AY MUSEUM LIBRARY | 19 JUN 2013 __EXCHANGED _ ISSN 0250-4162 A publication of the Bird Committee of the East Africa Natural History Society Edited by Graeme Backhurst Darcy Ogada David Pearson Volume 32, June 2013 xR BirtLife NatureKenya INTERNATIONAL The East tory Society Attica Natural Mex! Scopus 32, June 2013 Contents ELIZABETH YOHANNES, GERHARD NIKOLAUS AND DAVID J. PEARSON. Stable isotopes of soil collected from feet of two species of migratory Acrocephalus sive clues to'stopover'sites iin OO ee il TiM M. BLACKBURN AND JEREMY P. BIRD. The distribution of gull Larus spe- cies ‘on the Red Seacoast of Sudan 3.0.4 Giessen a eee 10 CHACHA WEREMA, JAY P. MCENTEE, ELIA MULUNGU AND MANENO MBILINYI. Preliminary observations on the avifauna of Ikokoto Forest, Udzungwa Mowumnitairis, TairZ ania eases oes tt ee cee ahs Na ret ee Oy cot OED DONALD A. TURNER. East Africa’s diminishing bird habitats and bird species HB dag len et AI SAE ae a ee N 27 SARAH HELEN KAWEESA, ROBERT JAN JONKVORST, RAYMOND KATEBAKA, RCHARD SSEMMANDA, DEREK POMEROY AND JOOST BROUWER. Is the Hamerkop Scopus umbretta a neo-colonist or an opportunist nester? ........ $5 Short communications DONALD A. TURNER AND ROBERT GLEN. Comments concerning the races of the Crested Guineafowl Guttera pucherani in Tanzania, in particular the positionof Guttera pucherant erantt (EMOb) wicca tanh cee ae 39 NEIL E. BAKER. Recent unprecedented numbers of Red-necked Phalaropes Phalaropus lobatus in Tanzania, and some older undocumented records.. 41 NEIL E. BAKER, MATTHEW AEBERHARD, JOHN C. CARLSON AND ADAM S. KENNEDY. The first four records of Slender-billed Gull Larus genei for DONALD A. TURNER. The revision of Britton (1980) and the need to keep pace with all on-going ornithological research and publications o.oo 44 COLIN JACKSON. Swallow-tailed Bee-eater Merops Iirundineus: first record FOr IKOmy a ccste 2 SU es aie aA Aa on Uk eee Mt tee OG Teh eee aire 46 DONALD A. TURNER, BRIAN W. FINCH AND NIGEL D. HUNTER. Remarks concerning the East African coastal form of the Tropical Boubou Laniarius aethiopicus sublacteus (Cassin 1851), and its supposed black morph............ 47 DONALD A. TURNER. Remarks concerning two sympatric seedeaters Poliospiza Spp- in: northwestern Kemyaig cane ee ee cee eee ee 49 JULIO J. DE CASTRO AND MABEL DE CASTRO. Verreaux’s Eagle Owl Bubo lacteus attacked by Thick-billed Ravens Corvus CrasstVOStts o.com OI ADDISU ASEFA AND ANOUSKA A. KINAHAN. Observations on two nests of the Black-headed Siskin Serinus nigriceps in the Bale Mountains National: Park; Rthio pia. acter once tees tantes naar Se Sy MATTHEW AEBERHARD. Pectoral Sandpiper Calidris melanotos: first record for Tan Zana Gus. eee eae Ghee ce tn eeu easy. Scopus 32: 1-9, June 2013 Stable isotopes of soil collected from feet of two species of migratory Acrocephalus give clues to stopover sites Elizabeth Yohannes, Gerhard Nikolaus and David J. Pearson Summary Soil samples were collected from the feet of Marsh Warblers Acrocephalus palustris and Reed Warblers Acrocephalus scirpaceus caught soon after crossing the Sudan Red Sea coast of Africa. We measured carbon (6C, oi feet) and deuterium (SD,6i1 fect) isotope ratios in these soils with the objective of identifying possible take-off sites of these birds. We collected soils from three sites in the Caucasus region, a potential refueling area for the flight to Sudan, and from the Sudan Red sea coast, and compared their deuterium (6D,,i1) with 6D.oi1 feet. There was a strong relationship between the arrival date of the birds and the isotope signatures (6C.6i) feet ANA ODyi1 feet) Of the soil they carried. Results suggest that warblers from different geographical regions or of dif- ferent age groups might use different staging sites before reaching the Sudan. Data for precipitation deuterium (6D,,¢-) together with dD,o4, and SD,i1 fece suggest that while early arriving birds had taken off from southeast Europe (picking up soil from this region), those arriving later had stopped off in Arabia. This indicates an intrinsic difference in strategy between birds migrating at different times of the season. The isotopic compositions of biological tissues such as feathers have commonly been ap- plied to track animal movement. But this is the first report of analysis of soil from birds’ feet: a novel approach to isotopic study based on material picked up and car- ried by an animal externally. Introduction The Marsh Warbler Acrocephalus palustris breeds across the temperate Western Palae- arctic and migrates through the Middle East and Arabia to reach southern Africa (Cramp 1992). It enters Africa across the Red Sea and is one of the most common migrants on the Sudanese coast in August and September (Nikolaus 1983, Nikolaus unpubl. data). Its main route to southern Africa passes through central and southeast Kenya (Dowsett-Lemaire & Dowsett 1987). It is one of a number of passerine spe- cies whose overall southward autumn migration is known to occur in “two stages”. Birds migrate rapidly to northeast Africa, then interrupt their journey from two to three months in a stopover area before continuing to the southern Africa wintering grounds (see Pearson et al. 1988, Pearson 1990). Earlier, we applied feather stable isotope studies to identify the potential stop- over area of Marsh Warblers in northeastern Africa (Yohannes ef al. 2005, Yohannes et al. 2007). These studies were based on the rationale that the stable isotope ratios of carbon (618C), nitrogen (SSN) and non-exchangeable hydrogen (6D) become fixed in a feather during moult and should indicate the isotope composition of the area in which it grew. They were concerned specifically with the stopover area used during NO E. Yohannes, G. Nikolaus and D.J. Pearson the partial moult in northeastern Africa. During the autumns of 1981 to 1984 many migratory birds were caught and ringed on the Sudan Red Sea coast (Nikolaus & Pearson 1982, Nikolaus 1983), including al- most 10000 Marsh Warblers. Among these a number of individuals were found to be carrying mud/soil on their toes and feet. Samples of these soils were collected from 21 individuals (11 in 1983 and 10 in 1984), and also from two Reed Warblers Acrocephalus scirpaceus (in 1983). These birds were caught soon after crossing the Red Sea coast. Thus, it is likely that the soil had been carried from a take-off site used well before entering Africa, holding an isotope signal of this site. We determined stable carbon (619C,4i feet) and deuterium (6D.,i1 fect) isotope ratios for these soil samples. Values would be expected to reflect the elemental composition of the local environment from which they were picked up. Plants assimilate CO, from the atmosphere into their tissues through different photosynthesis systems. Subse- quent microbial decomposition of organic compounds in plant detritus incorporates the fixed carbon into the soil organic matter (SOM; Ehleringer 2000, Garten et al. 2000, Powers & Schlesinger 2002). There is a strong correlation between !3C to !?C ratios (expressed as 613C) in plant communities and the 615C in the SOM (Balesdent et al. 1993). The relative carbon isotope ratios of the SOM are commonly preserved for sev- eral years (Boutton 1996). The carbon isotope ratios can then be used to evaluate the composition of the plant species and the isotopic signature of a particular site, such as a stopover site along an avian migration route. Methods Study site and fieldwork During August and September 1983 and 1984 migratory Marsh Warblers were caught for ringing at a transit site on the Sudan Red Sea coast, Khor Arba’at (19°48’ N, 37°03’ E, 100 m; Fig. 1). The site is located about 15 km inland, immediately east of the Red Sea Hills. Except for a few bushes scattered along the Khor, (a smali seasonal stream), the Arba’at region is generally characterized by harsh terrain and a highly variable rainfall with recurrent drought spells (Osman-Elasha ef al. 2006). Vegetation in the surrounding desert is rather scarce. A small area of cultivated land with lemon, guava, and date palm trees provided the only green vegetation for many kilometres around. This “oasis-like” watered garden site appeared to be the first potential refuge for migratory birds that had crossed the Saudi Arabian desert and Red Sea. For more details of ringing here see Nikolaus (1983). Migrants were caught during the morning, shortly after their arrival, with mist- nets located in the garden. Soil samples from the feet of 21 Marsh Warblers and two Reed Warblers were stored in a cool dry place until analysed. In August 2004, we returned to Khor Arba’at to collect soil samples from the upper 10 cm of the site. From empirical data on the speed of migration (Yohannes ef al. 2009a) and body mass (Yohannes ef al. 2009b) of Marsh Warblers along the migratory path, we antici- pated that the last potential refueling area before reaching the Sudan Red Sea coast could be in the Caucasus region of southeast Europe. It had indeed been noted that according to the weather maps of the time the arrival of mud- -carrying birds was usually preceded some three days earlier by heavy thunderstorms in the Caucasus. Therefore, in May 2008 we collected soils (upper 10 cm) from three different sites in Azerbaijan (Fig. 1): Candy Cane Mountains, a semi-desert landscape near Alti Agac Stable isotopes of soil give clues to stopover sites 3 (40°51’36” N, 48°55’48”E); Besh Barmag, located in Khizi Rayon on the Caspian Sea shore (40°55'52"N, 49°14’ 8"E); and Shirvan National Park (39°32'51"N, 49°00'56" E). We measured the deuterium (6D soil) isotope ratio in these soils. Figure 1. Study sites in % i Gara the Caucasus and on the : og ageshel aa": ee Sudan Red Sea coast. rae ES Ls Khor Arbalat wy >» NS aN Pees 2. Stable isotope analysis Soil samples from the birds’ feet were well mixed and ground on a roller mill to a fine powder and then dried at 550°C for 24 h. A sub-sample of approximately 5 mg was weighed into a capsule for determination of natural abundance 61°C and non- exchangeable 6D. We analysed soil samples from all 21 Marsh Warblers and the 2 Reed Warblers to determine their 619C values. We also analysed soil from 11 Marsh Warblers and one Reed Warbler for their 6D values. Stable isotope measurements are expressed in 6 notation using the equation: 5X = [(Rsample/Rstandard ) — 1] * 1000 where R is the corresponding isotope ratio X ( 8C/12C or D/H) of the sample and standard. Carbon and Deuterium For carbon isotope analysis, soil samples (c.0.5mg) were weighed into 0.3 x 0.5 mm tin capsules to the nearest 0.001 mg, using a micro-analytical balance and then com- busted in a Eurovector (Milan, Italy) elemental analyser. The resulting CO, was sepa- rated by gas chromatography and admitted into the inlet of a Micromass (Manches- ter, UK) Isoprime isotope ratio mass spectrometer (IRMS) for determination of 18C/ 12C. These measurements are reported in 6 (61°C) relative to an international standard Pee Dee Belemnite (PDB). For deuterium, soil samples (c. 0.35 mg) were placed on silver capsules and left open for a period of 3 days to allow sample exchangeable hydrogen to equilibrate with the moisture in the laboratory air. Deuterium (SD) measurements were per- formed by applying high-temperature pyrolysis using the same elemental analyser interfaced to an IRMS as described above, calibrated against standardized keratin and hydrocarbon reference materials. Further technical details of carbon and deuterium isotope analysis are given in Yohannes et al. (2011). 4 E. Yohannes, G. Nikolaus and D.J. Pearson Regional precipitation 6D We checked whether our 5D measurements from soils collected from the Caucasus and Sudan corresponded with published annual 5D values in precipitation for these areas. To do so, we consulted precipitation 6D values from the GNIPS/ISOHIS data- base (IAEA 2001) and isocline interpolated maps developed by Bowen et al. (2005) for Azerbajan and north Sudan. Data analysis Differences in 68C,5i1 peer ANA SDyoi1 feee between the two years’ samples (1983 & 1984) were tested using Student's t-tests. Mean values of 619C.,i) fect for the two years (including the Reed Warbler data) differ significantly (Student's t-test: ty) =-2.58, p=0.02). Those of 6D,oi) feet for the two years were different, but the difference was not statistically significant (Student's t-test: t;9=-2.05, p=0.07). In subsequent analy- sis, we therefore pooled the 6D,,i1 feee data from the two years. The relationship be- tween capture date (arrival date) and soil isotopic values (6C.6i feet OF OD soit fect) was explored using Pearson correlation coefficients and bivariate scatter plots. Stable isotope variables of soils from birds’ feet were normally distributed (Kolmogorov- Smirnov test, p> 0.05). Results Carbon The 619C,4i feet Values for all samples taken from Acrocephalus warblers are shown as a scatter plot in Fig. 2. These ranged from c. -24 %o to c.-11 %o, but increased signifi- cantly with capture date (1983: r=-0.64, p=0.02, n=13, and in 1984: r=-0.74, p=0.01, n=10). Analysis of 23 samples from 8 different days shows that values were signifi- cantly higher later in the season. Soils collected on 18 September 1983 are isotopi- cally distinct (Mean SC. oi) feet SE, -13.3 %o + 0.86, n=4) from those collected earlier that season (from both Acrocephalus species) between 22 August and 13 September (Mean 51C 651 feet SE, -21.8 %o + 0.66, n=11). In 1984, soils collected between 7 and 26 September showed the higher 5C values (Mean 513C.oi1 foopt SE, -13.8 %0 £0.48, n=8) whereas the almost identical value from two birds on 27 August was relatively low. In 1983, soils from the two Reed Warblers in mid-September gave similar values (OC coi1 feet = C-- 19.0 %0) to those collected from Marsh Warblers at the same time, but higher than the samples from August. Deuterium SDyoit feet Values were lower in earlier arriving birds and became more enriched (higher) with later capture date (r= 0.64, p=0.03, n=12), Fig. 3. They showed a large variation, ranging from c.-80 %o to -46 %o. Overall, the mean value for 5D,,i1 feet for the Marsh Warblers was -62.2 %o, the result for the one Reed Warbler -73.7 %o, Fig. 3. The corresponding mean dD,,;) values for samples from the Caucasus and from Sudan were -65.2 %o and -20.3 %o, respectively. Within the soil samples from birds’ feet there was a strong correlation between 5D and d8C (r= 0.90, p< 0.001, n=12), Fig. 4. Stable isotopes of soil give clues to stopover sites 5 Figure 2. Carbon stable isotope he . Downloaded on 26 October 2012 Jensen, F.P. & Brogger-Jensen, S. 1992. The forest avifauna of Uzungwa Mountains, Tanzania. Scopus 15: 65-83. Keith, S., Urban, E.K. & Fry, C.H. 1992. The birds of Africa. Vol. IV. London: Academic Press. Lovett, J.C. & Wasser, S.K. 1993. Biogeography and Ecology of the rainforests of eastern Africa. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Moyer, D.C. 1992. Report on the natural resources consultancy for the Udzungwa Forest management Project Preparation Mission. Dar es Salaam: FBD and DANIDA. Newmark, W.D. 1991. Tropical forest fragmentation and local extinction of understory birds in the Eastern Usambara Mountains, Tanzania. Conservation Biology 5: 67-78. Romdal, T.S., Cordeiro, N.J., Dinesen, L., Fjeldsa, J. & Moyer, D. (2003). The forest birds of Eastern Arc Mountains. Pp 133-145. A manuscript 11 Romdal, T.S. Determinants of spectes distributions along spatial gradients of differing scale: classical similarities and imiportant differences. Unpublished PhD Thesis, University of Copenhagen. Stuart. S.N., Jensen, F.P., & Bragger-Jensen, S. 1987. The altitudinal zonation of the avifauna in Mwanihana and Magombera forests, eastern Tanzania. Gerfatt 77: 165-186. 24 C. Werema, J.P. McEntee, E. Mulungu, M. Mbilinyi Stuart, S.N., Howell, K.M., van der Willligen, T.A. & Geertsema, A.A. 1981. Some additions to the forest avifauna of the Uzungwa Mountains, Tanzania. Scopus 5: 46-50. Urban, E.K., Fry, C.H. & Keith, S. 1997. The birds of Africa. Vol. V. San Diego: Academic Press. Chacha Werema Department of Zoology and Wildlife Conservation, University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; Email: cwerema@yahoo.co.uk Jay P. McEntee Department of Integrative Biology, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA Elia Mulungu Wildlife Conservation Society, Iringa, Tanzania Maneno Mbilinyi Tanzania Bird Atlas, Iringa, Tanzania Scopus 32: 19-26, June 2013 Received 7 July 2012 Avifauna of Ikokoto Forest Udzungwa Mountains Appendix 1. Bird species found in Ikokoto Forest, Udzungwa Mountains (FF = species which are strictly confined to the forest, F = species which mainly depend on the forest but can be found outside the forest. Species with blanks in forest dependence category are non-forest species). Species Category African Goshawk Accipiter tachiro F Little Sparrowhawk Accipiter minullus F Augur Buzzard Buteo augur Common Buzzard Buteo buteo Scaly Francolin Francolinus squamatus F Lemon Dove Aplopelia larvata FF Olive Pigeon Columba arquatrix FF Red-eyed Dove Streptopelia semitorquata Livingstone’s Turaco Tauraco livingstonil F White-browed Coucal Centropus superciliosus African Wood Owl Strix woodfordii F Fiery-necked Nightjar Caprimulgus pectoralis F Speckled Mousebird Colius striatus Crowned Hornbill Tockus alboterminatus F Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird Pogoniulus bilineatus F Olive Woodpecker Mesopicos griseocephalus FF Lesser-striped Swallow Hirundo abyssinica Grassland Pipit Anthus novaeseelandiae Common Bulbul Pycnonotus barbatus Cabanis’s (Placid) Greenbul Phyllastrephus cabanisi FF Green-throated Greenbul Andropadus fusciceps FF Shelley's Greenbul Andropadus masukuensis FR White-chested Alethe Alethe fuelleborni ng White-starred Forest Robin Pogonocichla stellata FF Olive-flanked Robin Chat Cossypha anomala FF Red-capped Robin Chat Cossypha natalensis F Stonechat Saxicola torquatus Ashy Flycatcher Muscicapa caerulescens F White-tailed Crested Flycatcher Elminia albonotata FF White-eyed Slate Flycatcher Melaenornis fischeri F African Grey Flycatcher Melaenornis microrhynchus Forest Batis Batis mixta FF Spot-throat Modulatrix stictigula FF African Hill Babbler Psedoalcippe abyssinica RE White-bellied Tit Parus albiventris African Tailorbird Artisornis metopias FF Black-lored Cisticola Cisticola nigriloris Red-faced Cisticola Cisticola erythrops Brown-headed Apalis Apalis alticola Fs Evergreen Forest Warbler Bradypterus lopezi FF Kretschmer’s Longbill Macrosphenus kretschmeri FF Bar-throated Apalis Apalis thoracica FF Uhehe Fiscal Lanius marwitzi Yellow White-eye Zosterops senegalensis F 26 C. Werema, J.P. McEntee, E. Mulungu, M. Mbilinyi Species Category Collared Sunbird Anthreptes collaris F Moreau’s Sunbird Nectarinia moreaui FF Fulleborn’s Sunbird Nectarinia fuelleborni FF Malachite Sunbird Nectarinia famosa Olive Sunbird Nectarinia olivacea FF Variable Sunbird Nectarinia venusta Black-backed Puffback Dryoscopus cubla Fe Many-coloured Bushshrike Malaconotus multicolor FF Black-headed Tchagra Tchagra senegala Fulleborn’s Black Boubou Laniarius fuelleborni FF Grey-headed Bushshrike Malaconotus blanchoti Tropical Boubou Laniarius aethiopicus White-necked Raven Corvus albicollis Baglafecht Weaver Ploceus baglafecht Red-faced Crimsonwing Cryptospiza reichenovii F Peters's Twinspot Hypargos niveoguttatus F African Firefinch Lagonosticta rubricata Yellow-bellied Waxbill Estrilda melanotis African Citril Serinus citrinelloides Yellow-rumped Seedeater Serinus atrogularis Scopus 32: 27-34, June 2013 East Africa’s diminishing bird habitats and bird species Donald A. Turner Forests, wetlands and grasslands the world-over are currently under direct threat as all countries faced with rapidly increasing human populations strive to improve their agricultural potential. East Africa is no exception and today with populations reaching unprecedented and possibly unsustainable levels, our natural habitats are under their greatest pressures. As a result, several bird species face potential extinction, and in some cases have already entered that final state. East Africa is one of several centres of endemism in Africa, and boasts no fewer than 51 bird species occurring only in our relatively small region— Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi and Rwanda. While Tanzania is clearly at the centre of East Africa’s endemism with 60 per cent of all the endemics occurring within its national boundaries, it is imperative and incumbent upon all countries to give the highest possible attention to ensure that critical habitats where endemic species occur are afforded the maximum possible protection. The drawing up and subsequent publication of Important Bird Areas was a major step forward in identifying such areas in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania (Bennun & Njoroge 1999, Byaruhanga et al. 2001, Baker & Baker 2002). Endemism is an indication of the richness of any region’s or country’s biodiversity and, coupled with a network of protected areas, the East Africa region is rich in both. Over a thousand bird species have been recorded in each of our three largest countries (Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda), a statistic equalled only by the DR Congo, and vast areas of East Africa are currently gazetted as either National Parks, Game or Forest Reserves. Forests, wetlands and grasslands are three of the world’s major global habitats, ranking alongside the oceans in terms of the surface area of the planet. They are by far the most important habitats for bird and mammal species in East Africa, and as such, many have become some of the world’s greatest tourist attractions, resulting in vital foreign exchange earnings for each national exchequer. However, recent national census records have indicated human population increases in all countries, and in Kenya in particular a steep rise that is already sending alarm bells ringing both locally and internationally. In short, Kenya appears to have fast outstripped its carrying capacity, as a result there is now an acute shortage of both arable and grazing lands. This in turn has placed unprecedented pressures on all forests, wetlands and grasslands as populations seek to acquire sufficient land for their immediate needs, and as every year passes we witness important bird habitats shrinking in the face of burgeoning re-settlement schemes and the resultant intensive agricultural projects that follow. Such impacts have resulted in a decline in both bird habitats and biodiversity. Of particular concern are the areas important to all our endemic bird species, and already we are witnessing a series of very worrying developments. Taking each 28 D.A. Turner country in turn we can clearly see the effect of such unplanned developments and the subsequent degradation of important bird habitats and its effect on several species that are so dependent upon them. Kenya Category A species: Endemic species occurring only in Kenya Jackson's Francolin Francolinus jacksoni Central Highland Forest species Williams’s Lark Mirafra williamsi Northern desert areas. Data Deficient Aberdare Cisticola Cisticola aberdare Endangered Highland Grassland species [Tana River Cisticola Cisticola restrictus] Considerable doubt exists regarding the validity of this taxon Hinde’s Babbler Turdoides hindei Vulnerable in several central areas Taita Thrush Turdus helleri Critically Endangered Taita Hills Forest species Clarke’s Weaver Ploceus golandi Endangered Coastal Forest species Sharpe’s Longclaw Macronyx sharpei Endangered Highland Grassland species Category B species: EA endemic species shared with Tanzania Sokoke Scops Owl Otus ireneae Endangered Coastal Forest species Grey-crested Helmetshrike Prionops poliolophus Near Threatened Acacia woodland species Red-throated Tit Parus fringillinus Widespread throughout Masailand Northern Pied Babbler Turdoides hypoleuca Savannahs, Acacia woodlands and suburban gardens Hidebrandt’s Starling Lanprotornis hildebrandti Acacia savannahs Abbott's Starling Cinnyricinclus femoralis Vulnerable Highland Forest species Kenrick’s Starling Poeoptera kenricki Localized Highland Forest species Amani Sunbird Hedydipna pallidigaster Endangered Forest species Tsavo Sunbird Cinnyris tsavoensis Conuniphora and Acacia thornscrub East Africa’s diminishing bird habitats and species 29 Rufous-tailed Weaver Histurgops ruficauda Acacia savannahs Taveta Golden Weaver Ploceus castaneiceps Swamps and bush around the base of Mt Kilimanjaro Jackson’s Widowbird Euplectes jacksoni Near Threatened Highland Grassland species Sokoke Pipit Anthus sokokensis Endangered Coastal Forest species Southern Grosbeak Weaver Crithagra buchanant Commiphora and Acacia thornscrub Category C species: EA endemic species shared with both Tanzania and Uganda Hartlaub’s Turaco Tauraco hartlaubi Highland Forest species Hunter’s Cisticola Cisticola hunteri Highland and moorland shrubbery from 1550 to 4400 m Karamoja Apalis Apalis karamojae Vulnerable acacia savannah species Black-lored Babbler Turdoides sharpet Acacia savannahs Kenya Rufous Sparrow Passer rufocinctus Acacia savannahs and cultivation Category D species: Those species currently extirpated from Kenya or close to being so Forest Wood-Hoopoe Phoeniculus castaneiceps Formerly in western forests Speckled Tinkerbird Pogoniulus scolopaceus Formerly in western forests Bennett’s Woodpecker Campethera bennettit Specimen record from Mombasa July 1918 Sooty Boubou Laniarius leucorhynchus Specimen record from Kakamega April 1931 White-winged Apalis Apalis chariessa Formerly in Tana riverine forests Yellow-streaked Greenbul Pliyllastrephus flavostriatus Formerly on Mt Kasigau, Taita District Kretschmer’s Longbill Macrosphenus kretschmert Formerly in Kitovu Forest near Taveta Yellow-mantled Weaver Ploceus tricolor Formerly in western forests 30 D.A. Turner Category E species: Those Afrotropical species for which there have been no fully documented records post 31 December 1979 Striped Flufftail Sarothrura affinis High altitude Grassland species Abyssinian Long-eared Owl Asio abyssinicus Mt Kenya Hagenia Forest from 2800 to 3500 m Little Grey Greenbul Andropadus gracilis Kakamega Forest Tanzania Category A species: Endemic species occurring only in Tanzania Udzungwa Forest Partridge Xenoperdix udzungwensis Endangered species (Eastern Arc mountains) Grey-breasted Spurfowl Francolinus rufopictus Serengeti grasslands Pemba Green Pigeon Treron pembaensis Vulnerable species confined to Pemba Island Fischer’s Lovebird Agapornis fischer1 Near Threatened species (Serengeti-Eyasi basin) Yellow-collared Lovebird Agapornis personatus Widespread in eastern Baobab savannahs Pemba Scops Owl Otus pembaensis Vulnerable species confined to Pemba Island Usambara Eagle Owl Bubo vosseleri Vulnerable Forest species (Usambara Mountains) Uluguru Bush Shrike Malaconotus alius Critically Endangered Forest species (Uluguru Mountains) Mrs Moreau’s Warbler Scepomycter winifredae Vulnerable species (Ulugurus and Ukagurus) Rubeho Warbler Scepomycter rubehoensis Vulnerable Forest species (Rubeho Mountains) Pemba White-eye Zosterops vaughant Confined to Pemba Island Ashy Starling Lamprotornis unicolor Widespread in Acacia woodlands, thornscrub and savannahs Usambara Thrush Turdus roehli Near Threatened Forest species (Usambara Mountains) Usambara Akalat Sheppardia montana Endangered Forest species (Usambara Mountains) Iringa Akalat Sheppardia lowei Vulnerable Forest species (Southern Highlands) East Africa’s diminishing bird habitats and species 31 Mt Rubeho Akalat Sheppardia aurantithorax Vulnerable Forest species (Rubeho Mountains) Banded Green Sunbird Anthreptes rubritorques Vulnerable Forest species (Eastern Arc Mountains) Moreau’s Sunbird Cinnyris moreaut Near Threatened species (Eastern Arc forests) Loveridge’s Sunbird Cinnyris loveridgei Near Threatened Forest species (Uluguru Mountains) Pemba Sunbird Cinnyris pembaensis Confined to Pemba Island Rufous-winged Sunbird Cinnyris rufipennis Vulnerable Forest species (Udzungwa Mountains) Kilombero Weaver Ploceus burniert Vulnerable species (Kilombero floodplain) Usambara Weaver Ploceus nicolli Vulnerable Forest species (Eastern Arc Mountains) Tanzania Thick-billed Seedeater Serinus melanochrous Near threatened species (Mt Rungwe) Category B and C species: EA endemic species shared with other countries. See under Kenya. Plus five Near-Endemic species shared with Mozambique and/or Malawi and Zambia. Dark Forest Batis Batis crypta Near Threatened Forest species Long-billed Tailorbird Artisornis moreaut Vulnerable Forest species Dappled Mountain Robin Modulatrix orostruthus Near Threatened Forest species Spot-throat Modulatnix stictigula Highland Forest species Tanganyika Masked Weaver Ploceus reichardi Localized Papyrus swamp species Category D species: Those species currently extirpated from Tanzania or close to being so. Sooty Flycatcher Muscicapa infuscata Formerly on Ukererewe Island, Lake Victoria Category E species: Those Afrotropical species for which there have been no documented records post 31 December 1979. Long-toed Flufftail Sarothrura lugens Type specimen only from Ugalla wetlands (January 1883) 32 D.A. Turner Black-headed Plover Vanellus tectus Vagrant to dry northern savannahs (one record August 1962) Southern (Vincent's) Rock Bunting Emberiza capensis vincenti Rocky outcrops Songea District Uganda Category A species: Endemic species occurring only in Uganda Fox’s Weaver Ploceus spekeoides Near Threatened species in swampy savannah Category B species: Albertine Rift Endemics (those species shared with countries bordering the Albertine Rift Valley) Handsome Francolin Francolinus nobilis Montane forest undergrowth and bamboo 2100 to 3700 m Ruwenzori Turaco Ruwenzorornis johnstont Montane forests from 2100 to 3600 m Dwarf Honeyguide Indicator pumilio Near Threatened Forest species from 1500 to 2100 m African Green Broadbill Pseudocalyyptomena grauert Endangered Forest species at 2000 m Archer's Robin Chat Cossypha archeri Montane forest undergrowth from 1800 to 4000 m Red-throated Alethe Alethe poliophrys Montane forest undergrowthand bamboo 1500 to 2700 m Oberlaender’s Ground Thrush Zoothera oberlaenderi Near Threatened Lowland Forest species Grauer’s Rush Warbler Bradypterus grauert Vulnerable Forest Swamp species 1500 to 2100 m Red-faced Woodland Warbler Phylloscopus laetus Montane forestand bamboo from 1500 to 2800 m Montane Masked Apalis Apalis personata Montane forest from 1800 to 2700 m Ruwenzori Collared Apalis Apalis ruwenzori Montane forest undergrowth from 1500 to 3000 m Short-tailed Warbler Hemitesia neumanni Bwindi Forest undergrowth from 1500 to 2100 m Grauer’s Warbler Graueria vittata Bwindi Forest undergrowth from 1600 to 2400 m Yellow-eyed Black Flycatcher Melaenornis ardesiaca Bwindi Forest clearings from 1550 to 2100 m Ruwenzori Batis Batis diops Montane forest from 1500 to 2700 m East Africa’s diminishing bird habitats and species 33 Stripe-breasted Tit Parus fasciiventer Montane forest from 1800 to 3300 m Blue-headed Sunbird Cyanomiutra alinae Montane forest from 1500 to 3000 m Regal Sunbird Cinnyris regia Montane forest undergrowth and bamboo from 1500 to 3000 m Purple-breasted Sunbird Nectarinia purpureiventris Montane forest from 1500 to 2700 m StuhImann’s Double-collared Sunbird Cinnyris stuhlmanni Montane forest from 2100 to 3700 m Strange Weaver Ploceus alienus Montane forest from 1500 to 3000 m Dusky Crimsonwing Cryptospiza jackson Montane forest undergrowth from 1500 to 2700 m Shelley’s Crimsonwing Cryptospiza shelleyt Vulnerable Forest species from 1600 to 3400 m Category C species: Four EA endemics shared with Kenya and Tanzania (see under Kenya) Category D species: Those species currently extirpated from Uganda or close to being so Shelley’s Francolin Francolinus shelleyi Formerly on Ankole grasslands Southern Ground Hornbill Bucorvus leadbeateri Formerly in eastern and southeastern savannahs Category E species: Those Afrotropical species for which there have been no documented records post 31 December 1979 Orange River Francolin Francolinus levaillantoides Mt Moroto and Kidepo Valley NP Maccoa Duck Oxyura maccoa Vagrant, no records post 1935 Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis Vagrant to Queen Elizabeth National Park Chestnut-flanked Goshawk Accipiter castanilius Bwamba Lowlands Bates’s Nightjar Caprimulgus batesi Bwamba Lowlands Singing Bush Lark Mirafra cantillans Nomadic grassland species Pink-breated Lark Mirafra poecilosterna Moroto District 34 D.A. Turner Chestnut-backed Sparrowlark Eremopterix leucotis Moroto District and Mt Napak (Kamalinga) Turner’s Eremomela Eremomela turneri Uganda-DR Congo border areas Southern Hyliota Hyliota australis Bwamba Lowlands Wailing Cisticola Cisticola lais Mt Moroto Sassis’s Olive Greenbul Phyllastrephus lorenzi Bwamba Lowlands, though doubt exists regarding the validity of the taxon Capped Wheatear Oenanthe pileata Vagrant to West Nile and Queen Elizabeth National Park References Baker, N.E. & Baker, E.M. 2002. Important Bird Areas in Tanzania: A first inventory. Dar-es- Salaam: Wildlife Conservation Society of Tanzania. Bennun, L & Njoroge, P. 1999. Important Bird Areas in Kenya, Nairobi: East Africa Natural History Society. Byaruhanga, A, Kasoma, P. & Pomeroy, D. 2001. Important Bird Areas in Uganda. Kampala: Nature Uganda. Donald A. Turner P.O. Box 1651, Naivasha 20117, Kenya Scopus 32: 27-34, June 2013 Received 1 April 2010 Scopus 32: 35-38, June 2013 Is the Hamerkop Scopus umbretta a neo- colonist or an opportunist nester? Sarah Helen Kaweesa, Robert Jan Jonkvorst, Raymond Katebaka, Richard Ssemmanda, Derek Pomeroy and Joost Brouwer Summary We report two cases of large aggregations of Hamerkop Scopus umbretta nests in relatively small areas; the first had a maximum of 639 nests in 2004, all within an area of about 8 km? near to Entebbe, Uganda. However, in recent years there were far fewer nests, with less than a hundred in 2012. The reasons for this decline are unclear. The second site, in Queen Elizabeth National Park, had 56 nests in 2004. There are very few previous records of such gregarious behaviour in this species. Even though a pair may build more than one nest, it implies the presence of a large concentration of birds, which must therefore require rich food sources. Introduction The Hamerkop Scopus umbretta is generally considered to be a solitary species, although at good feeding places, such as fish-landing sites, it can be gregarious, with occasionally as many as 50 at one place. Similarly, nests are usually found singly, or with two or three together —sometimes in the same tree—since a pair often makes more than one nest (Brown et al. 1982, Elliot 1992). Cowles (1930) recorded as many as seven nests built by one pair, but that is exceptional; most pairs build between one and three (Brown et al. 1982). Since the massive nests are heavy, probably weighing several hundred kilograms (Kahl 1967), only trees of some strength are suitable. The behaviour of Hamerkops, and especially their nesting behaviour, has been extensively studied (Brown ef al. 1982, Elliot 1992) including in Uganda (Kahl 1967). But whilst they all mention the gregarious behaviour of the species, usually at feeding sites, none of these authors described more than one pairs’ nests together in one place. We have been able to find only three reports of aggregations of Hamerkop nests. Wilson & Wilson (1984) in 1978-80 counted 70 nests in an area of about 1.5 km2, part of a rice scheme in central Mali. Only 14 of these had eggs laid in them. Various other species made use of the empty nests, including a number of Barn Owls Tito alba and Monitor Lizards Varanus niloticus. Smaller groups of nests have been reported by Kopij (2005; three active nests close together) and Van Ee (1977; five pairs on one hectare). Large aggregations of nests in Uganda In Uganda, A. Byaruhanda (pers. comm.) reported seeing a large number of Hamerkop nests at Garuga, a peninsula jutting into Lake Victoria some 12 km east of Entebbe (00°04’ N, 32°33’ E). Between July and October 2004 SK and RJ made a detailed study of this site. They found 639 nests in 483 trees, scattered through an area they calculated at 8 km2. Thus in both Uganda and Mali, the loose Hamerkop nest aggregations oo 36 S.H. Kaweesa, R.J. Jonkvorst, R. Katebaka, R. Ssemmanda, D. Pomeroy, J. Brouwer had an overall density of about one nest for every two hectares. At a smaller scale, nest density at Garuga varied greatly, with higher concentrations at the edges of the peninsula, and almost no nests towards its centre. In the meantime, M Behangana (pers. comm.) had also noticed a number of nests adjacent to Kisenyi fishing village (0.53 N, 29.34E) by Lake Edward, Queen Elizabeth National Park. This site was also visited by SK and RJ in 2004, who recorded 56 nests there. Garuga is an area of mainly smallholder farms, and most of the nests were close to Lake Victoria. Nesting trees were identified in 2004 as belonging to at least 24 species, with no more than 10% associated with any single species (maximum 52 nests in Canarium schweinfurthi). They were supported by up to seven branches, but most (75 %) by two or three branches Some of the nests were very close together (see photograph), but most were scattered. At Kisenyi 42 of the nests were in Acacia kirkii near the mouth of the Nyamweru River. One nest was in an Albizia sp. and 13 were in trees of unknown species. Figure 1. A tree with two nests, on the left, and another nest further to the right, show typical spacing. In 2007 RK made a detailed follow-up count at Garuga and found only 167 nests. In 2009 RS made another count, recording only 136 nests. Further counts in 2011 (O. Mwebe and N. Gardner, pers. comm.) and 2012 (M. Kibuule, pers. comm.) yielded 99 and 97 nests, respectively. Whilst these more recent surveys were less intensive than that of 2004 it is clear that the number of nests has declined substantially, whilst still remaining remarkable. During the years 2004-12 many of the original trees have been cut down and large numbers of Pinus sp. were planted. Nevertheless, there are Hamerkop nesting strategy a7 still many apparently suitable trees without nests, including some not far from the shoreline. There is therefore no reason to believe that the loss of suitable nesting trees has been a decisive factor in the decline in nest numbers. In all years, a great variety of nesting materials was noted at both sites. In addition to the main bulk made from plant materials, many nests were decorated with pieces of coloured plastic, old clothes including shoes, and bits of fish netting. Seventy-five per cent of nests were between 4 and 8m above the ground, but sometimes as low as two metres or as high as 13m. There were rarely more than three nests in any one tree, although in 2004, there were four trees with four nests each, one with five and one with six. When there were over 600 nests at Garuga, even if each pair had built seven nests (which seems very unlikely) there would have been over 80 pairs, or 240 birds if an average of one young or juvenile per pair is assumed. Clearly there needed to be sufficient food sources nearby. One candidate for this is the extensive shores of Lake Victoria. A second candidate is a number of fish landing sites, including some on nearby islands. Similarly the Kisenyi colony was close to abundant shorelines and a fishing village. Such sites present many opportunities for foraging and scavenging. If there were other plentiful sources of food for Hamerkops they were not obvious. Discussion Campbell & Lack (1985) defined coloniality as, “a spatio-temporal clumping of nests” but pointed out that no objective (or widely-accepted) criteria existed as to how clumped nests had to be to constitute a colony. They suggest that where the clumping is less, the term “loose colony” might be used. On the other hand, “loose colony” suggests a habitual, or at least regular, way of nesting, which in the case of the Hamerkop is still to be proven. We therefore prefer to use the expression “loose aggregation of nests”. Hamerkops are widely-distributed in Africa, and being a monotypic family suggests that they are an ancient line. Several related families, such as storks and herons have many colonially-nesting species, which makes it all the more curious that Hamerkops nesting in aggregations, albeit loose ones, is apparently rare and perhaps even a recent phenomenon. All bird species require food, water, a place to nest, a place to breed, and safe passage between them. They also need freedom from negative factors that would prevent them from successfully using these sources. Colonial nesting can help protect birds from one of those potential negative factors, namely predators. However, colonial nesting can only be successful if there are sufficient food resources close enough to the colony. In the case of the Hamerkop, a species that is apparently not very particular about which tree species it constructs its large nest, the availability of nesting places does not appear to be a factor that determines density of nesting. Even in the denser parts of the nesting aggregation at Garuga many apparently suitable trees carried no nests (see Fig. 1). On the other hand, the species has become a common scavenger at fishing villages on the shores of the lakes of Uganda, and along main roads (especially after rain). It is also quite common in suburban Kampala, where it uses the roofs of buildings for territorial announcements. 38 S.H. Kaweesa, R.J. Jonkvorst, R. Katebaka, R. Ssemmanda, D. Pomeroy, J. Brouwer Our hypothesis is that the Hamerkop is not strongly territorial, at least where food is plentiful. And that the presence of plentiful food and plentiful nesting places can lead to it breeding in loose aggregations rather than singly. It will be interesting to see this hypothesis tested more fully, and to follow further developments in Hamerkop nesting density in Uganda and elsewhere in Africa. Research into the cause or causes of the decline in occupied nests at Garuga would also be useful. Acknowledgements We are grateful to the various farmers who allowed us access to their land and to the Uganda Wildlife Authority for permission to work in Queen Elizabeth National Park. SK also wishes to thank Professor Gossow and Dr R. Wagner. References Brown, L.H., Urban, E.K. & Newman, K. (eds). 1982. The birds of Africa. Vol. 1. London: Academic Press. Campbell, B. & Lack, E. (eds) 1985. A Dictionary of Birds. Calton: T. & A.D. Poyser. Cowles, R.B. 1930. Life history of Scopus umbretta. Auk 47: 159-176. Elliot, A. 1992. Family Scopidae (Hamerkop) in: Del Hoyo, J., Elliot, A. & Sargatal, J., eds. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Vol. 1. Barcelona: Lynx Editions. Gentis, S. 1976. Co-operative nest-building in Hamerkops. Honeyguide 88: 48. Kahl, M.P. 1967. Observations on the behaviour of the Hamerkop Scopus umbretta in Uganda. Ibis, 109: 25-32. Kopi, G. 2005. Nest site selection in the Hamerkop in Lesotho. Berkut (Ukraine Ornithological Journal) 14: 56-58. Van Ee, C.A. 1977. Hamerkop. Bokmakierie 29: 51-52. Wilson, R.T. & Wilson, M.P. 1984. Breeding biology of the Hamerkop in central Mali. Proceedings of the fifth Pan-African Ornithological Congress, 855-865. Sarah Helen Kaweesa Institute of Wildlife Biology and Game Management, University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Science, Peter Jordan-straBe 82, A-1180 Wien, Austria. Robert Jan Jonkvorst Bureau Waardenburg, Postbus 365, 4100 AJ] Culemborg, The Netherlands; Email: r.j.jonkvorst@buwa.nl Raymond Katebaka, Richard Ssemmanda and Derek Pomeroy Department of Biological Sciences, Makerere University, P.O. Box 7298, Kampala, Uganda; Email: derek@imul.com Joost Brouwer Brouwer Envir. & Agric. Consultancy, Wildekamp 32, 6721 JD Bennekom, The Netherlands; Email: BrouwerEA C@online.nl Scopus 32: 35-38, June 2013 Received 29 August 2012 Short communications 39 Short communications Comments concerning the races of the Crested Guineafowl Guttera pucheran in Tanzania, in particular the position of Guttera pucherani granti (Elliot) The Crested Guineafowl Guttera pucherani is widely distributed in Tanzania, and is represented there by several distinctive forms. However, the taxonomy of the crested guineafowls in Africa is complex and in need of review. Peters (1934) listed two races of Guttera plumifera, eight races of Guttera edouardi and the monotypic Guttera pucherant in his World Checklist. White (1965) followed suit, but replaced pallasi with verreauxi, and added granti to make a total of nine races within edouardi. Later, Britton (1980) followed White by admitting both edouardi and pucherant, with barbata, granti, sethsmithi and schoutedeni as races of G. edouardi. Crowe (1978), and in Urban ef al. (1986), regarded pucherani and edouardi as conspecific, based on intergradation in captivity and in the wild and placed four races (edouardi, verreauxi, sclateri and barbata) within pucherani, and considered five (sethsmuthi, schoutedeni, pallasi, chapini and kathleenae) as synonyms of verreauxi, but failed to mention granti. Later, McGowan (1992) followed Crowe (op. cit.) by also omitting any reference to granti, stating that only nominate pucherani showed any red orbital skin. Within Tanzania several forms are present, but much confusion has arisen over which ones. Crowe (1979) clearly erred in showing a huge area of central Tanzania as lacking any Crested Guineafowls, when in fact that area almost paralleled the range of granti. Similarly, the omission of granti by Crowe in Urban et al. (1986), together with mention of a collar of black feathers on the lower neck and upper breast (yet not shown in the accompanying plate) in nominate pucherani, has led to further confusion, particularly so when a photograph of nominate pucherani in McGowan (1992) clearly showed no black collar on the lower neck and upper breast. Basic identification of the races of the Crested Guineafowlis based on the following criteria: colour of the throat and neck, and the presence or not of a broad band of black feathers at the base of the neck. Eye colour is also important, red or dark brown. The races likely to occur in Tanzania are: Guttera p. pucherani (Hartlaub). Zanzibar, the coastal lowlands south to the Rufiji River, and inland to Kilimanjaro and the Uluguru Mountains. Sides of face and neck greyish blue, throat and orbital skin bright red. No black collar on lower neck. Eyes red. Guttera p. granti (Elliot). Ranging over a wide area of inland Tanzania from Oldeani and Manyara south through Kondoa and Dodoma districts to Mikumi and Ruaha National Parks and the Udzungwa Mountains. Sides of face and neck bluish-grey, throat and orbital skin bright red. Broad black collar on lower neck. Eyes red. Guttera p. verreauxt (Elliot). Western and northwestern Tanzania. Sides of face and 40 Short communications neck bluish grey; small area of pinkish-red on throat. Broad black collar on lower neck and upper breast. Eyes dark brown. Guttera p. barbata Ghigi. Occurring in extreme southern border areas and in southeastern coastal lowlands north to the Rufiji River. Sides of face, neck and throat bluish black, little or no trace of red on throat. Broad black collar on lower neck. Eyes red. Possibly hybridizes with nominate pucherani in northern parts of its range. Details of all known localities for the Crested Guineafowl in Tanzania can be found at www.tanzaniabirdatlas.com. See a Lg ny 16 ct RkaAcelt\ i Tl cilreek UN a Le cae ef co Yate Sa | Grave.-—Tree upon Robeho,-—The Granti euinea- fowl. Figure 1. Guttera p. edouardi (Hartlaub) is extralimital, occurring from southern Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique south to Natal. The sides of the face and threat are dark slate grey, with a curly black crest, a broad black collar on the lower neck, and a prominent whitish fold of skin on the hindneck. Eyes crimson. Possibly hybridizes with barbata in some northern areas. In conclusion, we recommend that granti be re-admitted as the race occurring throughout inland Tanzania from Oldeani and Manyara south to Mikumi, Ruaha and the Udzungwas. c The race granti (Elliot), for which there is no type specimen, was based on a sketch (Fig. 1), currently housed in the Scottish National Library Archives, Edinburgh, of a bird shot and eaten by Major James Grant at Ugogo, Dodoma District on 8 December 1860. Later, Sclater (1931) commented that ‘the special character distinguishing this race is the red on the face and throat that distinguishes it at once from the South African Guttera e. edouardi, in which the face and throat are dark’. It would seem that Crowe (op. cit.) had merely considered grantias synonymous with nominate birds on account of the similar facial pattern, but was clearly confused concerning the issue of a broad black collar on the lower neck of granti, yet absent in nominate birds. The error in the text in Urban et al. 1986 relating to the presence of a black collar in nominate birds can only be regretted. Fig. 2 is a photograph of granti taken in Mikumi National Park. Short communications 41 Acknowledgements DAT is grateful to Dr Robert Prys-Jones, Curator, British Museum of Natural History at Tring, and to Dr Sylke Frahnert, Curator, Zoologicai Museum in Berlin for the opportunity to consult several Tanzania specimens in their collections. RG is grateful to Neil and Elizabeth Baker, co- ordinators of the Tanzania Bird Atlas Database, and to the Senior Warden of Ruaha National Park for their assistance and support. We are grateful to Sheila Mackenzie and Olive Geddes of the Scottish National Library, Edinburgh for providing a scan of Grant's sketch. References Britton, P.L. (ed). 1980. Birds of East Africa: their habitat, status and distribution. Nairobi: EANHS. Crowe, T.M. 1978. The evolution of guineafowl (Galliformes, Phasianidae, Numidinae): taxonomy, phylogeny, speciation and biogeography. Annals of the South African Museum. 76: 43-136. Crowe, T.M. 1979. Adaptive morphological variation in Helmeted Guineafowl Nunuda meleagris and Crested Guineafowl Guttera pucherani. Ibis 121: 313-320. Elliot D.G. 1871. Description of a supposed new species of Guinea-fowl from Ugogo, Central Africa. Proceedings of the Zoological Society, London. (1871): 584. McGowan, P.J.K. 1992. Family Numididae (Guineafowls) in del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A. & Sargatal, J. (Eds). Handbook of Birds of the World. Vol 2. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. Peters, J.L. 1934. Check-list of Birds of the World. Vol 2. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press. Sclater, W.L.1931. Notes on Major Grant's birds recently received at the British Museum (Natural History) — Guttera edouardi grant. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 51: 127- 8. Urban, E.K., Fry, C.H., & Keith, S. (eds). 1986. The Birds of Africa. Vol 2. London: Academic Press. White, C.M.N. 1965. A revised check list of African Non-Passerine Birds. Lusaka: Government Printer. Donald A. Turner P.O. Box 1651, Naivasha 20117, Kenya Robert Glen Ruaha National Park, P.O. Box 369, Iringa, Tanzania Scopus 32: 39-41, June 2013 Received 9 February 2011 Recent unprecedented numbers of Red-necked Phalaropes Phalaropus lobatus in Tanzania, and some older undocumented records In Kenya, Red-necked Phalaropes Phialarops lobatus have frequently been recorded in offshore waters between October and April, sometimes with scores or even hundreds together. Occasional inland records have been mainly of small numbers on the Rift Valley lakes, but with up to 30 together at Ferguson’s Gulf, Lake Turkana, and up to 15 at Lake Nakuru (Hopson & Hopson 1975, Britton 1980, East African Bird Reports for 1979-1992, Pearson & Turner 1998 ). For Tanzania, however, Britton (1980) gives enly two records: a single bird near Tabora on 10 October 1962 and a few at Lake Masek in January and February 1975. 42 Short communications Subsequently, four additional records were added to the Tanzanian Atlas data base up to 2011, all of single birds: Arusha NP, April 1981 (John Beesley); Kunduchi Salt Pans, Dar-es-Salaam, January-February 1984 (Neil and Liz Baker); Saadani Salt Pans, January 2005 (Jan Olsen); and Bagamoyo Salt Pans, January 2005 (Thomas Jacobsen.) Then, early in 2012, unprecedented numbers were recorded at two coastal sites. On 30 January Mark and Alison Muller counted 25 birds on salt pans north of the Wami River on the edge of Saadani NP. Then on 5 February at least 28 birds were found on the salt pans north of Bagamoyo, the site that held the single bird in January 2005. The first six birds were found feeding, not by moving in tight circles but simply swimming and rapidly inserting their bills just below the surface of the flooded pans. Minutes later successive groups of three, two and four birds were noted resting along the banks of adjacent pans. Within 30 minutes a larger flock of 13 birds was found, two feeding in a similar manner to the first group, the others resting on exposed substrate. A small flock of Marsh Sandpipers Tringa stagnatalis and a single Ruff Philomachus pugnax were observed feeding in the same manner as the phalaropes among a larger flock of Black-winged Stilts Himantopus himantopus. The stilts were also catching prey just below the surface but were tall enough to wade in the shallow water. All 28 phalaropes were still present on 11 March. These phalaropes were presumably from the wintering population known to occur well offshore in the northwest Indian Ocean (Cramp 1983). Their unprecedented numbers suggest either weather or food related movements of this population away from their traditional wintering grounds. References Britton, P.L. (ed.) 1980. Birds of East Africa: their habitat, status and distribution. Nairobi: EANHS Cramp S. & Simmons, K.E.L. (eds.) 1983. Birds of the Western Palearctic. Volume III. Oxford University Press. Oxford. East African Bird Reports for 1977-1992. Scopus. Hopson, A.J. & Hopson, J. 1975. Preliminary Notes on the Birds of the Lake Turkana area. Kitale: cyclostyled. Pearson, D.J. & Turner, D.A. 1998. Review of Kenya Bird Records 1992-1996. Scopus 20: 65-83. Neil E. Baker P.O. Box 1605, Iringa, Tanzania; Email: tzbirdatlas@yahoo.co.uk Scopus 32: 41-42, June 2013 Received 24 May 2012 The first four records of Slender-billed Gull Larus genei for Tanzania Four recent Tanzanian records of Slender-billed Gull Larus genei have all been accepted by the East African Rarities Committee. On 28 February 2010 at Speke Bay Lodge on the southeastern shore of Lake Victoria NEB located a flock of seven birds. They were on the water some 100 m offshore with a small flock of Grey-headed Gulls L. cirrocephalus and a lone Black-headed Gull L. ridibundus, Also present were a number of Gull-billed Gelochelidon nilotica, Whiskered Chilidonias hybridus and White-winged Black Terns C. leucopterus. The light conditions were far from perfect but the long necks of the Slender-billed Gulls, their whiteness Short communications 43 and their distinctive head shape stood out. As the viewing improved three birds were seen to have red bills, the small “beady” eye was noted (but looked dark froma distance when not viewed side on) and pale red legs were glimpsed. Liz Baker, Matt Aeberhard, Maneno Mbilinyi and Leons Mlawila all subsequently saw the birds well and agreed with the identification. On 20 September 2010 near Maramboi Tented Camp on the eastern shore of Lake Manyara Steve Windels observed three gulls that he described to JCC as Slender- billed and which he photographed. On 25 September JCC was with SW when the three gulls were seen and photographed again. All appeared to be adults in winter plumage. The most obvious features were the apparently “long” head with shallow sloped forehead and very faint ear spot, and the long, slender bill, pale orange with no dark markings. The mantle and innerwing were pale grey, the underparts clean white with a slight pink cast. In the photos the eyes appeared pale, the legs similar in colour to the bill. Size and wing pattern were considered similar to those of Black- headed Gull L. ridibundus. On 30 September 2010 MA located and photographed two adult Slender-billed Gulls in the southeast lagoon at Lake Natron, at the mouth of the main spring that runs from below Makat House. Both showed a distinctive pink flush below and pure white heads. The grey backs were pale compared to those of Grey-headed Gulls present. The bills of both birds were dark and long—if not particularly “slender”, the foreheads long and sloping. Distinctively attenuated necks were noted in flight. In size they were similar to Grey-headed Gulls (Black-headed Gull would appear smaller than this species). These birds remained at the site until at least 10 October. On 20 February 2012 AK found and photographed another adult Slender-billed Gull on the north-eastern shoreline of Lake Eyasi, some 50 km due west of Lake Manyara. There is an earlier published Tanzanian record from Lake Manyara on the 28 March 1971 (Watson 1971), but following Oreel (1975) this was not accepted by Britton (1980), essentially because the report mentioned dark eyes and did not explicitly exclude Black-headed Gull. The above therefore constitute the first substantiated records for the country. Involving at least 14 individuals from four different localities they suggest a southerly extension of the wintering range of this gull. References Baker, N.E. 1984. Feeding techniques of Slender-billed Gulls. Bulletin of the Ornithological Society of the Middle East 12: 6-7. Oreel, G.J. 1975. On the reported occurrence of the Slender-billed Gull Larus genet in Tanzania. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 95: 175-170. Watson, G.E. 1971. Slender-billed Gull Larus genet at Lake Manyara, Tanzania. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 91: 167. Neil E. Baker Box 1605 Iringa, Tanzania; Email: tzbirdatlas@yahoo.co.uk Matthew Aeberhard P.O. Box 156, Arroyo Seco, New Mexico, 87514, USA John C. Carlson 125 Whute Circle, Billings, Montana, 59105, USA Adam S. Kennedy c/o rawnaturephoto, Clarence House, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP4 2BN, LIK Scopus 32: 42-43, June 2013 Received 24 May 2012 44 Short communications The revision of Britton (1980) and the need to keep pace with all on-going ornithological research and publications Thirty years ago Britton’s Birds of East Africa: their habitat, status and distribution was a landmark publication covering all known bird species occurring in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. It was at the time the definitive work of its type for a region of outstanding biodiversity. It was the work of ten authors, all of whom had particular interests and areas of experience and expertise. Since then our knowledge of East African birds has increased considerably and, together with the advances in DNA sequencing, our understanding of avian systematics and taxonomy is continually moving forward. As a result, there are now hundreds of recommended changes from that first review of East African birds back in 1980. In addition, there have been several major field guides, bird atlases and checklists published in the last twenty years, all designed to assist in the identification of the birds of our region. While the forthcoming revision of Britton cannot list in minute detail the distribution of any species over such a vast area, readers are urged to consult the on-going atlas projects for each of the three countries for more detailed overviews of individual species distribution. As our knowledge of bird species and families increases, there is need to be more aware of the importance of avian taxonomy, systematics and nomenclature. All bird species are known by the name given to it by the person who first described it. Vernacular names will vary the world over and while there is no hope of any consensus within the English-speaking world in this respect, all our common vernacular names are merely for regional use only. However, it is always best to follow a recognized and authoritative publication when deciding on any vernacular name. In my revision, all scientific names will follow those used in the forthcoming revision of Dickinson (2003), while English names will follow those used in our local field guides and checklists. The revision will also contain full details of all type specimens collected in East Africa from 1824 to the present time. The most influential work on avian systematics to date was, without doubt, that undertaken by Charles Sibley and his collaborators using DNA-DNA hybridization applied to a wide range of avian taxa. Despite much criticism, some of the higher level relationships revealed have stood the test of time, and have been substantiated by later methods. However, others have not, and therefore caution is urged to all who may prefer to blindly follow the classification proposed in Sibley & Ahlquist (1990), and Sibley & Monroe (1990, 1993). Their resulting classification advocated many changes to the more conventional familiar groupings, but to date only a very few authors have incorporated the more radical aspects of that Sibley & Monroe assemblage. All taxonomic debates centre around the definition of species and subspecies. The two major species concepts today are the Biological Species Concept (BSC) and the Phylogenetic Species Concept (PSC). The traditional Biological Species Concept as advocated by Mayr (1963, 1970) and long used in East Africa (Britton 1980, Zimmerman ef al. 1996) treats species as groups of interbreeding populations that are reproductively isolated from other groups. Initially it was felt that hybridization by two taxa when in contact with each other indicated that they represented a single species. This was later modified to allow for the acceptance of stable hybrid Short communications 45 populations when interbreeding regularly occurred between two accepted species (Short 1969, Mayr 1982). However, I must again urge caution in the blind acceptance of all that is published today. While the Phylogenetic Species Concept cannot totally replace the Biological Species Concept, we must all remind ourselves that species cannot be defined simply on phylogenetic evidence alone, and while it is good to publish these results, there is the need for a caveat that, while such results may suggest a relationship, they do not necessarily prove one. Vocalizations are also an important tool in helping to determine whether certain species are closely related or not and, as such, should always be taken into consideration when determining a relationship between differing forms. The taxonomic level at which an avian population is recognized often has a significant impact on the conservation status that is given to it and, as a consequence, the resources that flow on from this. A current topic of debate is whether some forms should be treated as species in order to assist with conservation efforts, even when other evidence does not support such a status. An example is the several endemic subspecies within the Eastern Arc Mountains of eastern Tanzania and south-eastern Kenya that have been proposed as species in order to attract greater conservation attention and protection. To date, all East African lists have been based on the published works of Britton (1980), Zimmerman et al. (1996), and the six-volume birds of Africa (1982-2004), with modifications following Dickinson (2003) and periodic BOU Taxonomic Recommendations published in Ibis. The forthcoming Systematic and Taxonomic Revision of East African birds will look closely at all published material and subsequent taxonomic recommendations, but will rely largely on peer-reviewed publications. It will also draw heavily on the recommendations contained in the forthcoming 4th edition of the Howard & Moore Complete Checklist of Birds of the World (Dickinson & Remsen in prep). In cases where taxonomic decisions are either pending or unresolved, then a conservative approach will be made until further evidence is forthcoming. It must always be remembered that there is no single correct list of birds for any country or region of the world, as levels of understanding vary between authors and regional authorities. Therefore any list should be treated as a provisional classification that hopefully will be revised at regular intervals as new studies and data become available. However, with the speed of published taxonomic recommendations reaching unprecedented levels, a word of caution must also be urged when considering some seemingly authoritative recommendations. Many molecular studies are often limited in scope, while others are often poorly researched, resulting in some highly questionable results. East Africa continues to be one of the major areas of biodiversity in Africa, and particularly in Tanzania many new discoveries continue. Sadly, in Kenya we are witnessing a devastating decline insome of our most precious of natural resources, due largely to a growth in human population that is already showing signs of becoming unsustainable. As a result we have already lost a number of bird species, and others, particularly forest and grassland species are declining rapidly. All species that are in decline will be highlighted in my revision with current Global and Regional Threat levels indicated. While all species accounts are currently in a second draft stage, all are open for review and revision and additional data are always welcomed from interested people. 46 Short communications References Britton, P.L. (ed). 1980. Birds of East Africa, their habitat, status & distribution. Nairobi: EANHS. Dickinson, E.C. (ed.) 2003. The Howard and Moore complete checklist of the birds of the world. Third Edition. London: Christopher Helm. Dickinson, E.C. & Remsen, J.V. (Eds). 2013. The Howard and Moore complete checklist of the birds of the world. Fourth Edition. Eastbourne, UK: Aves Press. Mayr, E. 1963. Animal Species and Evolution. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Belknap Press. Mayr, E. 1970. Populations, Species and Evolution. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Belknap Press. Mayr, E. 1982. The Growth of Biological Thought. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Belknap Press. Short, L.L. 1969. Taxonomic aspects of avian hybridization. Auk 86: 84-105. Sibley, C.G. & Ahlquist, J.E. 1990. Phylogeny and Classification of Birds. A Study in Molecular Evolution. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press. Sibley, C.G. & Monroe, B.L. Jr. 1990. Distribution and Taxonomy of Birds of the World. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press. Sibley, C.G. & Monroe, B.L. Jr 1993. A Supplement to Distribution and Taxonomy of Birds of the World. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press. Zimmerman, D.A., Turner, D.A. & Pearson, D.J. 1996. Birds of Kenya and northern Tanzama. London: Christopher Helm. Donald A. Turner P.O. Box 1651, Natvasha 20117, Kenya Scopus 32: 44-46, June 2013 Received 3 June 2012 Swallow-tailed Bee-eater Merops hirundineus: first record for Kenya On 21 May 2000, while birding around the extensive pools of the Sand Quarry in Arabuko-Sokoke Forest near the Gede forest station mid-morning with Tansy Bliss, she suddenly noticed a small bird sail out from the top of a tree and return to it with an insect. As it perched on an exposed branch we found ourselves looking at the back of a largely green bee-eater with a striking long blue and very deeply forked tail with extensive white tips. It was a species I was not familiar with so we therefore took detailed field notes of it. We watched it for about four minutes including seeing it fly from the first perch to another one lower down and set against the darker background of dense foliage. It still had its back turned to us but it moved enough to briefly show a narrow, darkish breast band below a bright yellow throat and the broad, black eye- stripe looking like a mask. It was quite vocal, giving a typical bee-eater high-pitched trilling call though not particularly loudly. It stayed long enough for us to watch it for a total of 3 to 4 minutes after which it took off and flew up and away over the trees to the east, still calling. In spite of trying to follow it, the bird was not seen or heard again. When we reached home and consulted the literature, it was very easily identified by the long blue, forked tail as a Swallow-tailed Bee-eater Merops hirundineus. I immediately informed John Fanshawe before heading back up to the swamp armed with camera and 500 mm lens. I spent a further two hours around the same area and Short communications 47 towards where the bird had been seen to fly but was unable to relocate it. JF also visited the area and watched for an hour but also without luck. The bird was not reported again by any other visitor during the following week and must have simply moved on. Discussion Identification of this species is thankfully not very difficult, the Swallow-tailed Bee- eater being the only bee-eater in the world with the long, blue, deeply-forked tail. Indeed, this field character serves “...to distinguish this species from all other bee- eaters and indeed from all other birds” (Fry et al. 1992). M. Inirundineus is recognized as comprising of four sub-species. M. ht. chrysolaimus in West Africa and M. h. heuglini in Sudan, Ethiopia, DR Congo and Uganda both have green tails—the Arabuko-Sokoke bird had a clearly had a blue tail and thus could not have been either of these. The bird was not seen well enough to note the detail of further racial features on the forehead and throat but from a distribution of the races one is far more likely than the others. M. h. hirundineus is found in central and western southern Africa and so is much less likely than M. ht. furcatus which occurs further east and north into the southern half of Tanzania up to around 5°S with only 2-3 records just north of this. The species is known to be somewhat migratory though its movements are as yet poorly understood. This bird was an adult, immatures lacking the yellow throat, and is likely to have moved up the coastline from south of Dar es Salaam ending up in some favourable habitat in Arabuko-Sokoke. The species is said to have been recorded in Vanga on the southern Kenya coast (Lewis & Pomeroy 1989); however, the record(s) was unverified and the species removed from the Kenya list. This being the case, the bird seen in Arabuko-Sokoke and described here is the first record for Kenya. References Fry, C.H., Fry, K. & Harris, A. (1992). Kingfishers, Bee-eaters & Rollers. Christopher Helm. Lewis, A. & Pomeroy, D.E. (1989). A bird atlas of Kenya. CRC. Colin Jackson A Rocha Kenya, P.O. Box 383, Watamu, 80202, Kenya; Email: colin.jackson@arocha.org Scopus 32: 46-47, June 2013 Received 12 July 2010 Remarks concerning the East African coastal form of the Tropical Boubou Laniarius aethiopicus sublacteus (Cassin 1851), and its supposed black morph The Tropical Boubou Lamiarius aethiopicus is a common and widespread black-and- white bushshrike of forests, woodlands and thickets throughout much of East Africa. The coastal form sublacteus, treated recently as a race of this species, was described by John Cassin in 1851 as Dryoscopus sublacteus. The type was part of the Massena (Rivoli) Collection of African birds acquired for the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia in 1846. Cassin gave “Eastern Africa” as the type locality, though 48 Short communications it possibly originated from Zanzibar. Grant & Mackworth-Praed (1944), when discussing the races of Laniarius ferrugineus in eastern Africa, proposed Mombasa as the type locality of sublacteus, with a distribution from Mombasa to Dar es Salaam and west to Makindu, Lake Jipe, the North Pare Mountains and Mpapwa. They later (Grant & Mackworth-Praed 1947) restricted the type locality to Lamu, eastern Kenya, but without giving their reasons. In July 1878 an all-black bushshrike was collected from Kipini, Lamu district, eastern Kenya, and named Dryoscopus nigerrimus by Reichenow (1879). Later, Reichenow (1905: 834), when describing material collected by Erlanger from the Juba Valley, southern Somalia, named another all-black bird as L. erlangeri and a black-and- white one as L.a. somaliensis. Between 1916 and 1918, van Someren and his collectors obtained series of bushshrikes from Lamu District and from the Lower Juba Valley, which included both black-and-white and all-black birds. Van Someren compared his own all-dark birds from Manda Island with those he had himself collected from the Lower Juba. He could detect no differences and so seriously questioned the validity of the name erlangeri, considering it to be a synonym of nigerrimus (van Someren 1922, 1932). Jackson & Sclater (1938: 1209) fully supported van Someren’s comments on these all-black boubous, and listed L. nigerrimus for the Kenya Colony and Italian Somaliland. Subsequently, however, Stresemann (1947) deemed that Reichenow’s Kipini bird was no more than a mutation of L. ferrugineus sublacteus, while Mackworth-Praed & Grant (1955: 643) considered it to be a melanistic phase of L.a. sublacteus. The myth of a rare dark morph of sublacteus in Kenya's coastal forests was then perpetuated in the literature for over sixty years (Zimmerman et al. 1996, Fry et al. 2000, Harris & Franklin 2000). Recently, we demonstrated quite clearly that the all-black birds on Manda Island, Lamu District, are vocally and behaviourally quite distinct from black-and- white sublacteus (Turner et al. 2011). Nguembock et al. (2008) in their phylogeny of some Laniarius bushshrikes, showed that an all-black bird from Somalia, which they considered to be erlangeri, was not closely related to Laniarius aethtopicus, and suggested that it warranted species status. Whether nigerrimus and erlangeri are the same species (or the same taxon as claimed by van Someren) can be better determined when their DNA is compared. The status of somaliensis with respect to sublacteus likewise requires a DNA comparison. Although Nguembock et al. (op. cit.) recommended separating both sublacteus and major from the traditional L. aethiopicus, further study of vocalizations together with additional molecular work that includes representatives of erlangeri, nigerrimus and somaliensis would seem necessary to clarify relationships and species limits within this group of bushshrikes. In the meantime we propose that the all-black coastal boubous in eastern Kenya at Kipini and Manda Island be separated from sublacteus and treated again as Laniaritus nigerrimus (Reichenow 1879). Acknowledgements The authors thank David Pearson for his comments and input to this note. References Fry, C.H., Keith, S. & Urban, E.K. (eds.) 2000. The Birds of Africa, vol. 6. London: Academic Press. Grant, C.H.B. & Mackworth-Praed, C.W. 1944. Notes on eastern African birds. (2) On the races of Lantarius ferrugineus ferrugineus (Gmelin) occurring in Eastern Africa; and the type locality of Laniarius ferrugineus sublacteus (Cassin). Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club Short communications 49 64: 45-48. Grant, C.H.B. & Mackworth-Praed, C.W. 1947. On the type-locality of Lamiarius ferrugineus sublacteus Cassin. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 68: 36. Harris, T. & Franklin, K. 2000. Shrikes and Bush-Shrikes. London: A. & C. Black. Jackson, F.J.J. & Sclater, W.L. 1938. The birds of Kenya Colony and the Uganda Protectorate. London: Gurney & Jackson. Mackworth-Praed, C.W. & Grant, C.H.B. 1955. Birds of eastern & north eastern Africa. African handbook of birds. Ser. 1, vol. 2. London: Longmans. Nguembock, B., Fjeldsa, J., Couloux, A. & Pasquet, E. 2008. Phylogeny of Laniarius: molecular data reveal L. liberatus synonymous with L. erlangeri and “plumage coloration” as unreliable morphological characters for defining species and species groups. Molecular Phylogenetics & Evolution. 48: 396-407. Reichenow, A. 1879. Neue Végel aus Ost-Afrika. Ornithologisches Centralblatt. 4: 114. Reichenow, A. 1905. Die Végel Afrikas. Vol3. 880pp. Neudamm: J. Neumann. Stresemann, E. 1947. Laniarius nigerrimus (Rchw.): a mutation of Laniarius ferrugineus sublacteus (Cassin). Ibis 89: 518-519. Turner, D.A., Finch, B.F, & Hunter, N.D. Remarks concerning the all-black coastal boubous (Laniarius spp.) of Kenya and southern Somalia. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 131: 125-128. Van Someren, V.G.L. 1922. Notes on the birds of East Africa. Novitates Zoologicae 29: 1-246. Van Someren, V.G.L. 1932. Birds of Kenya & Uganda, being addenda and corrigenda to my previous paper in Novitates Zoologicae XXIX, 1922. Novitates Zoologicae 37: 252-380. Zimmerman, D.A., Turner, D.A. & Pearson, D.J. 1996. Birds of Kenya and northern Tanzania. London: Christopher Helm. Donald A. Turner P.O. Box 1651, Natvasha 20117, Kenya Brian W. Finch P.O. Box 15568, Mbagathi, Nairobi 00503, Kenya; Email: birdfinch@gmail.com Nigel D. Hunter P.O. Box 24803, Karen, Nairobi 00502, Kenya; Email: ngelhunter@timbale.org Scopus 32: 47-49, June 2013 Received 23 May 2012 Remarks concerning two sympatric seedeaters Poliospiza spp. in northwestern Kenya Two seedeaters (included in Crithagra in the 2009 Kenya checklist (Bird Committee 2009)), Poliospiza (gularis) elgonensis known as the Streaky-headed Seedeater, and Poliospiza (reichardt) striatipectus known as the Streaky-breasted Seedeater are rare or scarce wanderers (or residents) in areas between 1600 and 2000 m around the Tambach and Kongelai escarpments in northwestern Kenya. Taxonomically these two forms (e/gonensis and striatipectus) have generally been treated as the northernmost races of two species largely centred in southern Africa, and it was only fairly recently that Zimmerman et al. (1996) had questioned this position, but they felt that, although there appears to be considerable variation in the ventral streaking, all Kenyan birds seem assignable to either striatipectus or elgonensis, and 50 Short communications so, following White (1963), they preferred to maintain the two species. Nevertheless, at one time, Sclater (1930) had believed that the plain-breasted elgonensis was merely the adult plumage of the streaky-breasted striatipectus, and some southern African authorities also considered reichardi a race of gularis (Skead 1960, Mackworth-Praed & Grant 1963). Currently, however, there is little evidence to support such a theory, and it is now generally accepted that two separate species are involved, at least in southern Africa. Turning to the East African populations, P. (gularis) elgonensis ranges from South Sudan and northeastern DR Congo across northern Uganda to the Mt Elgon district of northwestern Kenya. While seasonally common in Garamba NP, it is decidedly scarce and little known in the dry wooded savanna of northern Uganda, and in Kenya it is known only from the type collected on the southern slopes of Mt Elgon in June 1900, together with less than ten subsequent sight records all within 50 km of the type locality. Despite extensive playback of taped songs of the southern African gularis, there have been no vocal responses whatsoever from either elgonensis or striatipectus, and indeed vocalizations of elgonensis remain unrecorded. P. (reichardi) striatipectus ranges in open wooded savanna in southern Sudan, the western Ethiopian highlands and on shrubby escarpments in northwestern Kenya from Mt Elgon east across Elgeyu (the type locality) and the Laikipia Plateau to the northern slopes of Mt Kenya. In addition, the generally shy and inconspicuous northern striatipectus bears little or no similarity to the southern African nominate reichardi, itself largely endemic to the miombo woodlands of Zambia and southern Tanzania. The true taxonomic picture is further obscured by the considerable variation in the calls of gularis across its range in both the northern and southern tropics, while the vocalizations of striatipectus in northwestern Kenya are a mixture of trills interspersed with some very unmusical twittering coupled with much repetition and extensive imitations of other bird species. Critical comparison of the calls of nominate reichardi with those of striatipectus is clearly required. That two similar seedeaters appear to co-exist alongside each other in bushed and wooded savanna of north-western Kenya and southern Sudan is remarkable. The absence of striatipectus from Uganda may be real, but at the same time some sight records of elgonensis there may possibly refer to striatipectus. Furthermore, if one considers the possibility that elgonensis may be linked to the West African Crithagra canicapilla, and that striatipectus may be better treated separately from reichardi, it might not be unreasonable to consider East African birds as the Northern Streaky-headed Seedeater Crithagra canicapilla elgonensis and the Northern Streaky- breasted Seedeater Crithagra striatipecta. References Bird Committee, Nature Kenya, EANHS 2009. Checklist of the birds of Kenya. 4th edition. Nairobi: EANHS. Mackworth-Praed, C.W. & Grant, C.H.B. 1963. Birds of the Southern Third of Africa. African handbook of birds. Ser. 2, vol. 2. London: Longmans. Sclater, W.L. 1930. Systema Avium Aethiopicarum. Part 2: 811-833. London: BOU, Taylor & Francis. Skead, CJ. 1960. The Canaries, Seedeaters and Buntings of Southern Africa. Parrow, Cape Province, South Africa: South African Bird Book Fund. Cape Times Ltd. Short communications 51 White, C.M.N.1963. A revised check list of African Flycatchers, Tits, Tree Creepers, Sunbirds, White- eyes, Honey Eaters, Buntings, Finches, Weavers and Waxbills. Lusaka: Government Printer. Zimmerman, D.A., Turner, D.A. & Pearson, D.J. 1996. Birds of Kenya and northern Tanzania. London: Christopher Helm. Donald A. Turner P.O. Box 1651, Naivasha 20117, Kenya Scopus 32: 49-51, June 2013 Received 24 May 2012 Verreaux’s Eagle Owl Bubo lacteus attacked by Thick-billed Ravens Corvus crassirostris While living in Bedele, Illubabor, Ethiopia a few years back (16 September 1989) we came across an incident worth reporting after more than 20 years. At about 14:00 our attention was drawn to a group of four Thick-billed Ravens Corvus crassirostris, normally a noisy species, but the present ones appeared to be unusually agitated in a nearby acacia tree. As we approached, a Harrier Hawk Polyboroides radiatus flew off with two ravens in close pursuit and all disappeared from sight, but the ravens returned after about two minutes. Almost immediately afterwards, what appeared to be a Wahlberg’s Eagle Aquila wahlbergi also flew away with another two ravens in pursuit. It landed in a nearby dead tree, and was thereafter ignored by the ravens. Although two possible candidates for the consternation had gone, the agitated calling continued unabated and was increased through the arrival of a pair of vociferous Cape Rooks Corvus capensis. It was now obvious that there was some other cause for the mobbing behaviour of the ravens. On closer approach we found a fully grown Verreaux’s Eagle Owl Bubo lacteus perched high in the tree being closely attacked by the ravens. The Cape Rooks provided a rather more distant but very noisy support. The owl was well placed within a tangle of thorny twigs among which it was protected from the ravens’ beaks which were only able to attempt to reach it one at a time through one opening among the branches. At this point one of the ravens (frustrated in its attempt to reach the owl?) began to deliberately break off the twigs with its beak in order to increase the size of the hole. After a few minutes, all four ravens adapted this activity, and soon made an opening large enough for them all to get through and attack the owl from several directions. Despite their numbers, large size and powerful bills, the ravens were very wary of the owl, never facing it and always striking at it by jumping up and pecking at its rear. After a few minutes of being forced to fight against four attackers simultaneously the owl took off pursued by the ravens. It alighted again in a nearby tree, but was almost immediately forced to fly again into another where it remained until dark, continually mobbed by the ravens. The owl was not there the following morning and we did not see it again. Of particular interest to us was the persistence and ferocity of the attacking ravens, and the fact that two other species of potential predators were also present, and apparently had been attracted to the scene. The late Leslie Brown in his book African Birds of Prey (1970) has reported Verreaux’s Eagle Owls preying on the young of Pied Short communications n i) Crows and buzzards, so that probably all the corvids and raptors involved in this incident were reacting to the owl as a potential predator of their young. Acknowledgement At the time of the observation, J.S. Ash made valuable comments to the manuscript. References Brown, L.H. 1970. African Birds of Prey. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Julio J. de Castro and Mabel de Castro FAO Mozambique, P.O. Box 1928, Maputo, Mozambique; Emauzl: jm_decastro@hotmail.com Scopus 32: 51-52, June 2013 Received 12 September 2011 Observations on two nests of the Black-headed Siskin Serinus nigriceps in the Bale Mountains National Park, Ethiopia The Bale Mountains in southeast Ethiopia support an exceptionally varied avifauna, including six Ethiopian endemic species and a further 16 near endemic species (shared with Eritrea) (Williams et al. 2004, Asefa 2007). But this avifauna remains rather poorly studied, with little information on breeding biology in particular. One of these endemics, the Black-headed Siskin Serinus caniceps is found in the western and southeastern highlands of Ethiopia, in Afro-alpine moorlands, highland grasslands and open areas of montane forest (Urban & Brown 1971, Urban 1980, Vivero Pol 2002, Ash & Atkins 2009). During September-October 2007, we observed breeding of this species in Bale Mountains National Park. Two nests were found in the northern woodlands at 7°05’ N, 39°47’ E; 3150 m, in an area dominated by Juniperus procera, Hagenia abyssinica and H. revolutum woodland, shrubs such as Euphorbia dumalis, Solanum marginatum and Acanthus senni, grasses including Agrostis spp., Andropogon spp., Poa spp. and Festuca spp., and herbs Satureja paradoxa, S. simensis and various Trifolium spp. This area experiences light rains from March to June and heavy rains from July to October with a dry season from November to February (Hillman 1986, Asefa 2005). Observations were made between 12 September and 20 October. A first nest (nest A) was discovered by AA on 11 September. Construction was almost complete and eggs not yet laid. AA then found another nest (nest B) with three chicks on 14 October. We watched both nests using 8 x 40 binoculars, usually standing concealed among shrubs about 7 m away. We observed nest building activity (nest A) for 2h each day for three days, noting frequency of visits, type of materials delivered, and any nest building or courtship behaviour of the male and female. We made further observations twice each day, from 08:30 to 09:00 and from 15:30 to 16:00, from the first egg-laying date to hatching date . We measured nest height and dimensions, and major (C1) and minor (C2) egg circumferences. We checked both nests each morning until all chicks had left and also noted nest site selection and egg morphology. The major (D1) and minor (D2) egg diameters were calculated from C1 and C2, using the formula, D; = C;/2n. Nest site selection and nest building behaviour Both nests were built in H. revolutum shrubs, 1.85 m and 1.65 m tall respectively. Short communications 53 Nest A was positioned on a branch 1.45 m above ground, nest B 1.35 m above ground (Fig. 1). Nests were compact, cup-shaped structures, A with a depth of 40 mm and cup diameter 55 mm, B with a depth of 39 mm and cup diameter 56 mm. The rims of both consisted of grass stems (Agrostis spp., Andropogon spp., and Poa spp.) and rootlets, and the insides were lined with feathers, fibres and spider webs (Fig. 2). i ” We observed only the female Figure 1. Position of the nest (A) in the delivering nesting materials and Hypericum shrub and the incubating female building the nest. The mean frequency brooding the eggs. of delivery of materials was2+SD 1.1 gages: : per hr. The male often accompanied the female, but was not observed to participate in gathering or building. On one such occasion the male displayed courtship behaviour, uttering and flapping his wings around the female while she collected materials. The female (nest A) ceased building activity once she laid the first egg, after which the male appeared to abandon the nest site. OARS Figure 2. Nest A of Black-headed Siskin S. Egg morphology, incubation and nigriceps containing three eggs. nesting period The female of nest A laid three eggs on consecutive days, 17-19 September. These were oval and bluish-white with a few brown spots (Fig. 2). Mean egg size (diameter x width) was 17.67 + SD 0.58 mm x 12.58 + SD 0.58 mm. The incubation period from laying of the first egg until all eggs were hatched was 14 days. Two weeks after chicks hatched, one of the fledglings along with the female disappeared, but the male reappeared and began to care for the remaining chicks until they fledged, which was three days following the female’s disappearance. We assumed that the first chick was not lost since we found no evidence of predation around the nest site. The total nesting period from laying of the first egg until all young had left the nest was 28-31 days. Extrapolating observations from nest A, we therefore estimated that the first egg-laying date for nest B was probably between 16 and 19 September. We did not observe the male at nest B at any time. Discussion Our findings concerning breeding seasonality and general nest structure accord with those given earlier (Ash 1979, Urban 1980, Hillman 1986). Ash (1979) also noted Black-headed Siskins as breeding in the rainy season, mainly in September. But here we present a more detailed picture of nest materials, eggs, incubation and fledging. Feathers, spiders’ webs and plant fibres were noted in the nest structure, in addition 54 Short communications to the rootlets, stems and grasses reported previously (Ash 1979, Vivero Pol 2002). In the northwestern highlands, Ash (1979) found that Black-headed Siskins preferred to nest lower (< 1 m high) than other Serinus such as Streaky Seedeater S. striolatus and Brown-rumped Seedeater S. tristriatus, and suggested this was due to their stronger flight and thus better ability to avoid predators. Our nests were both >1 m high, similarly positioned to those of other Serinus species. Branches at greater height tend to produce a denser structure, which may give better nest support, provide more concealment, and serve as shelter against heavy rain and strong winds during the wet season. But given the similarities in vegetation types, climate and topography between the two areas (northwestern and southeastern highlands) there seems no obvious reason for this nest height difference, though it may reflect a difference in potential predators or in conspecific competition for sites. References Asefa, A. 2005. The Mountain Nyala as a seed dispersal agent of Solanum marginatum L. (Solanaceae) in the Bale Mountains National Park, Ethiopia. Ethiopian Journal of Biological Sciences 4: 115-118. Asefa, A. 2007. Birds of Bale Mountains National Park (BMNP), Southeast Ethiopia. Walia 25: 22-33. Ash, J.S. 1979. A new species of serin from Ethiopia. [bis 121: 1-7. Ash, J. and Atkins J. 2009. Birds of Ethiopia and Eritrea. London: Christopher Helm. Hillman, J.C. 1986. Management plan of Bale Mountains National Park. Addis Ababa: Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Organization. Urban, E.K. 1980. Ethiopia’s endemic birds. Addis Ababa: Ethiopian Tourism Commission. Urban, E.K., and L.E. Brown. 1971. A checklist of the birds of Ethiopia. Addis Ababa: Haile Sellassie I University Press. Vivero Pol, J.L. 2001. A guide to endemic birds of Ethiopia and Eritrea. Addis Ababa: Shama Books. Williams, S., J.L. Vivero Pol, S. Spawls, A. Shimelis, and E. Kelbessa. 2004. Ethiopian highlands, p. 262-273.. In: R.A. Mittermeier, P.R. Gill, M. Hoffmann, J. Pilgrim, T. Brooks, C.G. Mittermeier, J. Lamoreux and G.A.B. Da Fonseca [eds], Hotspots revisited. Mexico City: CEMEX. Addisu Asefa Bale Mountains National Park, P.O. Box 107, Goba, Bale, Ethiopia; Email: adde_bird@yahoo.com Anouska A. Kinahan Frankfurt Zoological Society- Bale Mountains Conservation Project, P.O. Box 165, Robe, Bale, Ethiopia Scopus 32: 52-54, June 2013 Received 1 December 2010 Pectoral Sandpiper Calidris melanotos: first record for Tanzania At 14:40 on 14 March 2005, whilst watching waders at Ngorongoro Crater Lake, my attention was drawn to a bird feeding on mud between tussocks of reed Juncus sp. by the lake edge. It was distinctly warmer toned, more buffy, than the bleached winter plumage Little Stints Calidris minuta and Curlew Sandpipers C. ferruginea present. The brown upperparts showed buff scaling, the white belly with a few streaks at the side Short communications io) n was sharply demarcated from the well streaked throat, and the rump and tail were dark. The legs appeared fairly short, green-yellow, their colour not affected by the grey-brown salt mud. The bill was relatively long and showed a drooping tip. The impression was of a bird that preferred to keep to itself, probing close to the reeds and hustling other birds, including Marsh Sandpipers Tringa stagnatilis and Ruffs Philomachus pugnax, away from its immediate vicinity. During these interactions it was noted to be slightly smaller than a Curlew Sandpiper, certainly not as tall, but distinctly larger than a Little Stint. It was identified as a Pectoral Sandpiper Calidris melanotos. The bird was found again on the afternoon of 15 March and additional features were noted. A pale base to the bill was comparable with the green-yellow colour of the legs, but slightly duller. The centres of the scapulars were darker than the upperwing coverts. When the bird spread its wing it showed only a trace of a wing-bar. The primary feathers were reasonably fresh, suggesting that this was not a first-winter bird. Long-toed Stint C. subminuta, another pale-legged species, was ruled out by size, relative length of bill and legs, and general jizz (the bird never appeared attenuated). Sharp-tailed Sandpiper C. acuminata was eliminated by the sharply demarcated streaked breast. The bird was not visible when the site was revisited on 17 March, but was found once more in the same area of Juncus on 21 March. Photographs taken on 14 March from about 6 m distance were submitted to the Tanzanian bird atlas project. This record has been accepted as a first for Tanzania by the East African Rarities Committee. Matthew Aeberhard 16 York House, Berners St., London W1T 3LG, UK; Email: serenget@dircon.co.uk Scopus 32: 54-55, June 2013 Received 19 April 2010 56 News items News items New secretary for the East African Rarities Committee The East African Rarities Committee (EARC) has a new secretary, Kenya resident Nigel Hunter. The committee covers Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda and collects details of up to and including the fifth record of all rare species for each country. The EARC prefers to receive records in electronic form via Email sent to nigelhunter@ timbale.org. Photographs of rarities seen are especially useful, but if photos are not available then a full written description is required. Past records of such rare species are also sought. For those who do not have access to the internet, records can also be submitted by post to Nigel Hunter, P.O. Box 24803, Karen 00502, Nairobi, Kenya. SCOPUS Cover illustration from a gouache painting by P.A. Clancey Scopus is published twice a year, or as a combined annual volume, by the Bird Committee of the East Africa Natural History Society. For information on current subscription rates and modes of payment, contact Nature Kenya, P.O. 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Original papers and short com- munications should present new information that has not been published or been submitted for publication elsewhere. All manuscripts are subject to peer review. They will be assessed by at least one member of the editorial board as well as by independent referees. Submissions must be written in English (following the Oxford dictionary of English, 3rd edition, 1sBN 978-0-19-957112-3). When preparing your submission, please follow the conventions used in Scopus and refer to a recent issue (vol. 30 onwards) for guidance. Please be sure to type nothing in all capital letters other than combinations that always occur in capi- tals, e.g., USA. Some examples of Scopus house style are: Units: Metric units and their SI equivalents should be used. Separate the value from the ab- breviation by a space. Dates: 21 February 2001 [note the order, no comma, not 215%]. Time of day: 13:00 [note colon, no ‘hours’, ‘hrs or ‘h’]. Names of birds: e.g., White-necked Raven Corvus albicollis {po comma, no parentheses, no author's name]. References cited in the text: Cite multiple references in chronological order, separated by commas, e.g., Njoroge & Launay 1998, Mlingwa et a/. 2001 [note ampersand, italicized ‘et al, no comma between authors’ names and date]. List of references at end of an article: Sce the examples below for format. (continued on inside back cover) Give names of journals in full. For books, after author(s), year of publication and title, give town followed by the publisher. For exam- ple: Cordeiro, N.J. & Githiru, M. 2000. Con- servation evaluation for birds of Brachylaena woodland and mixed dry forest in north-east Tanzania. Bird Conservation International 10: 47-65. Stuart, S.N., Jensen, FP. Brogger-Jensen, S. & Miller, RI. 1993. The zoogeography of the montane forest avifauna of eastern Tanzania. Pp. 203-228 in Lovett, J.C. & Wasser, S.K. (eds) Biogeography and ecology of the rainforests of eastern Africa. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Urban; EK.) Fey, (C.F. 98 'Keith,:S.(eds) 1986. The birds of Africa. Vol. 2. London: Academic Press. Both English and scientific names of birds should be given when the species is first men- tioned—in the title and in the text—thereafter, only one name should be used. Bird names, both English and_ scientific, should be those of a stated work. Any devia- tions from the work followed should be noted and the reasons given. An article or short com- munication should be submitted as an email attachment in Microsoft Word (.doc, .docx or ttf). Only short items, such as letters, will be accepted in non-electronic, paper form. Illus- trations, including photographs, line drawings and graphs, should be submitted initially as separate files in .jpg, .tif or .eps format. Once a paper is accepted, the editors may ask for il- lustrations to be submitted in another format. Authors of accepted full papers and short com- munications receive a PDF copy of their article gratis. Any paper copies, charged at cost, should be ordered when the submission is accepted. Please send all contributions to darcyogada@ yahoo.com or djpearson@dsl.pipex.com Rare birds in East Africa Records of rare birds from Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda are assessed by the East Africa Rarities Committee. Records from other countries in the region can also be submitted for review and possible publication in Scopus. A full account of the record should be sent to the Scopus editors and to Nigel Hunter, Secretary, East Africa Rar- ities Committee, email: nigelhunter@timbale. org or mailed to him at P.O. Box 24803, Karen 00502, Nairobi, Kenya. Ringing scheme of eastern Africa This covers several countries in the area. Quali- fied and aspiring ringers should contact the ringing organizer, Bernard Amakobe, Orni- thology Section, Zoology Department, Nation- al Museums of Kenya, P.O. Box 40658, G.P.O. 00100, Nairobi, Kenya; tel. +254203742161 ext. 243; email: scopumbre05@gmail.com EANHS Nest Record Scheme Details of most kinds of breeding activity are welcomed by the scheme and nest record cards may be obtained free of charge from the Nest Record Scheme organizer, EANHS, Nature Kenya, P.O. Box 44486, G.P.O. 00100, Nai- robi, Kenya; email: office@naturekenya.org THE EAST AFRICA NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY Nature Kenya PO. Box 44486, G.P.O. 00100, Nairobi, Ken- ya, tel. +254 20 3749957, fax +254 20 3741049; email: office@naturekenya.org Nature Uganda P.O. Box 27034, Kampala, tel. +256 (0) 41540719, fax 533528; email: canhs@imul. com Wildlife Conservation Society of Tanzania P.O. Box 70919, Dar es Salaam, tel. +255 (0) 22 2112518 / 2112496, fax’ +255) (0)'22 212 4572; email: wcest@africaonline.co.tz The BirdLife International Partnership in eastern Africa Through its national partners, the BirdLife International Africa Partnership Secretariat in Nairobi co-ordinates bird conservation work in the region and produces several publications of interest to ornithologists. Ethiopian Wildlife & Natural History Society P.O. Box 13303, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; tel. +251 (0) 2183 520; email: ewnhs@telecom. net.et