Swifter than Swifts: Eurasian Ursula Franke-Bryson Source: www.faansiepeacock.com/swifter-than-swifts-eurasian-hobby/

For a few weeks each year I receive a flood of side the streamlined body, and grab a images from my friend Ursula Franke-Bryson. It is in passing so that you can hear the impact 100 with delightful expectation, and a twinge of pending yards away is really an experience. jealousy, that I open her emails to see which incredible species Ursula and her husband have managed to The rush of air as the Hobby shoots through capture, ring and release on their annual ringing trips. it like a meteor is almost frightening… In December 2013, she visited Namibia on one of her often show their deadly fear of their terrible expeditions, and specifically the farm Horebis (22°32’S enemy by dashing for cover even when the 15°33’E), located in the ephemeral Swakop Riverbed hobbies high up in the air start a harmless about 80 km south of Karibib. Dangling in the mist- game among themselves by diving at each net was a very special little …Ursula kindly other. agreed to share her experience in this blog post. She also illuminates some of the fascinating life history of Because of its tremendous hunting feats, and hobbies and the important role that play in because of its beauty and rarity as well, the their lives. This is where our story begins. Fade in… Hobby had a kind of romantic appeal to us… we will never regret having spent so many hours having made the acquaintance of these “… and swifts are by no means safe. superb birds, swifter than Swifts.” To see a Hobby whizz straight down from perhaps 1,000 ft., wings almost folded along- – Nikolaas Tinbergen, Curious Naturalists, 1958

ABOVE: View along the margins of the Swakop River; the actual riverbed is visible behind the trees. After a long, very dry winter in Namibia, there had been birds. Measurements of wing and beak in juveniles several storms in the weeks before our stay. are smaller in comparison to adults, but those of alates were erupting from their underground nests en the tarsus slightly bigger (Glutz von Blotzheim et al. masse, attracting huge numbers of swifts. These were 1971). The bird weighed 195 g, well in the ‘normal’ mainly Eurasian/Common Swifts Apus apus but they range of the species. Shortly after the monumental were also joined by the near-endemic Bradfield’s effort of migration, birds can be considerably lighter; A. bradfieldi. Many dozens of Yellow-billed Kites this is demonstrated by the large ranges in the mass Milvus (migrans) aegyptius and other different raptor values: males weigh between 131 and 232 grams, with species also joined in the feast. On three occasions, an average of about 200 g; females weigh anything we could see the whirling clouds of swifts circling from 141 to 340 g, with the average higher at around and hunting over the ground, from close quarters, 225 g. with their noisy wing-beats sounding like traffic. After about two hours the swift flocks dispersed again, and The wing length of the bird was 260 mm, matching the raptors went perching in nearby trees. recorded measures for both males (237 to 272 mm, average around 256 mm), and females (248 to 282 One afternoon we briefly observed two darkish mm, average 268 mm). Its tail was 134 mm in length falconids flying around the house where countless (male 116-(130)-143 mm; female 125-(134)-145 mm). dragonflies were cruising over the cistern basin, where The head measured 46,1 mm, and the culmen from the water is held for irrigation of the small fields. At beak tip to featherline 12,8 mm. Roberts (Hockey the time we could not identify the by the short 2005) provides culmen lengths for European males of glance they offered us, but we realized that they were not the usual Lanner Falcon Falco biarmicus or a rarer Peregrine Falco peregrinus, judging by their swift movements and smaller size. On the day following this observation the identity of our mystery falcons was confirmed when an Eurasian Hobby was caught in a 16 mm mesh mist-net, set on the edge of the waterbody mentioned above. It had apparently crossed the water towards small Acacias and Prosopis trees. The bird was caught at 8:30 in the morning, more than two hours after sunrise (6:05 am). It was in the second lowest of the four shelves of the net.

A hobby in the hand

The opportunity to examine an Eurasian Hobby in the hand is not an everyday occurrence. What can we learn from this bird? Based on its plumage features, this individual can be aged as as a second-year bird. Note that the flight feathers and coverts have striking buffy edges, the tail feathers end in buffy tips, the mantle feathers appear scalloped, and the thigh feathering is pale (a distinct darker rufous in adults). The bird had an already fully adult head pattern which indicates that it had moulted out of his juvenile plumage. No primary moult was recorded, but P1 to P6 were more abraded than P7 to P10 which appeared fresh. The size and weight measurements of the bird were not conclusive ABOVE: This second year bird shows the distinctive features of for sexing, being in the range of overlap of males and Eurasian Hobbies: the black mask on white face, a white collar, females. In many raptor species there is a notable size reddish brown thighs, and broad black streaks flowing down the white breast, while the upperparts are greyish. All photos in difference between the sexes; in the Eurasian Hobby, this article were taken on the day of ringing, namely 23 Decem- females are only slightly larger than males, while wing ber 2013. Click the image for a larger version. Photo by Ursula and tail measure average about 10% less in juvenile Franke-Bryson. ABOVE: Yellow-billed Kites gathered on the dam´s edge for drinking and bathing.

ABOVE: Retention dam for irrigation. ABOVE: A close up shot of the face of the handsome young Eurasian Hobby. What an incredible bird! Photo by UFB.

ABOVE: Underwing and breast markings of Eurasian Hobby. Note the pale thighs with dark broad streaks. For very detailed identification and sexing in all age-classes, see the excellent pdf documents by Blasco-Zumeta and Heinze. Photo by UFB. ABOVE: Upperwing of Eurasian Hobby. The buffy feather edges are clearly visible on the fresh primaries P7 to P10, as well as on the tail, the primary and secondary coverts and on the alula. Photo by UFB.

12,6 mm (11,7 – 13,4) and for females 14 mm (12,2 – Namibia. European countries, where Hobbies can be 15,1). The tarsus of 34,8 mm matches measurements ringed at the nesting sites, show much higher numbers: of males of 32 to 35,5 mm with an average of about in ten European countries 5,720 birds have been 33,5 mm and females with 33 to 37,5 mm, also with ringed in the last 90 years, between 1909 and 1998, of an average of around 35 mm. (Measurements from which more than 1,000 were banded in the area around Glutz von Blotzheim et al. 1971; Brown et al. 1982; Berlin, Germany. The age of the oldest birds retrapped Del Hoyo et al. 1994; Hockey et al. 2005; Kemp and was 10 years (Orta and Kirwan 2014) and in Berlin up Kemp 1998; Mebs and Schmidt 2006; Fiuczynski and to 15 years after being ringed (Fiuczinsky & Sömmer Sömmer 2011). 2011)

In Southern Africa ringed and retrapped birds are Small population numbers throughout a huge rare. At the time of our catch, only 7 Eurasian territory Hobbies were listed in the database of SAFRING for southern Africa, plus one retrap from Finland. The breeding range of the Eurasian Hobby includes Another bird ringed in Finland as a nestling was found a huge area of about 25 – 30 million square km. In electrocuted seven months later in South Africa.(D. the northern hemisphere summer, the species can be Paijman, SAFRING, pers. comm.) One Dutch bird found across the whole Eurasian landmass from the was retrapped in Zimbabwe (Meyburg 2013). The bird Atlantic in western Europe eastwards through Asia to described in the article was the second bird ringed in the Pacific, including the Russian Kamchatka Peninsula also on the way of calculating. In 1982 the worldwide and northern Japan. Its breeding range extends from population of the species was considered to be not Scandinavia in the north to the Mediterranean Sea more than 30,000 – 60,000 pairs (Cade 1982). But and northern Africa in the south. Variation within more recent documentation of breeding birds, and the Eurasian Hobby is largely clinal, but birds from an extrapolation therefrom, especially for the Russian the eastern part of the range in China (and possibly territories, now suggests that the total global population elsewhere) are differentiated as the Falco is not more than 200,000 pairs (Ferguson-Lees and subbuteo streichii (Ferguson-Lees and Christie 2001), Christies 2001). The population seems to have been which is resident or at most, a short distance migrant. overall stable over the last decades, although local There are three other hobbies in the world, namely fluctuations can be considerable (Orta and Kirwan the African Hobby F. cuvierii, the Oriental Hobby F. 2014). severus, and the Australian Hobby F. longipennis. After breeding, hobbies undertake an impressive migration Estimates of the number breeding in the western to their non-breeding grounds: western and central Palearctic suggest a maximum of about 95,000 pairs. populations ‘winter’ mainly in central and southern Of these, 88,000 pairs are found in Europe (Mebs Africa, while the far eastern populations migrate to and Schmidt 2006). Other estimates are even lower southern and south eastern Asia, mainly southern (Forsman 1999): for example, one 55,000 – 75,000 pairs China and ( 2009). in the western Palearctic, of which 50% are thought to occur in Russia, and the remainder in Europe. My home Compared to many other Eurasian raptors, hobbies country, Germany, hosts only about 2,900 breeding occur only in small numbers and low population pairs. Common Buzzard Buteo buteo numbers, densities. Population estimates, based on actual in comparison, are estimated at around 100,000 observations or calculations, fluctuate depending on individuals in Germany alone, reaching a million in the our growing knowledge acquired through research, but western Palearctic (BirdLife International).

ABOVE: Breeding and wintering grounds of the Eurasian Hobby (Handbook of the Birds of the World). The breeding range is indicated in YELLOW, while the non-breeding range is shown in BLUE. The small area where the species is resident in China is shown in GREEN. The wintering grounds in India are not shown on the map (but see Naoroji 2006 or Brazil 2009). From Europe into Africa: tracking hobbies by GPS of 200 km/day (Strandberg et al. 2009b). Hobbies fly between 7,9 to 14,6 hours daily, moving a maximum A very exciting new research tool that is emerging, is of about 1,250 km in just 2 days, with some migration our ability to track birds by satellite or geolocator. In at night (Orta and Kirwan 2014). The falcons crossed the case of the Eurasian Hobby, the first four birds the Mediterranean Sea on a broad front, unlike soaring that pioneered this tremendous technology were raptors like eagles and buzzards that concentrate at tracked carefully by GPS while on their migratory migration bottlenecks because of their dependence on journeys in 2005 – 2007. Their routes are depicted on thermals; consequently they show up in high numbers the map at right. These birds cruised all the way from over Gibraltar in the west and along the eastern coast of from Sweden to Angola and Zambia. Out of the 61 the Mediterranean where the difference in temperature days that their journey on the way to their wintering between land an sea allows them to take advantage of quarters took, 39 days were spent travelling. Between the raising air. the birds, the average distance traversed was 9,200 km. The mean travel speed in Europe was a relatively Travelling south on individual routes that spread out leisurely 188 km/day. However, for the four days it from each other more than 2,000 km north of the took the birds to cross the inhospitable , their equator, all the tracked Eurasian Hobbies converged speed was more than doubled (391 km/day). The to cross the evergreen tropical rainforest in the Congo passing over tropical Africa was performed at a speed on tracks not further apart than 70 km. Here the extension of the rainforest is shortest from north and south. For more details on travel schedules, migration routes, the rainforest as a possible ecological barrier and the discussion of the findings, see Strandberg et al. (2009a). Similar migration routes were confirmed in a later study (Meyburg et al. 2011), which added data that Eurasian Hobbies, which spend the winter in Angola, undertake huge latitudinal flights. One bird flew from Angola through Zambia, Zimbabwe and back to Namibia in less than three weeks, while the movement in Angola alone covered an area of about 116 000 square km, an area three times the size of Switzerland (Meyburg 2013).

Travelling the world (and crossing the Indian Ocean?)

Hobbies are true globetrotters, and not averse to a bit of exploring. In addition to their normal breeding, non-breeding and migrational range, there are many documented occurrences of vagrancy in areas far beyond their ususal limits. Some birds apparently disperse over all oceans and reach islands far off the north and west of Europe and even islands off Alaska. The species has also been recorded in the Southern Seas on islands in the Indian Ocean, off Indonesia, Australia and on tropical Pacific islands. Two records are mentioned for the USA and two for Canada (in both countries, from the east as well in the west; Orta and Kirwan 2014; Glutz von Blotzheim et al. 1971) and a review in the Encyclopedia of Life shows even more sightings and collected specimens on the North ABOVE: Migration routes of four different hobbies (from Strand- American continent (see their website in the literature berg et al. 2009a) showing the crossing of the Mediterranean list). This raises the question of whether eastern Sea south of France and Italy, the fast crossing of the Sahara, populations of Eurasian Hobbies wander across the the latitudinal spreading in western Africa, funneling through to Indian Ocean, from India to East Africa for the non- cross the rainforest area and movements in the wintering area in Angola, Zambia and northern Namibia and Botswana. breeding season, like the related Amur Falcons Falco amurensis do in great numbers during migration. An their range as late as December. Such a late arrival date interesting parallel between these two species, is that is probably scheduled in order to allow time for the they both feed on species of called the Globe spring rains to promote the development of abundant Skimmer flavescens. This large dragonfly, in a vegetation – and consequently an abundance of transgenerational cycle, undertakes a migration from . Departure back towards the breeding grounds India to Africa and back, as described further below. starts from the end of February, and the northerly While Ferguson-Lees (2001) considers a Indian Ocean breeding grounds are reached in April and May. In crossing by the Eurasian Hobby to be a possibility, ten years of data collection for the South African Bird this seems unlikely considering the low numbers of Atlas Project 1 (SABAP 1) from 1987 to 1997, a total observation records. For example, the Eurasian Hobby of only 1,384 Eurasian Hobbies were recorded in the is regarded as a scarce winter visitor to the Maldives South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Botswana, (Naoroji 2006), while for the Seychelles overall only 28 corresponding to 12,1% of southern Africa’s quarter records have been recognized (Safford and Hawkins degree grid cells. This species is considered generally 2013). Bijlsma (pers. comm.) pointed out that there uncommon here, and is most frequently reported are no records of hobbies fattening up in India before from northern Namibia and Botswana, Zimbabwe, the crossing the Indian Ocean (accumulating fat reserves northern and eastern ‘Transvaal’ (nowadays Limpopo to act as fuel for long flights during their trans-oceanic and Mpumalanga, respectively) and Swaziland. In well- migration), unlike Amur Falcons. atlased areas it has been observed sporadically along the eastern and southern coasts, and even reaching I bless the rains down in Africa Cape Town on occasion (Mendelsohn in Harrison et al. 1997). For retrap data and tracking migration What do hobbies do on their African summer holiday? movements in individual birds in Europe see Glutz Eurasian Hobbies mainly arrive in Africa from late von Blotzheim et al. (1971). October to November, and in the southern parts of

ABOVE: Distribution map of Eurasian Hobby in southern Africa based on SABAP 1 data. The species is clearly more common in the northern parts of the subregion, and especially the woodland and savanna belt of northern Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe. It is scarce but widespread in South Africa, as indicated by the yellow squares. Source: SABAP2 website. ABOVE: SABAP2 distribution map of the Eurasian Hobby in southern Africa (note that coverage for countries neighbouring South Africa is incomplete). The apparent abundance around urban centres such as Gauteng, Durban and Port Elizabeth is probably just a reflection of the fact that there are more birders on the lookout in these areas. The Kruger National Park, running along South Africa’s north-east border is an important area for this species (as for many, many other raptors). The approximate borders of the park can almost be deduced by the density of hobby records. Note the scattered records from dry interior of South Africa. Source: SABAP2. Birds, , insects: all you can eat Falcon Falco vespertinus and Red Kite Milvus milvus and Black Kite Milvus migrans in flight (Fiuczynski and The great diversity of prey items taken by the Eurasian Sömmer 2011; Tinbergen 1958, p. 87-88). Conversely, Hobby demonstrates the high adaptability of this hobbies themselves may also be robbed by other birds species to available food sources. The diet consists of of prey. birds, terrestrial mammals (up to the size of a young rabbit), bats, insects, including dragonflies, beetles, In Europe at least 70 bird species have been recorded moths, grasshoppers, locusts, crickets and , and as prey of the Hobby (Glutz von Blotzheim et al. some reptiles, depending on availability and the time 1971). While raising its young, fledglings of other bird in the life cycle (Orta and Kirwan 2014). Prey is mainly species are abundant, and these serve as food for the caught in flight, but also hunted from a perch, or even hobby’s offspring. Depending on availability, birds like taken on the ground. Prey will be consumed on the swallows, martins and swifts, as well as less aerial species perch or, in smaller prey items such as flying insects, it of open areas, e.g. sparrows, finches, starlings, may be eaten on the wing. Some individuals specialize and pipits are hunted. The main prey size is between in certain prey types, especially when feeding young. 8 and 65 grams, with a range from small passerines of 6,5 gram up to lapwings or doves exceeding 200 Kleptoparasitism has been observed, with Hobbies gram (Bijlsma1980 in Fiuczynski and Sömmer 2011, p. taking prey from other raptors like Rock Kestrel Falco 232 f.). A vagrant to Mahé, Seychelles was shot while tinnunculus, Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus, Red-footed feeding on a White Tern Gygis alba (Moreau 1938, p. 9). After rains hobbies have been observed taking all funnels back to two articles on feeding behaviour advantage when swifts are handicapped by flying with of this species, one on the influence of raptors on wet plumage (Orta and Kirwan 2014). bats, which are rarely diurnal (Fenton et al. 1994), and one on hobbies in the city of Stellenbosch, where the Birds with eye-catching variation in shape and colour researcher could observe the birds only early morning easily fall prey to the Eurasian Hobby. In well-studied before leaving and at nightfall coming back to the roost breeding hobbies in the city of Berlin half of the prey in town. Some bird nesting colonies in town were used consisted of House and Tree Sparrows, followed by as a food source at dawn and dusk, as well as occasional different swallow and martin species. Astonishingly bats (Pepler 1993). The role of the scarcely observed 9,4% of the food items were Australian Budgerigar diurnal hunting activity has thus largely been left out. Melopsittacus undulatus, escapees from cages The hobbies spent the day hunting and resting in the (Fiuczynski and Sömmer 2011, p. 230), which were also mountainous Fynbos, where their prey items included reported as unexpected prey even in a large woodland sunbirds, swallows, dragonflies, butterflies, even a flying areas in The Netherlands (Bijlsma, pers. comm.). One and one unidentified nestling snatched out of the study shows that out of 215 House Sparrows 8,4% nest to be eaten on the wing. were partially leucistic (Bijlsma 1980 in Fiuczynski and Sömmer 2011, p. 236). It seems that the diet of Eurasian Hobbies on their African wintering grounds is composed in major parts Many South African bird books describe the Eurasian of alates and insects which emerge in huge numbers Hobby as a hunter of dusk and dawn. Sighting the after the rains (Orta and Kirwan 2014). Like other basic literature, it becomes clear that this assumption species, hobbies follow the insects being pushed in

ABOVE: Large dragonflies are often accidentally caught in ABOVE: The spectacular Blue Emperor Anax imperator is one of mist-nets meant to catch birds. This is Globe Skimmer, Pantala our largest and most impressive dragonflies. flavescens, which is presumably a very important prey item for Eurasian Hobbies.

ABOVE: I’m by no means a dragonfly specialist – but I would ABOVE: This male Namibian Rock Agama, Agama planiceps, hazard a guess that this is a female Barbet Percher, Diplacodes thought that trapped dragonflies would make an easy meal, but luminans – FP got into a bit of trouble itself! front of the rain clouds and sucked in by low pressure, This migration pattern is possible through the and feed on alates emerging after rainfall. Travelling extraordinary short larval life of of with the rain, individual Eurasian Hobbies can be seen 38 – 65 days (Suhling et al. 2004), which allows this in flocks of Red-footed Falcons and their eastern sister dragonfly species to breed in ephemeral freshwater species, the (M. Mills, pers. comm.). In pools after rainfall (Silsby 2001). Using all surface water northern Namibia, Hobby Falcons have been seen in for short term breeding, in one year, three or even four the 70s in congregations of ‘dozens’ together with generations can be produced (Johansson and Suhling great numbers of raptors feeding on alates (Steve 2004). Most dragonflies live the greatest proportion Braine, pers. comm.). of their lives as larvae underwater, where they spend months or even up to two years, before they turn And how much do they actually eat? into aerial insects. In this state they survive only 6-9 weeks, or at most a few months as airborne insects. The hunting strategy, feeding frequency and activity The Globe Skimmer is the dragonfly with greatest maxima are determined by the amount of food needed range worldwide. Incredibly, it has been recorded at an per day and depends not only on the kind of prey altitude of about 6,200 m in the Himalyas. Occurring available, but also on individual preferences even on small islands very distant from the mainland, of the birds (Tinbergen 1958). Feeding times of up to it was one of the first species to resettle on the Bikini 13 hours per day have been observed (Haverschmidt Atoll after the destruction by nuclear tests (Silsby 2001). 1928; Schuyl et al. 1936). The daily food requirement is considered to be 15 – 17% (Bijlsma, pers. comm.) or FURTHER READING up to 30 % of the body mass (Lit. in Fenton et al. 1994; Brown et al. 1982). An adult Eurasian Hobby would If you enjoyed this article, I recommended these thus need 37,5 to 75 g of food per day. Two birds or other interesting reports by Ursula Franke-Bryson. bats of about 20 g would cover the minimum, while These papers were published in the online journal the same quantity by feeding on insects would require Ornithological Observations, which is always worth a much more hunting time. read. The journal also allows you to download and save your favourite articles in pdf format. Dragonflies – snacks from Asia Expanding the boundaries: Breeding range of Red-billed While ringing in Namibia, we found numerous Firefinch Lagonosticta senegala in Namibia extended to the dragonflies as bycatch in our mist-nets on a daily Atlantic coast. basis. These were mainly the Globe Skimmer Pantala flavescens, also called Pantala, Globe Wanderer or Invasion of the Flamingo snatchers: Lesser Flamingo Wandering Glider; as well as some Blue Emperors Phoenicopterus minor trapped by a mussel. Anax imperator. The 5 cm long Globe Skimmer is a spectacular species, and is well worth googling. Better Pale-winged Starling Onychognathus nabouroup building yet, check out this astonishing TEDtalk by Charles a nest in a Quiver Tree Aloe dichotoma in the Namibian Anderson. Its life cycle story starts when, incredibly, plains. it crosses the Indian Ocean during the rainy season with the monsoon shifts from India. It then breeds ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS in equatorial East Africa (October/November). The I am grateful for the support of Rob Bijlsma in providing next (second generation) moves into southern Africa me with a continuous flow of information; to Hennie in December to February, while the newly hatched de Klerk for the quick identification of Pantala; to third generation returns in a northern direction to Pascal Eckhoff from the Museum for Natural History East Africa. Finally, the fourth generation moves with of the Humboldt University, Berlin; and to Dane the (now east-blowing) monsoon winds back to India Paijmans for kindly supplying the requested data from in June/July. In this circuit across the Indian Ocean, SAFRING, Avian Demographic Unit, University of four generations of Pantala flavescens cover a distance Cape Town. In addition, Steve Braine, Michael Mills of 14 000 – 18 000 km (Anderson 2009). A paper on and Faansie Peacock are thanked for their comments stable isotopes even points out the probability of this and for encouragement. dragonfly species coming from northern India, possibly from north of the Himalaya, which would prolong the circuit to a still unknown distance (Hobson et al. 2012). REFERENCES World. A Field Guide. 2nd ed. Christopher Helm, London: 290-291. Anderson RC 2009a. Dragonflies that cross oceans. Fiuczynski KD, Sömmer P 2011. Der Baumfalke Falco TED India. Available here. subbuteo. 5th ed. Neue Brehm-Bücherei Bd. 575, Westarp Wissenschaften, Hohenwarsleben. Anderson RC 2009b. Do dragonflies migrate across the western Indian Ocean? Journal of Tropical Ecology, Forsman D 1999. The Raptors of Europe and the 25: 347–358. DOI: 10.1017/S0266467409006087. Middle East. A Handbook for Field Identification. Christopher Helm, London: 505-514. Bijlsma R 1980. De Boomvalk. Kosmos. Amsterdam and Antwerpen. Glutz von Blotzheim U, Bauer KM, Bezzel E 1971. Handbuch der Vögel Mitteleuropas, Bd. 4, BirdLife International 2015. Species factsheet: Falco , Akademische Verlagsgesellschaft, subbuteo. Available here. Frankfurt: 805-824. Blasco-Zumeta J, Heinze G-M 2014. Factsheet Hobby Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Falco subbuteo. Available here. Edicions, Barcelona. Available here. Brazil M 2009. Birds of East Asia: China, Taiwan, Hobson KA, Anderson RC, Soto DX, Wassenaar LI Korea, Japan, and Russia. Princeton Field Guides. 2012. Isotopic Evidence that Dragonflies (Pantala Princeton University Press. flavescens) migrating through the Maledives come Brown LH 1976. British Birds of Prey. Collins, New from the Northern Indian Subcontinent. Available Naturalist Series. London. from: PLos ONE 7(12): e5294.doi:10.1371/journal. Brown LH, Amadon D 1968. Eagles, Hawks and pone.0052594. Falcons of the World. Country Life Books. Vol. 2. Hockey PAR, Dean WRJ, Ryan PG (eds) 2005. Roberts Feltham. Birds of Southern Africa. 7th ed. John Voelcker Bird Brown LH, Urban EK, Newmann K (eds) 1982. The Book Fund, Cape Town: 554–555. Birds of Africa. Vol. I. Academic Press, London: 465- Johansson F, Suhling F 2004. Behaviour and growth of 469. dragonfly larvae along a permanent to temporary water Cade TJ 1982. The Falcons of the World. Collins, habitat gradient. Ecological 29: 196 -202. London & Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY. Available here. Chapman A. 1999. The Hobby. Arlequin Press, Essex. Kemp A, Kemp M 1998. Sasol Birds of Prey of Africa and its Islands. New Holland Publishers, London: 218- Crossley R, Couzens D 2014. The Crossley ID Guide 219. Britain & Ireland, Crossley Books, Princeton University Press. Kumar A 1984. On the life history of Pantala flavescens (Fabricius) (:). Annals Del Hoyo J, Elliott A, Sargantal J (eds) 1994. Handbook of Entomology 2:43-50. of the Birds of the World. Vol. 2. New World Vultures to Guineafowl. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona: 268. Mebs T, Schmidt D 2006. Die Greifvögel Europas, Nordafrikas und Vorderasiens. Biologie, Kennzeichen, Dowsett RJ, Aspinwall DR, Dowsett-Lemaire F 2008. Bestände. Franckh-Kosmos Verlag Stuttgart: 389- 399. The birds of Zambia. An atlas and handbook: 146. Tauraco Press and Aves, Liège. Mendelsohn J M 1997. In: Harrison JA, Allan DG, Underhill LG, Herremans M, Tree AJ, Parker V, Brown Encyclopedia of Life. Global Biodiversity Information CJ (eds). The Atlas of Southern African Birds including Facility Database. Distribution map of Falco subbuteo: Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland Observations, specimens and ringing records. Available and Zimbabwe. Vol 1. Non-passerines. BirdLife South here. Africa, Johannesburg: 252-253. Fenton MB, Rautenbach IL, Smith SE, Swanepoel Meyburg B-U, Howey PW, Meyburg C, Fiuczynski CM, Grosell J, van Jaarsveld J 1994. Raptors and Bats: KD 2011. Two complete migration cycles of an adult Threats and Opportunities. Behaviour 48: 9-18. Hobby tracked by satellite. British Birds 104: 2-15. Ferguson-Lees J, Christie D 2001. Raptors of the Meyburg B-U 2013. Ein Afrikaner brütet in Europa. World. Christopher Helm, London Ornis 4/13:16-19. Ferguson-Lees J, Christie D 2005. Raptors of the Moreau RE 1938. Bird-Migration over the North- western Part of the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, and the of Natural History and Ministry of Environment, Mediterranean. Proceedings of the Zoological Society Helsinki. of London. Vol. A 108-1:1-26. DOI: 10.1111/j.1469- Schuyl G, Tinbergen L, Tinbergen N 1936. Ethologische 7998.1938.tb00017.x. Beobachtungen am Baumfalken (Falco s. subbuteo L.). Moreau RE 1972. The Palaearctic-African bird Journal für Ornithologie 84:387-433. migration systems. Academic Press, London. Silsby J 2001. Dragonflies of the World. The National Naoroji R 2006. Birds of Prey of the Indian History Museum, Plymouth:180. Subcontinent. Om Books International, Noida, India: Sinclair I, Ryan P 2003. Birds of Africa South of the 588-593. Sahara. Cornelis Struik House, Capetown. Oberprieler U, Cillié B 2009. The Raptor Guide Strandberg R, Klaassen RHG, Hake M, Olofsson P, of Southern Africa. Game Parks Publishing, Alerstam T 2009a. Converging migration routes of Pretoria:166-167. Eurasian hobbies Falco subbuteo crossing the African Orta J, Kirwan GM 2014. Eurasian Hobby (Falco equatorial rain forest. Proceedings of the Royal Society subbuteo). In: del Hoyo J, Elliott A, Sargatal J, Christie B 276: 727-733. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2008.1202. DA, de Juana E (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the Strandberg R, Klaassen RHG, Hake M, Olofsson World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. Available here. P, Alerstam T 2009b. Daily travel schedules of adult Pepler D 1991. Diet of the Hobby Falcon Falco Eurasian Hobbys Falco subbuteo – variability in flight subbuteo in the southwestern Cape. Ostrich 62:74-75. hours and migration speed along the route. Ardea Pepler D 1993. Diet and hunting behaviour of the 97:287-295. European Hobby (Falco subbuteo) in Africa. In: Suhling F, Schenk K, Padeffke T, Martens A 2004. A field Nicholls M K & Clarke R. Biology and Conservation study of larval development in a dragonfly assemblage of Small Falcons. Hawk and Owl Trust, London. in African desert ponds (Odonata). Hydrobiologia. SABAP 2. Eurasian Hobby. Available here. 528:75–85. Available here. Safford R, Hawkins F (eds) 2013. The Birds of Africa. Tarboton W, Tarboton M 2002. A Fieldguide to the Vol. 8. The Malagasy region. Christopher Helm, Dragonflies of South Africa. Privately published. London. Nylstroom/Modimole, South Africa. SAFRING, The South African Bird Ringing Unit. Tinbergen N 1932. Beobachtungen am Baumfalken Eurasian Hobby. Available here. (Falco s. subbuteo). Journal für Ornithologie 80:40–50. Saurola P, Valkama J, Velmala W 2013. The Finnish Tinbergen N 1958. Curious Naturalists. Basic Books, Bird Ringing Atlas. Vol. 1:368-373. Finnish Museum New York: 82-102. Available here.

Ursula Franke-Bryson found her passion in ringing birds. Her teachers Steven Piper and Kobie Raijmakers peaked her interest for research into birds’ moult strategies. Together with her husband she is collecting data to support research on birds throughout southern Africa. Her 500th species ringed: Bar-winged Weaver.

www.faansiepeacock.com