sign in sign up
<<
Home , Akalat, Bay owl, Gola malimbe, Ibadan malimbe, Kilombero weaver, Little greenbul

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 NEWNEW BIRDSBIRDS ININ AFRICAAFRICA 8 9 10 11 The last 50 years 12 13 Text by Phil Hockey 14 15 Illustrations by Martin Woodcock from of , vols 3 and 4, 16 reproduced with kind permission of Academic Press, and 17 David Quinn (Algerian Nuthatch) reproduced from Tits, Nuthatches & 18 Treecreepers, with kind permission of Russel Friedman Books. 19 20 New birds are still being discovered in Africa and 21 elsewhere, proof that one of the secret dreams of most birders 22 23 can still be realized. This article deals specifically with African discoveries 24 and excludes nearby Madagascar. African discoveries have ranged from the cedar of 25 northern Algeria, site of the discovery of the Algerian Nuthatch 26 27 (above), all the way south to the east coast of South Africa. 28 29 ome of the recent discoveries in Africa have come case, of their discoverer. In 1972, the late Dr Alexandre 30 Sfrom explorations of poorly-known areas, such as the Prigogine described a new of from 31 remote highland forests of eastern Zaïre. Other new spe- Nyamupe in eastern Zaïre, which he named Andropadus 32 cies have been described by applying modern molecular hallae. The bird has never been seen or collected since and 33 techniques capable of detecting major genetic differences Prigogine himself subse- quently decided that 34 between birds that were previously thought to be races of the specimen was of a melanis- 35 the same species. The recent ‘splitting’ of the Northern tic Little Greenbul Andropadus 36 and Southern black korhaans Eupodotis afraoides/afra of virens, a species with a 37 southern Africa is one example. wide distribution in equato- 38 In terms of ornithological discovery, these two ways of rial West and . 39 describing species are subtly different: the former involves Interestingly, and  40 the discovery of birds we did not even know existed, the rather surprisingly, the 41 latter to birds that we did know about but did not recog- 42 nize for what they were! 43 This article is con- 44 cerned with ‘exploratory 45 discoveries’, and, in this cat- 46 egory, Africa has yielded many sur- 47 prises in the last 50 years, averaging almost 48 one new species a year. Some of these have come 49 from unexpected places – the was 50 found on lands immediately adjacent to Ibadan 51 University! Another, the Algerian Nuthatch, was dis­ 52 covered in 1976 within the boundaries of the western 53 Palearctic – the first species to have been discovered in Prigogine’s Greenbul (left) of Zaïre was not seen 54 between 1982 and 1993 and is under severe threat this region since 1886. 55 from destruction. The Liberian (right) was described from a Not all ‘new’ species that have been described have sur- mummified specimen found near Zwedru, , in 1984. It is also under 56 vived the depredations of sceptical taxonomists or, in one severe threat and has not been seen in recent years. 57

1997 – volume 2, number 1 NEW BIRDS IN AFRICA 39  1 scribed) species; the lighthouse casualty remains the only 1 2 record of the presumably migratory Red Sea Cliff 2 3 Swallow. 3 4 Among the resident birds, forest-dwelling species have 4 5 figured prominently, comprising 61 per cent of the total. 5 6 Some of these are very poorly known indeed – Prigogine’s 6 7 Nightjar and the Kibale Ground , for example, 7 8 have not been seen since the original specimens were col- 8 9 lected. The one and only specimen of Congo Bay was 9 10 collected in the Itombwe Mountains of Zaïre in 1951. 10 11 Apart from a possible sight record from Burundi in the 11 12 1970s and a record of an unknown owl call in Rwanda in 12 13 early 1990, this species was not recorded again for 45 13 14 years. It was ‘rediscovered’, and one female was caught, 14 15 ringed and released, in the Itombwe Mountains in May 15 16 1996. In contrast to these, some recently discovered spe- land. The site of the discovery of the 16 17 cies are locally quite common. These include the White- as recently as 1990, this swamp is geographically isolated 17 18 throated Mountain Babbler of highland , the and is unusual in that even though it is more than 300 18 19 and the Udzungwa Forest – kilometres from the coast, it lies at an altitude of only 19 20 although the partridge may already be threatened by 250 metres above sea level. The same swamp is thought 20 21 specimen collecting. to contain two new, but as yet undescribed, species of cis- 21 22 The Red Sea Cliff Swallow is known from a single specimen that died Surely, however, one of the most bizarre tales of recent ticola. 22 23 when it flew into a lighthouse in the Red Sea, off the coast of Sudan. discovery must be that of the Bulo Burti Boubou from It is probably a reasonable assumption that new species 23 24 Somalia. This bird was first observed in the grounds of a found in the future (by exploration rather than in the 24 25 hospital at Bulo Burti on the Shabeelle River, Somalia, in The (above) and the White-headed Robin- (above laboratory) will be highly range-restricted. A glance at the 25 right) were described from Angola within two years of one another. The 26 rate at which new species are being discovered in Africa has August 1988. On 5 January it was caught in a mist-net map of recent discoveries indicates a startling lack of new 26 robin-chat has a fairly wide distribution, extending into western Zaïre, 27 remained fairly constant. Between 1946 and 1955, 10 new and taken into captivity. It was subsequently transported but the akalat is restricted to relict forest patches on the western Angolan birds from the forested regions of the Congo Basin, even 27 28 species were described. The following three 10-year periods to Germany when the person caring for the captive  escarpment and is threatened with extinction. though this area is flanked by new species on three sides. 28 29 saw totals of seven, eight and 13 species respectively. In 1976, Leon Lippens and Henri Wille (Les Oiseaux de 29 30 Between 1986 and 1995, another eight new species came to Zaïre) wrote ‘we are convinced that new species of birds 30 31 light. bird was evacuated because of civil unrest. More than a still remain to be discovered in Zaïre’. Right they were:  31 32 The geographical distribution of the 46 species described year later, in March 1990, the bird was returned to 32 33 since 1946 is far from even. Ninety-three per cent of dis- Somalia, and was released back into the wild on 23 March 33 34 coveries have been in the tropics, and 70 per cent of the in the Baclad Nature Reserve: neither it, nor any other 34 35 total have been from within 10 degrees latitude of the Bulo Burti Boubou, has been seen since. The boubou 35 36 Equator. The country that has contributed most to new made additional ornithological history in being the first 36 37 discoveries has been Zaïre, with eight, followed by Liberia, instance in which a bird species has been described with 37 38 Cameroon and Ethiopia, each with four. Somalia, Kenya, DNA and a few feathers as the type material. 38 39 and Angola have each contributed three, a The tendency for birds to evolve into new species is 39 40 further two, and another nine countries have contributed greatest when populations become isolated from one 40 41 one species each. Most new birds have come from the east another. Island populations are classic examples: the 41 42 of the continent, with an impressive contribution of no majority of the world’s highly range-restricted species are 42 43 fewer than six new species from in and around the found on islands. Worthy of note here is that the majority 43 44 Itombwe Mountain forests of eastern Zaïre. of species which have become extinct in the last 400 years 44 45 Nearly all the new discoveries have been of resident, were island species. 45 46 rather than migratory species, with two exceptions. The One could therefore predict that highly range-restricted 46 47 Mascarene Shearwater was described from a beached species on the mainland will be found in situations 47 48 specimen collected in Durban, South Africa, but its breed- which are analogues of islands, such as forested moun- 48 49 ing grounds almost certainly lie well to the north-east of tain peaks and isolated wetlands. The new birds of the 49 50 here, possibly in the Comoro or Mascarene Islands. The last 50 years support this conclusion – two or more new 50 51 discovery of the Red Sea Cliff Swallow was the result of a birds have been found on Mount Nimba in Liberia, 51 52 single bird flying into the Sanganeb Lighthouse, off the Mount Kupé in Cameroon, the Itombwe Mountains of 52 53 coast of Sudan in the Red Sea. To mark its misfortune, it eastern Zaïre and the Udzungwa Mountains of southern 53 54 was given the scientific name Hirundo perdita, the ‘lost Tanzania. Intensive searching (or a bit of luck!) in the 54 The Sokoke Scops Owl (above right) is locally common in the Arabuko- It is quite likely that there are still new honeyguides to be described 55 swallow’. Some similar-looking cliff swallows have been highlands of Ethiopia is also likely to produce at least one 55 Sokoke Forest of coastal Kenya and may occur elsewhere. The Congo from Africa. The Dwarf Honeyguide (above) of Zaïre and the Yellow- 56 seen subsequently in Ethiopia, but these have rufous, not Bay Owl (left), by contrast, remained undetected from the time it was or two new species. A swamp adjoining the Kilombero footed Honeyguide (right) of Liberia have both been discovered in the 56 57 grey, rumps and are thought to belong to another (unde- discovered in 1951 until May 1996. River in Tanzania is a good example of an ‘island’ wet- last 40 years. 57

NEW BIRDS IN AFRICA africa – birds & birding 1997 – volume 2, number 1 NEW BIRDS IN AFRICA 40 41 

 1 1 CHRONOLOGY OF BIRD DISCOVERIES 2 Sites of new bird discoveries IN AFRICA 1946–1995 2 3 3 4 1946–1995 The dates refer to the years in which the species 4 5 were described to science, not to the years in which they were 5 6 first found or collected. 6 7 1946 Roberts’ Prinia Prinia robertsi, Zimbabwe 7 N 1947 Fox’s Weaver spekeoides, Uganda 8 8 1949 White-throated Mountain Babbler 9 9 Kupeornis gilberti, Cameroon 10 10 1951 Mount Kupé Bush Shrike The White-chested Tinkerbird is an enigma among recent discoveries. 11 Telephorus kupeensis, Cameroon 11 It was found in the Mayau region of Zambia and is still known to sci- 12 TUNISIA Algerian Nuthatch 12 1952 Djibouti Francolinus ochropectus, Djibouti ence only from the type specimen. Repeated searches have failed to 13 Phodilus prigoginei, Zaïre find any trace of the bird, even though the in which it was 13 14 1955 Kabobo Apalis Apalis kaboboensis, Zaïre caught is widespread. 14 MOROCCO 15 Short-billed Crombec Sylvietta philippae, Somalia 15 16 ALGERIA White-headed Robin-Chat Cossypha heinrichi, Angola 16 LIBYA Nile Red Sea Cliff Swallow 1956 Williams’ Lark Mirafra williamsi, Kenya 17 EGYPT another three species have been discovered there subse- 17 Prigogine's Greenbul 1957 Angola Helmetshrike Prionops gabela, Angola WESTERN 18 SAHARA quently and their statement probably still holds true. 18 Fox's Weaver Gabela Akalat Sheppardia gabela, Angola 19 They identify the Wamba Forest in Bandundu Province 19 MAURITANIA 1958 Dwarf Honeyguide Indicator pumilio, Zaïre 20 MALI Kibale Ground Thrush to the east of the Kwango River as one site that may still 20 Sénégal Ibadan Malimbe ibadanensis, Nigeria 21 Niger 21 SENEGAL NIGER Nechisar Nightjar 1960 Lemon-breasted Canary Serinus citrinipectus, have ornithological secrets to reveal. Other potential 22 CHAD Blue Nile Djibouti Francolin Mozambique ‘mainland islands’ include the Bongo Massif in the north- 22 23 BURKINA SUDAN Ankober Serin east of the , as well as nearby 23 FASO Schouteden’s Swift Schoutedenapus schoutedenapus, Entebbe Weaver 24 Zaïre mountains on the south-western border of Sudan. 24 NIGERIA Sidamo Lark 25 IVORY SOMALIA 1965 White-chested Tinkerbird Pogoniulus makawai, In 1955 and 1957, three new species were described 25 Benue White LIBERIA COAST BENIN CENTRAL Degodi Lark

TOGO Nile 26 AFRICAN Zambia from Angola but, in recent years, very few birders have 26 Nimba Flycatcher Short-billed Crombec 27 REPUBLIC ETHIOPIA 1966 Sokoke Scops Owl Otus ireneae, Kenya 27 Yellow-footed Honeyguide Bulo Burti Boubou visited the region. Two new species were described from West African 1967 Prigogine’s Greenbul Chlorocichla prigoginei, Zaïre 28 CAMEROON Gabela in the same year and one wonders what might 28 Liberian Greenbul Ash's Lark Tana River Cisticola Cisticola restrictus, Kenya 29 Gola Malimbe KENYA Williams' Lark exist undiscovered on the mountains to the south-east of 29 0° 0° 30 UGANDA Dwarf Honeyguide 1970 Nimba Flycatcher annamarulae, Liberia here, north-west of Huambo. These mountains, rising to ­­ 30 Ibadan Malimbe Tana River Cisticola 1974 River Prinia Prinia fluviatilis, Chad 31 CONGO Sokoke Scops Owl 2 600 metres, are considerably higher than any others 31 ZAÏRE Gola Malimbe Malimbus ballmani, 32 Baka Widowfinch Congo Bay Owl within a radius of more than 1 500 kilometres. Apart from 32 Prigogine's Nightjar 1975 Sidamo Lark Mirafra sidamoensis, Ethiopia 33 TANZANIA the post-1946 discoveries in Angola, there are some other 33 Jambandu Widowfinch Udzungwa Forest Partridge Degodi Lark Mirafra degodiensis, Ethiopia Rufous-winged Sunbird 34 1976 Algerian Nuthatch Sitta ledanti, Algeria highly range-restricted species found here in escarpment 34 Mount Kupé ANGOLA 35 Bush Shrike MALAWI 1978 Kibale Ground Thrush Zoothera kibalensis, Uganda forests, including Pulitzer’s Longbill Macrosphenus pulitzeri, 35 Cubango Kilombero Weaver White-throated 36 Mountain Babbler 1979 Ankober Serin Serinus ankoberensis, Ethiopia which has not been seen for many years, and the Gabela 36 ZAMBIA Zambesi Kabobo Apalis 37 1981 Yellow-footed Honeyguide Melignomon eisentrauti, Bush Shrike Laniarius amboimensis which was seen in 1992 37 Dorst's Cisticola 38 Liberia for the first time since 1960. 38 Schouteden's Swift River Prinia ZIMBABWE 1982 Ash’s Lark Mirafra ashi, Somalia 39 MOZAMBIQUE Further to the east, recent discoveries in the Udzungwa 39 White-headed Robin-chat Roberts' Prinia Lake Lufira Weaver Ploceus ruweti, Zaïre 40 BOTSWANA Mountains of southern Tanzania raise the likelihood of 40 NAMIBIA Jambandu Widowfinch Vidua raricola, Cameroon 41 Gabela Akalat Lemon-breasted Canary undescribed species still to be found in the hills of north- 41 Baka Widowfinch Vidua larvaticola, Nigeria 42 Gabela Helmetshrike ern Mozambique, between the Zambezi and Ruvuma 42 1983 Albertine Owlet Glaucidium albertinum, Zaïre 43 Lake Lufira Weaver Rivers. There are some definite ornithological affinities 43 Orange Rufous-winged Sunbird Nectarinia 44 White-chested Tinkerbird Mascarene Shearwater 44 SOUTH rufipennis, Tanzania between the two areas. For example, the Long-billed AFRICA 45 1984 West African Batis Batis occulta, Liberia Tailorbird Orthotomus moreaui is known only from the 45 46 1985 Red Sea Cliff Swallow Hirundo perdita, Sudan eastern Usambara Mountains in Tanzania and from the 46 47 Natural vegetation Liberian Greenbul Phyllastrephus leucolepis, Liberia Njesi Plateau in northern Mozambique. There has only 47 48 Tropical rainforest 1986 Entebbe Weaver Ploceus victoriae, Uganda been one recent record of the species in Tanzania; this 48 49 Savanna 1990 Prigogine’s Nightjar Caprimulgus prigoginei, Zaïre was in 1992, after several previous attempts to locate the 49 50 Kilombero Weaver Ploceus burnieri, Tanzania 50 Grassland bird had failed. The Njesi Plateau has not been visited 51 1991 Dorst’s Cisticola Cisticola dorsti, Cameroon since 1945. 51 Desert 52 Udzungwa Forest Partridge Further south in Mozambique, Mount Gorongosa is 52 Mediterranean 53 Xenoperdix udzungwensis, Tanzania another good example of a mainland ‘island’. It supports 53 0 1000 2000 km Bulo Burti Boubou Laniarius liberatus, Somalia 54 Mountain the only known population of Green-headed Oriole Oriolus 54 1995 Mascarene Shearwater Puffinus atrodorsalis, 55 0 500 1000 miles chlorocephalus in southern Africa, as well as an endemic 55 South Africa 56 56 Nechisar Nightjar Caprimulgus solala, Ethiopia subspecies of Greater Double-collared Sunbird Nectarinia 57 afra amicorum. The nearest populations of Greater  57

NEW BIRDS IN AFRICA africa – birds & birding 1997 – volume 2, number 1 NEW BIRDS IN AFRICA 42 43 

  1 Double-collared Sunbird are in the Soutpansberg, South and reddish tail was seen briefly on Mount Wogra in north- 2 Africa, and on the Nyika Plateau in northern Malawi. western Somalia. Even given the scanty views, the observer 3 Genetic work may yet reveal the Gorongosa population to was confident that what he saw did not tally with any 4 be specifically distinct. known species. More recent- 5 Although I think Gorongosa ly (October 1984), a pair of 6 is probably sufficiently well If this article has inspired any readers to set off for small weavers was seen at 7 known that it is unlikely remote corners of Africa in the hope of discovering new Beyla in north-eastern 8 that new species will be dis- species, remember that before a new bird can be Guinea. Although the male 9 covered there in future, the described to science, a specimen is required (the Bulo superficially resembled a 10 same cannot be said of Burti Boubou being the only exception to date). It is also male Slender-billed Weaver 11 northern Mozambique: here, worth considering that because new species are likely to Ploceus luteolus, it is thought be highly range-restricted and rare, the old adage of 12 surely, new birds await the that this too is an unde- ‘what’s hit is history and what’s missed is mystery’ might 13 pioneering ornithologist. scribed species. bear some re-examination. 14 There are several ‘new’ There is a strong case to be made, supported by recent Based on the recent track 15 birds that have seen sighted history, that some attempt should be made to assess the record, it is going to be 16 in Africa in recent years but population status of the ‘new’ species before any speci- many years before Africa’s 17 as yet remain undescribed mens are collected to satisfy taxonomic curiosity. avifauna is fully known – 18 to science. An undescribed Whichever route is to be followed, locating the bird is the there are still plenty of 19 Sheppardia robin has been first step in the process. Always expect the unexpected; areas sufficiently remote 20 seen in the lowland forests but when it happens, make sure that you take down as or unvisited that will 21 of eastern Zaïre, to the north detailed a description as you possibly can and inform undoubtedly yield new spe- 22 of the Virungu Mountains. conservation agencies, such as BirdLife International, cies to science. There may about what you have found. 23 Around Iranga, also in east- even be one in the semi- 24 ern Zaïre, there have been arid regions of South Africa, 25 several recent sightings of which, ornithologically, is 26 an undescribed large spinetail and, further east, above the one of the best-known countries on the continent. Over 27 Kazinga Channel in south-western Uganda, there have the last eight years there have been at least five indepen- 28 been reports of rockfowl (Picathartes). The latter are so far dent sightings of a canary that resembles no other known 29 from the rockfowl populations of West Africa that they in the region, or indeed in Africa. It most closely resem- 30 may well be an unknown species. A small oxpecker has bles either African Citril Serinus citrinelloides or Black- 31 been seen in association with buffaloes in the Tai Forest of faced Canary Serinus capistratus, but occurs in completely 32 the western Ivory Coast: if this was a new species, it may different habitat to either of these two. If a new bird can 33 already have become extinct, along with its buffalo hosts. be found in the western Palearctic in the 1970s, surely 34 In October 1958, a thrush-sized bird with a bright red bill anything is possible on the dark continent!  35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 All four of the new larks described since 1946 have come from the arid 55 north-east – namely (from left to right) Sidamo, Williams’, Ash’s, and The author is grateful to Gary Allport, Nigel Collar and Lincoln 56 Degodi. More new species await formal description from the arid south- Fishpool of BirdLife International for their input into this article. 57 west of Africa.

44 NEW BIRDS IN AFRICA africa – birds & birding