Better Late Never Than

RARE BIRDS Fortunately, the 2007 images are more informative. Firstly, they reveal that the bird, if it was indeed the same individual as in 2005, was now in sleek BETTER THAN adult plumage. It shows dark grey- brown upperparts and a dark crown late never separated from the broad black lores First record of Madagascar Pratincole in South Africa and paler khaki ear-coverts by a white slash that arcs backward from below TEXT FAANSIE PEACOCK the eye. The upper chest shows no hint of a collar nor any mottling. Particular- In what may well be some bizarre birding record, the Covid-19 lockdown period proved to be ly arresting is a splash of orange on the a most productive season for discovering rarities, despite no birders being able to leave their upper belly, contrasting strongly with a white lower belly. The odd short-tailed, homes. The ample free time allowed people to dig out their old notes and photographs and re- heavy-billed shape is still noteworthy investigate those nagging unanswered identification questions. One such lingering enigma found and is a point in favour of this being the its way into my inbox. After a few days of playing detective, a strange story emerged concerning very same bird as in 2005. one of the most exciting post hoc records in our birding history. THE EASTERN CAPE RECORD IS REMARKABLE, BUT NOT A irst, the timeline. Our story starts In the 2005 photos, the bird ap- COMPLETE SURPRISE. OPTI- 15 years ago, according to the pears rather featureless; it shows some relevant camera metadata. On streaking on the throat and a few bars MISTIC BIRDERS HAVE LONG F13 February 2005 Peter Stacey photo- across the chest, suggesting a first-year BEEN ON THE LOOKOUT FOR graphed a pratincole at the Wavecrest individual. It would have been tough MADAGASCAR PRATINCOLES Hotel and Spa between Kei Mouth and to identify at this age, but a few subtle Mazeppa Bay in the Eastern Cape. The clues are visible to the dedicated sleuth. IN SOUTHERN AFRICA bird was resting on rocks along the Structure-wise, the legs look rather Breeding range Non-breeding range southern bank of the Ngqusi River short for a pratincole, the bill is notably Peter’s uneasiness was justified. This mouth. The sighting left Peter puzzled, short and heavy and the wings project is not a bird you’ll find on the pages of Breeding grounds lie in Madagascar (1) with the main non-breeding but the case went cold. far beyond the short tail. Overall the southern African field guides … yet. The range from southern Somalia (2) to presumably northern Mozam- Amazingly, on a return visit, Peter plumage appears rather dark, with the combination of structural and plum- bique (3). Occasional irruptions occur in inland areas of East Africa (4). again found a pratincole – ostensibly his only obvious salient features being a age features confirms that this bird is a Migrants have also been spotted in the Comoros (5), Seychelles (6) pratincole – at the same spot. In birder white crescent below and behind the Madagascar Pratincole G. ocularis and and Mascarenes (7). The Wavecrest record (8). slang, ‘nailed to the perch’. He managed eye, plus an orange belly. if accepted by the BirdLife South Af- to take a series of photographs, dated rica National Rarities Committee it will 15 January 2007. The initial consensus be the first record of this species in the Africa from about April. The return mi- The situation in Mozambique is un- was that the bird was a Collared Prat- region. gration across the Mozambique Channel clear. While most regional texts note incole Glareola pratincola or perhaps a As its name suggests, the species starts from September. Concentrations this pratincole’s occurrence along the vagrant Rock Pratincole G. nuchalis, but breeds only on Madagascar and it has of thousands have been documented in coastline north of the Zambezi, the something did not sit right. The mystery the smallest breeding range of any of southern Somalia in May and July, after first documented records appear to be deepened. the world’s eight pratincole species. It which there appears to be a southward from Quissanga and Ibo Island, just Fast forward 13 years to my jaw drop- is at home in various open habitats, shift to Kenya, where as many as 9000 north of Pemba, in October 2010. More ping comically upon opening Peter’s e- whether wet or dry (I saw my first ones have been counted in dunes north of than likely, the species is a regular but mail. Now, let’s review the evidence… on a soccer field), although riverbanks, Malindi in August and early Septem- mostly overlooked winter visitor to coastlines, dunes, rocky coasts and es- ber. Stragglers and occasional influxes Mozambique. left, above and below The Wavecrest prat- tuaries seem to be preferred. Like its occur farther inland. Numbers in Tan- The Eastern Cape record is remark- incole in 2005. Barring across the chest and congeners, the species feeds on the zania appear to have declined in recent able, but not a complete surprise. Op- subdued facial markings suggest that it is a wing and ranges widely over various decades; indeed, the entire population timistic birders have long been on the first-year individual. habitats on foraging flights. is estimated at between 3300 and 6700 lookout for Madagascar Pratincoles The post-breeding movements are not mature individuals and BirdLife Inter- in southern Africa. That being said, right Presumably the same bird in 2007, now perfectly understood, but broadly speak- national classifies the species as globally coastal islets and estuaries in central in adult plumage. ing the species migrates to coastal East Vulnerable. Mozambique were rightly scouted as > PETER STACEY (3) 50 AFRICAN BIRDLIFE SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 MADAGASCAR PRATINCOLE 51 IDENTIFICATION Madagascar Pratincole (left and below) is about the same size and shape as Collared Pratincole and is thus discernibly larger than Rock Pratincole. While it is similar in colour to the latter species, it differs in having dark (not red) legs, no white collar on the nape, chestnut (not dark) underwing coverts and a bright chestnut belly patch. It also lacks a white mid-wing bar. More subtle characters to look for on Madagascar Pratincole are the small white spot just beyond the gape (sometimes linked to the white crescent below the eye) and the white edge to the carpal joint. The white mark below the eye is less obvious in young Madagascars, which might lead to confusion with non-breeding Collared or Black-winged Pratincole G. nordmanni. However, Madagas- car has a shorter and less deeply forked tail, a heavier bill and a bright chestnut-orange belly patch. On this last point, birders should be aware that the Oriental Pratincole G. maldivarum may show a faint peachy wash on the lower breast. This species is a potential vagrant to the region and has been recorded from several Indian Ocean islands. being the most likely stakeouts (with efforts no doubt being boosted by an unconfirmed historical claim from the Zambezi Delta). The timing of the Wavecrest sighting is strange as the species is most likely to wander to our subregion in winter, like other Malagasy migrants such as Madagascar Cuckoo, Mascarene Martin and Mala- gasy Pond Heron. What should our conclusion be? The evidence suggests that this individual found its way to the Eastern Cape, probably during its first post-natal mi- gration, and remained at or returned to the same site for an extended period. Can you help fill in some of the blanks of this intriguing case? Did you visit Wavecrest during the mid-2000s? Any other unusual pratincoles in your ar- chives? Let us know! At the very least, this record is a reminder to always ex- pect the unexpected. KEN BEHRENS (2) 52 AFRICAN BIRDLIFE.

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