Creating stepping stones for sunbirds
Have you ever watched the birds in your garden and wondered what they eat and how far they have flown to get there? In cities, where habitat is being lost, many birds that rely on pollen are having to travel further in order to find food. This journey not only puts them at risk, but also the plants that they pollinate. An organisation working in the Cape Flats is looking to address this threat, by creating stepping stones for birds.
PHOTOS BY: CEINWEN SMITH, JOEL SIMONS & ANTON PAUW
Male Orange-breasted sunbird feeding on Erica coccinea – Photo Anton Pauw.
Birds play a vital role in the ecosystem and their presence, diversity and distribution is a good indicator of plant diversity and overall ecosystem health. By feeding on insects, some birds are effective at controlling pests. Others feed on fruit, and thereby disperse the seeds and assist in the spread of plant species across the landscape.
Nectar-feeding bird species, or nectarivores, seek out the sweet nectar of flowers. While they visit flowers to sip nectar, nectarivores collect pollen on their beaks and feathers, which is then carried to the next flower, thus pollinating these plant species.
In the highly diverse Cape Floristic Region of South Africa, sunbirds and sugarbirds are key pollinators of around 400 species of fynbos. These birds, with their long tails, iridescent colours and long decurved beaks, lack a sense of smell. Instead, they rely on sight to find food and are attracted to flowers with bright colours (red, orange, yellow and pink) and a tubular shape. Unlike their nectar-feeding cousins in other parts of the world (such as hummingbirds), sunbirds and sugarbirds tend to perch rather than hover while feeding, and thus prefer flowers which have strong, upright stems to support the bird’s weight.
Generalists vs specialists
Some sunbird species are generalists, like the southern double-collared sunbird, which feeds on a wide range of species but may also be the primary pollinator for specific species. For example, the firecracker vine or ‘bokhoring’ in Afrikaans (Microloma sagittatum) with its pinky red, urn-shape flowers, has evolved a very close plant-pollinator relationship with this sunbird. While the sunbird feeds on the nectar by piercing the top of the flower, the pollen sacs, which have tiny hooks on them, attach to the bird’s tongue and are carried to the next flower inside the bird’s beak.
The orange-breasted sunbird, on the other hand, is a specialist which feeds primarily on Erica species. They are therefore largely found on mountain slopes where these plants are abundant. The Cape sugarbird and the larger sunbird species, such as the malachite sunbird, require high quantities of nectar. They prefer the large flowers of the Protea family, as well as strong–stemmed species with long, tubular flowers, such as Watsonia and Chasmanthe species found across the mountainous fynbos vegetation. These birds tend to display strong territorial behaviour and may fiercely defend their feeding area during the winter breeding season.
Male orange-breasted sunbird feeding on Erica coccinea. Photo by Anton Pauw
Malachite sunbird feeding on Chasmanthe aethiopica. Photo by Anton Pauw
The impact of urbanisation
In Cape Town, where high biodiversity intersects with rapidly increasing urban development, habitat loss and fragmentation is a growing issue, particularly on the Cape Flats. The remaining fragments of threatened lowland fynbos vegetation, some of which are protected as nature reserves, are disconnected from each other and isolated from the surrounding mountain ranges. This not only poses a risk to the survival of the plant populations, but also impacts the movement and distribution of their pollinators.
Much of the research carried out on the impact of urbanisation on nectarivorous birds has focused on hummingbird species in the Americas. Now, however, South Africa is catching up, thanks to a few dedicated researchers and organisations, such as Ingcungcu Sunbird Restoration (Ingcungcu).
Early research carried out by Prof Anton Pauw and Prof Sjirk Geerts has shown that these iconic birds are reluctant to cross urban areas to find food. With fewer birds visiting isolated fragments of fynbos, pollination rates in these plant populations are reduced, thus decreasing plant reproduction and ultimately impacting on the survival of the species. This is a critical risk for lowland fynbos populations on the Cape Flats, where less than 10 percent of the original natural habitat remains. In response to this threat, the vision of creating a sunbird stepping-stone corridor across the city was born.
A project fit for royalty
Ingcungcu was first initiated in 2013 as a research project carried out by former BOT SOC Chair, Bongani Mnisi and supervised by Pauw and Geerts. The project sought to connect plants, birds and people by planting nectar-rich gardens at schools to create a stepping-stone corridor across the city. Ingcungcu is an isiXhosa word meaning ‘long-billed bird’, and is also used to refer to royalty, a fitting reference to these beautiful, iridescent birds of the Cape Floral Kingdom.
“We aim to heal the relationship between plants, birds and people by creating a stepping–stone corridor for nectar–feeding birds across the city.” – Ceinwen Smith
Crestway High School garden. Photo by Ceinwen Smith
Today, Ingcungcu Sunbird Restoration is an established public benefit organisation (PBO) with the very same vision: to create a sunbird corridor that links the Table Mountain National Park with the Boland Mountains via a series of stepping-stone gardens extending from Muizenberg to Stellenbosch across the densely urbanised Cape Flats. This stepping-stone corridor is especially important when wildfires temporarily decimate the mountain vegetation, forcing the birds to leave in search of nectar.
We are creating the sunbird corridor by planting carefully selected nectar-rich and locally sourced fynbos plants in gardens on strategically located school grounds and community spaces. The gardens don’t merely act as ‘filling stations’ for sunbirds; they are also learning places for people.
School gardens currently provide links between protected areas such as the Table Mountain National Park, Zandvlei Nature Reserve and Rondevlei Nature Reserve. During school field trips, learners are taken to local nature reserves, where they can observe birds and plants in their natural habitat. These excursions show learners how their school gardens provide food for nectar-feeding birds as they move between these natural habitats. And through inter-school collaborations and community action days, we work beyond the boundaries of the school, to build connections between schools and community members. The aim? To foster a deeper connection with nature and inspire environmental custodianship across the community.
Fostering curiosity and custodianship
In 2022, Ingcungcu established the School Eco Club programme, which currently operates in six schools in Retreat and Lavender Hill. The programme provides environmental education to 130 learners between grade 5 and matric to encourage them to engage with curiosity and care in their natural environments. They join regular workshops, both in the school gardens and the classroom, and field trips to local nature reserves, wetlands, botanical gardens and other often-inaccessible natural spaces in the city.
Learners actively participate in habitat rehabilitation by creating nectar-rich indigenous school gardens. Their involvement spans every stage of the process, including design, planning, structural layout, site preparation, planting and ongoing maintenance. This approach aims to nurture a connection between students and their gardens: through hard work and care, they come to recognise their individual and collective agency as social and environmental changemakers.
Crestway High School learners preparing garden beds. Photo by Ceinwen Smith
The School Eco Club programme has therefore adopted a youth-led approach to rehabilitation. By applying a socio-ecological approach, Ingcungcu aims to enhance Cape Town’s urban biodiversity while increasing access to nature for urban communities, fostering custodianship for both existing and rehabilitated natural environments in our urban landscapes.
Working in public schools presents unique challenges for any school-based programme, demanding a flexible and adaptive approach. Some school grounds are stripped of all greenery. And there are some neighbourhoods where accessible, safe environments are hard to come by. In these areas, it becomes particularly difficult to implement outdoor education.
From birdwatching to photography
For this reason, Ingcungcu’s school gardens become crucial sites of learning and engagement, offering accessible and tranquil green spaces to learners, teachers and community members alike. Likewise, the indoor classroom activities strive to foster an environment of care and support through both group and one-on-one engagements. This approach addresses the daily challenges of overcrowded classrooms, where learners often miss out on this vital aspect of education and personal development.
“Eco Club is the only place I get to be without caring about anyone’s opinion” – Atupele, Crestway, Eco Club learner
A core focus of the programme is to support learners’ academic growth by enhancing the essential skills necessary for success within the CAPS curriculum. Equally important is the introduction of new skills and opportunities – skills that are rarely found within a traditional school day. These skills, which span our three themes (plants, birds and people), include birdwatching, landscape architecture, photography and rehabilitation practices.
We still need to fully understand what draws students to the Ingcungcu’s School Eco Club programme. However, early observations and feedback suggest students are looking for educational stimulation (beyond that which school provides), social belonging and self-expression. Notably, 80% of participants are young women, highlighting the importance of offering extracurricular programmes that include all gender identities. And even though the programme is voluntary, enrolled learners show consistent interest and engagement. This suggests there is a need for more after-school programmes of this nature in public schools.
Floreat Primary School learners birdwatching at Bokbaai. Photo by Joel Simons
Partnering to extend this corridor
Ingcungcu’s footprint on the ground may be small, but our roots run deep in the schools and communities we have been working in for more than 10 years. As a small organisation with a big dream, our strength is in building partnerships. We believe that through the collective action and support of our schools, communities and partners who share our mission, we can extend the stepping-stone corridor across the Cape Flats.
Over the past two years, we have expanded our team and deepened our impact by consistently engaging with a handful of schools in Retreat and Lavender Hill. This has created a strong school-community network which forms a stepping-stone node within the sunbird corridor. To expand the corridor and broaden our reach, we are looking to grow our network of partners and collaborators, working together to establish the next strategic stepping-stone node along the corridor.
Are you passionate about birds? Or involved in landscape design, horticulture or rehabilitation practices? Are you connected to existing community projects or after-school programmes? If yes, we would love to hear from you. Whether you are part of a community group, local business, organisation or are a passionate individual, please get in touch and follow us on social media to join our mission and support our vision.
Ceinwen Smith is Ingcungcu’s co-founder and Executive Director. She grew up exploring Cape Town’s wild oceans and rugged mountains and is passionate about engaging people in immersive experiences that inspire curiosity, creativity and care. You can reach her at ingcungu.project@gmail.com or + 27 83 267 2862.
Joel Simons coordinates and runs Ingcungcu’s School Eco Club Programme. Joel is a passionate educator, birdwatcher and wildlife photographer. His work is driven not only by his love for nature, but also by his mission to contribute to the creation of equitable and just cities. You can reach him at simons.joel@outlook.com or + 27 65 343 5463.
To find out more, visit ingcungcu.org or see our social media channels (Facebook: @ingcungcuSunbirdRestoration; Instagram: @ingcungcu.sunbird.restoration)
Ingcungcu’s work has been made possible through the generous support of our partners including; Botanical Education Trust, Table Mountain Fund, Botanical Society of South Africa, Mapula Trust, Cape Bird Club, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Wilderness Trust and University of Stellenbosch.
References
Pauw, A. Pollen transfer on birds’ tongues. Nature 394, 731–732 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1038/29421
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