the Cape rockjumper the territories vary in size from 4–11 ha (10–27 acres). Both species employ helpers, usually the young of previous broods, to aid the breeding pair in raising the young.[6] Nests are built out of grass on the ground (in contrast to rockfowl, which build mud nests in colonies). The clutch size is two eggs for the Cape and two to three eggs for the Drakensberg. Both sexes incubate the clutch for 19–21 days. Chicks fledge at 19–21 days, although they are fed by the parents and helpers for up to 4 weeks following fledge.

[Dindingwe]

Cape Rockjumper (Chaetops frenatus), taken at Rooi Els.

[Klipspringer]

Dr Krista Oswald - Bird Of The Year 2021: Cape Rockjumper





Join Krista as she brings you into the wild world of South Africa’s fynbos sky islands, and gives an overview of some of her MSc and PhD research into the endemic Cape Rockjumper. Krista will also provide evidence on what makes the Cape Rockjumper (in her unbiased opinion) the best bird in the world.
Cape Rockjumpers – one of South Africa’s most charismatic endemics – are suffering population declines that are heavily correlated with habitat warming within their current range. They are restricted in their distribution to the mountain slopes of the Western and Eastern Cape provinces: the “sky islands” of south-west South Africa. From 2015 through 2019 Krista spent time studying these fantastic birds to try and find the mechanism for this decline. With a lot of help, she examined Cape Rockjumper physiology, behaviour, breeding success, nest predation, and genetics. Krista's webinar will focus mainly on a few experiences encountered throughout the fynbos mountains while trying to ring and take blood samples from Cape Rockjumpers across their range (including how Anysberg defeated her) and even a few from visiting some of their Drakensberg cousins. Krista will bring it closer to her South African home, and tell you about some of the more endearing experiences she had nest-searching and monitoring their breeding at Blue Hill Nature Reserve. Come along for a video and photographic tour of the Cape Rockjumper and its home, the beautiful and unique fynbos.

These are all links to Cape Rockjumper nest videos:








Predation on Cape Rockjumper nests:

[Richprins]

[Lisbeth]

Nesting on the ground is not such a great idea

[Peter Betts]

A huge percentage of S African Birds nest on the Ground

[Lisbeth]

Yes, and get eaten. It is not only in SA, also elsewhere. Nature's ways.

[Peter Betts]

Yes, and get eaten. It is not only in SA, also elsewhere. Nature's ways.

Snakes and Eagles etc eat Nesting Birds in Tree Nests