Anton Reichenow and the birds of Africa
- Authors: Craig, Adrian J F K
- Date: 2024
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/465289 , vital:76590 , https://doi.org/10.2989/00306525.2023.2263165
- Description: The first handbook of the birds of Africa was completed in 1905 by Anton Reichenow (1847–1941). Based in the Berlin museum for almost 50 years, he described 152 African taxa that are still recognised as valid species today, and was considered by his contemporaries as a key figure in the development of African ornithology.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024
Counting Common Starlings: is Sturnus vulgaris invasive in rural South Africa?
- Authors: Craig, Adrian J F K , Edwards, Shelley
- Date: 2024
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/449344 , vital:74813 , https://doi.org/10.2989/00306525.2024.2304359
- Description: The numbers of Common Starlings Sturnus vulgaris and indigenous starling species, as well as a subset of other common birds, were recorded from October 2006 to January 2020 at 72 point-count sites along four routes (two urban and two rural) in the Eastern Cape Province of South African. In the rural habitat, Common Starlings were localised at buildings; in the urban habitat, there was no clear indication that their presence influenced the occurrence or abundance of the Red-winged Starling Onychognathus morio, a native species which has colonised towns and nests on buildings. In this region there is little evidence that Common Starlings invade areas that have not been heavily modified by human activities.
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- Date Issued: 2024
Garden bird ringing at 3 Florence Street, Oatlands, Mkhanda (Grahamstown): the closing chapter
- Authors: Craig, Adrian J F K
- Date: 2024
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/449836 , vital:74856 , https://doi.org/10.15641/bo.1500
- Description: This is the third and final report summarizing 42 years of bird ringing in a garden in Mkhanda. In total, 2036 birds of 59 species were ringed, of which 217 individuals (27 species) were recaptured at least once, and 34 birds (17 species) were recovered dead.
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- Date Issued: 2024
South African birds in a Canadian museum: the legacy of colonial service by Lionel E Taylor
- Authors: Craig, Adrian J F K , Dean, W R J
- Date: 2024
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/449550 , vital:74829 , https://doi.org/10.2989/00306525.2024.232
- Description: The Beaty Biodiversity Museum in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, holds a collection of 498 specimens of 275 bird species presented by Lionel E Taylor, who worked in South Africa for the Department of Forestry from 1902 to 1911. Most specimens are in very good condition, and many have date and locality information; about one-third were collected around Irene, outside Pretoria, in Gauteng province, where Taylor lived before relocating to Canada. Full details can be accessed from the museum’s website. The history and composition of this collection is described here briefly.
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- Date Issued: 2024
Anton Reichenow and the birds of Africa
- Authors: Craig, Adrian J F K
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/448786 , vital:74760 , https://doi.org/10.2989/00306525.2023.2263165
- Description: The first handbook of the birds of Africa was completed in 1905 by Anton Reichenow (1847–1941). Based in the Berlin museum for almost 50 years, he described 152 African taxa that are still recognised as valid species today, and was considered by his contemporaries as a key figure in the development of African ornithology.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023
Oxpecker host-selection in the Salambala conservancy, northeastern Namibia
- Authors: Lukubwe, Michael S , Craig, Adrian J F K , Manyangadze, Tawanda
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/449934 , vital:74866 , https://doi.org/10.3957/056.053.0166
- Description: By studying the host-selection patterns of oxpecker species, researchers can gain valuable insights into their ecological roles and interactions with different host species. This information is crucial for developing effective conservation strategies that prioritise the protection of oxpeckers and their host populations. The study conducted field observations and recorded data on the number of oxpeckers and their respective host species. Additionally, this study investigated the relationship between host species and host parameters (body mass and hair length) in the Salambala conservancy in northeastern Namibia. Selection and density indices were used to calculate the number of host animals supporting one oxpecker as well as the oxpecker density on a host's body surface. Pentad-based counts of oxpeckers and ungulates were conducted.
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- Date Issued: 2023
Special issue on moult in African birds
- Authors: Craig, Adrian J F K , Erni, Birgit
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/449566 , vital:74830 , https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.2989/00306525.2023.2289255
- Description: All birds need to replace worn and damaged feathers on a regular basis. Replacement of the flight feathers (remiges and rectrices) is particularly critical, since these influence the efficiency of flight, which in turn has a direct impact on foraging success, parental care and predator evasion. The remiges and rectrices are by far the largest individual feathers, and thus make up a large proportion of the feather mass that must be replaced. During the moult period, a bird must produce new feather material while coping with a reduction in insulation and waterproofing as well as potentially compromised flight ability. Consequently, the moult period is a critical element in the annual cycle, and its timing should minimise any negative effects on survival and reproduction.
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- Date Issued: 2023
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
African birds as army ant followers
- Authors: Craig, Adrian J F K
- Date: 2022
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/448772 , vital:74759 , https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-022-01987-0
- Description: Ant-following birds have been studied extensively in the Neotropics, but much less information is currently available for the Afrotropics. There are published records of 168 African bird species from 37 families foraging in association with driver ants (Dorylus, sub-family Dorylinae). However, of 52 bird species assessed as regular ant-followers, 38 belong to three families, which are disproportionately represented compared to other large Afrotropical bird families: Muscicapidae (18 spp.), Pycnonotidae (13 spp.) and Turdidae (7 spp.). The extent to which these birds are dependent on ants through their annual cycle is not known. African driver ants forage primarily under shaded, humid conditions by day, and may spend a month or longer underground. Conservation assessments of African forest habitats suggest that both driver ants and ant-following birds may be especially sensitive to the loss of forest cover.
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- Date Issued: 2022
Austral birds offer insightful complementary models in ecology and evolution
- Authors: Theuerkauf, Jörn , Villavicencio, Camilla P , Adreani, Nicholas M , Attisano, Alfredo , Craig, Adrian J F K , D’Amelio, Pietro B , Gula, Roman , Lee, Alan T K , Mentesana, Lucia , Quillfeldt, Petra , Quirici, Veronica , Quispe, René , Vásquez, Rodrigo A , Wingfield, John C , Masello, Juan F
- Date: 2022
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/449097 , vital:74788 , https://www.cell.com/trends/ecology-evolution/fulltext/S0169-5347(22)00114-8
- Description: The Southern Hemisphere differs from the Northern Hemisphere in many aspects. However, most ecological and evolutionary research is conducted in the Northern Hemisphere and its conclusions are extrapolated to the entire globe. Therefore, unique organismal and evolutionary characteristics of the south are overlooked. We use ornithology to show the importance of including a southern perspective. We present examples of plumage pigmentation, brood-parasitic nestling ejection, flightlessness, female song, and female aggression modulated by progesterone as complementary models for investigating fundamental biological questions. More research in the Southern Hemisphere, together with increased cooperation among researchers across the hemispheres and within the Southern Hemisphere, will provide a greater global outlook into ecology and evolution.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2022
Mixed-species flocks of insectivorous birds (‘bird parties’) in Afrotropical forests and woodlands: a review
- Authors: Craig, Adrian J F K
- Date: 2022
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/449420 , vital:74820 , https://doi.org/10.2989/00306525.2022.2064930
- Description: Mixed-species flocks of foraging insectivorous birds are found worldwide and have been best studied in the Neotropical region. A survey of the published literature reveals that mixed-species flocks (often termed ‘bird parties’) comprised of 2–30 species and sometimes >70 individual birds are regularly encountered in forest and woodland habitats throughout the Afrotropical region. On mainland Africa, >600 species representing 59 bird families have been reported in such flocks, and for at least 300 species foraging in such flocks may constitute an important part of their feeding activity. In Madagascar, >60 species of 19 families have been recorded in mixed-species flocks, with more than 40 species frequent participants. These foraging parties are dominated by gleaning and sallying insectivorous birds, with other feeding guilds represented by fewer species and individuals.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2022
A population genetics study of Pale-winged Starlings, Onychognathus nabouroup, using novel microsatellite markers
- Authors: Munshi, Naadhira , Symes, Craig , Maayer, Pieter de , Craig, Adrian J F K , Henry, Laurence , Hausberger, Martine , Mollett, Jean
- Date: 2021
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/448718 , vital:74754 , https://www.ajol.info/index.php/scopus/article/view/211291
- Description: Recent research into starling species has revealed the existence of vocal social markers and a link between song temporal structuring and social organisation. The aim of the present study was to develop a genetic tool for understanding the population structuring and behaviour (social/parental transmission) and mating in Pale-winged Starlings (Onychognathus nabouroup), a songbird which is found in arid areas of southern Africa. Using next-generation sequencing, microsatellite markers comprising six dinucleotides, eighteen trinucleotides and twenty-four tetra-nucleotides specific to the Pale-winged Starling were isolated and developed. A total of 77 birds were sampled from the Augrabies Falls Nature Reserve in South Africa (n= 53) and the Ai Ais-Richtersveld Transfrontier Park resort in Namibia (n= 24), respectively. Fifteen polymorphic microsatellite markers were genotyped. The statistical programme STRUCTURE revealed four different genetic clusters within the two populations.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021
Iris colour changes and behaviour in the Three-streaked Tchagra Tchagra jamesi: an observation from the past
- Authors: Craig, Adrian J F K
- Date: 2021
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/449851 , vital:74857 , https://www.ajol.info/index.php/scopus/article/view/211291
- Description: The African bush-shrikes (Malaconotidae) are one of the bird families in which a significant number of species have a distinctively coloured iris (Craig and Hulley 2004). However, in this review paper we overlooked both the description of the Threestreaked Tchagra Tchagra jamesi in two standard handbooks (Archer and Godman 1961, Pearson 2000), and some published observations by a well-known East African ornithologist, VGL van Someren. Changes in pupil size, or in iris coloration, seem to be close-range signals which are not often obvious to a human spectator—they are presumably directed at conspecific birds who are likely to be less than 1 m away. Some instances have thus been reported by bird-ringers with the bird in the hand (eg, Black-bellied Starling Notopholia corusca, McCulloch 1963, Britton and Britton 1970). However, keen observers and especially photographers may be alert to such subtle changes in appearance.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021
The forest avifauna of Arabuko Sokoke Forest and adjacent modified habitats
- Authors: Chiawo, David O , Kombe, Wellington N , Craig, Adrian J F K
- Date: 2021
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/449953 , vital:74867 , https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.04.19.440426
- Description: Arabuko Sokoke Forest (ASF) is the largest area of coastal forest remaining in East Africa and a major Important Bird Area in mainland Kenya. The study analysed data from point count surveys over 15 months in three land use types; primary forest (PF), plantation forest (PL), and farmlands (FM), and compared these to the first comprehensive bird checklist for the forest, as well as recent surveys from other studies. Avifaunal diversity and abundance were compared using multivariate analysis to determine bird responses to different land use characteristics. The primary forest held a distinctive bird community, while the bird communities of farmlands and plantation forest were more similar to each other. Land use had a significant effect on overall avian diversity and abundance. The current forest avifauna was divided into forest specialists (16 species), forest generalists (26 species) and forest visitors (30 species). Seven species of forest specialist and generalists recorded prior to 1980 may no longer occur in the forest. Of 38 specialists and generalists recorded in our point counts, 19 were also recorded on farmland and 28 in plantations. One forest specialist, the Green Barbet, was most encountered outside the forest. Future research should focus on habitat use by these bird species, and the extent of movement by forest birds between the remaining patches of coastal forest. Patterns of habitat use by birds in the area suggest that vegetation heterogeneity and habitat complexity are especially significant in sustaining diverse and abundant bird populations. The management of plantations and farmland will be critical for the conservation of forest generalists and forest visitors.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021
Urban birds in the Eastern Cape: local observations from Makhanda (Grahamstown) and future questions
- Authors: Craig, Adrian J F K , Hulley, Patrick E , Mullins, R Lorraine G
- Date: 2021
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/449580 , vital:74831 , https://doi.org/10.2989/00306525.2020.1816585
- Description: In Makhanda (Grahamstown), a non-industrial town with approximately 85 000 inhabitants, we have recorded 174 bird species within the urban area, of which 104 species are likely to breed regularly. The source habitats of these birds include all the surrounding habitat types, and the bird community is evidently determined by both local conditions within the town (e.g. tree density) and regional changes affecting the eastern coast of South Africa (range shifts). Topics meriting future research on urban bird communities in South Africa are highlighted.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021
Calling rhythm as a predictor of the outcome of vocal interactions: flight departure in pale-winged starling pairs
- Authors: Hausberger, Martine , Giacalone, Aline , Harmand, Mariane , Craig, Adrian J F K , Henry, Laurence
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/449283 , vital:74808 , https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-019-1658-1
- Description: Vocal communication plays an important role in the regulation of social interactions and the coordination of activities in many animal species. Synchrony is an essential part of the establishment and maintenance of pair bonds, but few reports have investigated decision-making at the pair level. We investigated temporal characteristics of call exchanges in pale-winged starlings (Onychognathus nabouroup) that could predict whether one, two, or neither members of a pair would take off. Our analysis of these interactions revealed that the overall rhythm of a call exchange, as well as the acceleration towards the end of an interaction, were significantly associated with the type of behavioural outcome. Faster rhythms were associated with higher probabilities that both birds would fly away. Our results confirm the findings of previous studies showing that higher rates of alarm calls indicate imminent departure and highlight the relationship between temporal features of vocal interactions and their outcome.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758)
- Authors: Craig, Adrian J F K
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , book chapter
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/465580 , vital:76622 , ISBN 978-1-78924-208-9 , https://doi.org/10.1079/9781789242065.0009
- Description: This chapter describes the terminology, nomenclature, morphology, geographical distribution, diet, physiology, reproduction, behaviour, ecology, habitats, invasion patterns, environmental impact, control and human use of the common starling (Sturnus vulgaris).
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
Counting waterbirds on holiday: a snapshot for one Eastern Cape estuary
- Authors: Mullins, R Lorraine G , Craig, Adrian J F K
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/449375 , vital:74815 , https://doi.org/10.2989/00306525.2020.1783383
- Description: Over a ten-year period, each December the same observer counted waterbirds on the same stretch of the Kariega River in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. The site surveyed is dominated by waders, with variable numbers of other feeding guilds. Piscivorous birds in particular are poorly represented. Differences in the numbers of birds and species recorded, both within a single month and between years, are only partly explicable by environmental conditions on this permanently open estuary. From our comparison with nearby sites, we conclude local movements between rivers and pans in the region must occur regularly over short time intervals.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
Pied Crows in the Eastern Cape: what bird club records reveal
- Authors: Craig, Adrian J F K , Hulley, Patrick E
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/449461 , vital:74823 , https://doi.org/10.2989/00306525.2020.1782498
- Description: Published records by bird clubs in Port Elizabeth, Kenton-on-Sea and Grahamstown (Makhanda) show that until 1980 Pied Crows were seldom recorded in this sector of the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Port Elizabeth, and apparently also East London, was colonised by Pied Crows in the 1980s, whereas the first records for Kenton-on- Sea and Port Alfred on the coast, and also inland in the Grahamstown (Makhanda) area, were after 1990. Since 2010, this species has been recorded more often both on the coast and in the adjacent inland regions. However, records of both Cape Crows and White-necked Ravens have also increased over the same period, suggesting that there has been no species replacement among the local corvids. Citizen-science data provide valuable information on changes in distribution and abundance of this bird species.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
The birds of Fort Fordyce Reserve, Eastern Cape
- Authors: Craig, Adrian J F K , Hulley, Patrick E
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/449897 , vital:74862 , https://doi.org/10.15641/bo.v11i0.687
- Description: The avifauna of this forest reserve has been surveyed, based on observations and mist-netting over a ten-year period. We have recorded 175 species, of which 56 are considered" true" forest birds in this region. These include four summer migrants, and four occasional visitors; the others are likely to be resident. Four species of conservation concern, the Knysna Woodpecker, African Crowned Eagle, Lanner Falcon and Bush Blackcap probably nest within the protected area.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020