Pigeon Valley is a Natural Heritage Park in Durban

Durban

Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...

, South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

. It was established to provide protection for the Natal White Stinkwood and other forest giants of the coastal climax forest. Another rare tree that occurs here is Oxyanthus pyriformis which is endemic to the Durban area and to Ongoye Forest

Ongoye Forest

Ongoye Forest is also known as Ngoye Forest or Ngoya Forest. It is situated on a granite ridge; inland from the town of Mtunzini in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.-History:...

. Pigeon Valley was developed as a Nature Reserve in 1989 and is about 10ha in extent.

Animals

The Park is home to Red Duiker and Blue Duiker

Blue Duiker

Blue Duiker is a small forest dwelling duiker found in the Central Africa and southern South Africa.Blue Duikers stand around 35 centimetres tall at the shoulder and weigh 4 kilograms.They are the smallest of the antelope family. Blue Duikers have a brown coat with a slight blue tinge – hence...

. Various species of forest birds are found here including; Green Twinspot (Mandingoa nitidula), Cape White-eye (Zosterops virens

Cape White-eye

The Cape White-eye, Zosterops pallidus, is a small passerine bird in the white-eye family. It is native to southern Africa.-Taxonomy:There are six subspecies. Traditionally, the western nominate group and the eastern capensis group have been treated as separate species; the Orange River White-eye ...

), Southern Boubou (Laniarius ferrugineus), Spotted Ground-Thrush (Zoothera guttata), Purple-crested Turaco (Tauraco porphyreolophus

Purple-crested Turaco

The Purple-crested Turaco is a species of bird in the Musophagidae family.It is found in Burundi, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe....

) and African Paradise-Flycatcher (Terpsiphone viridis). The Black Sparrowhawk (Accipiter melanoleucus) is known to breed here.

Plants

There are about 95 species of trees occurring in Pigeon Valley, which is more than the total number of tree species in the entire British Isles

British Isles

The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...

. Tree species include; Albizia adianthifolia

Albizia adianthifolia

Albizia adianthifolia is a tree in the Fabaceae family. It is commonly known as the Flat-crown. Its range extends from eastern South Africa to Tropical Africa.-Description:...

, Baphia racemosa, Brachylaena discolor

Brachylaena discolor

Brachylaena discolor is a species of tree in the Asteraceae family. Two varieties are known; var. discolor is commonly known as the Coast Silver Oak or Coastal Silver Oak, and var. transvaalensis is commonly known as the Forest Silver Oak or Natal Silver Oak...

, Celtis africana

Celtis africana

Celtis africana is a tree in the Cannabaceae family. This is a common and widespread forest tree from South Africa to Ethiopia. It is a fast growing and popular garden tree in South Africa and is easily propagated....

, Celtis mildbraedii

Celtis mildbraedii

Celtis mildbraedii is a species of forest tree in the Cannabaceae family. This species was previously assigned to the Ulmaceae family. These trees grow in limited areas of South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. They are also found in forested areas from West Africa to Sudan, DRC, Angola and Tanzania...

, Chrysophyllum viridifolium, Combretum kraussii

Combretum kraussii

The Forest bushwillow is a medium-sized to large tree of eastern South Africa, Swaziland and southern Mozambique, which is found within, or in the vicinity of forests. The specific name commemorates Dr. F. Krauss who made a collecting trip to South Africa in 1838-1840.The trees are semi-deciduous,...

, Croton sylvaticus

Croton sylvaticus

Croton sylvaticus is a tree in the Euphorbiaceae family. It is commonly known as the Forest Fever-berry. These trees are distributed in forests from the east coast of South Africa to Tropical Africa.-References:...

, Ficus lutea

Ficus lutea

Ficus lutea is a tree in the Moraceae family. It is commonly known as the Giant-leaved Fig. These trees occur from the Eastern Cape of South Africa to Tropical Africa.- References :...

, Ficus natalensis

Ficus natalensis

Ficus natalensis is a tree in the Moraceae family. It is commonly known as the Natal Fig. These trees are distributed from KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa to east Africa.- References :...

, Ficus sur, Kiggelaria africana

Kiggelaria africana

Kiggelaria africana is a large, robust, low-branching African tree.Despite its common name, it is not related to the more familiar fruit-producing Peach tree although the leaves do superficially look similar.-Appearance:A well-shaped, robust, evergreen tree with grey-green leaves...

, Millettia grandis

Millettia grandis

Millettia grandis is a species of legume in the Fabaceae family from South Africa. It is commonly called Umzimbeet which is a name derived from the isiZulu name umSimbithwa.-Distribution:...

, Mimusops obovata, Strelitzia nicolai

Strelitzia nicolai

Strelitzia nicolai, commonly known as the Giant White Bird of Paradise or Wild Banana are banana-like plants with erect woody stems reaching a height of 6 m and the clumps formed can spread as far as 3.5 m ....

, Trema orientalis

Trema orientalis

Trema orientalis is a species of flowering tree in the hemp family, Cannabaceae. It is known by many common names, including charcoal-tree, Indian charcoal-tree, pigeon wood, and in Hawaii, where it has become naturalized gunpowder tree, or nalita...

and Trichilia dregeana

Trichilia dregeana

Trichilia dregeana is a tree in the family Meliaceae. It is commonly known as the Forest Mahogany. These trees are found in forest areas from the Eastern Cape of South Africa to Tropical Africa.- References :...

. Pigeon Valley is also notable for large stands of Isoglossa woodii

Isoglossa woodii

Isoglossa woodii is commonly known as Buckweed. It is a monocarpic shrub of the family Acanthaceae, growing up to 4m tall. It grows in colonies in coastal forest areas of KwaZulu-Natal and marginally into the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa....

which grow in more open areas under the forest canopy and in forest glades.

See also

• Forests of KwaZulu-Natal
  Forests of KwaZulu-Natal
  Areas of forest grow in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa mostly on south facing slopes in higher rainfall areas, and along the humid coastal areas. Different types of forest can be identified by their species composition which depends mostly on the altitude, latitude and substrate in which they grow...