Platbos is home to numerous mammal, bird, reptile and invertebrate animal species who rely on the forest for food and shelter. Most of the trees bear edible fruits and seeds, and in addition, the forest canopy provides much needed protection and fodder for visiting buck species since the surrounding natural environment is increasingly giving way to agriculture, alien invasive vegetation, and grazing fields for cattle. According to C.J. Skead, Platbos is probably the south-western limit of the stately but shy bushbuck, and it is an important habitat for the endangered, red-data listed Leopard Toad.
Cape leopards are shy members of the cat family and are rarely seen in the wild. Their presence in Platbos, and the kloofs and mountainous areas nearby, is confirmed by their spoor, images caught on our wildlife camera traps and the deep scaring of tree trunks matching their powerful claws.
Birds of Platbos Forest Reserve
AVIFAUNA OF PLATBOS FOREST NATURE RESERVE PENTAD 3430_1925.
SPECIES LIST OF 151 BIRDS RECORDED FOR PLATBOS FOREST
Apalis, Bar-throated
Barbet, Acacia Pied
Batis, Cape
Bishop, Southern Red
Bishop, Yellow
Bokmakierie, Bokmakierie
Boubou, Southern
Brownbul, Terrestrial
Bulbul, Cape
Bunting, Cape
Bush-shrike, Olive
Buzzard, Forest
Buzzard, Jackal
Buzzard, Steppe
Canary, Brimstone
Canary, Cape
Canary, White-throated
Canary, Yellow
Chat, Familiar
Cisticola, Grey-backed
Cisticola, Levaillant’s
Coot, Red-knobbed
Cormorant, Reed
Cormorant, White-breasted
Coucal, Burchell’s
Crake, Black
Crane, Blue
Crested-flycatcher, Blue-mantled
Crombec, Long-billed
Crow, Cape
Crow, Pied
Cuckoo, Black
Cuckoo, Diderick
Cuckoo, Klaas’s
Darter, African
Dove, Laughing
Dove, Lemon
Dove, Red-eyed
Dove, Rock
Dove, Tambourine
Drongo, Fork-tailed
Duck, African Black
Duck, White-backed
Duck, Yellow-billed
Eagle, Martial
Eagle, Verreaux’s
Eagle-owl, Spotted
Egret, Cattle
Egret, Little
Fiscal, Common (Southern)
Fish-eagle, African
Flufftail, Buff-spotted
Flufftail, Red-chested
Flycatcher, African Dusky
Flycatcher, Fiscal
Flycatcher, Spotted
Flycatcher, Blue-Mantled Crested
Goose, Spur-winged
Goshawk, African
Grassbird, Cape
Grebe, Little
Greenbul, Sombre
Guineafowl, Helmeted
Gull, Kelp
Hamerkop, Hamerkop
Harrier, Black
Heron, Black-headed
Heron, Grey
Heron, Purple
Hoopoe, African
Ibis, African Sacred
Ibis, Hadeda
Kestrel, Rock
Kingfisher, Brown-hooded
Kingfisher, Giant
Kingfisher, Malachite
Kite, Black-shouldered
Kite, Yellow-billed
Lapwing, Blacksmith
Lapwing, Crowned
Lark, Large-billed
Lark, Red-capped
Longclaw, Cape
Martin, Brown-throated
Martin, Rock
Masked-weaver, Southern
Moorhen, Common
Mousebird, Red-faced
Mousebird, Speckled
Mousebird, White-backed
Neddicky, Neddicky
Night-Heron, Black-crowned
Nightjar, Fiery-necked
Olive-pigeon, African
Owl, Barn
Paradise-flycatcher, African
Peacock, Common
Pigeon, Speckled
Pipit, African
Pipit, Long-billed
Pipit, Plain-backed
Pochard, Southern
Prinia, Karoo
Quail, Common
Raven, White-necked
Robin-chat, Cape
Rock-thrush, Cape
Rush-warbler, Little
Saw-wing, Black (Southern race)
Scrub-robin, Karoo
Seedeater, Streaky-headed
Siskin, Cape
Sparrow, Cape
Sparrow, House
Sparrow, Southern Grey-headed
Sparrowhawk, Black
Sparrowhawk, Rufous-chested
Spurfowl, Cape
Starling, Common
Starling, Red-winged
Stonechat, African
Sugarbird, Cape
Sunbird, Amethyst
Sunbird, Greater Double-collared
Sunbird, Malachite
Sunbird, Orange-breasted
Sunbird, Southern Double-collared
Swallow, Barn
Swallow, Greater Striped
Swallow, White-throated
Swamphen, African Purple
Swamp-warbler, Lesser
Swift, African Black
Swift, Alpine
Swift, Little
Swift, White-rumped
Tchagra, Southern
Teal, Cape
Thick-knee, Spotted
Thick-knee, Water
Thrush, Olive
Turtle-dove, Cape
Wagtail, Cape
Waxbill, Common
Waxbill, Swee
Weaver, Cape
White-eye, Cape
Whydah, Pin-tailed
Woodpecker, Cardinal
Woodpecker, Knysna
Woodpecker, Olive
Some of the Mammals of Platbos Forest Reserve
Aardvark – Orycteropus afer
African Wild Cat – Felis silvestris lybica
Bat species
Bushbuck – Tragelaphus sylvaticus
Cape Grey Mongoose – Galerella pulverulenta
Cape Grysbok – Raphicerus melanotis
Cape Molerat – Georychus capensis
Cape Porcupine – Hystrix africaeaustralis
Caracal – Caracal caracal
Chacma Baboon – Papio ursinu
Common Duiker – Common Duiker
Grey Rhebuck – Grey Rhebuck
Honey Badger – Mellivora capensis
Large Spotted Genet – Genetta tigrina
Leopard – Panthera pardus
Scrub Hare – Lepus saxatilis
Small Spotted Genet – Genetta genetta
Steenbok – Raphicerus campestris
Striped Polecat – Ictonyx striatus
Some of the Herpetofauna of Platbos Forest Reserve
Arum Frog – Hyperolius horstockii
Aurora House Snake – Lamprophis aurora
Boomslang – Dispholidus typus
Cape Cobra – Naja nivea
Cape Girdled Lizard – Cordylus Cordylus
Cape Grass Lizard – Chamaesaura anguina
Cape Skink – Trachylepis capensis
Common Slug Eater – Duberria lutrix
Mole Snake – Pseudaspis cana
Olive House Snake – Lycodonomorphus inornatus
Parrot-beaked tortoise – Homopus areolatus
Puff Adder – Bitis arietans
Raucous Toad – Amietophrynus rangeri
Red-sided Skink – Trachylepis homalocephala
Southern Ground Agama – Agama atra
Western Leopard Toad – Sclerophrys pantherine
Some of the Invertebrates of Platbos Forest Reserve
Burrowing Ground Beetle – Passalidius fortipes
Cape Emerald Cycada – Neomuda sp.
Carpenter Bee – Xylocopa caffra
Clegs – Heamatopota
Common Earwig – Forficula senegalensis
Common Emperor – Bunaea alcinoe
Common Metalic Longhorn Beetle – Promeces longipes
Forest Cockroach – Deropeltis erythrocephala
Giant Cranefly – Tipula jocosa
Grey Lacewing – Chrysemosa jeanneli
Hive Chafer Beetle – Hoplostomus fuliginues
Honey Bee – Apis Mellifera
House Fly – Musca domestica
House Mosquito – Culex sp.
Hover Fly – Asarkina africana
Milkweed Bug – Spilostethus pandurus
Millipede Assassin Bug – Ectrichodia crux
Pit-building Antlion – Cueta sp.
Spider Dung Beetle – Sisyphus sp.
Spotted Amber Ladybird – Hippodamia variegata
Stag Beetles – Colophon sp.
Tailed Netwing Beetle – Lycus trabeatus
Thread-waisted Wasp – Ammophila ferrugineipes
Tree Crickets – Oecanthus sp
Two-phased Emerald Moth – Rhadinophax divincta
Velvet Worm – Peripatopsis overbergiensis
Some of the Arachnida of Platbos Forest Reserve
Flat Spider – Anyphops capensis
Hackled Mesh Web Spider – Xevioso cf orthomeles
Orb Web Spider – Nephilengys cruentata
Rain Spider – Palystes superciliosus
Wolf Spider – Arctosa sp.