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movements are typically constrained to their home range, albeit a very large one. I’ve been studying vulture movements for nearly 10 years, yet the more I learn, the more the surprise me. When North Carolina Zoo and Wildlife Conservation Society began satellite tagging vultures in Ruaha National Park, , in 2015, I expected to see movement involving sev- eral countries. Certainly flights to or from southern Tanza- nia would be no surprise from this wide- ranging species. In particular, we wanted to know if the White-backed Vulture popu- lation living in Ruaha was connected to Katavi National Park, a mere 300 kilo- metres away. Our first few tagged birds stuck mostly to the park and surround- ing hunting concessions, although we did Jessica Manzak notice movement between the two large of data, Swoops stuck to his new home and Corinne Kendall protected areas. Then, in October 2016, we didn’t make any trips back to East Africa. tagged an immature White-backed Vul- His dispersal is perhaps the longest ever ture, which came to be known as Swoops. recorded for a terrestrial vertebrate, dwarf- After just three weeks, Swoops began an ing records of a 1300-kilometre dispersal above Swoops’ amazing journey from East unexpected journey. for Great Horned Owl (possibly the longest to southern Africa through eight different off away On 24 October, Swoops headed out of dispersal previously recorded) and a mea- countries. Vulture’s journey& of a lifetime the country, travelling first to Zambia. In gre 450-kilometre dispersal for brown bears November he spent several weeks feed- (one of the furthest dispersing mammals). above, left It is possible to age White-backed Sitting a few metres away from a rotting hippo, I look up into the sky to see ing at a vulture restaurant on a private His journey is particularly intrigu- Vultures by using patterns on the underside the cavalry has arrived. Wings spread majestically, the vultures circle slowly, game farm in Zambia before visiting two ing when you consider that to date more of the wing. Young vultures are known to surely, as they plot their descent. With each passing loop, more individuals national parks further south. Young vul- than 80 White-backed Vultures have been range widely, but not necessarily to disperse tures often make what has been termed tagged in southern and eastern Africa, with long distances. seem to appear out of nowhere and gather alongside their comrades. When ‘long-distance forays’, walkabouts if you no other individual recorded as moving you think of a in flight, you might first imagine flapping – the steady will, into other areas. I anticipated that he between the two regions. Swoops’ move- left Biologists from North Carolina Zoo and up-and-downward motion of the wings that would appear to be the primary would turn around and return to Tanzania ments demonstrate that the White-backed Wildlife Conservation Society carefully attach means for keeping a bird aloft. Vultures are different. You can watch them after this little adventure into new terrain. Vulture populations of southern and a satellite unit to a White-backed Vulture in for hours without seeing a single flap; instead, their wings look sturdy, almost This would have been in line with previous eastern Africa are connected, albeit prob- Tanzania. static, as they circle again and again. long-distance movements that have been ably only occasionally. Ongoing telemetry found for the species nearly everywhere and future genetic work would add to our Claire Bracebridge past a devastating poisoning incident that hite-backed Vultures Gyps af- successfully find their next meal. On an on the continent where it has been studied. understanding of this possible cross-over From the air, all carcasses might look the killed 94 Critically Endangered vultures ricanus are known for their average day, one of these aerial scavengers But this was not just a long-distance foray. between regions. same, but it is interesting to see such flex- in ’s Gonarezhou National Park incredible soaring flight. They might pass over several parts of a single In December Swoops continued into Finally, what remains a mystery is how ibility in food sources used, given the dif- in May 2017, when poachers laced an canW easily fly more than 200 kilometres protected area in search of prey before re- , passed briefly through the he achieved it. Unlike birds on migration, ferent search patterns, competition and elephant carcass with pesticides. He was a day and cover nearly 1000 kilometres turning to its nest or roost. Caprivi Strip in and then finally Swoops would have made the journey behaviours that might come into play within less than 100 kilometres of the in a week. Their broad wings make them It is therefore not surprising to learn headed into in January 2017. largely on his own. Perhaps he followed when feeding at a natural versus a man- event, and probably many other smaller uniquely adapted to use thermals to travel that White-backed Vultures can have In less than three months, this bird had different flocks of more resident vultures made foraging opportunity. This adapt- poisoning incidents throughout his trip, long distances at very low energetic cost, a huge ranges. A single individual might flown more than 2000 kilometres from his as he travelled from one destination to the ability, even of a single individual, bodes but he managed to survive his incredible skill that is critical for being a good scav- easily use an area of 100 000 square kilo- natal area. During the rest of the year, he next, but how he could navigate over such well for the species in a world likely to con- journey. His story should give hope to all enger. Dead , or carcasses, tend metres – nearly five times the size of the took up residence in the south, spending a large and most likely unfamiliar area is tinue changing at a rapid pace. of us studying these important scavengers to be a widely distributed and ephemeral Kruger National Park – in a single year. considerable time in the transboundary unknown. He also exploited a variety of The White-backed Vulture has had a and perhaps it even hints at a more con- resource, so it is important for vultures Several vulture movement studies have area between Botswana, Zimbabwe and food sources along the way, going from the rough few decades. Its numbers have de- nected African continent than we might to search over large areas in order to found that vultures travel across multiple South Africa, with the occasional trip into big game found in the large protected areas clined dramatically, largely due to poison- have thought possible. parks in a number of countries, utilising Mozambique. of Tanzania and vulture restaurants in ing, and it is now categorised as Critically Corinne J. Kendall above White-backed Vultures are now several foraging areas throughout the year. What had seemingly begun as an ex- Zambia and South Africa to several other Endangered, so it is reassuring to know Curator of Conservation and considered Critically Endangered, due to rapid However, White-backed Vultures are not ploratory trip outside his home range had protected areas and even a small conces- that such adaptability in its behaviour is Research declines from poisoning and other threats. generally considered migratory and their become a true dispersal. In over 18 months sion held by a diamond mine in Botswana. possible. Swoops even had to navigate North Carolina Zoo, USA

12 african birdlife july/august 2018 news & views 13 news & views on the shelf his compact book draws on the rainforests of Cabinda and from the unique field knowledge of its au- endless miombo woodlands of the vast thor Michael Mills, who has spent planalto to the tiny relict patches of Tmuch of the past decade scouring the for- Afromontane forest on Mount Moco, ests, thickets, woodlands and grasslands passionate birdwatchers will never be of in search of ornithological disappointed by Angola. rarities and sites of special conservation What never fails to impress in reading African importance. The result is a splendidly Mills’s species accounts is the repeated succinct and well-illustrated guide with phrase ‘endemic to western Angola, Birdlife photographs of 70 of the most sought- confined to the forests of the central es- after ‘ticks’ in southern Africa. Besides carpment’. The Angolan escarpment is digimag brief descriptions of identification crite- a continuation of the Great Escarpment ria, distributional range, habitats, voice, of southern Africa, crossing the country available! diet, breeding and tips on where to see from the Cunene to the Congo, and it has these often very isolated populations, the long been noted as special. The pioneer African Birdlife is available on book provides profiles of 207 species and Austrian botanist Friedrich Welwitsch, Magzter, the world’s fastest The Special Birds of Angola subspecies that either have more than who in the 1860s collected 8000 speci- growing digital magazine store. 50 per cent of their known range falling mens of 5000 species of Angolan plants, It is easier than ever to pur- in Angola or have isolated populations of which 1000 were new to science, rec- chase African Birdlife on Apple, Michael Mills there. Mills also gives an introductory ognised the distinctive biota of the es- overview of Angola’s topography, cli- carpment. So too did the indefatigable Android and Windows 8 devices Go-away-birding, Cape Town mate, vegetation and conservation issues. Portuguese zoologist José de Anchieta, – and it’s cheaper than the ISBN 978-0-620-71726-7 It’s enough to make any birder reach for who between the 1860s and 1890s col- print edition! We now also offer Softcover, 144 pages a pair of binoculars and head off to the lected 4386 bird specimens of 560 spe- six-month and one-year digital R200. Available from the author at e-mail Angolan mato. cies, of which 46 were new to science, Today the escarpment forests are in a subscription options. [email protected] or from the Ornithologists have catalogued the and who was inspired by the escarpment. state of rapid decline as land is cleared for BirdLife South Africa shop in Johannesburg. birds of Angola since the first two vol- Anchieta wrote to Barbosa du Bocage in coffee and banana plantations, firewood umes by the great Portuguese zoologist 1879 that ‘regarding zoological explora- or charcoal. One of the isolated hotspots ixteen years since the dawn of peace Barbosa du Bocage (1877, 1881), fol- tion I confirm: Caconda is the Eldorado at Kumbira, where Mills has recorded 223 References in Angola, after nearly 40 years of lowed by Traylor (1963), Pinto (1983) for ornithology; but after that, Selles [on species in relict forest patches, is disap- Bocage, J.V. du 1877. Ornitologie d’Angola. Part guerrilla and civil wars, the country and Dean (2000). The grand first volume the escarpment] is perhaps Paradise’. pearing as you read this. The tiny patches 1: 1‒256. Imprimerie, Lisbonne (Lisbon). Sremains terra incognita to most people. Yet (non-passerines) by Rosa Pinto included But it was not until 1960 that the evo- of Afromontane forests on the highlands Bocage, J.V. du 1881. Ornitologie d’Angola. Part great and positive changes are happening: detailed descriptions and beautiful plates, lutionary importance of the escarpment of Benguela, Huambo and Huila, total- 2: 257‒576. Imprimerie, Lisbonne (Lisbon). a new government has replaced the klep- but sadly has not been followed by the zone was described by Beryl ‘Pat’ Hall of ling less than 1000 hectares in extent, lie Dean, W.R.J. 2000. The birds of Angola: an anno- tocracy of José Eduardo dos Santos, cor- second, passerine volume. What these the British Museum, who collected birds some 2000 metres from similar forests tated checklist. BOU Checklist No. 18. Tring, rupt officials are being called to account, great studies lacked were the illustrations on Mount Moco in 1957. She considered in Cameroon, the Rwenzori, the Eastern UK: British Ornithologists’ Union. Byzantine visa regulations have been lifted that classics such as Austin Roberts’ Birds that the Scarp was less affected by the Arc of Tanzania and the Drakensberg of Hall, B.P. 1960a. ‘The faunistic importance of and conservationists and scientists are be- of South Africa have brought to the world climatic changes experienced along the South Africa. With most of Angola’s en- the scarp of Angola.’ Ibis 102:420–442. ing welcomed for the first time in decades. since 1940. Angola has been starved of coastal belt below it or the planalto above. demic species confined to these disap- Pinto, A.A. da R. 1983. Ornitologia de Angola. So the appearance of The Special Birds of the abundance of field guides that fill Birds had evolved in isolation on the Scarp, pearing forests, the situation is alarming; Vol. 1. Instituto de Investigacão Cientifica Angola, the first guidebook on a key facet the shelves of South African bookshops. which also carried an older surviving avi- despite efforts made since 1974 to have Tropical, Lisboa. of the country’s abundant biodiversity, There has simply not been a single guide- fauna than the other two zones. protected areas established in the key for- could not be better timed. book on any of Angola’s faunal groups, So the destination of choice for birders ests, not one has yet been gazetted. It can Download the Magzter Having been involved in Angolan bio- nor on trees, wildflowers or even its mag- must be the Scarp, where Braun’s, Gab- only be hoped that Mike Mills’s superb Congratulations to our winner 1 app from your chosen diversity research and conservation since nificent landscapes, and the country is ela and Monteiro’s bush-shrikes, Gabela guidebook, with texts in both English The winner of the Swarovski CL Com- app store 1970 and having known the author of this much poorer for this. Hence the great Akalat, Gabela Helmet-shrike, White- and Portuguese, will stimulate the Ango- panion 10x30 binoculars in our Subscribe delightful book since his childhood, it is importance of Mills’s guidebook. fronted Wattle-eye, Red-crested Turaco, lan authorities into taking effective meas- & Win lucky draw competition that ran Search for African a double pleasure to have been invited to With 944 bird species recorded in a Grey-striped Francolin, Pulitzer’s Long- ures to protect these last fingerprints of a from November 2017 to April 2018 is Sarel 2 Birdlife magazine write both the foreword for the book and country where ecosystems range from bill and many more specials await the Pleistocene fauna. Mare, Wierda Park, Gauteng. this review. the ultra-desert of the Namib to the patient observer. Brian J. Huntley Follow the instructions 3 to purchase your copy or subscribe 14 african birdlife july/august 2018 news & views digging deep pale reflection Resourceful road-billed Rollers Eurystomus open water. The scimitarbill moved from David’s impression that the scimitarbill glaucurus are intra-African breed- nest to nest probing deep into the struc- seemed to concentrate its efforts in the ing migrants to southern Africa. tures with its beak and extracting inverte- uppermost parts of the nests closest to TypicallyB they start arriving in north- brate prey. During the course of about half the attachment points with the branches. ern Botswana’s woodlands in September an hour it visited approximately 20 differ- A wide variety of invertebrates have and October and immediately seek out ent nests and plucked out at least as many been found in bird nests and the literature natural cavities in large trees in which prey items. on the subject is extensive. These nest in- they can nest and begin to breed. Little The scimitarbill was a female, based on vaders occur as ectoparasites, commen- is known about the incubation period or the brown tinge to the face, throat and sals, scavengers and, as appears to be the the development and care of the young. chest. It is also known that the females tend case here, simply when seeking refuge. A The youngsters remain in the cavity nests to forage in the outer reaches of trees, with brief study of the Baya Weaver in India, for until they fledge and thereafter spend a males working closer to the main trunk. example, documented insects and spiders few days or even weeks following their David tried to take as many photo- using the nests of that species as winter ref- parents around, begging for food. Even- he Common Scimitarbill Rhino- graphs as possible of the prey items while uges. That study also found that the arthro- tually the adults begin to ignore the juve- pomastus cyanomelas is a special- they were held in the bird’s beak before pods concentrated in the interior ceiling of niles, compelling them to start catching ised feeder. Equipped with a long being swallowed. All were pale-coloured the nest, which was related to enhanced their own food. john starr Tbeak, powerful, gripping feet and long larvae, except for a single obvious brown thermal insulation. The young Broad-billed Roller is a lilac adult, but the characteristic jizz and Image taken in northern Botswana’s tail (used for balance and bracing itself), pupa. He subsequently sent the photos What the observations from Weenen particularly dull version of its parents, chrome yellow bill are good pointers as to Okavango Delta with a Canon 7D Mk2 and it is proficiently adapted for its arboreal to Kirstin and John, who confirmed that demonstrate is that at least one bird has scarcely recognisable as the offspring its identification. EF 200–400L f4 I.4x extender lens. Shutter lifestyle. There are few parts of a tree that the larvae appeared to come from moths learned to exploit this unusual resource, of the richly coloured cinnamon and GRANT ATKINSON speed 1/4000 sec. at f5.6; ISO 500. Handheld. it cannot access and its decurved bill al- (possibly from the family Noctuidea) and with the scimitarbill’s long beak probably lows it to probe deep under bark and into beetles, and that the pupa came from a critical in allowing it access to this food cavities and flowers. Its diet comprises moth, also possibly a noctuid. We suggest supply. primarily invertebrates such as termites, that the larvae probably crawled down DAVID ALLAN, DURBAN NATURAL ants, wasps, flies, mantids, beetles and the tree and into the nests as refugia (al- SCIENCE MUSEUM spiders, as well as their eggs, larvae (in- though clearly not perfect ones) within KIRSTIN WILLIAMS & JOHN MIDGLEY, cluding caterpillars) and pupae. However, which to pupate. This also fitted with KWAZULU-NATAL MUSEUM The Italtile and Ceramic Foundation is a Broad-Based it does occasionally show some flexibility in both its diet and foraging methods and Black Ownership Scheme, with the objective of carrying it has been known to take small fruits, on Public Benefit Activities in a non-profit manner with an berries, seeds and nectar and to feed on altruistic intent, working towards the transformation and the ground. upliftment of previously disadvantaged communities. In May 2018 David Allan came across further evidence of such adaptability while The Foundation accepts and deploys Social Economic watching a foraging Common Scimitarbill Development donations in terms of the B-BBEE legislation. from a hide at Weenen Game Reserve in

KwaZulu-Natal. The bird was searching for prey by perching on the inactive nests of The Foundation’s distributions are towards Public Benefit a large, deserted colony of Village Weav- Activities relating to Education, Sport and Conservation. ers that were hanging from the outermost UNLOCKING GREATNESS THROUGH branches of acacia trees, suspended over EDUCATION AND SPORT

above The scimitarbill probing deeply into the Village Weaver nest close to its point of attachment to the tree.

right The scimitarbill with a larva plucked from the interior of a nest. David allan (2)

16 african birdlife For more information, please contact us at [email protected]

ITALTILE FOUNDATION AD.indd 1 2018/06/01 09:50