Bela-Bela

History

When the Tswana tribes first moved into the region in the 1800s, they discovered hot springs in the area. The Voortrekker Carl Van Heerden established the first Boer farm in what is now Bela-Bela and called it Het Bad. In 1873, President Burgers' Transvaal government bought the land and established a resort called Hartingsburg after the prominent Dutch biologist Pieter Harting. in that year. In 1950, it became a magisterial district. In 1932 Warmbaths became a village town and was established as a town council in 1960. the South African government officially renamed the town Bela-Bela (meaning "boiling boiling").

Most-observed species

• Laughing Dove

  Spilopelia senegalensis (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  2,852
• Ring-necked Dove

  Streptopelia capicola (Sundevall, 1857) · Aves
  2,693
• Gray Go-away-bird

  Corythaixoides concolor (A.Smith, 1833) · Aves
  2,592
• Southern Cordonbleu

  Uraeginthus angolensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,155
• Arrow-marked Babbler

  Turdoides jardineii (A.Smith, 1836) · Aves
  2,124
• African Black-headed Oriole

  Oriolus larvatus Lichtenstein, 1823 · Aves
  2,028
• Common Myna

  Acridotheres tristis (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  1,976
• Black-collared Barbet

  Lybius torquatus (Dumont, 1805) · Aves
  1,925

Most recent

• M 4.2 — 2015-07-12
  21 km NW of Brits, South Africa
• M 4.8 — 2013-12-02
  33 km SE of Modimolle, South Africa
• M 4.2 — 2013-06-22
  26 km ESE of Thabazimbi, South Africa