Woodward Brothers - Field Expeditions

Field Expeditions

The brothers had a keen interest in the animal life of the region, which was poorly described in the 1870s. Within a decade of their arrival they started publishing observations concerning Crocodiles, Baboons and Leopards in The Zoologist and The Natal Mercury. Their observations were catalogued and controlled experiments were performed on some animals. From 1880 onwards much of their interest was focussed on the birds of the region. The brothers undertook exploratory expeditions to the Lebombo Mountains and Ngoye Forest in Zululand.

For the first time species like Eastern Nicator and Livingstone's Turaco were found to occur south of the Zambezi. In addition they discovered the isolated southern population of the Green Barbet at Ngoye forest, which Captain Shelley named for them in 1895, Stactolaema woodwardi. In 1900 their other discovery, Woodward's Batis, was also named for them by Shelley, B. fratrum referring to the brothers. Many of their bird specimens were sent to R.B. Sharpe at the British Museum, who assisted them with identifications.