DOCSLIB.ORG

Ethiopian Endemics

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Ethiopian Endemics Ethiopian Endemics Naturetrek Tour Report 8 - 21 November 2013 Abyssinian Ground Thrush Abyssinian Owl Report compiled by Cliff Waller Images courtesy of Alex Pemberton Naturetrek Cheriton Mill Cheriton Alresford Hampshire SO24 0NG England T: +44 (0)1962 733051 F: +44 (0)1962 736426 E: [email protected] W: www.naturetrek.co.uk Tour Report Ethiopian Endemics Tour Leader: Cliff Waller Naturetrek Leader Mehiret Ewnetu Local Guide Main Tour Girum Tewlde Extension Guide Tour Participants: Juha Autio John Brannan Catherine Chatham Simon Cross Graham Dennis Alex Pemberton Phil Pemberton Karen Pickles Day 1 Friday 8th November London to Addis Ababa Everyone arrived at Heathrow in good time for our Ethiopian Airlines overnight flight to Addis. Day 2 Saturday 9th November Addis Ababa – Gerfersa Reservoir We arrived in Addis at 6:50 a.m. It took some time to get visas and proceed through security and it was after 10 a.m. before we reached the Ghion Hotel, where we caught up with the two ladies in the group who had preceded us. A few birds were seen around the hotel garden including African Goshawk, Taccaze Sunbird, Speckled Mousebird and both Brown-rumped and Streaky Seedeaters. At 11.15am we set off with packed lunches for the Gerfersa Reservoir, where we found the water level extremely high providing little in the way of shallow edges, but we still found a few birds mainly on the water or short grassland around the bay; these included a Little Grebe, Little Egret, Wattled Ibis, Tawny Eagle , Blue-winged Goose, Egyptian Goose, Shoveler and Pintail, while the few waders here included Ruff and Wood, Common and Green Sandpipers. More terrestrial species present included Barn Swallow, Abyssinian Long Claw, Ortolan Bunting, Red-breasted (Botta’s) Wheatear, Whinchat, African Stonechat, Ground Scraper Thrush and Yellow- bellied Waxbill. After lunching on the roadside grassy bank we drove down the road towards the stream, before getting out to walk along the line of Eucalypts trees. The highlight here was fine views of a Half-collared Kingfisher, while other species included White Pelican, Reed Cormorant, Montane White-eye, Tree Pipit, Hill Chat, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, and Abyssinian Slaty and Dusky Flycatchers. Driving back into Addis, we visited the rapidly diminishing area of rough ground opposite the Imperial Hotel, where in spite of considerable disturbance we still saw several Rouget’s Rail as well as Abyssinian Cisticola and our first Pied Wheatear, while more Cattle Egret and Botta’s Wheatear were seen. We then returned to our hotel for an early dinner to allow the group the option of an early night to catch up on some sleep. © Naturetrek October 14 1 Ethiopian Endemics Tour Report Day 3 Sunday 10th November Addis Ababa – Sululta Plain - Debre Libanos We got away on time and crossed Addis to visit the airport to successfully track down some luggage, but we did see our first Grey-backed Fiscal and Southern Citril Finch while waiting in the car park. Once away we made only one brief stop where we found an Abyssinian Woodpecker and had distant views of Lanner Falcon. Arriving at Debre Libanos we headed straight down towards the monastery, first stopping for some Gelada Baboons and then at the bridge over the stream, where we found Rueppell’s Chat and White-cheeked Turaco, as well as our first Brown Parasoma, Mountain Wagtail, Grey Wagtail and African Firefinch, as well as Yellow- bellied Waxbill. Next we went for a short walk in the adjacent forest, finding our first Lemon Dove, Hemprick’s Hornbill, Little Rock Thrush and Banded Barbet, as well as an African Goshawk. We then moved to the Ethio- German lodge to arrange lunch. We sat with drinks overlooking the gorge, seeing little at first but eventually Fan- tailed Ravens and some Ruppell’s Griffons appeared. Later on we followed the cliff track to the Portuguese Bridge finding Verreaux’s Eagle, Lammergeier and White- billed Starling, while also getting distant views of Erckel’s Francolin, while around the bridge Common Sandpiper and White-rumped Babbler were seen. After which we walked back to the road, only stopping to photograph some close Gelada Baboons. We made a few stops as we crossed the Salulta Plain on our way back to Addis. First at the regular stream and marsh, which was much quieter than usual, but we did see Blue-winged Goose, Blue -headed and Black- headed Wagtails, Red-throated Pipit and a few common waders. Further stops provided us with Plain and Banded Martins, Yellow Bishop and White Wagtail. Our final stop at some pools produced our first Little Stint, Three- banded Plover and Greenshank, plus a large flock of Ethiopian Siskin, as well as Yellow-billed Duck, Shoveler, Pintail, Spur-winged Plover and Ruff. Day 4 Monday 11th November Addis Ababa to Wondo Genet Leaving the Ghion at 6:45 a.m. we picked up our local guide, before heading south through Addis, we made only one brief stop to observe two Mocking Cliff Chats. On reaching Debre Zeit we diverted to Lake Cheleleka, which we found to have the lowest water levels we had ever seen here, certainly due to the increased agricultural irrigation, but we still found a number of new birds such as Africa Jacana, Knob-billed Coot, Lesser Flamingo, White-faced Whistling Duck, Southern Pochard, Garganey, Africa Quail Finch and Northern Red Bishop, as well as some Common Cranes and about 300 Marabou Storks. Moving on we did not stop again until Koka Bridge, where we found the water levels to be extremely high, in fact the highest we had ever seen here, providing little in the way of edge, but we still saw a few birds such as Senegal Thick-knee, Spur-winged Goose, Gull -billed Tern, Black-billed Barbet, Bruce’s Green Pigeon, Grey- headed Woodpecker, Woodland Kingfisher and a migrant Golden Oriole. Stopping once again at the next wet area, there was a small fringe area of mud which provided our first Kittlitz’s Plover and Marsh Sandpiper, as well as Ruff, Ringed Plover, Little Stint, and Black-winged Stilt, while Ruppell’s Weaver, and Blue-naped Mousebird were seen in the adjacent scrub. 2 © Naturetrek October 14 Ethiopian Endemics Tour Report We had lunch at the Bekele Mola hotel in Ziway, the hotel garden as usual provided us with a few new birds, including Red-faced Crombec, Cardinal Woodpecker and Black-headed Batis. Later we visited the causeway at Lake Ziway, which for the first time we were unable to walk due to the unusually high water levels, but there were good numbers of close White Pelican, Sacred Ibis, Hamerkop and Marabou Storks to photograph, as well as our first African Darter, Black Heron, Black Crake, Whiskered Tern, Grey-headed Gull, Carmine Bee-eater, Spectacle Weaver and Little Weaver, as well as a good variety of other waders and water birds. Moving on our next stop was for some much search for Abyssinian Ground Hornbill, we located three birds, while a further three were seen in the distance, our first European Hoopoe was also seen here. Having a small amount of time in hand allowed us to make a very brief visit to the river end of Lake Abiata, where we found a group of seven Wattled Cranes, as well as several hundred Common Cranes, while along the distant edge of the lake vast numbers of Shoveler and Ruff were seen along with a number of Avocet, while other new species included Lilac-breasted Roller and some very distant Bright’s Gazelle. It was after dark, 7:20 p.m. before we reached Wondo Genet, where later a White-tailed Mongoose was seen in this hotel grounds. Day 5 Tuesday 12th November Wondo Genet A short walk at around 7am in the garden and down to the hot pools with our local guide Mekonem produced our first Grivet Monkey and new birds included Silvery-cheeked Hornbill, Ethiopian Oriole, Double-toothed Barbet, Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird as well as excellent close views of another Half-collared Kingfisher. At 8.30am, after breakfast we headed for the forestry school only stopping on the way to view some Blue- breasted Bee-eaters, while waiting at the gate we got good views of Silvery-cheeked Hornbill and Scarlet – breasted Sunbird in a dead tree. We climbed right through to the edge of the forest, with new birds appearing occasionally as we walked, these included Tambourine Dove, Olive Pigeon and Hill Babbler, while other species included Lemon Dove, White-cheeked Trogon, Ethiopian Oriole, White-rumped Babbler and Common Bulbul. As we neared the upper forest edge we saw both Common and African Cuckoo as well as Broad-billed Roller, while mammals recorded included Olive Baboon and Gambian Sun Squirrel. Little was seen on the walk down until we almost reached the vehicle, where we encountered both Grey and Red-shouldered Cuckoo Shrikes, Green-backed Honey Guide and Slender-billed Starling, as well as Nubian Woodpecker. During our lunch a Greater Honey Guide was seen, while later on an Abyssinian Ground Thrush was located in the garden. Our afternoon walk was up to the Old Quarry before cutting across the hillside to follow the valley back down. On our way we found our first White-winged Cliff Chat, as well as Red-headed Weaver, Blue Spotted Wood Dove and Common Waxbill. At the quarry itself, we got excellent views of a Paradise Flycatcher. The valley was fairly quiet, but we did find our first Black Stork, Lesser Honey Guide, Beautiful Sunbird and African Citril Finch, while an immature White- headed Vulture was seen by a few of the group.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Links Between Biodiversity Conservation, Livelihoods and Food Security: the Sustainable Use of Wild Species for Meat
    Links between Biodiversity Conservation, L IUCN Species Survival Commission The IUCN Species Survival Commission The Species Survival Commission (SSC) is one of six volunteer commissions of IUCN – The World Conservation Union, a union of sovereign states, government agencies and non- governmental organisations. IUCN has three basic conservation objectives: to secure the conservation of nature, and especially of biological diversity, as an essential foundation for the Links between Biodiversity future; to ensure that where the earth’s natural resources are used this is done in a wise, equitable and sustainable way; and to guide the development of human communities towards ways of life that are both of good quality and in enduring harmony with other components of the Conservation, Livelihoods biosphere. Avolunteer network comprised of some 7,000 scientists, field researchers, government officials and Food Security and conservation leaders from nearly every country of the world, the SSC membership is an unmatched source of information about biological diversity and its conservation. As such, SSC members provide technical and scientific counsel for conservation projects throughout the world and serve as resources to governments, international conventions and conservation The sustainable use of organisations. wild species for meat SSC Occasional Papers cover a broad range of subjects including conservation of groups of species in a particular geographical region, wildlife trade issues, and proceedings of workshops. IUCN/SSC also publishes an Action Plan series that assesses the conservation status of species and their habitats, and specifies conservation priorities. The series is one of ivelihoods and F Sue Mainka and Mandar Trivedi the world’s most authoritative sources of species conservation information available to natural Editors resource managers, conservationists and government officials around the world.
    [Show full text]
  • Disaggregation of Bird Families Listed on Cms Appendix Ii
    Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals 2nd Meeting of the Sessional Committee of the CMS Scientific Council (ScC-SC2) Bonn, Germany, 10 – 14 July 2017 UNEP/CMS/ScC-SC2/Inf.3 DISAGGREGATION OF BIRD FAMILIES LISTED ON CMS APPENDIX II (Prepared by the Appointed Councillors for Birds) Summary: The first meeting of the Sessional Committee of the Scientific Council identified the adoption of a new standard reference for avian taxonomy as an opportunity to disaggregate the higher-level taxa listed on Appendix II and to identify those that are considered to be migratory species and that have an unfavourable conservation status. The current paper presents an initial analysis of the higher-level disaggregation using the Handbook of the Birds of the World/BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World Volumes 1 and 2 taxonomy, and identifies the challenges in completing the analysis to identify all of the migratory species and the corresponding Range States. The document has been prepared by the COP Appointed Scientific Councilors for Birds. This is a supplementary paper to COP document UNEP/CMS/COP12/Doc.25.3 on Taxonomy and Nomenclature UNEP/CMS/ScC-Sc2/Inf.3 DISAGGREGATION OF BIRD FAMILIES LISTED ON CMS APPENDIX II 1. Through Resolution 11.19, the Conference of Parties adopted as the standard reference for bird taxonomy and nomenclature for Non-Passerine species the Handbook of the Birds of the World/BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World, Volume 1: Non-Passerines, by Josep del Hoyo and Nigel J. Collar (2014); 2.
    [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]
  • Malawi Trip Report 12Th to 28Th September 2014
    Malawi Trip Report 12th to 28th September 2014 Bohm’s Bee-eater by Keith Valentine Trip Report compiled by Tour Leader: Keith Valentine RBT Malawi Trip Report September 2014 2 Top 10 Birds: 1. Scarlet-tufted Sunbird 2. Pel’s Fishing Owl 3. Lesser Seedcracker 4. Thyolo Alethe 5. White-winged Apalis 6. Racket-tailed Roller 7. Blue Swallow 8. Bohm’s Flycatcher 9. Babbling Starling 10. Bohm’s Bee-eater/Yellow-throated Apalis Top 5 Mammals: 1. African Civet 2. Four-toed Elephant Shrew 3. Sable Antelope 4. Bush Pig 5. Side-striped Jackal/Greater Galago/Roan Antelope/Blotched Genet Trip Summary This was our first ever fully comprehensive tour to Malawi and was quite simply a fantastic experience in all respects. For starters, many of the accommodations are of excellent quality and are also situated in prime birding locations with a large number of the area’s major birding targets found in close proximity. The food is generally very good and the stores and lodges are for the most part stocked with decent beer and a fair selection of South African wine. However, it is the habitat diversity that is largely what makes Malawi so good from a birding point of view. Even though it is a small country, this good variety of habitat, and infrastructure that allows access to these key zones, insures that the list of specials is long and attractive. Our tour was extremely successful in locating the vast majority of the region’s most wanted birds and highlights included Red-winged Francolin, White-backed Night Heron, African Cuckoo-Hawk, Western Banded Snake
    [Show full text]
  • South Africa: Magoebaskloof and Kruger National Park Custom Tour Trip Report
    SOUTH AFRICA: MAGOEBASKLOOF AND KRUGER NATIONAL PARK CUSTOM TOUR TRIP REPORT 24 February – 2 March 2019 By Jason Boyce This Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl showed nicely one late afternoon, puffing up his throat and neck when calling www.birdingecotours.com [email protected] 2 | TRIP REPORT South Africa: Magoebaskloof and Kruger National Park February 2019 Overview It’s common knowledge that South Africa has very much to offer as a birding destination, and the memory of this trip echoes those sentiments. With an itinerary set in one of South Africa’s premier birding provinces, the Limpopo Province, we were getting ready for a birding extravaganza. The forests of Magoebaskloof would be our first stop, spending a day and a half in the area and targeting forest special after forest special as well as tricky range-restricted species such as Short-clawed Lark and Gurney’s Sugarbird. Afterwards we would descend the eastern escarpment and head into Kruger National Park, where we would make our way to the northern sections. These included Punda Maria, Pafuri, and the Makuleke Concession – a mouthwatering birding itinerary that was sure to deliver. A pair of Woodland Kingfishers in the fever tree forest along the Limpopo River Detailed Report Day 1, 24th February 2019 – Transfer to Magoebaskloof We set out from Johannesburg after breakfast on a clear Sunday morning. The drive to Polokwane took us just over three hours. A number of birds along the way started our trip list; these included Hadada Ibis, Yellow-billed Kite, Southern Black Flycatcher, Village Weaver, and a few brilliant European Bee-eaters.
    [Show full text]
  • South Africa Mega Birding Tour I 6Th to 30Th January 2018 (25 Days) Trip Report
    South Africa Mega Birding Tour I 6th to 30th January 2018 (25 days) Trip Report Aardvark by Mike Bacon Trip report compiled by Tour Leader: Wayne Jones Rockjumper Birding Tours View more tours to South Africa Trip Report – RBT South Africa - Mega I 2018 2 Tour Summary The beauty of South Africa lies in its richness of habitats, from the coastal forests in the east, through subalpine mountain ranges and the arid Karoo to fynbos in the south. We explored all of these and more during our 25-day adventure across the country. Highlights were many and included Orange River Francolin, thousands of Cape Gannets, multiple Secretarybirds, stunning Knysna Turaco, Ground Woodpecker, Botha’s Lark, Bush Blackcap, Cape Parrot, Aardvark, Aardwolf, Caracal, Oribi and Giant Bullfrog, along with spectacular scenery, great food and excellent accommodation throughout. ___________________________________________________________________________________ Despite havoc-wreaking weather that delayed flights on the other side of the world, everyone managed to arrive (just!) in South Africa for the start of our keenly-awaited tour. We began our 25-day cross-country exploration with a drive along Zaagkuildrift Road. This unassuming stretch of dirt road is well-known in local birding circles and can offer up a wide range of species thanks to its variety of habitats – which include open grassland, acacia woodland, wetlands and a seasonal floodplain. After locating a handsome male Northern Black Korhaan and African Wattled Lapwings, a Northern Black Korhaan by Glen Valentine
    [Show full text]
  • The Relationships of the Starlings (Sturnidae: Sturnini) and the Mockingbirds (Sturnidae: Mimini)
    THE RELATIONSHIPS OF THE STARLINGS (STURNIDAE: STURNINI) AND THE MOCKINGBIRDS (STURNIDAE: MIMINI) CHARLESG. SIBLEYAND JON E. AHLQUIST Departmentof Biologyand PeabodyMuseum of Natural History,Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06511 USA ABSTRACT.--OldWorld starlingshave been thought to be related to crowsand their allies, to weaverbirds, or to New World troupials. New World mockingbirdsand thrashershave usually been placed near the thrushesand/or wrens. DNA-DNA hybridization data indi- cated that starlingsand mockingbirdsare more closelyrelated to each other than either is to any other living taxon. Some avian systematistsdoubted this conclusion.Therefore, a more extensiveDNA hybridizationstudy was conducted,and a successfulsearch was made for other evidence of the relationshipbetween starlingsand mockingbirds.The resultssup- port our original conclusionthat the two groupsdiverged from a commonancestor in the late Oligoceneor early Miocene, about 23-28 million yearsago, and that their relationship may be expressedin our passerineclassification, based on DNA comparisons,by placing them as sistertribes in the Family Sturnidae,Superfamily Turdoidea, Parvorder Muscicapae, Suborder Passeres.Their next nearest relatives are the members of the Turdidae, including the typical thrushes,erithacine chats,and muscicapineflycatchers. Received 15 March 1983, acceptedI November1983. STARLINGS are confined to the Old World, dine thrushesinclude Turdus,Catharus, Hylocich- mockingbirdsand thrashersto the New World. la, Zootheraand Myadestes.d) Cinclusis
    [Show full text]
  • The Avifauna of Two Woodlands in Southeast Tanzania
    Scopus 25: 2336, December 2005 The avifauna of two woodlands in southeast Tanzania Anders P. Tøttrup, Flemming P. Jensen and Kim D. Christensen In Tanzania Brachystegia or miombo woodland occupies about two-thirds of the country including the central plateau to the north and the south eastern plateau (Lind & Morrison 1974). Along the coast more luxuriant woodlands are found in what White (1983) terms the Zanzibar-Inhambane regional mosaic floristic region. This highly complex vegetation comprises unique types of forest, thicket, woodland, bushland and grassland, interspersed with areas presently under cultivation and fallow (Hawthorne 1993). The coastal woodlands are usually deciduous or semi-deciduous but contain some evergreen species and often merge with coastal thickets, scrub forest and coastal forest (Hawthorne 1993, Vollesen 1994). The avifauna of miombo woodlands has been described for Zambia (e.g. Benson & Irwin 1966) and Zimbabwe (e.g. Vernon 1968, 1984, 1985), while little has been published on the birds of the coastal woodlands. An exception is Stjernstedt (1970) who reported on the birds in lush and dense Brachystegia microphylla vegetation in a sea of miombo in southeast Tanzania. Here we report our observations of birds in two woodlands in coastal southeast Tanzania, one of which harboured miombo trees. We present information on the number of species encountered during the fieldwork, and compare the avifauna of the two sites. We discuss possible causes for the differences observed and provide new information on habitat preferences for some of the species we recorded at these sites. Study sites Field work was carried out in two coastal woodlands in the Lindi Region, southeast Tanzania in September and October 2001.
    [Show full text]
  • 2060048 Editie 135 Supplement.Book
    Belg. J. Zool., 135 (supplement) : 11-15 December 2005 Importance of rodents as a human food source in Benin A.E. Assogbadjo, J.T.C. Codjia, B. Sinsin, M.R.M. Ekue and G.A. Mensah Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques, Université d’Abomey-Calavi, 05 BP 1752 Cotonou (Akpakpa-Centre), Benin Corresponding author : A.E. Assogbadjo, e-mail : [email protected] ABSTRACT. Rodents are an important food source for villagers near the Lama forest reserve, located in the south of Benin between 6°55 - 7°00N and 2°04 - 2°12 E. This study was designed to look at the consumption of rodents as a food source combined with a survey of rodents sold in markets. Data was collected on : rodents species consumed, frequencies of consumption and food preferences. Some animals were captured in order to confirm the species. Rodents were a major part of diet included 10 species : grasscutter (Thryonomys swinderianus), giant rats (Criceto- mys gambianus), Gambian Sun-squirrel (Heliosciurus gambianus), crested porcupine (Hystrix cristata), ground squirrel (Xerus erythropus), grass rat (Arvicanthis niloticus), slender gerbil (Taterillus gracilis), Kempi’s gerbil (Tatera kempii), multimammate rats (Mastomys spp.) and grass mouse (Lemniscomys striatus venustus). On aver- age, young people and children consumed rodents 6 times per person per month. The preferences of local popula- tions were grasscutter and giant rats which were sold in local markets at relatively high prices US$8-10 and US$2-4 respectively. It is important to conduct further studies to look at the impact of this hunting on the rodent populations and to ensure sustainable harvesting.
    [Show full text]
  • Systematic and Taxonomic Issues Concerning Some East African Bird Species, Notably Those Where Treatment Varies Between Authors
    Scopus 34: 1–23, January 2015 Systematic and taxonomic issues concerning some East African bird species, notably those where treatment varies between authors Donald A. Turner and David J. Pearson Summary The taxonomy of various East African bird species is discussed. Fourteen of the non- passerines and forty-eight of the passerines listed in Britton (1980) are considered, with reference to treatments by various subsequent authors. Twenty-three species splits are recommended from the treatment in Britton (op. cit.), and one lump, the inclusion of Jackson’s Hornbill Tockus jacksoni as a race of T. deckeni. Introduction With a revision of Britton (1980) now nearing completion, this is the first of two pa- pers highlighting the complexities that surround some East African bird species. All appear in Britton in one form or another, but since that landmark publication our knowledge of East African birds has increased considerably, and with the advances in DNA sequencing, our understanding of avian systematics and taxonomy is con- tinually moving forward. A tidal wave of phylogenetic studies in the last decade has revolutionized our understanding of the higher-level relationships of birds. Taxa pre- viously regarded as quite distantly related have been brought together in new clas- sifications and some major groups have been split asunder (Knox 2014). As a result we are seeing the familiar order of families and species in field guides and checklists plunged into turmoil. The speed at which molecular papers are being published continues at an unprec- edented rate. We must remember, however, that while many molecular results may indicate a relationship, they do not necessarily prove one.
    [Show full text]
  • Protected Area Management Plan Development - SAPO NATIONAL PARK
    Technical Assistance Report Protected Area Management Plan Development - SAPO NATIONAL PARK - Sapo National Park -Vision Statement By the year 2010, a fully restored biodiversity, and well-maintained, properly managed Sapo National Park, with increased public understanding and acceptance, and improved quality of life in communities surrounding the Park. A Cooperative Accomplishment of USDA Forest Service, Forestry Development Authority and Conservation International Steve Anderson and Dennis Gordon- USDA Forest Service May 29, 2005 to June 17, 2005 - 1 - USDA Forest Service, Forestry Development Authority and Conservation International Protected Area Development Management Plan Development Technical Assistance Report Steve Anderson and Dennis Gordon 17 June 2005 Goal Provide support to the FDA, CI and FFI to review and update the Sapo NP management plan, establish a management plan template, develop a program of activities for implementing the plan, and train FDA staff in developing future management plans. Summary Week 1 – Arrived in Monrovia on 29 May and met with Forestry Development Authority (FDA) staff and our two counterpart hosts, Theo Freeman and Morris Kamara, heads of the Wildlife Conservation and Protected Area Management and Protected Area Management respectively. We decided to concentrate on the immediate implementation needs for Sapo NP rather than a revision of existing management plan. The four of us, along with Tyler Christie of Conservation International (CI), worked in the CI office on the following topics: FDA Immediate
    [Show full text]
  • Chapter 15 the Mammals of Angola
    Chapter 15 The Mammals of Angola Pedro Beja, Pedro Vaz Pinto, Luís Veríssimo, Elena Bersacola, Ezequiel Fabiano, Jorge M. Palmeirim, Ara Monadjem, Pedro Monterroso, Magdalena S. Svensson, and Peter John Taylor Abstract Scientific investigations on the mammals of Angola started over 150 years ago, but information remains scarce and scattered, with only one recent published account. Here we provide a synthesis of the mammals of Angola based on a thorough survey of primary and grey literature, as well as recent unpublished records. We present a short history of mammal research, and provide brief information on each species known to occur in the country. Particular attention is given to endemic and near endemic species. We also provide a zoogeographic outline and information on the conservation of Angolan mammals. We found confirmed records for 291 native species, most of which from the orders Rodentia (85), Chiroptera (73), Carnivora (39), and Cetartiodactyla (33). There is a large number of endemic and near endemic species, most of which are rodents or bats. The large diversity of species is favoured by the wide P. Beja (*) CIBIO-InBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Vairão, Portugal CEABN-InBio, Centro de Ecologia Aplicada “Professor Baeta Neves”, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal e-mail: [email protected] P. Vaz Pinto Fundação Kissama, Luanda, Angola CIBIO-InBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Campus de Vairão, Vairão, Portugal e-mail: [email protected] L. Veríssimo Fundação Kissama, Luanda, Angola e-mail: [email protected] E.
    [Show full text]