Food preferences and feeding behaviour of giraffes in the western Transvaal arid bushveld, South Africa, were studied by recording the frequency of feeding and time spent feeding on different plant species. Six plant communities were recognised in the study area on the basis of importance values of species and physiognomy. It was found that the giraffe utilized five of these communities, all dominated by woody plants, in accordance with their changing preferences and the seasonal availability of different species. Thus Ziziphus mucronata and Peltophorum africanum were important food plants during the wet season and Acacia tortilis and Combretum hereroense during the dry season.
