Reproduced by Sabinet Gateway under licence granted by the Publisher (dated 2009). The status and conservation of BIRDS OF PREY in the Transvaal Reproduced by Sabinet Gateway under licence granted by the Publisher (dated 2009). The Blackshouldered Kite is the most numerous breeding bird of prey in the Transvaal and had an estimated population of about 44 000 birds during the period 1975-80. Its range and numbers have probably increased as a result of agriculture. It is a characteristic bird of the grain-producing regions. It feeds almost exclusively on small rodents. Reproduced by Sabinet Gateway under licence granted by the Publisher (dated 2009). The status and conservation of BIRDS OF PREY in the Transvaal W. R. Tarboton and D. G. Allan Division of Nature Conservation Transvaal Provincial Administration TRANSVAAL MUSEUM MONOGRAPH NO.3 TRANSVAALMUSEUM MONOGRAFIE PUBLISHED BY THE TRANSVAAL MUSEUM UITGEGEE DEUR DIE TRANSVAALMUSEUM PRETORIA OCTOBER 1984 OKTOBER Reproduced bySabinet Gateway under licence granted bythe Publisher (dated 2009). Transvaal Museum/Transvaalmuseum ©1984 ISBN: 0 907990 03 7 Copies of this Monograph are obtainable from the Transvaal Museum Bookshop, P.O. Box 413, Pretoria, 0001 Republic of South Mrica Kopiee van hierdie Monografie is verkrygbaar deur die Transvaalmuseum Boekwinkel, Posbus 413, Pretoria, 0001 Republiek van Suid-Afrika. Set in lOon II pt Baskerville on 115gsm Gloss Art Printed by CTP Book Printers, Cape BD2767 Reproduced by Sabinet Gateway under licence granted by the Publisher (dated 2009). Contents INTRODUCTION . ............................... Forest Buzzard ...................................... 67 The Transvaal ...................................... I Lizard Buzzard ..................................... 68 Methods ........................................... 3 Redbreasted Sparrowhawk ............................ 69 Acknowledgements .................................. 4 Ovambo Sparrowhawk ............................... 71 Little Sparrowhawk .................................. 73 SPECIES ACCOUNTS . .......................... 6 Black Sparrow hawk .................................. 77 Little Banded Goshawk ............................... 81 Secretary Bird ...................................... 7 African Goshawk .................................... 83 Bearded Vulture ..................................... 10 Gabar Goshawk ..................................... 84 Palmnut Vulture .................................... 10 Pale Chanting Goshawk .............................. 85 Egyptian Vulture .................................... II Dark Chanting Goshawk ............................. 86 Hooded Vulture ..................................... II European Marsh Harrier ............................. ｾ＠ Cape Vulture ....................................... 13 87 African Marsh Harrier ............................... 87 Whitebacked Vulture ................................ 17 Montagu's Harrier .................................. 88 Lappetfaced Vulture ................................. 20 Pallid Harrier .................................. , ..... Whiteheaded Vulture ................................ 21 89 Black Harrier ...... , ................................ 89 Black/Yellowbilled Kite .............................. 22 Gymnogene ........................................ 91 Blackshouldered Kite ................................. 24 Osprey ............................................ 93 Cuckoo Hawk ..... , ....................... , ......... 26 Peregrine Falcon .................................... 93 Bat Hawk 27 Lanner Falcon ...................................... 95 Honey ｂｵｺｾｾｾ､ﾷ＠ : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : 28 European Hobby .................................... Black Eagle ......................................... 29 99 African Hobby ...................................... 100 Tawny Eagle ....................................... 32 Sooty Falcon ........................................ 100 Steppe Eagle ........................................ 35 Rednecked Falcon ................................... 101 Lesser Spotted Eagle ................................. 37 Lesser Kes trel ...................................... Wahlberg's Eagle .................................... 37 102 Eastern Redfooted Kestrel ............................ Booted Eagle ....................................... 42 102 Western Redfooted Kestrel ............................ African Hawk Eagle ................................. 43 102 Rock Kestrel 103 Ayres' Eagle ........................................ 46 Greater ｋ･ｳｴ［ｾｉﾷ＠ : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : 105 Longcrested Eagle ................................... 47 Dickinson's Kestrel .................................. Martial Eagle ....................................... 49 106 Pygmy Falcon ...................................... 107 Crowned Eagle ...................................... 53 56 Brown Snake-Eagle ................................... SUMMARy .................................... Blackbreasted Snake-Eagle ............................ 57 110 Bateleur ........................................... 59 Fish Eagle .......................................... 62 REFERENCES 112 Steppe Buzzard ..................................... 64 Jackal Buzzard ...................................... 65 APPENDiX ..................................... 115 Reproduced by Sabinet Gateway under licence granted by the Publisher (dated 2009). Reproduced bySabinet Gateway under licence granted bythe Publisher (dated Introduction In South Africa, as elsewhere, birds of prey* have been between 1976 and 1981. The objectives of the survey identified as a group which is particularly sensitive to were: the impact of human activities. Evidence of this is the (i) Assess the status of all birds of prey in the inclusion of 19 species, listed as rare, vulnerable, threat- Transvaal by documenting their occurrence, esti- ened or endangered, in the South African Red Data Book - mating the size of their breeding populations, Aves (Siegfried et al., 1976); more recently this number mapping their breeding distribution and asses- has been increased to 26 (Brooke, in press). This num- sing their breeding performance. ber is disproportionately high when compared to the (ii) Evaluate the conservation status of each species, total number of South African breeding bird species: assess its conservation priority and recommend a birds of prey make up 16-18% of the threatened birds conservation approach where necessary. listed whereas they make up only 8% of the c. 600 (iii) Develop conservation guidelines for future moni- South African breeding bird species. One bird of prey, toring of potentially threatened species and rec- the Egyptian Vulture, Neophron percnopterus, which was ommend further research. once reputedly common and widespread in South Afri- The report treats these objectives species by species ca, is now apparently extinct here as a breeding bird in which (i) rare vagrants (9 species) receive the briefest (Liversidge, 1973; Kemp and Kemp, 1977; Mundy, treatment, usually only documentation of their recorded 1978), and another, the Cape Vulture, Gyps coprotheres, occurrence in the Transvaal, (ii) non-breeding migrants (10 is one of the few southern African endemics listed in the species) are treated in greater detail, their ranges International Red Data Book (IUCN 1979/80). mapped and relative abundances assessed, and (iii) The Transvaal, which covers 23% of the land-surface breeding species (41 or 42 speciest) are given the fullest of South Africa, is of particular importance for the con- treatment which includes an assessment of their distri- servation of South African bird of prey populations bution, habitat preferences, population size and status, since it is the northernmost Province, the only part of an analysis of all Transvaal breeding and prey records, South Africa falling within the tropics, and includes the and a discussion of their conservation status. Kruger National Park (the largest single conservation The survey covered the whole of the Province of area in the country). For example, more Cape Vultures Transvaal as it existed before the independence of Bo- breed in the Transvaal than in the rest of their range phuthatswana and Venda and it includes the following and the Transvaal probably supports a large proportion areas that do not come under the jurisdiction of the of the total breeding population of a number 9f species Transvaal Nature Conservation Division: Kruger Nat- in South Africa. At least two species, the Bat Hawk, ional Park and the homelands Gazankulu, Kangwane, Macheiramphus alcinus, and Dickinson's Kestrel, Falco Lebowa and Kwandabele. These together comprise c. dickinsoni, are known to breed, in South Africa, only in 24% of the area of the Transvaal. the Transvaal. The potential threat to so many South African bird of prey species and their high incidence of The Transvaal occurrence in the Transvaal means that the conserva- The Transvaal is the second largest Province in tion authorities in this Province have a particular re- South Africa having an area of c. 286000 km2 and lying sponsibility for the conservation of this group of birds. between nos and 28°S latitude and between 25°E and Kemp and Kemp (1977) pointed out that no publish- 32°E longitude. The natural and human geography of ed information was available on the population size the Transvaal has been described and discussed by and/or density of any bird