and has been recorded on the Kunene River. It prefers African Wood-Owl it is often associated with coastal or riverine woodland riverine forest with Baobab trees in lowland tropical areas. (Wood Owl) | and has been recorded in the riparian woodland of the It is not threatened in southern Africa but little is known of Strix woodfordii Okavango, Kwando, and Zambezi rivers. It is curiously its specialized ecology other than that it nests in holes in absent from the Chobe River. Another population is found Baobab trees, where it builds a nest of leaf stalks attached on the Kunene River near Epupa Falls. This population is to the inside wall of the hollow tree, or on the ground in not isolated, but rather represents the southern limit of manmade holes (Tarboton 2001). Eight breeding records for the Angolan population (Mendelsohn 1997d, del Hoyo et Namibia have them laying on December and January (Brown al. 1999). This species occupies an area of 7,900 km2 in et al. 2015). Its reporting rate in Namibia is 3.7% from an area Namibia, of which 17% occurs in the protected Mahango of occupancy of 1,800 km2 (Jarvis et al. 2001). region of the Bwabwata National Park and Mudumu and Nkasa Rupara (Mamili) national parks (Jarvis et al. Horus Swift | Apus horus 2001). Given a density of 23 pairs in 15 km of river in high reporting rate areas of South Africa (Kemp & Kemp 1989), Namibia’s rivers may hold (at an estimated density of 10 pairs per 10 km) about 330 pairs (approximately 750 birds) of African Wood-Owls along 330 km of river (from Mendelsohn 1997d). It may be at risk from woodland degradation in all areas of Namibia, but it is not considered threatened anywhere. Swamp Nightjar (Natal Nightjar) | Caprimulgus natalensis This tropical woodland species occurs widely from West © Alick Rennie and central Africa down the eastern side of southern Africa into South Africa as far as Cape Town (Mendelsohn 1997d). Four subspecies are recognized of which the nominate woodfordii occurs throughout Angola, Namibia, Zimbabwe and South Africa (del Hoyo et al. 1999). In southern Africa, This species occurs patchily from Sudan to Zimbabwe and the eastern and southern regions of South Africa (Brooke 1997a). It has a curious distribution in Namibia, occurring on the Zambezi and Chobe rivers, a few records from the Kunene River and then a large gap before it reappears at low density and isolated locations in central Namibia (Brooke 1997a). It is easily mistaken for the Little Swift A. ainis, which may explain the fragmented occurrence, but it can be recognised at close quarters by a slightly forked tail. Some populations in Zimbabwe and on the Kunene River lack the white rump (CJ Brown, J Paterson pers. obs.). Nests are typically found in river banks, and are holes excavated initially by bee-eaters This rare nocturnal denizen of grassy loodplains and or kingishers (Brooke 1997a). Colonies have been found in wetlands is separated into two subspecies in southern banks adjacent to road culverts used by White-rumped Swifts poorly known species of woodlands, primarily associated Africa: C. n. natalensis, which is endemic to southern A. cafer in Namibia (Brown 1989). Eggs were laid in March with rivers and evergreen forest, is represented in southern Mozambique and the eastern coast of South Africa in (n=4: Brown et al. 2015). It is not threatened in Namibia, but Africa only by birds in the eastern Zambezi region and KwaZulu-Natal, and the more widespread C. n. carpi, rather occurs there on the edge of its African distribution. northern Botswana, where reporting rates average 20% which is found south of the Sahara in localised pockets (Oatley 1997a, Jarvis et al. 2001). Namibian birds are mainly (Clancey 1980). In Namibia, the latter subspecies has Schalow’s Turaco | recorded from Katima Mulilo, where they are best detected been recorded patchily from the Okavango, Kwando, Tauraco schalowi by their calls. Populations extend into Angola, Tanzania and and particularly the Chobe and Zambezi rivers (Maclean south-west Kenya and south to Malawi. Population size is 1997h). It is also found patchily in the Okavango Delta. Following the split of the three southern African ‘green’ small, but unknown in Namibia. Some riparian habitat has Population sizes are unknown and reporting rates are turacos into full species, supported by morphological, vocal been lost in the Zambezi region, which is likely to have low at 4.7% in Namibia because of its secretive nocturnal and molecular evidence (du Plessis & Dean 2005), this resulted in a decline in numbers. behaviour (Maclean 1997h, Jarvis et al. 2001). Namibian © Alick Rennie 244 BIRDS TO WATCH IN NAMIBIA RED, RARE AND ENDEMIC SPECIES 245 populations probably represent much less than 1% of the African Rail | African population and thus it is treated as rare. It may Rallus caerulescens sufer from the frequent burning that Caprivi grasslands experience (Mendelsohn & Roberts 1997) during the breeding season from August to November (Maclean 1997h). The South African subspecies is designated as Vulnerable because of its small and fragmented population (Parker 2000, Taylor et al. in press) Pennant-winged Nightjar | Macrodipteryx vexillarius ( Macrodipteryx vexillaria) © Dr Ursula Franke-Bryson © Eckart Demasius This small, unobtrusive species is found scattered throughout the wetter areas of East and central Africa (Dean 2005a). In Namibia, it occurs along the margins of the northern rivers (Zambezi, Kwando and Okavango), where it forages on the edge of reed beds and shallow water (Dean 2005a). Its area of occupancy from SABAP1 records was 10,000 km2 (Jarvis et al. 2001). The bird is also recorded from the Tsumkwe Pans and northern Etosha. A recent record from SABAP2 is from further north in the north-central regions on the border with Angola. About This extraordinary migratory tropical species breeds in 20% of the range is within protected areas, so it is unlikely central southern Africa (mainly from October to December) to become a conservation priority. There are no nest and lies in locks to equatorial Africa from March (Maclean records for the species in Namibia. 1997g, del Hoyo et al. 1999). In southern Africa, it is found mainly in Zimbabwe, but birds occur peripherally in Namibia Corn Crake | Crex crex savannah, also following above average rains there (C in the north-east and near Epupa Falls on the Kunene River. Nebe pers. obs.). Understanding its status in Namibia It is always associated with riverine habitat and broad-leafed is almost certainly under-recorded because it is heard This small, secretive and elusive grassland species would require a concerted research efort because it is woodlands, where it typically prefers stony hillsides and more often than seen in wetlands comprising grasses and is threatened by the massive loss of grasslands in its unlikely to be recorded by the casual observer, particularly sandy areas (Maclean 1997g). Birds are occasionally sighted reeds. Its area of occupancy is therefore probably greater Eurasian breeding grounds (Stattersield & Capper 2000). because male birds do not call. It is doubtful for two in Etosha National Park and in Windhoek, but these are than the 1,600 km2 recorded from the Okavango River Recent conservation eforts focusing on changing the reasons whether conservation eforts in Namibia will add to vagrant. It occupies an area of 7,100 km2 in Namibia, of which and Linyanti Swamps (Taylor 1997c, Jarvis et al. 2001). timing and methods of harvesting in the United Kingdom this bird’s overall conservation. Firstly, its peripheral status 20% occurs in the Mahango protected area in the Bwabwata Birds were also recorded in the Bwabwata National Park are proving successful; the populations are increasing and lack of evidence that it was ever common in Namibia National Park and in Mudumu National Park (Jarvis et al. from the Okavango and Kwando river loodplains (Brown again (A Balmford pers. comm.) and the species has been suggest that conservation eforts would be futile. Secondly, 2001). No breeding records are known from Namibia. It is 1990), from the Zambezi eastern loodplain (Koen 1988), reclassiied to Least Concern status in 2012 (IUCN 2012). the conservation problems responsible for its rarity occur not a conservation priority here or elsewhere. the Nkasa-Lupala Island complex nearby (RE Simmons The range in southern Africa where this species migrates in Eurasia, where harvesting practices may hold the key pers. obs.), from north of Kamanjab (E Demasius pers. obs.) to is poorly known, but includes the more mesic grasslands to recovery. It therefore seems inappropriate to assign it a Red-chested Flufftail | and near Windhoek (Taylor 1997c). Like other luftails, it of Zimbabwe and eastern South Africa (Taylor 1997a). It threat category in Namibia. Sarothrura rufa may respond to local rains, and appear unexpectedly in is very rare in Namibia, with only one sighting recorded more arid parts of Namibia. Population size is currently during the SABAP1 atlas period in the Nyae Nyae region Striped Crake | This is among the commonest of Africa’s luftails, its impossible to predict, but it probably occurs throughout (Taylor 1997a). More recent sightings include birds 30 km Aenigmatolimnas marginalis distribution spreading westwards in inger-like projections the perennial river systems of the two Kavango and the east of Otavi in black turf grasslands, where three single from a predominantly easterly distribution in sub-Saharan Zambezi regions. It is not threatened, given that most of birds were observed in February 2004, following above This uncommon Afrotropical species is a wet-season visitor Africa, south to Cape Town (Taylor 1997c, Delany & Scott this habitat is inaccessible wetland penetrated only by average rains (B Nebe pers. obs.). Remains of a bird 70 km to southern Africa, and is so secretive and poorly known that 2002).