DOCSLIB.ORG

Bokmakierie Newsletter of the Witwatersrand Bird Club April 2015 No 242

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Bokmakierie Newsletter of the Witwatersrand Bird Club April 2015 No 242 Bokmakierie Newsletter of the Witwatersrand Bird Club April 2015 No 242 ND RA S R E T B A U L W T C I W D IR B BirdLife SOUTH AFRICA Giving Conservation Wings Ernst Retief, Regional Conservation Manager BLSA, received the beaded Bearded Vulture award at the 2015 AGM - photo by Lia Steen Barbi Forsyth receiving the Diamond award at the AGM- photo by Lia Steen WITWATERSRAND P O Box 641 BIRD CLUB Cresta 2118 Tel: 011 782 7267 ISSUE NO 242 Fax: 086 512 7696 APRIL 2015 Email: [email protected] Web: www.witsbirdclub.org.za Inside this issue: 30 Birding in the Hawaan Forest by Anthony Cavanagh 2 Letter from the Chair 32 Rare pipits return following rat erad- 3 A Murder of Crows by Arjan Amur ication on South Georgia – Wildlife Extra 5 Pied Crows are Brill by Leslie 34 Birding by calls by Peter and Sandra Cornish Greaves 6 Jy kan help om aasvoëls van uitwiss- 36 Nylsvley 2015 Woodland Census, 16th ing te red deur VulPro Year by Warwick Tarboton 8 An Anecdote on Ringing by Arie Wl- 38 Rarities and unusual sightings report: liams December 2014 compiled by André 8 A Nesting Log in Waverley by Freda Marx Kirschner 9 A Christmas Holiday in Germany by Anthony Cavanagh 2015 Committee: 13 South Africa’s Favourite Bird by Mark Anderson Honorary President Lance Robinson 14 Counting Birds by Rolf Wiesler Chairman Andy Featherstone 16 Letter to the Editor and John Camp- Vice-Chairman Lia Steen bell’s Observations on Birds in 1820 Treasurer Leanne Webster by Desmond Cole Courses Janice Isom 20 Trackers show Vultures on decline by Kamcilla Pillay Conservation Lance Robinson 23 Carrion Crows in Spain thrive when Evening Meetings Lia Steen they have a cuckoo in the nest - Website Thinie v d Merwe Wildlife Extra Programme Ginny Mes 25 Four Tswana bird tales by Des- mond Cole Club Secretary Lauraine Leigh 29 Extracts from the Korsman Conserv- ancy Member’s Newsletter Febru- ary 2015 Cover Photo: Blue Crane Chick by Cover Design: Philip Tarboton Albert Froneman 1 Letter Lia Steen will be this year’s Vice-Chairman. Murrie Slotar was given a warm farewell From at the Marievale outing and braai or- ganised in her honour. As a parting gift The Murrie was given an original painting of a Bokmakierie by Graeme Arnott. We wish Chair her all the best in her new life in Durban. Thank you Barbi Forsyth, Ginny Mes and Dear Members, Lance Robinson for all the hard work in or- Although it seems a long time ago, I trust ganising and catering for the day. everyone had a relaxing break over the As many of you are aware we decided to holiday period and perhaps managed to try a new venue for our evening meetings fit in a little birding activity of some kind. and held our first one at St Stithian’s School. I had family visiting from the UK and we The security and parking are much supiri- spent a very enjoyable week in Cape or to Delta Park which has sadly been a Town in early January with the obligatory little neglected of late. There will be chal- visit to the penguins for the visitors. Whilst at lenges to overcome at St Stithians but I the penguin colony in Betty’s Bay we wit- would like to urge you to come and try nessed the release of a number of young the venue and see what it is like. It was not fledglings that had been rescued from par- ideal changing during the course of our first ents who had stopped feeding them due Programme and this led to some people to the onset of their moult. It seems that going to the wrong venue despite it being when penguins breed late in the season widely publisized in our Weekly Reminder. there is a danger of this happening and For those of you who were affested by this, these young birds would normally die. please accept my apologies. As our 2015 Calendar Competition proved popular and the calendar well received, we have decided to run another competi- tion this year for a 2016 version. So all you budding Albert Fronemans dust of your cameras and start snapping!, Full details of the competition will be circulated shortly. It is always interesting to receive letters and articles from our members and it was The AGM has been and gone and the 2015 a real pleasure to recieve two submissions Committee duly elected. Janice Isom and from one of our elder statesmen, Desmond Thinie van Der Mewre have joined the Cole. A recent new member to the club Committee taking over the courses and is cartoonist Alastair Findlay who has sent website portfolios respectively. Lance Rob- in an example of his humour. Keep them inson was duly elected as Honorary Pres- coming everybody! ident taking over from Murrie Slotar and Andy Featherstone 2 eating their defenceless chicks,” said study A Murder of Crows? co-author Dr Arjun Amar [note 2] from By Dr Arjun Amar the Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology [note 3]. “Although this pre- dation is entirely natural, these observa- tions can be upsetting to witness and often leave people wondering if these pred- ators might be reducing bird numbers.” “Our review suggests that we should be cautious before jumping to conclusions over the impacts these species may have. Just because a predator eats something occa- sionally does not always mean that they have an impact,” Dr Amar said. However, Pied Crow he cautioned that there was no informa- tion for the southern hemisphere, where The Pied Crow population has increased songbirds raise fewer chicks each year. in many parts of South Africa, and with The study, the first of its kind, reviewed this increase has come concern over their all published evidence on whether pre- potential impact on other native wildlife. dation by corvids actually reduces the A new study by researchers at the Uni- overall breeding performance of birds or, versity of Cape Town suggests that, more importantly from a conservation at least for bird species, the unpopular perspective, reduces their numbers. Data crow may not be as big a menace as were collated from 42 studies of cor- people think. Their review found that vid predation conducted in Europe and crows – along with their avian cous- North America over the last sixty years. ins the Eurasian Magpie and Northern Not only were corvids unlikely to have Raven – have surprisingly little impact any impact on their potential prey spe- on the abundance of other bird species. cies, if there was an impact it most of- Collectively known as corvids, these ten affected the breeding success of birds are in fact being menaced by the prey species rather than their sub- mankind in the mistaken belief that re- sequent numbers. Half of cases found moving them is good for conservation. that corvids reduced breeding success whereas less than 10% found that they Published this week in the leading or- nithological journal Ibis (note 1), the study reduced prey numbers in the long term. found that in the vast majority of cas- The review analysed the impact of six cor- es (82 percent), corvids had no impact vid species on prey species including game- at all on their potential prey species. birds, songbirds, waders, herons, cranes, sea “Many nature lovers have been distressed birds, waterfowl and raptors. The 42 stud- to witness a crow or magpie raiding the ies used in the review included 326 cases of nests of songbirds, stealing their eggs or corvid–bird prey interaction The impacts 3 were determined partly by comparing 3. The Percy FitzPatrick Institute bird counts before and after corvids were for African Ornithology is a re- either removed or their numbers reduced. search institute situated in the Bi- ological Sciences Department of Mistaken assumptions about corvid pre- Cape Town University. It is one of dation were possibly explained by the the world’s leading ornithological birds’ diurnal nature and the fact that research institutes and is a South they are conspicuous nest predators: “Their African Department of Science importance in prey population regula- and Technology-National Research tion is often assumed prior to any assess- Foundation Centre of Excellence. ment of the evidence,” the study warned. 4. Chrissie Madden is the lead au- Chrissie Madden [note 4], the lead au- thor of the paper. The research was thor on the paper, hoped that the re- undertaken as part of her Conser- view would challenge the perception vation Biology Masters research that all corvids were bad, thereby pre- at the University of Cape Town. venting needless killing: “Our results sug- gest that this is a mistaken belief and • The full paper is freely avail- that generally speaking people would able via open access.The full ref- be wasting their time killing corvids to in- erence for the paper is: Madden, crease the numbers of other bird species”. C.F., Arroyo, B. & Amar, A. (in press) A review of the impact of Editor’s notes: corvids on bird productivity and 1. The Ibis is a peer reviewed sci- abundance, Ibis. doi: 10.1111/ibi.12223 entific journal published by the • http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/ British Ornithological Union. It has journal/10.1111/%28ISSN%291474-919X/ been published since 1859 and is earlyview one of the highest ranked interna- tional Ornithological journals in the world. http://www.bou.org.uk/ibis/ DEADLINE FOR AUGUST 2015 2. Dr Arjun Amar is a Senior Lectur- ISSUE - 1st JULY 2015 er at the Percy FitzPatrick Institute Contributions, addressed to the Editor, and was the lead supervisor of this can be: research project.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • South Africa 3Rd to 22Nd September 2015 (20 Days)
    Hollyhead & Savage Trip Report South Africa 3rd to 22nd September 2015 (20 days) Female Cheetah with cubs and Impala kill by Heinz Ortmann Trip Report compiled by Tour Leader: Heinz Ortmann Trip Report Hollyhead & Savage Private South Africa September 2015 2 Tour Summary A fantastic twenty day journey that began in the beautiful Overberg region and fynbos of the Western Cape, included the Wakkerstroom grasslands, coastal dune forest of iSimangaliso Wetland Park, the Baobab-studded hills of Mapungubwe National Park and ended along a stretch of road searching for Kalahari specials north of Pretoria amongst many others. We experienced a wide variety of habitats and incredible birds and mammals. An impressive 400-plus birds and close to 50 mammal species were found on this trip. This, combined with visiting little-known parts of South Africa such as Magoebaskloof and Mapungubwe National Park, made this tour special as well as one with many unforgettable experiences and memories for the participants. Our journey started out from Cape Town International Airport at around lunchtime on a glorious sunny early-spring day. Our journey for the first day took us eastwards through the Overberg region and onto the Agulhas plains where we spent the next two nights. The farmlands in these parts appear largely barren and consist of single crop fields and yet host a surprising number of special, localised and endemic species. Our afternoon’s travels through these parts allowed us views of several more common and widespread species such as Egyptian and Spur-winged Geese, raptors like Jackal Buzzard, Rock Kestrel and Yellow-billed Kite, Speckled Pigeons, Capped Wheatear, Pied Starling, the ever present Pied and Cape Crow, White-necked Raven and Pin-tailed Whydah, almost in full breeding plumage.
    [Show full text]
  • Further Breeding Records for Birds (Aves) in Angola
    Durban Natural Science Museum Novitates 36 ANGOLAN BIRD BREEDING RECORDS 1 FURTHER BREEDING RECORDS FOR BIRDS (AVES) IN ANGOLA W. RicHARD J. DeAn1*, URSULA FRAnKe2, GRAnT JOSePH1, FRANCIScO M. GOnÇALVeS3, MicHAeL S.L. MiLLS4,1, SUZAnne J. MiLTOn1, ARA MOnADJeM5 & H. DieTeR OScHADLeUS6 1DST/NRF Centre of Excellence at the Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa *Author for correspondence: [email protected] 2Tal 34, 80331 Munich, Germany 3ISCED, Department of Natural Sciences, Rua: Sarmento Rodrigues, P.O. Box 230, Lubango, Angola 4A.P. Leventis Ornithological Research Institute, University of Jos, P.O. Box 13404, Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria 5Department of Biological Sciences, University of Swaziland, Private Bag 4, Kwaluseni, Swaziland 6Animal Demography Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa ean, W.R.J., Franke, U., Joseph, G., Gonçalves, F.M., Mills, M.S.L., Milton, S.J., Monadjem, A. D& Oschadleus, H.D. 2013. Further breeding records for birds (Aves) in Angola. Durban Natural Science Museum Novitates 36: 1-10. Some details of records of nests, eggs and nestlings of 167 (possibly 168) species in the bird collection at Lubango, Angola are given. This includes 23 species for which there were no Angolan breeding records at all, and one possibly new breeding species (Slaty Egret). The data also confirm the breeding of another 20 species strongly suspected of breeding in Angola, but that lacked egg or nestling records. KEYWORDS: Angola, birds, museum collections, breeding. INTRODUcTiOn SYSTeMATIC LiST One of the gaps in our knowledge of the natural history of birds in Taxonomy and order follows Gill & Donsker (2014).
    [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]
  • Host Specificity and Co-Speciation in Avian Haemosporidia in the Western Cape, South Africa
    Wright State University CORE Scholar Biological Sciences Faculty Publications Biological Sciences 2-3-2014 Host Specificity And Co-Speciation In vianA Haemosporidia In The Western Cape, South Africa Sharon Okanga Graeme S. Cumming Philip A.R. Hockey Lisa Nupen Jeffrey L. Peters Wright State University - Main Campus, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/biology Part of the Biology Commons, and the Systems Biology Commons Repository Citation Okanga, S., Cumming, G. S., Hockey, P. A., Nupen, L., & Peters, J. L. (2014). Host Specificity And Co- Speciation In Avian Haemosporidia In The Western Cape, South Africa. PLoS One, 9 (2), e86382. https://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/biology/664 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Biological Sciences at CORE Scholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in Biological Sciences Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of CORE Scholar. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Host Specificity and Co-Speciation in Avian Haemosporidia in the Western Cape, South Africa Sharon Okanga1*, Graeme S. Cumming1, Philip A. R. Hockey1, Lisa Nupen1, Jeffrey L. Peters2 1 Percy FitzPatrick Institute, A Centre of Excellence for the Department of Science and Technology and National Research Foundation, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa, 2 Department of Biological Sciences, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio, United States of America Abstract Host and pathogen ecology are often closely linked, with evolutionary processes often leading to the development of host specificity traits in some pathogens. Host specificity may range from ‘generalist’, where pathogens infect any available competent host; to ‘specialist’, where pathogens repeatedly infect specific host species or families.
    [Show full text]
  • Groenkloof A3 Brochure
    PO Box 1454, Pretoria, 0001 Pretoria, 1454, Box PO . y c i l o p e d i r - o n , t e m l e h - o n a e v a h e w t a h t e t o n e s a e l P . a e r a c i n c i p e h t e t i s o p p o Groenkloof Nature Reserve Nature Groenkloof Address: e e s o p r u p s i h t r o f y t u d n o s i l a i c i f f o n a s y a d i l o h c i l b u p n o d n a s d n e k e e w r e v O . k e e w e h t g n i r u d e c i f f o s ’ e v r e s e R e h t t a d e r i h e b n a c s t e m l e h d n a s e k i b n i a t n u o M .za [email protected] E-mail: mountain bikers just to have a fun day out enjoying nature and viewing game. viewing and nature enjoying out day fun a have to just bikers mountain Fax: 086 516 3449 516 086 Fax: and is a great and safe trail for professionals to do their training and for social social for and training their do to professionals for trail safe and great a is and el: (012) 440 8316 440 (012) el: T f Boshof David Management: The ± 20 km mountain bike trail consist of an adventurous single and jeep track track jeep and single adventurous an of consist trail bike mountain km 20 ± The TRAIL BIKE AIN MOUNT .za [email protected] E-mail: Fax: 086 512 9536 512 086 Fax: el: (012) 440 8316 440 (012) el: T Bookings: s are fed.
    [Show full text]
  • Laniarius Spp.) in Coastal Kenya and Somalia
    Brian W. Finch et al. 74 Bull. B.O.C. 2016 136(2) Redefining the taxonomy of the all-black and pied boubous (Laniarius spp.) in coastal Kenya and Somalia by Brian W. Finch, Nigel D. Hunter, Inger Winkelmann, Karla Manzano-Vargas, Peter Njoroge, Jon Fjeldså & M. Thomas P. Gilbert Received 21 October 2015 Summary.—Following the rediscovery of a form of Laniarius on Manda Island, Kenya, which had been treated as a melanistic morph of Tropical Boubou Laniarius aethiopicus for some 70 years, a detailed field study strongly indicated that it was wrongly assigned. Molecular examination proved that it is the same species as L. (aethiopicus) erlangeri, until now considered a Somali endemic, and these populations should take the oldest available name L. nigerrimus. The overall classification of coastal boubous also proved to require revision, and this paper presents a preliminary new classification for taxa in this region using both genetic and morphological data. Genetic evidence revealed that the coastal ally of L. aethiopicus, recently considered specifically as L. sublacteus, comprises two unrelated forms, requiring a future detailed study. The black-and-white boubous—characteristic birds of Africa’s savanna and wooded regions—have been treated as subspecies of the highly polytypic Laniarius ferrugineus (Rand 1960), or subdivided, by separating Southern Boubou L. ferrugineus, Swamp Boubou L. bicolor and Turati’s Boubou L. turatii from the widespread and geographically variable Tropical Boubou L. aethiopicus (Hall & Moreau 1970, Fry et al. 2000, Harris & Franklin 2000). They are generally pied, with black upperparts, white or pale buff underparts, and in most populations a white wing-stripe.
    [Show full text]
  • Birders Checklist for the Mapungubwe National Park and Area
    Birders Checklist for the Mapungubwe National Park and area Reproduced with kind permission of Etienne Marais of Indicator Birding Visit www.birding.co.za for more info and details of birding tours and events Endemic birds KEY: SA = South African Endemic, SnA = Endemic to Southern Africa, NE = Near endemic (Birders endemic) to the Southern African Region. RAR = Rarity Status KEY: cr = common resident; nr = nomadic breeding resident; unc = uncommon resident; rr = rare; ? = status uncertain; s = summer visitor; w = winter visitor r Endemicity Numbe Sasol English Status All Scientific p 30 Little Grebe cr Tachybaptus ruficollis p 30 Black-necked Grebe nr Podiceps nigricollis p 56 African Darter cr Anhinga rufa p 56 Reed Cormorant cr Phalacrocorax africanus p 56 White-breasted Cormorant cr Phalacrocorax lucidus p 58 Great White Pelican nr Pelecanus onocrotalus p 58 Pink-backed Pelican ? Pelecanus rufescens p 60 Grey Heron cr Ardea cinerea p 60 Black-headed Heron cr Ardea melanocephala p 60 Goliath Heron cr Ardea goliath p 60 Purple Heron uncr Ardea purpurea p 62 Little Egret uncr Egretta garzetta p 62 Yellow-billed Egret uncr Egretta intermedia p 62 Great Egret cr Egretta alba p 62 Cattle Egret cr Bubulcus ibis p 62 Squacco Heron cr Ardeola ralloides p 64 Black Heron uncs Egretta ardesiaca p 64 Rufous-bellied Heron ? Ardeola rufiventris RA p 64 White-backed Night-Heron rr Gorsachius leuconotus RA p 64 Slaty Egret ? Egretta vinaceigula p 66 Green-backed Heron cr Butorides striata p 66 Black-crowned Night-Heron uncr Nycticorax nycticorax p
    [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]
  • South Africa Travel Guide 2017
    South Africa Travel Guide 2017 1 From the Editor... After a few failed attempts at collecting travel information about South Africa, I decided it would be a great idea to publish my own South Africa Travel Guide. It has taken me about 3 years to assemble this valuable publication (in between extra hours in the CLO Office and publishing JJ’s and Classifieds, and more Classi- fieds, and more JJ’s). Realistically, I thought I would lose my mind if I heard, “I will send over travel brochures ‘just now’” one more time... It has been a lot of work, but being in the CLO Office is the reason that I started this venture in the first place. My favorite part of working in the CLO Office is helping people who are searching for travel information. There is no greater reward as the Editor of the Jacaranda Journal, than to hear that one of my readers has booked a vacation or some sort of adventure because of a travel story or advice from our office. Travelling means taking a break from everyday routines and just enjoying life. I personally believe that there is so much benefit to travel, which is why I am hoping this Guide entices you to travel more. Travel gives us better perspective, it makes us more adaptable and adventurous, and it just makes people happy. We are in a unique position, living life in the Foreign Service, and one of the greatest benefits is seeing the world. We get the opportunity to see places we would never have dreamed of and even better, we get to share them sometimes with friends and family.
    [Show full text]
  • University of Copenhagen
    Redefining the taxonomy of the all-black and pied boubous (Laniarius spp.) in coastal Kenya and Somalia Finch, Brian W.; Hunter, Nigel D.; Winkelmann, Inger Eleanor Hall; Manzano Vargas, Karla; Njoroge, Peter; Fjeldså, Jon; Gilbert, Tom Published in: Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club Publication date: 2016 Document version Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Citation for published version (APA): Finch, B. W., Hunter, N. D., Winkelmann, I. E. H., Manzano Vargas, K., Njoroge, P., Fjeldså, J., & Gilbert, T. (2016). Redefining the taxonomy of the all-black and pied boubous (Laniarius spp.) in coastal Kenya and Somalia. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club, 136(2), 74-85. http://boc- online.org/bulletins/downloads/BBOC1362-Finch.pdf Download date: 02. Oct. 2021 Brian W. Finch et al. 74 Bull. B.O.C. 2016 136(2) Redefining the taxonomy of the all-black and pied boubous (Laniarius spp.) in coastal Kenya and Somalia by Brian W. Finch, Nigel D. Hunter, Inger Winkelmann, Karla Manzano-Vargas, Peter Njoroge, Jon Fjeldså & M. Thomas P. Gilbert Received 21 October 2015 Summary.—Following the rediscovery of a form of Laniarius on Manda Island, Kenya, which had been treated as a melanistic morph of Tropical Boubou Laniarius aethiopicus for some 70 years, a detailed field study strongly indicated that it was wrongly assigned. Molecular examination proved that it is the same species as L. (aethiopicus) erlangeri, until now considered a Somali endemic, and these populations should take the oldest available name L. nigerrimus. The overall classification of coastal boubous also proved to require revision, and this paper presents a preliminary new classification for taxa in this region using both genetic and morphological data.
    [Show full text]
  • Passerines: Perching Birds
    3.9 Orders 9: Passerines – perching birds - Atlas of Birds uncorrected proofs 3.9 Atlas of Birds - Uncorrected proofs Copyrighted Material Passerines: Perching Birds he Passeriformes is by far the largest order of birds, comprising close to 6,000 P Size of order Cardinal virtues Insect-eating voyager Multi-purpose passerine Tspecies. Known loosely as “perching birds”, its members differ from other Number of species in order The Northern or Common Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) The Common Redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus) was The Common Magpie (Pica pica) belongs to the crow family orders in various fine anatomical details, and are themselves divided into suborders. Percentage of total bird species belongs to the cardinal family (Cardinalidae) of passerines. once thought to be a member of the thrush family (Corvidae), which includes many of the larger passerines. In simple terms, however, and with a few exceptions, passerines can be described Like the various tanagers, grosbeaks and other members (Turdidae), but is now known to belong to the Old World Like many crows, it is a generalist, with a robust bill adapted of this diverse group, it has a thick, strong bill adapted to flycatchers (Muscicapidae). Its narrow bill is adapted to to feeding on anything from small animals to eggs, carrion, as small birds that sing. feeding on seeds and fruit. Males, from whose vivid red eating insects, and like many insect-eaters that breed in insects, and grain. Crows are among the most intelligent of The word passerine derives from the Latin passer, for sparrow, and indeed a sparrow plumage the family is named, are much more colourful northern Europe and Asia, this species migrates to Sub- birds, and this species is the only non-mammal ever to have is a typical passerine.
    [Show full text]
  • South Africa Mega Birding III 5Th to 27Th October 2019 (23 Days) Trip Report
    South Africa Mega Birding III 5th to 27th October 2019 (23 days) Trip Report The near-endemic Gorgeous Bushshrike by Daniel Keith Danckwerts Tour leader: Daniel Keith Danckwerts Trip Report – RBT South Africa – Mega Birding III 2019 2 Tour Summary South Africa supports the highest number of endemic species of any African country and is therefore of obvious appeal to birders. This South Africa mega tour covered virtually the entire country in little over a month – amounting to an estimated 10 000km – and targeted every single endemic and near-endemic species! We were successful in finding virtually all of the targets and some of our highlights included a pair of mythical Hottentot Buttonquails, the critically endangered Rudd’s Lark, both Cape, and Drakensburg Rockjumpers, Orange-breasted Sunbird, Pink-throated Twinspot, Southern Tchagra, the scarce Knysna Woodpecker, both Northern and Southern Black Korhaans, and Bush Blackcap. We additionally enjoyed better-than-ever sightings of the tricky Barratt’s Warbler, aptly named Gorgeous Bushshrike, Crested Guineafowl, and Eastern Nicator to just name a few. Any trip to South Africa would be incomplete without mammals and our tally of 60 species included such difficult animals as the Aardvark, Aardwolf, Southern African Hedgehog, Bat-eared Fox, Smith’s Red Rock Hare and both Sable and Roan Antelopes. This really was a trip like no other! ____________________________________________________________________________________ Tour in Detail Our first full day of the tour began with a short walk through the gardens of our quaint guesthouse in Johannesburg. Here we enjoyed sightings of the delightful Red-headed Finch, small numbers of Southern Red Bishops including several males that were busy moulting into their summer breeding plumage, the near-endemic Karoo Thrush, Cape White-eye, Grey-headed Gull, Hadada Ibis, Southern Masked Weaver, Speckled Mousebird, African Palm Swift and the Laughing, Ring-necked and Red-eyed Doves.
    [Show full text]