Conspicuous and well-known, they are commonly seen in gardens and are planted along streets and driveways to provide shade and show off to best advantage their eye-catching displays of orange-red flowers. These are borne generally in winter or spring each year, covering the leafless grey-brown branches in a profusion of colour that draws the eye from a great distance and changes the palette of urban neighbourhoods.
It is not for our benefit, though, that this floral spectacle has evolved. It is intended to lure the trees’ principal pollinators – passerine birds – to visit the flowers and play their part in the plants’ procreative process. In return, the birds will be rewarded with copious quantities of nectar hidden deep among the petals.
This story is from the March/April 2021 edition of African Birdlife.
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This story is from the March/April 2021 edition of African Birdlife.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
agrochemicals and birds
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FULL skies
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MIDRAND marvel
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Southern SIGHTINGS
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power-napping penguins
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