Page 28 - Intra Muros October 2021
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ESTATE BIRDING



                                                                             Cape Rockjumper 2021 - Photo by Trevor Hardaker



































                        BIRD OF THE YEAR 2021


                              CAPE ROCKJUMPER



                                                      By Albert Roos

         Each year BirdLlife South Africa chooses a species as the ‘Bird of the Year’. This year the Cape Rockjumper
          was selected as Bird of the Year for 2021. BirdLife South Africa is partnering with Rockjumper Worldwide
                                   Birding Adventures to raise awareness of this species.


        Where can you find them?                                   Southern Ground Hornbill 2020
        The Cape Rockjumper is a species endemic to the mountain fynbos region of
        South Africa. These birds are medium-sized passerine birds with black and
        orange coloration. Their name is rather appropriate, as they are often seen
        running and jumping across rocks and grassland... and they rarely fly.

        What is their status?
        Regrettably, they face multiple threats. Habitat loss and climate change are
        of  greatest  concern.  The  International  Union  for  Conservation  of  Nature
        (IUCN) has classified the Cape Rockjumper as ‘Near Threatened’.
        What is the purpose of the Bird of the Year?
        As per BirdLife South Africa’s website: “The Bird of the Year initiative aims
        to  raise  the  profile  and  gain  an  understanding  of  the  Cape  Rockjumper,
        and thus ultimately contribute to its conservation efforts. This year we are
        collaborating  with  Caitlin  Judge  to  bring  you  free  educational  resources
        about our 2021 Bird of the Year. She is producing a mixture of infographics,
        fact  files,  lesson  plans  and  other  educational  tools  throughout  the  year;
        which  will  be  available  on  our  social  media  platforms  and  this  webpage.
        We are also very pleased that Kathleen April and Stephan Terblanche will
        be translating the material into isiXhosa and Afrikaans and, therefore, the
        resources will be accessible to a wider audience.”


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