Bluegill sunfish

Lepomis macrochirus

The bluegill sunfish reaches up to 35cm in length and 1kg in weight, with a compressed ovoid body shape. Body colouration iridescent greeny-blue with vague vertical bands along the body. Jaw and gills blue, breeding males develop an orange chest. Large eyes with a small upturned mouth. Native to eastern and central North America. Preys on insects, small invertebrates as well as small fish and frogs.


Common peacock

Pavo cristatus

The common peacock male is large in size, with head plumes, blue body and massive tail, while the female has a whitish face, green neck, mottled upper breast and white lower breast and belly. They come from Asia (Pakistan, India, and Sri Lanka), and naturalised populations are distributed in some parts of South Africa (mainly in the Western and Eastern Cape Provinces).


House Crow

Corvus splendens

The house crow is the smallest of the crow (Corvus) species to be found in South Africa. Making its way down the east coast of Africa, the house crow has established breeding colonies in the KwaZulu-Natal (Durban and Richards Bay), Eastern Cape (East London) and the Western Cape (Cape Town) It has a black body with glossy bluish-black wings and a paler grey nape. The facial region is dark black with small black eyes and a large black bill. It destroys vegetable gardens, and preys on eggs - the nestlings of South African indigenous birds.


Mallard

Anas platyrhynchos

Mallard are becoming a common sight around many dams and waterbodies in Gauteng and the Cape. Mallard reach a body length up to 58cm. The male has a glossy green head and a white neck collar, as well as a bright yellow bill and chestnut-brown breast. The female is mottled brown with an orange or black bill. Mallards are detrimental to our indigenous water birds as they are capable of interbreeding with the yellow-billed duck (Anas undulata).


Common myna

Acridotheres tristis

A medium-sized chocolate-brown bird, with a yellow beak, eye patch, feet and legs. The head, throat and tail are black, with the tail having white tips and white undertail feathers. The large white patches in the wings are noticeably visible when the bird is in flight. Native to India, central and southern Asia. These birds compete for the same resources as indigenous species.