DOCSLIB.ORG

Species Limits in the Indigobirds (Ploceidae, Vidua) of West Africa: Mouth Mimicry, Song Mimicry, and Description of New Species

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Species Limits in the Indigobirds (Ploceidae, Vidua) of West Africa: Mouth Mimicry, Song Mimicry, and Description of New Species MISCELLANEOUS PUBLICATIONS MUSEUM OF ZOOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN NO. 162 Species Limits in the Indigobirds (Ploceidae, Vidua) of West Africa: Mouth Mimicry, Song Mimicry, and Description of New Species Robert B. Payne Museum of Zoology The University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109 Ann Arbor MUSEUM OF ZOOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN May 26, 1982 MISCELLANEOUS PUBLICATIONS MUSEUM OF ZOOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN The publications of the Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, consist of two series-the Occasional Papers and the Miscellaneous Publications. Both series were founded by Dr. Bryant Walker, Mr. Bradshaw H. Swales, and Dr. W. W. Newcomb. The Occasional Papers, publication of which was begun in 1913, serve as a medium for original studies based principally upon the collections in the Museum. They are issued separately. When a sufficient number of pages has been printed to make a volume, a title page, table of contents, and an index are supplied to libraries and individuals on the mailing list for the series. The Miscellaneous Publications, which include papers on field and museum techniques, monographic studies, and other contributions not within the scope of the Occasional Papers, are published separately. It is not intended that they be grouped into volumes. Each number has a title page and, when necessary, a table of contents. A complete list of publications on Birds, Fishes, Insects, Mammals, Mollusks, and Reptiles and Amphibians is available. Address inquiries to the Director, Museum of Zoology, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109. MISCELLANEOUS PUBLICATIONS MUSEUM OF ZOOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN NO. 162 Species Limits in the Indigobirds (Ploceidae, Vidua) of West Africa: Mouth Mimicry, Song Mimicry, and Description of New Species Robert B. Payne Museum of Zoology The University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109 Ann Arbor MUSEUM OF ZOOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN May 26, 1982 CONTENTS PAGE INTRODUCTION .......................................................... 1 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .................................................... 5 METHODS AND MATERIALS ........................................ 6 Vidua chalybeata (Muller) ................................................... 9 V . c. chalybeata (Muller) ................................................ 12 V . c . neumanni (Alexander) ............................................. 13 V. c. centralis (Neunzig) ................................................ 14 Vidua raricola NEW SPECIES ............................................... 16 Vidua larvaticola NEW SPECIES ............................................ 33 Vidua junerea (de Tarragon) ................................................. 41 V. f . maryae NEW SUBSPECIES ........................................ 42 V . f . sorora NEW SIJBSPECIES ......................................... 44 NOMENCLATURAL COMMENTS: nigeriae Alexander. camerunensis Grote, and sharii Bannerman as nomena dubia ........................... 50 Vidua wilsoni (Hartert) ..................................................... 53 V . w . wilsoni (Hartert) .................................................. 54 V . w . incognita (Nicolai) ................................................ 59 DISCUSSION .............................................................. 60 LITERATURE CITED ..................................................... 68 APPENDIX I: LOCALITIES AND SPECIMENS EXAMINED ................. 72 APPENDIX 11: GAZETTEER ............................................... 85 ILLUSTRATIONS FIGURE PAGE 1 Map of West Africa and field study localities ....................... 6 2 Mouth of nestling Lagonosticta senegala ........................... 10 3 Mouth of juvenile Vidua chalybeata ............................... 11 4 Songs of Lagonosticta senegala and Vidua chalybeata ............... 12 5 Distribution of Lagonosticta senegala and Vidua chalybeata ......... 13 6 Mouth of nestling Lagonosticta rara ............................... 18 7 Mouth of juvenile Vidua raricola .................................. 18 8 Songs of Lagonosticta rara ........................................ 22 9 Songs of Vidua raricola in Cameroon .............................. 23 10 Songs of Vidua raricola in Ghana ................................. 24 11 Songs of Vidua raricola in Sierra Leone ........................... 25 12 Habitat of three species of indigobirds at Banyo. Cameroon ......... 27 13 Habitat of Vidua rarzcola at Banyo. Cameroon ..................... 27 14 Male Vidua raricola on territory at Banyo. Cameroon ............... 28 15 Male Vidua raricola singing near Musaia, Sierra Leone ............. 29 16 Distribution of Lagonosticta rara and Vidua raricola ............... 32 17 Mouth of juvenile Lagonosticta larvala and Vidua laruaticola ....... 34 18 Songs of Lagonosticta larvata ..................................... 36 19 Songs of Vidua larvaticola ........................................ 37 20 Habitat of three species of indigobirds at Zaria, Nigeria ............. 38 21 Distribution of Lagonosticta laruata and Vidua larvaticola .......... 40 Mouth of nestling Lagonosticta rubricata and probable Vidua funerea nestling ......................................................... Songs of Lagonosticta rubricata at Banyo. Cameroon ............... Songs of Vidua funerea at Banyo. Cameroon ....................... Distribution of Lagonosticta rubricata. L . rhodopareia. and Vidua junerea in West Africa ............................................ Mouth of juvenile Lagonosticta rufopicta and juvenile Vidua wilsoni Songs of Lagonosticla rujopicta ................................... Songs of Vidua wilsoni ........................................... Distribution of Lagonosticta rujopicta and Vidua wilsoni in West Africa LIST OF TABLES TABLE PAGE 1 Color standards and color terms for male breeding plumage. 8 2 Mouth pattern of young firefinches Lagonosticta and indigobirds Vidua 19 3 Measurements of males of the pale-winged species complex . 20 4 Measurements, foot color, and identity of known females of the pale- winged species complex . 21 5 Song mimicry, plumage color, and distribution of males of the pale- winged species complex . .. .. .. .. .. 61 INTRODUCTION The indigobirds (Vidua, subgenus Hypochera) are small, brood- parasitic finches. They are widespread and common but local in Africa. Although their biology has been the subject of recent field work in West Africa, the species limits of the group in this area are not well known. Indigobirds are all morphologically similar, and no differences in plumage pattern or in morphological proportions among species are known (Payne, 1973). Species of indigobirds in the past have been described mainly on the basis of differences in the color of the gloss of the breeding plumage of the males. Within one indigobird species (V. funerea) in southern Africa, plumage color or gloss in the otherwise blackish plumage of the breeding males may vary from green to blue to purple in different areas (Payne, 1973). Females of all species are small streaked brownish birds. Field work that associated the songs of individual birds with their plumage color, leg and bill color in southern Africa showed consistent associations of behavior and morphology among three species (V. chalybeata, V. funerea, V. purpurascens). The consistent difference in song in males across populations of a single species of indigobird was the species of firefinch (Lagonosticta) whose song was imitated (Payne, 1973). The indigobirds are brood parasites and in this species complex in southern Africa each species mimics the song (males) and apparently parasitizes (females) a single species of firefinch host (Payne, 1973). Each male mimics the song of its host species of firefinch (Nicolai, 1964; Payne, 1973, 1976, 1980). The young indigobirds learn these songs of the host while in the care of their foster parents. Moreover, the females that visit and mate with each kind of male differ from each other morphologically, with females and males of a single species generally having similar colors of the bill and feet. The morphological differences among females and the high degree of assortative mating among the morphologi- cally different forms of indigobirds living within a local area pro- vided evidence to confirm the distinctiveness of the three species in southern Africa (Payne, 1973). Indigobirds of West Africa are less well known. It has been impossible to test whether the different morphological forms of indigobirds in an area are distinct species by determining whether mating is highly assortative, because females themselves are not known to be morphologically distinguishable (Payne, 1973, 1976). Although the criterion of song mimicry might be used as a test of species distinctiveness, song mimicry alone appears to be an insuf- ficient test, for several reasons: (1) Occasional birds in southern Africa may sing the "wrong" songs, mimicking a ispecies other than the usual fosterer of their own species, and not mimicking their own species' usual fosterer species. These instances are uncommon (2 cases in nearly 400 birds, Payne, 1973, 1980), but they indicate that species limits cannot be determined simply by hearing one or two singing males of each kind (Payne, 1973, 1976). (2) Hybrid parasitic finches, including indigobird x other whydah species groups within the genus Vidua, sing the song of their foster parent species, and not a mixed or intermediate song. This unmixed mimetic song is to be expected if the song differences are determined by the experiences of the
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Species List
    Mozambique: Species List Birds Specie Seen Location Common Quail Harlequin Quail Blue Quail Helmeted Guineafowl Crested Guineafowl Fulvous Whistling-Duck White-faced Whistling-Duck White-backed Duck Egyptian Goose Spur-winged Goose Comb Duck African Pygmy-Goose Cape Teal African Black Duck Yellow-billed Duck Cape Shoveler Red-billed Duck Northern Pintail Hottentot Teal Southern Pochard Small Buttonquail Black-rumped Buttonquail Scaly-throated Honeyguide Greater Honeyguide Lesser Honeyguide Pallid Honeyguide Green-backed Honeyguide Wahlberg's Honeyguide Rufous-necked Wryneck Bennett's Woodpecker Reichenow's Woodpecker Golden-tailed Woodpecker Green-backed Woodpecker Cardinal Woodpecker Stierling's Woodpecker Bearded Woodpecker Olive Woodpecker White-eared Barbet Whyte's Barbet Green Barbet Green Tinkerbird Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird Red-fronted Tinkerbird Pied Barbet Black-collared Barbet Brown-breasted Barbet Crested Barbet Red-billed Hornbill Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill Crowned Hornbill African Grey Hornbill Pale-billed Hornbill Trumpeter Hornbill Silvery-cheeked Hornbill Southern Ground-Hornbill Eurasian Hoopoe African Hoopoe Green Woodhoopoe Violet Woodhoopoe Common Scimitar-bill Narina Trogon Bar-tailed Trogon European Roller Lilac-breasted Roller Racket-tailed Roller Rufous-crowned Roller Broad-billed Roller Half-collared Kingfisher Malachite Kingfisher African Pygmy-Kingfisher Grey-headed Kingfisher Woodland Kingfisher Mangrove Kingfisher Brown-hooded Kingfisher Striped Kingfisher Giant Kingfisher Pied
    [Show full text]
  • Using Molecular Tools to Guide Management of Invasive Alien
    Diversity and Distributions, (Diversity Distrib.) (2015) 1–14 BIODIVERSITY Using molecular tools to guide RESEARCH management of invasive alien species: assessing the genetic impact of a recently introduced island bird population J. van de Crommenacker1,2*, Y. X. C. Bourgeois3, B. H. Warren4, H. Jackson2, F. Fleischer-Dogley1, J. Groombridge2 and N. Bunbury1 1Seychelles Islands Foundation, La Ciotat ABSTRACT Building, Mont Fleuri, Mahe, Victoria, Aim Biological invasions are a major threat to island biodiversity and are Seychelles, 2Durrell Institute of Conservation responsible for a large proportion of species declines and extinctions world- and Ecology (DICE), School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, wide. The process of hybridization between invasive and native species is a Marlowe Building, Canterbury, Kent, UK, major factor that contributes to the loss of endemic genetic diversity. The issue 3Zoologisches Institut, Evolutionsbiologie, of hybridization is often overlooked in the management of introduced species A Journal of Conservation Biogeography University of Basel, Vesalgasse 1, 4051 Basel, because morphological evidence of hybridization may be difficult to recognize Switzerland, 4Institute of Systematic Botany, in the field. Molecular techniques, however, facilitate identification of specific University of Zurich, Zollikerstrasse 107, hybridization events and assessment of the direction and timing of introgres- 8008 Zurich, Switzerland sion. We use molecular markers to track hybridization in a population of an island endemic bird, the Aldabra fody (Foudia aldabrana), following the recent discovery of a co-occurring population of non-native Madagascar fodies (Foudia madagascariensis). Location Aldabra Atoll, Seychelles. Methods We combine phylogenetic analyses of mitochondrial and nuclear markers to assess whether hybridization has occurred between F.
    [Show full text]
  • The Birds (Aves) of Oromia, Ethiopia – an Annotated Checklist
    European Journal of Taxonomy 306: 1–69 ISSN 2118-9773 https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2017.306 www.europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu 2017 · Gedeon K. et al. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Monograph urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:A32EAE51-9051-458A-81DD-8EA921901CDC The birds (Aves) of Oromia, Ethiopia – an annotated checklist Kai GEDEON 1,*, Chemere ZEWDIE 2 & Till TÖPFER 3 1 Saxon Ornithologists’ Society, P.O. Box 1129, 09331 Hohenstein-Ernstthal, Germany. 2 Oromia Forest and Wildlife Enterprise, P.O. Box 1075, Debre Zeit, Ethiopia. 3 Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig, Centre for Taxonomy and Evolutionary Research, Adenauerallee 160, 53113 Bonn, Germany. * Corresponding author: [email protected] 2 Email: [email protected] 3 Email: [email protected] 1 urn:lsid:zoobank.org:author:F46B3F50-41E2-4629-9951-778F69A5BBA2 2 urn:lsid:zoobank.org:author:F59FEDB3-627A-4D52-A6CB-4F26846C0FC5 3 urn:lsid:zoobank.org:author:A87BE9B4-8FC6-4E11-8DB4-BDBB3CFBBEAA Abstract. Oromia is the largest National Regional State of Ethiopia. Here we present the first comprehensive checklist of its birds. A total of 804 bird species has been recorded, 601 of them confirmed (443) or assumed (158) to be breeding birds. At least 561 are all-year residents (and 31 more potentially so), at least 73 are Afrotropical migrants and visitors (and 44 more potentially so), and 184 are Palaearctic migrants and visitors (and eight more potentially so). Three species are endemic to Oromia, 18 to Ethiopia and 43 to the Horn of Africa. 170 Oromia bird species are biome restricted: 57 to the Afrotropical Highlands biome, 95 to the Somali-Masai biome, and 18 to the Sudan-Guinea Savanna biome.
    [Show full text]
  • Birds of the Boé Region, South-East Guinea-Bissau, Including
    Birds of the Boé region, south-east Guinea-Bissau, including the first country records of Chestnut-backed Sparrow Lark Eremopterix leucotis, Lesser Striped Swallow Cecropis abyssinica and Heuglin’s Wheatear Oenanthe heuglini João L. Guilherme Aves da região do Boé, sudeste da Guiné-Bissau, incluindo registos de três novas espécies para o país. Durante os meses de janeiro e fevereiro de 2013 foi levado a cabo um levantamento da avifauna no sector do Boé, sudeste da Guiné-Bissau. Este trabalho permitiu identificar um total de 170 espécies de aves, das quais, três constituem novos registos para o país: cotovia-pardal-de-dorso-castanho Eremopterix leucotis, andorinha-estriada-pequena Cecropis abyssinica e chasco de Heuglin Oenanthe heuglini. Vinte e três das espécies registadas encontram-se restritas ao bioma de savana Sudano-Guineense, doze são restritas ao bioma de floresta Guineo-Congolense e cinco são espécies prioritárias para a conservação. Este constitui o primeiro levantamento da avifauna desta região da Guiné-Bissau. São também apresentados registos efectuados na região por P. Wit durante 2007–13. O sector do Boé é dominado por diversos habitats de savana e alberga uma elevada diversidade de fauna e flora. Um projecto para a criação de dois parques nacionais e três corredores para a fauna está a ser implementado na região. No entanto, os actuais usos dos solos e recursos naturais constituem potenciais importantes ameaças à preservação da biodiversidade e dos serviços dos ecossistemas do sector do Boé. Summary. During an ornithological survey of the Boé region, south-east Guinea-Bissau, in January and February 2013, 170 bird species were recorded.
    [Show full text]
  • Understanding Threats to West African Biodiversity and Linkages to Wildlife Trafficking Liberia Field Assessment Report
    FORESTRY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY UNDERSTANDING THREATS TO WEST AFRICAN BIODIVERSITY AND LINKAGES TO WILDLIFE TRAFFICKING LIBERIA FIELD ASSESSMENT REPORT NOVEMBER 2018 i This document was made possible by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the West Africa Biodiversity and Climate Change (WA BiCC) program. The contents of this document are the sole responsibility of its authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government. For more information on the West Africa Biodiversity and Climate Change program, contact: USAID/West Africa Biodiversity and Climate Change Tetra Tech 2nd Labone Link, North Labone Accra, Ghana Tel: +233(0)302 788 600 Email: www.tetratech.com/intdev Website: www.wabicc.org Stephen Kelleher Chief of Party Accra, Ghana Tel: + 233 (0) 302 788 600 Email: [email protected] Vaneska Litz Project Manager Burlington, Vermont Tel.: +1 802 495 0577 Email: [email protected] Citation: Republic of Liberia Forestry Development Authority, 2019. Understanding Threats to West African Biodiversity and Linkages to Wildlife Trafficking: Liberia Field Assessment Report. Edited by Balinga M. and Stroud A in 2019. Cover photo: Chimpanzees at the Rescue and Protection Center in Liberia. Credit: Charles Mackay ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................. 1 Acronyms .................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Dieter Thomas Tietze Editor How They Arise, Modify and Vanish
    Fascinating Life Sciences Dieter Thomas Tietze Editor Bird Species How They Arise, Modify and Vanish Fascinating Life Sciences This interdisciplinary series brings together the most essential and captivating topics in the life sciences. They range from the plant sciences to zoology, from the microbiome to macrobiome, and from basic biology to biotechnology. The series not only highlights fascinating research; it also discusses major challenges associated with the life sciences and related disciplines and outlines future research directions. Individual volumes provide in-depth information, are richly illustrated with photographs, illustrations, and maps, and feature suggestions for further reading or glossaries where appropriate. Interested researchers in all areas of the life sciences, as well as biology enthusiasts, will find the series’ interdisciplinary focus and highly readable volumes especially appealing. More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/15408 Dieter Thomas Tietze Editor Bird Species How They Arise, Modify and Vanish Editor Dieter Thomas Tietze Natural History Museum Basel Basel, Switzerland ISSN 2509-6745 ISSN 2509-6753 (electronic) Fascinating Life Sciences ISBN 978-3-319-91688-0 ISBN 978-3-319-91689-7 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-91689-7 Library of Congress Control Number: 2018948152 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2018. This book is an open access publication. Open Access This book is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.
    [Show full text]
  • Bird Checklists of the World Country Or Region: Ghana
    Avibase Page 1of 24 Col Location Date Start time Duration Distance Avibase - Bird Checklists of the World 1 Country or region: Ghana 2 Number of species: 773 3 Number of endemics: 0 4 Number of breeding endemics: 0 5 Number of globally threatened species: 26 6 Number of extinct species: 0 7 Number of introduced species: 1 8 Date last reviewed: 2019-11-10 9 10 Recommended citation: Lepage, D. 2021. Checklist of the birds of Ghana. Avibase, the world bird database. Retrieved from .https://avibase.bsc-eoc.org/checklist.jsp?lang=EN&region=gh [26/09/2021]. Make your observations count! Submit your data to ebird.
    [Show full text]
  • Joshua Osih President
    Joshua Osih President THE STRENGTH OF OUR DIVERSITY PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION 2018 JOSHUA OSIH | THE STRENGTH OF OUR DIVERSITY | P . 1 MY CONTRACT WITH THE NATION Build a new Cameroon through determination, duty to act and innovation! I decided to run in the presidential election of October 7th to give the youth, who constitute the vast majority of our population, the opportunity to escape the despair that has gripped them for more than three decades now, to finally assume responsibility for the future direction of our highly endowed nation. The time has come for our youth to rise in their numbers in unison and take control of their destiny and stop the I have decided to run in the presidential nation’s descent into the abyss. They election on October 7th. This decision, must and can put Cameroon back on taken after a great deal of thought, the tracks of progress. Thirty-six years arose from several challenges we of selfish rule by an irresponsible have all faced. These crystalized into and corrupt regime have brought an a single resolution: We must redeem otherwise prosperous Cameroonian Cameroon from the abyss of thirty-six nation to its knees. The very basic years of low performance, curb the elements of statecraft have all but negative instinct of conserving power disappeared and the citizenry is at all cost and save the collapsing caught in a maelstrom. As a nation, system from further degradation. I we can no longer afford adequate have therefore been moved to run medical treatment, nor can we provide for in the presidential election of quality education for our children.
    [Show full text]
  • Cameroon | Displacement Report, Far North Region Round 9 | 26 June – 7 July 2017 Cameroon | Displacement Report, Far North Region, Round 9 │ 26 June — 7 July 2017
    Cameroon | Displacement Report, Far North Region Round 9 | 26 June – 7 July 2017 Cameroon | Displacement Report, Far North Region, Round 9 │ 26 June — 7 July 2017 The opinions expressed in the report are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout the report do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IOM concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning its frontiers or boundaries.1 IOM is committed to the principle that humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and society. As an intergovernmental organization, IOM acts with its partners in the international community to: assist in meeting the operational challenges of migration; advance understanding of migration issues; encourage social and economic development through migration; and uphold the human dignity and well-being of migrants. International Organization for Migration UN House Comice Maroua Far North Region Cameroon Cecilia Mann Tel.: +237 691 794 050 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.globaldtm.info/cameroon/ © IOM 2017 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publisher. 1 The maps included in this report are illustrative. The representations and the use of borders and geographic names may include errors and do not imply judgment on legal status of territories nor acknowledgement of borders by the Organization.
    [Show full text]
  • Download Download
    Biodiversity Observations http://bo.adu.org.za An electronic journal published by the Animal Demography Unit at the University of Cape Town The scope of Biodiversity Observations consists of papers describing observations about biodiversity in general, including animals, plants, algae and fungi. This includes observations of behaviour, breeding and flowering patterns, distributions and range extensions, foraging, food, movement, measurements, habitat and colouration/plumage variations. Biotic interactions such as pollination, fruit dispersal, herbivory and predation fall within the scope, as well as the use of indigenous and exotic species by humans. Observations of naturalised plants and animals will also be considered. Biodiversity Observations will also publish a variety of other interesting or relevant biodiversity material: reports of projects and conferences, annotated checklists for a site or region, specialist bibliographies, book reviews and any other appropriate material. Further details and guidelines to authors are on this website. Paper Editor: Les G. Underhill OVERVIEW OF THE DISCOVERY OF THE WEAVERS H. Dieter Oschadleus Recommended citation format: Oschadleus HD 2016. Overview of the discovery of the weavers. Biodiversity Observations 7. 92: 1–15. URL: http://bo.adu.org.za/content.php?id=285 Published online: 13 December 2016 – ISSN 2219-0341 – Biodiversity Observations 7.92: 1–15 1 TAXONOMY Currently, 117 living species of weavers in the Ploceidae family are recognised. Hoyo et al. OVERVIEW OF THE DISCOVERY OF THE WEAVERS (2010) listed 116 species but Safford & Hawkins (2013) split the Aldabra Fody Foudia H. Dieter Oschadleus aldabrana from the Red- headed Fody Foudia Animal Demography Unit, Department of Biological Sciences, eminentissima. Dickinson & University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, 7701 South Africa Christidis (2014) also listed 117 species.
    [Show full text]
  • ETHIOPIA: Birding the Roof of Africa; with Southern Extension a Tropical Birding Set Departure
    ETHIOPIA: Birding the Roof of Africa; with Southern Extension A Tropical Birding Set Departure February 7 – March 1, 2010 Guide: Ken Behrens All photos taken by Ken Behrens during this trip ORIENTATION I have chosen to use a different format for this trip report. First, comes a general introduction to Ethiopia. The text of this section is largely drawn from the recently published Birding Ethiopia, authored by Keith Barnes, Christian, Boix and I. For more information on the book, check out http://www.lynxeds.com/product/birding-ethiopia. After the country introduction comes a summary of the highlights of this tour. Next comes a day-by-day itinerary. Finally, there is an annotated bird list and a mammal list. ETHIOPIA INTRODUCTION Many people imagine Ethiopia as a flat, famine- ridden desert, but this is far from the case. Ethiopia is remarkably diverse, and unexpectedly lush. This is the ʻroof of Africaʼ, holding the continentʼs largest and most contiguous mountain ranges, and some of its tallest peaks. Cleaving the mountains is the Great Rift Valley, which is dotted with beautiful lakes. Towards the borders of the country lie stretches of dry scrub that are more like the desert most people imagine. But even in this arid savanna, diversity is high, and the desert explodes into verdure during the rainy season. The diversity of Ethiopiaʼs landscapes supports a parallel diversity of birds and other wildlife, and although birds are the focus of our tour, there is much more to the country. Ethiopia is the only country in Africa that was never systematically colonized, and Rueppell’s Robin-Chat, a bird of the Ethiopian mountains.
    [Show full text]
  • Rock Firefinch Lagonosticta Sanguinodorsalis and Its Brood Parasite, Jos Plateau Indigobird Vidua Maryae, in Northern Cameroon Michael S
    Rock Firefinch Lagonosticta sanguinodorsalis and its brood parasite, Jos Plateau Indigobird Vidua maryae, in northern Cameroon Michael S. L. Mills L’Amarante de roche Lagonosticta sanguinodorsalis et son parasite, le Combassou de Jos Vidua maryae, au nord du Cameroun. L’Amarante de roche Lagonosticta sanguinodorsalis est une espèce extrêmement locale seulement connue avec certitude, avant 2005, des flancs de collines rocheuses et herbeuses au nord du Nigeria. Récemment, plusieurs observations au nord du Cameroun indiquent que sa répartition est plus étendue ; ces observations sont récapitulées ici. Le Combassou de Jos Vidua maryae est un parasite de l’Amarante de roche et était supposé être endémique au Plateau de Jos du Nigeria. L’auteur rapporte une observation de mars 2009 dans le nord du Cameroun de combassous en plumage internuptial, qui imitaient les émissions vocales de l’Amarante de roche. Des sonogrammes de leurs imitations du hôte sont présentés, ainsi que des sonogrammes de cris de l’Amarante de roche. Comme il est peu probable qu’une autre espèce de combassou parasiterait un amarante aussi local, il est supposé que ces oiseaux représentent une population auparavant inconnue du Combassou de Jos dans le nord du Cameroun. ock Firefinch Lagonosticta sanguinodorsalis umbrinodorsalis, but differs from these species R was described only 12 years ago, from the in having a reddish back in the male. The Jos Plateau in northern Nigeria (Payne 1998). combination of a blue-grey bill, reddish back and It belongs to the African/Jameson’s Firefinch grey crown in the male is diagnostic. Uniquely, L. rubricata / rhodopareia clade of firefinches Rock Firefinch was discovered by song mimicry (Payne 2004), and is similar to African Firefinch, of its brood parasite, Jos Plateau Indigobird Vidua Mali Firefinch L.
    [Show full text]