Drakensberg Rockjumper (Chaetops aurantius)
The forehead, crown and upper back of the Drakensberg rockjumper are grey streaked with black. The face, throat and upper breast are black and contrast strongly with the broad white malar stripe, and the slightly less obvious white eyebrow stripe. The wings are black and spotted white, while the underparts, lower back and rump are a light orange-rufous. The long tail is black and broadly tipped white. The eyes are orange-red. The female lacks the black face and upper breast, the white malar stripe, and is a buffy white rather than the orange-rufous of the male. The Drakensberg rockjumper, along with the Cape rockjumper, belong to a family endemic to southern Africa. Locally common in suitable habitat, Drakensberg rockjumpers occur on steep grassland slopes with rocky outcrops above 2 000m. Such habitat occurs all along the Lesotho – KwaZulu-Natal escarpment, and the most accessible site to see these birds is towards the top of Sani Pass.
The Drakensberg rockjumper has been listed as Least Concern.
Directions
From Underberg take the road to Himeville, pass through the village of Himeville and continue along this road for 2 km's before turning left to Sani Pass. Follow the road past the Sani Pass Hotel and on towards the border post. Sani Pass is only accessible by 4x4 vehicles and the border post is open strictly from 08h00 – 16h00, passports are required. As you approach the top of the pass and enter into the last very steep switchbacks, keep a lookout for the rockjumpers on the boulders close to the road. Once through the Lesotho border post at the top of Sani Pass, drive straight on for a distance (10 km's) and keep looking for rockjumpers on any grassland slopes with scattered boulders.
| GPS Coordinates | ||
| Description | Latitude | Longitude |
| Turnoff to Sani Pass outside Homeville | 29°43'12.54"S | 29°31'17.53"E |
| SA Border post | 29°36'11.49"S | 29°20'22.24"E |
| Lesotho Border post | 29°35'04.64"S | 29°17'09.85"E |