Wing-moult and seasonal occurrence of sunbirds (Nectariniidae) captured at four sites in the Eastern Cape, South Africa
- Authors: Bonnevie, Bo T , Craig, Adrian J F K , Hulley, Patrick E , Schultz, Albert , Tree, Anthony J
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/449607 , vital:74833 , https://doi.org/10.2989/00306525.2022.2075482
- Description: Ringing activity in the Eastern Cape province, South Africa, spanned 30 years, with three sites active concurrently over a 14-year period, and three sites over a 6-year period. In total, in the course of 714 ringing days, in all months, we handled 1 207 Amethyst Sunbirds, 708 Southern Double-collared Sunbirds, 707 Greater Double-collared Sunbirds, 381 Grey Sunbirds, 121 Malachite Sunbirds and 140 Collared Sunbirds. Although individuals of all six species were recaptured more than five years after ringing, and despite evidence of the seasonal passage of sunbirds at two sites near the Indian Ocean coast, no birds were recaptured away from the original ringing site.
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- Date Issued: 2023
Cape White-eyes in the Eastern Cape: plumage characters, survival, and movements
- Authors: Craig, Adrian J F K , Galpin, Mark D , Hulley, Patrick E , Tree, Anthony J
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/465358 , vital:76597 , https://journals.uct.ac.za/index.php/BO/article/view/423/464
- Description: Almost all our records of green-bellied Cape White-eyes are outside the breeding season, with a peak in winter. They possibly come from localities to the east of Grahamstown, Bathurst and Port Alfred, but we have no direct evidence of such movement, nor of altitudinal migration between coastal and inland sites. The higher frequency of green-bellied birds at the coastal ringing sites may suggest local movements within the coastal belt, or occasional coastwards movement by adjoining populations, which could also account for the diversity of flank colours recorded in a small proportion of the birds.
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- Date Issued: 2017
The subspecies of Antarctic Terns (Sterna vittata) wintering on the South African coast: evidence from morphology, genetics and stable isotopes
- Authors: Connan, Maëlle , Teske, Peter R , Tree, Anthony J , Whittington, Philip A , McQuaid, Christopher D
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/444854 , vital:74303 , https://doi.org/10.1071/MU14089
- Description: Five to seven subspecies of Antarctic Tern (Sterna vittata) are recognised, with at least three (S. v. vittata, S. v. tristanensis and S. v. sanctipauli) wintering in South Africa. Morphological characters used to define these subspecies are not perfectly reliable, but fidelity to nesting site suggests they could be genetically distinct. We used morphological data and DNA to investigate the validity of subspecies. We further used stable isotope analysis of feather samples collected from the non-breeding grounds in South Africa to attempt to ascertain the population of origin. Nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequence data identified two major genetic clades: one mostly comprised individuals partially or completely matching the morphological description of S. v. tristanensis, the other included individuals from S. v. vittata and S. v. sanctipauli. Stable isotope values indicated that juveniles originated from at least three populations. Irrespective of their morphological and genetic characteristics, most immatures moulted in Antarctic waters, and adults moulted in various habitats. Their colony of origin could not therefore be inferred from stable isotope values from feathers. Results indicate that morphological groupings may reflect a north-south cline across the Indian Ocean. Adequate conservation strategies require rigorous reassessment of the currently accepted subspecies, including DNA analyses of samples from the breeding grounds, particularly on Amsterdam and St Paul Islands.
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- Date Issued: 2015