Pub Date : 2022-05-26DOI: 10.2989/00306525.2022.2063428
C. Vernon, W. Dean
Chukar Partridges Alectoris chukar were released at a few localities in South Africa and Zimbabwe with the aim of establishing viable populations that could contribute to a larger resource available to the ‘wing-shooting’ fraternity. Releases and introductions are poorly documented, and most information on where and when releases were done are not supported by references in the literature. None of the released Chukar Partridges survived to establish viable breeding populations lasting more than two years, apart from the introduction on Robben Island in the Western Cape in 1964. Predation, and perhaps haematozoan parasites, have possibly played a role in limiting the establishment of Chukar Partridges in southern Africa.
{"title":"The introduction of the Chukar Partridge Alectoris chukar to southern Africa","authors":"C. Vernon, W. Dean","doi":"10.2989/00306525.2022.2063428","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2989/00306525.2022.2063428","url":null,"abstract":"Chukar Partridges Alectoris chukar were released at a few localities in South Africa and Zimbabwe with the aim of establishing viable populations that could contribute to a larger resource available to the ‘wing-shooting’ fraternity. Releases and introductions are poorly documented, and most information on where and when releases were done are not supported by references in the literature. None of the released Chukar Partridges survived to establish viable breeding populations lasting more than two years, apart from the introduction on Robben Island in the Western Cape in 1964. Predation, and perhaps haematozoan parasites, have possibly played a role in limiting the establishment of Chukar Partridges in southern Africa.","PeriodicalId":54655,"journal":{"name":"Ostrich","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2022-05-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41486635","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-01-02DOI: 10.2989/00306525.2022.2064930
A. Craig
Mixed-species flocks of foraging insectivorous birds are found worldwide and have been best studied in the Neotropical region. A survey of the published literature reveals that mixed-species flocks (often termed ‘bird parties’) comprised of 2–30 species and sometimes >70 individual birds are regularly encountered in forest and woodland habitats throughout the Afrotropical region. On mainland Africa, >600 species representing 59 bird families have been reported in such flocks, and for at least 300 species foraging in such flocks may constitute an important part of their feeding activity. In Madagascar, >60 species of 19 families have been recorded in mixed-species flocks, with more than 40 species frequent participants. These foraging parties are dominated by gleaning and sallying insectivorous birds, with other feeding guilds represented by fewer species and individuals. The main hypotheses to explain why birds participate in such flocks emphasise protection from predators while searching for food, and increased foraging efficiency through the disturbance of insects caused by the different foraging activities of flock members. Certain key species may be responsible for the initial formation of the flock. Mixed-species flocks are regarded as particularly vulnerable to disruption by anthropogenic habitat changes, especially to forests, and are thus of special conservation concern. In the Afrotropics, these proposals remain working hypotheses since we currently lack data for a full assessment of the ecological role of mixed-species flocks and their importance in the life history of the participating species.
{"title":"Mixed-species flocks of insectivorous birds (‘bird parties’) in Afrotropical forests and woodlands: a review","authors":"A. Craig","doi":"10.2989/00306525.2022.2064930","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2989/00306525.2022.2064930","url":null,"abstract":"Mixed-species flocks of foraging insectivorous birds are found worldwide and have been best studied in the Neotropical region. A survey of the published literature reveals that mixed-species flocks (often termed ‘bird parties’) comprised of 2–30 species and sometimes >70 individual birds are regularly encountered in forest and woodland habitats throughout the Afrotropical region. On mainland Africa, >600 species representing 59 bird families have been reported in such flocks, and for at least 300 species foraging in such flocks may constitute an important part of their feeding activity. In Madagascar, >60 species of 19 families have been recorded in mixed-species flocks, with more than 40 species frequent participants. These foraging parties are dominated by gleaning and sallying insectivorous birds, with other feeding guilds represented by fewer species and individuals. The main hypotheses to explain why birds participate in such flocks emphasise protection from predators while searching for food, and increased foraging efficiency through the disturbance of insects caused by the different foraging activities of flock members. Certain key species may be responsible for the initial formation of the flock. Mixed-species flocks are regarded as particularly vulnerable to disruption by anthropogenic habitat changes, especially to forests, and are thus of special conservation concern. In the Afrotropics, these proposals remain working hypotheses since we currently lack data for a full assessment of the ecological role of mixed-species flocks and their importance in the life history of the participating species.","PeriodicalId":54655,"journal":{"name":"Ostrich","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42799452","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-01-02DOI: 10.2989/00306525.2022.2061063
S. Evans
The Northern Black Korhaan Afrotis afraoides and the Southern Black Korhaan Afrotis afra were previously considered conspecific, but were subsequently separated based on habitat, plumage, displays and vocalisations of the males and genetic differences. The Northern Black Korhaan is endemic to predominantly north of the Great Escarpment in southern Africa. In the southern part of its range in South Africa, it inhabits mostly the Nama-, Succulent Karoo and Grassland Biomes. The Southern Black Korhaan is a South African endemic and inhabits the Fynbos, Nama- and Succulent Karoo and Grassland and Albany Thicket Biomes to the west and south of the Great Escarpment. The purpose of the present study is to determine which bioclimatic and topographical characteristics contribute to maintaining the allopatric distribution ranges of the Northern and Southern Black Korhaan. The bioclimatic and topographical characteristics of the birds' distribution ranges and the area between them were described using habitat suitability modelling and by sampling these variables at the localities of the presence and pseudoabsence records of the birds in their respective breeding ranges and absence records from the area between their respective distribution ranges. The Northern and Southern Black Korhaan do not occupy the area between their respective distribution ranges, because some of the terrain in this area has a slope >6°. The remainder of the area is on terrain with a slope ≤6°, but the precipitation is too low (median of 216 mm), which may result in an insufficient food supply to the birds, especially when breeding, because they are polygynous. In addition, the low precipitation results in reduced ground cover by the Nama-Karoo and succulent Karoo vegetation, which in turn results in a possible increase in the predation rate of the birds. Consequently, the area is therefore not suited to and therefore not occupied by either species.
{"title":"Identification of the landscape and bioclimatic characteristics that contribute to maintaining the allopatric distribution ranges of the Northern Black Korhaan Afrotis afraoides and the Southern Black Korhaan Afrotis afra","authors":"S. Evans","doi":"10.2989/00306525.2022.2061063","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2989/00306525.2022.2061063","url":null,"abstract":"The Northern Black Korhaan Afrotis afraoides and the Southern Black Korhaan Afrotis afra were previously considered conspecific, but were subsequently separated based on habitat, plumage, displays and vocalisations of the males and genetic differences. The Northern Black Korhaan is endemic to predominantly north of the Great Escarpment in southern Africa. In the southern part of its range in South Africa, it inhabits mostly the Nama-, Succulent Karoo and Grassland Biomes. The Southern Black Korhaan is a South African endemic and inhabits the Fynbos, Nama- and Succulent Karoo and Grassland and Albany Thicket Biomes to the west and south of the Great Escarpment. The purpose of the present study is to determine which bioclimatic and topographical characteristics contribute to maintaining the allopatric distribution ranges of the Northern and Southern Black Korhaan. The bioclimatic and topographical characteristics of the birds' distribution ranges and the area between them were described using habitat suitability modelling and by sampling these variables at the localities of the presence and pseudoabsence records of the birds in their respective breeding ranges and absence records from the area between their respective distribution ranges. The Northern and Southern Black Korhaan do not occupy the area between their respective distribution ranges, because some of the terrain in this area has a slope >6°. The remainder of the area is on terrain with a slope ≤6°, but the precipitation is too low (median of 216 mm), which may result in an insufficient food supply to the birds, especially when breeding, because they are polygynous. In addition, the low precipitation results in reduced ground cover by the Nama-Karoo and succulent Karoo vegetation, which in turn results in a possible increase in the predation rate of the birds. Consequently, the area is therefore not suited to and therefore not occupied by either species.","PeriodicalId":54655,"journal":{"name":"Ostrich","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43071551","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-01-02DOI: 10.2989/00306525.2022.2045642
Jonah Gula, M. Clay Green, S. Fritts, W. Dean, K. Gopi Sundar
Species range maps provided by the IUCN and BirdLife International are recognised to sometimes mischaracterise distribution and have resulted in inaccurate status assessments. In this study we assessed distribution trends and relationships with protected area extent for six African storks, the African Openbill Anastomus lamelligerus, Abdim’s Stork Ciconia abdimii, African Woolly-necked Stork C. microscelis, Saddle-billed Stork Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis, Marabou Stork Leptoptilos crumenifer and Yellow-billed Stork Mycteria ibis. Each of these species is understudied and assumed to be ubiquitous throughout sub-Saharan Africa and therefore considered Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. We developed empirically based distribution maps for the six African stork species using a plethora of data sources from >150 years. We found all six species were widespread from East to Southern Africa, but had highly fragmented ranges in West Africa. West African populations have either declined or been extirpated since the 1960s. Countries that require better field coverage include Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Zimbabwe. For each species, there was a positive relationship between occurrence and protected area extent, suggesting either protected habitat is important for storks or unprotected areas are poorly covered in the field. We evaluate species status based on the new collated information and recommend uplisting the global status of the Saddle-billed Stork to Near Threatened and West African populations of the Saddle-billed Stork, Marabou Stork and Yellow-billed Stork to Threatened status.
{"title":"Assessments of range-wide distribution of six African storks and their relationships with protected areas","authors":"Jonah Gula, M. Clay Green, S. Fritts, W. Dean, K. Gopi Sundar","doi":"10.2989/00306525.2022.2045642","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2989/00306525.2022.2045642","url":null,"abstract":"Species range maps provided by the IUCN and BirdLife International are recognised to sometimes mischaracterise distribution and have resulted in inaccurate status assessments. In this study we assessed distribution trends and relationships with protected area extent for six African storks, the African Openbill Anastomus lamelligerus, Abdim’s Stork Ciconia abdimii, African Woolly-necked Stork C. microscelis, Saddle-billed Stork Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis, Marabou Stork Leptoptilos crumenifer and Yellow-billed Stork Mycteria ibis. Each of these species is understudied and assumed to be ubiquitous throughout sub-Saharan Africa and therefore considered Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. We developed empirically based distribution maps for the six African stork species using a plethora of data sources from >150 years. We found all six species were widespread from East to Southern Africa, but had highly fragmented ranges in West Africa. West African populations have either declined or been extirpated since the 1960s. Countries that require better field coverage include Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Zimbabwe. For each species, there was a positive relationship between occurrence and protected area extent, suggesting either protected habitat is important for storks or unprotected areas are poorly covered in the field. We evaluate species status based on the new collated information and recommend uplisting the global status of the Saddle-billed Stork to Near Threatened and West African populations of the Saddle-billed Stork, Marabou Stork and Yellow-billed Stork to Threatened status.","PeriodicalId":54655,"journal":{"name":"Ostrich","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43688111","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-01-02DOI: 10.2989/00306525.2022.2058105
A. Ringim, S. Muhammad, Longji Bako, Haruna M. Abubakar, Sulaiman M Isa, Doofan J Nelly, Aliyu A Bajoga, Abdulhamid S Bunu, H. A. Adam, Idris M Jalo, J. Eveso, Eugene D Mathew, Bello A Danmallam, Umbule Mador, Jennifer I Paul, Isuwa Aminu, Alai Lawal, Joseph I Izang, Ponyil N Abu
The Arewa Atlas Team (AAT) in northern Nigeria has set an example for a robust methodological data collection and made a big impact for the African Bird Atlas Project. To broaden national bird atlas projects and coverage across the continent, this paper reports on the activities and protocols of the AAT. We set out how we have galvanised bird clubs and bird club members to participate in this important monitoring project. We then focus on a bird atlas expedition conducted to the Bauchi State as an example. The outing was carried out from 24 to 28 September 2020 in line with the BirdMap protocol. For the first time, the AAT atlased 100 pentads and recorded 8 591 individual birds of 222 species (24.21% of Nigerian birds) from 67 families. We explore what can be done with these data, by presenting a summary of descriptions of the birds observed. For instance, we recorded 184 resident species, nine intra-African and 24 Palearctic migrants. The highest bird abundance (120 individuals) was recorded at 11°00′26.9″ N, 9°29′46.5″ E, pentad 1105C0925. Furthermore, the Rock Firefinch Lagonosticta sanguinodorsalis was out-of-range from Lumba. The Tawny Eagle Aquila rapax (Vulnerable) and Pallid Harrier Circus macrourus (Near Threatened) were species of conservation concern. Results of this survey shows that citizen science is a powerful tool to make rapid biodiversity assessments of bird species richness and abundance and provides insights into bird occurrence and composition. This can be extended to distribution over time at a local geographic scale. Continuous efforts to map bird distributions are therefore recommended, mostly in regions and countries where atlas projects have not been established or still in the formative stages. It is important that bird atlas teams maximise ways to accomplish more noteworthy coverage in their respective national bird atlas projects and here we outline how we accomplished this as motivation and a model for the African Bird Atlas Project.
{"title":"How citizen scientists are rapidly generating big distribution data: lessons from the Arewa Atlas Team, Nigerian Bird Atlas Project","authors":"A. Ringim, S. Muhammad, Longji Bako, Haruna M. Abubakar, Sulaiman M Isa, Doofan J Nelly, Aliyu A Bajoga, Abdulhamid S Bunu, H. A. Adam, Idris M Jalo, J. Eveso, Eugene D Mathew, Bello A Danmallam, Umbule Mador, Jennifer I Paul, Isuwa Aminu, Alai Lawal, Joseph I Izang, Ponyil N Abu","doi":"10.2989/00306525.2022.2058105","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2989/00306525.2022.2058105","url":null,"abstract":"The Arewa Atlas Team (AAT) in northern Nigeria has set an example for a robust methodological data collection and made a big impact for the African Bird Atlas Project. To broaden national bird atlas projects and coverage across the continent, this paper reports on the activities and protocols of the AAT. We set out how we have galvanised bird clubs and bird club members to participate in this important monitoring project. We then focus on a bird atlas expedition conducted to the Bauchi State as an example. The outing was carried out from 24 to 28 September 2020 in line with the BirdMap protocol. For the first time, the AAT atlased 100 pentads and recorded 8 591 individual birds of 222 species (24.21% of Nigerian birds) from 67 families. We explore what can be done with these data, by presenting a summary of descriptions of the birds observed. For instance, we recorded 184 resident species, nine intra-African and 24 Palearctic migrants. The highest bird abundance (120 individuals) was recorded at 11°00′26.9″ N, 9°29′46.5″ E, pentad 1105C0925. Furthermore, the Rock Firefinch Lagonosticta sanguinodorsalis was out-of-range from Lumba. The Tawny Eagle Aquila rapax (Vulnerable) and Pallid Harrier Circus macrourus (Near Threatened) were species of conservation concern. Results of this survey shows that citizen science is a powerful tool to make rapid biodiversity assessments of bird species richness and abundance and provides insights into bird occurrence and composition. This can be extended to distribution over time at a local geographic scale. Continuous efforts to map bird distributions are therefore recommended, mostly in regions and countries where atlas projects have not been established or still in the formative stages. It is important that bird atlas teams maximise ways to accomplish more noteworthy coverage in their respective national bird atlas projects and here we outline how we accomplished this as motivation and a model for the African Bird Atlas Project.","PeriodicalId":54655,"journal":{"name":"Ostrich","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45060764","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-01-02DOI: 10.2989/00306525.2022.2048719
Mehdi Badis, Nabil Hamdi
Levaillant’s Woodpecker is an endemic species of the forests of north-western Africa. Through the cavities it digs, its presence is essential for the existence of other cavity nesters. However, despite its importance to its ecosystems, there are not much data dealing with its ecology and especially its habitats. To describe these habitats, we investigated nest-sites characteristics of Levaillant’s Woodpecker Picus vaillantii in the Aures forest massifs of north-eastern Algeria, during two breeding seasons 2018 and 2019. Using the point count method, we detected 45 occupied nesting cavities, unevenly distributed over the formations, dominated by Atlas cedar (73.3%), Holm oak (13.3%), and Aleppo pine (4.4%). Results showed high utilisation of live trees (71.1%) with healthy crowns (75.5%). Findings also revealed that the species favoured tree trunks (77.7%) as nesting support and that the determination of the nest height was strongly dependent on the height of the nesting tree. Nest height and tree diameter at this height varied significantly among tree species. Nests were higher in Aleppo pine, however, tree diameters at nest positions were lower in this species, compared with other tree species. These results on the ecology of Levaillant’s Woodpecker can serve to fill the information gap in the ornithological knowledge of the Aures forests areas and provide important information for the conservation of the species in the context of forest management practices.
{"title":"Nest-site characteristics of Levaillant’s Woodpecker Picus vaillantii endemic to North Africa","authors":"Mehdi Badis, Nabil Hamdi","doi":"10.2989/00306525.2022.2048719","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2989/00306525.2022.2048719","url":null,"abstract":"Levaillant’s Woodpecker is an endemic species of the forests of north-western Africa. Through the cavities it digs, its presence is essential for the existence of other cavity nesters. However, despite its importance to its ecosystems, there are not much data dealing with its ecology and especially its habitats. To describe these habitats, we investigated nest-sites characteristics of Levaillant’s Woodpecker Picus vaillantii in the Aures forest massifs of north-eastern Algeria, during two breeding seasons 2018 and 2019. Using the point count method, we detected 45 occupied nesting cavities, unevenly distributed over the formations, dominated by Atlas cedar (73.3%), Holm oak (13.3%), and Aleppo pine (4.4%). Results showed high utilisation of live trees (71.1%) with healthy crowns (75.5%). Findings also revealed that the species favoured tree trunks (77.7%) as nesting support and that the determination of the nest height was strongly dependent on the height of the nesting tree. Nest height and tree diameter at this height varied significantly among tree species. Nests were higher in Aleppo pine, however, tree diameters at nest positions were lower in this species, compared with other tree species. These results on the ecology of Levaillant’s Woodpecker can serve to fill the information gap in the ornithological knowledge of the Aures forests areas and provide important information for the conservation of the species in the context of forest management practices.","PeriodicalId":54655,"journal":{"name":"Ostrich","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48099504","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-01-02DOI: 10.2989/00306525.2022.2029968
E. Buchmann, C. Reynolds
Pishing is an imitated alarm call frequently used by birders and ornithologists to attract birds and provide close-up views. However, despite the widespread use of pishing in the field, data on the success of this technique are still scarce. Here we tested the effectiveness of pishing as an attracter of birds in a subtropical savanna in South Africa, using a randomised controlled trial design. Over a period of 12 months, repeated silent observation and pishing treatments were randomly applied across 30 preselected savanna sites to test the response to pishing of both the bird community and individual species. Overall, significantly more individual birds were recorded during the pishing treatment than during the silent observation control treatment. Furthermore, the observation rates of eleven species, from seven passerine families, were significantly higher during pishing treatments. Robins in the Muscicapidae were especially responsive. Pishing does increase visibility of arboreal passerines in African subtropical savanna. This finding confirms that the technique is an effective tool for increasing bird observations in the field and informs current discussions on the ethics of pishing in the South African birding community.
{"title":"Pishing does increase visibility of arboreal passerines in an African savanna","authors":"E. Buchmann, C. Reynolds","doi":"10.2989/00306525.2022.2029968","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2989/00306525.2022.2029968","url":null,"abstract":"Pishing is an imitated alarm call frequently used by birders and ornithologists to attract birds and provide close-up views. However, despite the widespread use of pishing in the field, data on the success of this technique are still scarce. Here we tested the effectiveness of pishing as an attracter of birds in a subtropical savanna in South Africa, using a randomised controlled trial design. Over a period of 12 months, repeated silent observation and pishing treatments were randomly applied across 30 preselected savanna sites to test the response to pishing of both the bird community and individual species. Overall, significantly more individual birds were recorded during the pishing treatment than during the silent observation control treatment. Furthermore, the observation rates of eleven species, from seven passerine families, were significantly higher during pishing treatments. Robins in the Muscicapidae were especially responsive. Pishing does increase visibility of arboreal passerines in African subtropical savanna. This finding confirms that the technique is an effective tool for increasing bird observations in the field and informs current discussions on the ethics of pishing in the South African birding community.","PeriodicalId":54655,"journal":{"name":"Ostrich","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47778737","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-01-02DOI: 10.2989/00306525.2022.2076490
PJ Mundy
Ostrich is co-published by NISC (Pty) Ltd and Informa UK Limited (trading as Taylor & Francis Group) The recent paper by Williams et al. (2021) certainly shows the vultures of Nigeria to be in dire straits. While there may still be some havens for vultures, such as the Yankari Game Reserve (Onoja et al. 2014) adjoining the authors’ study area of Plateau State, the Hooded Vulture Necrosyrtes monachus itself, once ubiquitous and abundant in the country, seems to be on its ‘last legs’. Nevertheless I think the authors have missed some opportunities to make their findings more precise, as follows. My strongest comment concerns the statement of Williams et al. (2021) that the decline of vultures has occurred in the ‘past 3–4 decades.’ I lived in Sokoto, northern Nigeria, in 1969–1972, and made a particular study of Hooded Vultures with my friend Allan Cook who lived there much longer. Our results are about to be submitted, but they comprised inter alia (i) counts of up to 1 500 at the town abattoir, (ii) counts of up to 100 at the main market, (iii) more than 300 nests found in and around the town, (iv) virtually no interference or persecution of vultures, or their nesting trees, or the eggs and chicks, (v) no discovery of vultures as food, and (vi) no dead or decapitated birds found (PJ Mundy and AW Cook, pers. obs.). Much later and on a visit to Ghana in 1996, we saw unmolested vultures at the abattoir on the beach west of Accra, birds nesting in leafy trees along a main road in Accra, and an estimated 500 circling over the abattoir at Kumasi (Anderson 1999; Mundy 2000). At the latter place, we even saw Hooded Vultures standing on the chopping blocks of the butchers and on top of open doors: there was no indication of persecution. Even in the Plateau State, study area of the paper, ‘huge numbers’ were once seen at the abattoirs. Given these observations, what has changed since the year 2000 (i.e. two decades ago), in terms of society at large, but its need for belief-based usage and even food consumption? So far this is the big missed opportunity — there is no consideration in the Williams et al. (2021) paper, let alone research into, any hypothesised societal changes over the decades. From a situation of huge numbers of Hooded Vultures in Nigeria in 1973 and subsequently, and through to similar numbers in Ghana in 1996, why is the situation now so ‘alarming’? Yes, there is a doubling of human numbers, greater political volatility and future uncertainty, more poverty; but are these the simple drivers? Fortunately, the Nigerian Conservation Foundation is working on education and awareness to correct ‘misguided conceptions’, as the paper recommended. These efforts must be supported if there is to be any hope for the survival of vultures in Nigeria. I think this year of 2000 was a threshold year for vultures in Nigeria, and perhaps for West Africa as a region: incredible numbers before and ‘drastic decline’ since. This tipping point needs further inves
鸵鸟是由NISC (Pty) Ltd和Informa UK Limited(以Taylor & Francis Group的名义交易)共同出版的。Williams等人(2021)最近的论文肯定表明尼日利亚的秃鹫处于可怕的困境中。虽然可能仍然有一些秃鹫的避难所，如Yankari野生动物保护区(Onoja et al. 2014)毗邻作者在高原州的研究区域，但曾经在该国无处不在且数量众多的连帽秃鹫本身似乎已经奄奄一息。然而，我认为作者错过了一些使他们的发现更精确的机会，如下所示。我最强烈的评论是Williams等人(2021年)的说法，即秃鹫的数量在过去的3-4年里出现了下降。“1969年至1972年，我住在尼日利亚北部的索科托，并和我的朋友艾伦·库克(Allan Cook)一起对连帽秃鹫进行了专门的研究，他在那里住的时间要长得多。”我们的结果将提交,但由尤其(我)项多达500在屠宰场,(ii)主要市场数量高达100,(3)超过300巢中发现和镇(iv)几乎没有干扰或迫害的秃鹰,或者他们的嵌套树,或鸡蛋和小鸡,(v)没有发现秃鹫的食物,和(vi)没有发现死亡或斩首的小鸟(PJ Mundy, AW厨师,珀耳斯。奥林匹克广播服务公司)。很久以后，在1996年访问加纳时，我们在阿克拉西部海滩上的屠宰场看到了不受干扰的秃鹫，在阿克拉主干道旁的树叶上筑巢的鸟，在库马西的屠宰场上空盘旋的估计有500只秃鹫(Anderson 1999;曼迪2000)。在后一个地方，我们甚至看到戴着兜帽的秃鹫站在屠夫的砧板上和敞开的门上:没有迫害的迹象。即使在高原州，论文的研究区域，也曾在屠宰场看到“大量”的动物。鉴于这些观察结果，自2000年(即20年前)以来，就整个社会而言，除了对基于信仰的使用甚至食物消费的需求之外，发生了什么变化?到目前为止，这是一个错失的大机会——威廉姆斯等人(2021)的论文中没有考虑到这一点，更不用说研究几十年来任何假设的社会变化了。从1973年尼日利亚的大量秃鹫到随后的1996年加纳的类似数量，为什么现在的情况如此“令人担忧”?是的，人口数量翻了一番，政治动荡和未来不确定性加剧，贫困加剧;但这些是简单的驱动因素吗?幸运的是，尼日利亚自然保护基金会正致力于教育和意识，以纠正“被误导的观念”，正如这篇论文所建议的那样。如果尼日利亚的秃鹫有任何生存的希望，这些努力必须得到支持。我认为2000年对于尼日利亚的秃鹫来说是一个转折点，也许对于整个西非地区来说也是如此:之前秃鹫的数量惊人，之后秃鹫数量急剧下降。这个临界点需要进一步调查。尼日利亚没有秃鹫“餐馆”，但有很多屠宰场。事实上，屠宰场几乎每天都要处理尸体，不像普通的“餐馆”可能每周都要处理尸体，因此屠宰场对连帽秃鹫特别有吸引力。我在索科托的屠宰场见过这些鸟(PJ Mundy和AW Cook, pers)。)、以前在津巴布韦的屠宰场(1997年1月1日)、克鲁格国家公园的斯库库扎(1997年2月1日)和加纳的阿克拉和库马西(2000年1月1日);另见Friedman(2021)。秃鹫聚集在屠宰场，因为那里有食物，它和人类在一起很放松，同时它也逃离了大型秃鹫的统治，后者通常会在尸体上与它竞争。因此，必须在全国各地的几个屠宰场进行定期计数，以便给物种提供某种丰度评级，即将定性的“下降”转变为更多的定量。这个机会能抓住吗?此外，为什么许多秃鹫在屠宰场“被发现死亡”，这是一个非常令人担忧的观察结果，肯定是中毒的结果?在西非的大部分地区，实际上是非洲的大部分地区，秃鹫在雨季结束后繁殖(即产卵)(Mundy et al. 1992)，并进入下一个旱季。在索科托(PJ Mundy和AW Cook)，情况当然如此。奥林匹克广播服务公司)。因此，我不明白当地人如何将产卵与防雨联系起来(Williams et al. 2021的图3)，这已经完成了。Williams等人(2021)应该为当地人澄清这种误解。威廉姆斯等人(2021)本可以向他们澄清当地人的其他误解，他们是连帽秃鹫(几乎从来没有，他们是一个社会性的物种，尽管有时会独自一人;Mundy et al. 1992;ATK Lee, in lit .)，以及如何识别评论
{"title":"Vultures in Nigeria – some missed opportunities?","authors":"PJ Mundy","doi":"10.2989/00306525.2022.2076490","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2989/00306525.2022.2076490","url":null,"abstract":"Ostrich is co-published by NISC (Pty) Ltd and Informa UK Limited (trading as Taylor & Francis Group) The recent paper by Williams et al. (2021) certainly shows the vultures of Nigeria to be in dire straits. While there may still be some havens for vultures, such as the Yankari Game Reserve (Onoja et al. 2014) adjoining the authors’ study area of Plateau State, the Hooded Vulture Necrosyrtes monachus itself, once ubiquitous and abundant in the country, seems to be on its ‘last legs’. Nevertheless I think the authors have missed some opportunities to make their findings more precise, as follows. My strongest comment concerns the statement of Williams et al. (2021) that the decline of vultures has occurred in the ‘past 3–4 decades.’ I lived in Sokoto, northern Nigeria, in 1969–1972, and made a particular study of Hooded Vultures with my friend Allan Cook who lived there much longer. Our results are about to be submitted, but they comprised inter alia (i) counts of up to 1 500 at the town abattoir, (ii) counts of up to 100 at the main market, (iii) more than 300 nests found in and around the town, (iv) virtually no interference or persecution of vultures, or their nesting trees, or the eggs and chicks, (v) no discovery of vultures as food, and (vi) no dead or decapitated birds found (PJ Mundy and AW Cook, pers. obs.). Much later and on a visit to Ghana in 1996, we saw unmolested vultures at the abattoir on the beach west of Accra, birds nesting in leafy trees along a main road in Accra, and an estimated 500 circling over the abattoir at Kumasi (Anderson 1999; Mundy 2000). At the latter place, we even saw Hooded Vultures standing on the chopping blocks of the butchers and on top of open doors: there was no indication of persecution. Even in the Plateau State, study area of the paper, ‘huge numbers’ were once seen at the abattoirs. Given these observations, what has changed since the year 2000 (i.e. two decades ago), in terms of society at large, but its need for belief-based usage and even food consumption? So far this is the big missed opportunity — there is no consideration in the Williams et al. (2021) paper, let alone research into, any hypothesised societal changes over the decades. From a situation of huge numbers of Hooded Vultures in Nigeria in 1973 and subsequently, and through to similar numbers in Ghana in 1996, why is the situation now so ‘alarming’? Yes, there is a doubling of human numbers, greater political volatility and future uncertainty, more poverty; but are these the simple drivers? Fortunately, the Nigerian Conservation Foundation is working on education and awareness to correct ‘misguided conceptions’, as the paper recommended. These efforts must be supported if there is to be any hope for the survival of vultures in Nigeria. I think this year of 2000 was a threshold year for vultures in Nigeria, and perhaps for West Africa as a region: incredible numbers before and ‘drastic decline’ since. This tipping point needs further inves","PeriodicalId":54655,"journal":{"name":"Ostrich","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42256089","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-01-02DOI: 10.2989/00306525.2022.2053599
Kate F. Carstens, K. Wimberger, Rowan O. Martin, David Letsoalo, C. Symes
Cape Parrots Poicephalus robustus inhabit forest patches in South Africa with <1 800 individuals remain in the wild. A small, genetically isolated population occurs in the northern part of its range in the Limpopo province. There, annual counts indicated ∼100 remain, but count numbers fluctuate substantially between years creating uncertainty over population trends. To inform approaches to the monitoring of Cape Parrot populations in the Limpopo province, we investigated how local abundance counts varied within and across years at known parrot ‘hotspots’. Monthly counts were done at these sites during 2013–2015 and 2020–2021. We found large variability in counts both within and amongst years, although this differed between sites. Observations of behaviour suggest that a site close to overnight roosts was more reliable, whereas those close to food sources were more variable likely linked to fruit availability. The highest numbers were recorded at a pecan nut orchard away from the indigenous forest. To better understand population trends of this small, isolated population we recommend annual counts are complemented with a series of focused counts at pecan nut orchards, which are monitored with greater intensity during the fruiting season.
{"title":"Monitoring an isolated population of Cape Parrots Poicephalus robustus in the Limpopo province, South Africa","authors":"Kate F. Carstens, K. Wimberger, Rowan O. Martin, David Letsoalo, C. Symes","doi":"10.2989/00306525.2022.2053599","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2989/00306525.2022.2053599","url":null,"abstract":"Cape Parrots Poicephalus robustus inhabit forest patches in South Africa with <1 800 individuals remain in the wild. A small, genetically isolated population occurs in the northern part of its range in the Limpopo province. There, annual counts indicated ∼100 remain, but count numbers fluctuate substantially between years creating uncertainty over population trends. To inform approaches to the monitoring of Cape Parrot populations in the Limpopo province, we investigated how local abundance counts varied within and across years at known parrot ‘hotspots’. Monthly counts were done at these sites during 2013–2015 and 2020–2021. We found large variability in counts both within and amongst years, although this differed between sites. Observations of behaviour suggest that a site close to overnight roosts was more reliable, whereas those close to food sources were more variable likely linked to fruit availability. The highest numbers were recorded at a pecan nut orchard away from the indigenous forest. To better understand population trends of this small, isolated population we recommend annual counts are complemented with a series of focused counts at pecan nut orchards, which are monitored with greater intensity during the fruiting season.","PeriodicalId":54655,"journal":{"name":"Ostrich","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43503118","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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