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EEE SINE MEY ~ th ey MANO aad : “els Chui wed ers eV Na die atop SEN DM GHI) Hee ) Dotan glenn y os oA Nu 7 ae MNT Lee ote OS eV Ne WEN YT, dum Wade abe SOLAN Loy lt 7 ee Sn Mestad sat qad ath tn Gyo SEEN nth ge wij Vea esate Ohad Et we tee y F . y bectbava hinge ie rac Sap ey era ‘ nt Pe iW EAL oes Wyant De thgtat ned eon gu feet Wa ON WEA es MUN Bees e SNe Seite a Ne MT Oa fee WN fade Me ey nna rt Tire Ore z ‘ Res 3 tone wares bas Tar t . we tive oe . ee : ra wae R P ae a y.ejher ae itelaaaian ROnnse ie 2 by a we) Wr aiee, red 4 . : . , ° . ¥ os “ << < ‘ ar . an " ses . . . i” . . ‘ : = ° - dps Semel ee wks hen ‘ ’ - . ’ . mi : x nae ee a hove y teeta wee ¢ . oa ou see ‘ ‘ . ° Gre obs \ uy Pir, : 5 Ve fest * 7 f oy - ‘ Pore i “ maf er e . as ° ‘ wy wey " . ‘ : . on wet te ‘ — : tes . . $ . “4 Segal a . * : z “ ‘ pes aehoue f , : A f nig , nena’ . : EG eaee ' " ’ i ' nail ea . eu Aaa x aay . ° ™ . wn i ae . . ’ : . : pe . gone < se . - s ao er oe 4 i i iy i i Ailes 8 Wen haa aye Pies Re aes ye a } i by x My ¢ P H r : ISSN 0250-4162 SCOPUS A quarterly publication of the Ornithological Sub-Committee East African Natural History Society Edited by Graeme Backhurst Volume 9 (1/2) June 1985 SCOPUS Scopus is normally published five times a year (although issues may be combined to allow for long papers) by the Ornithological Sub-Committee of the East African Natural History Society. 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A second edition of the Kenya check-list will be available in the next few months. 9) Tsavo East land-bird ecology THE ECOLOGY OF THE LAND<-BIRDS OF TSAVO EAST NATIONAL PARK, KENYA Peter Lack For the majority of land-bird species (indeed of all birds species) occurring in East Africa all that is known about their habitat pref- erences, seasonal occurrence and feeding ecology is what is contained in the various handbooks (e.g. Mackworth-Praed & Grant 1957, 1960), and annotated check-lists (e.g. Britton 1980). A few groups have re- ceived some more detailed attention: the birds of prey, by, for ex- ample Brown (1966) and Smeenk (1974), and the Palaearctic migrants by for example Pearson (1972), Britton (1974), Pearson & Backhurst (1976) and Sinclair (1978). However, for the migrants, only Britton (1974) did more than discuss the timing of movements. With a few notable exceptions the rest of Africa is in a similar situation. The seasonal occurrence and habitat preferences of all bird species in Tsavo East National Park are mentioned very briefly by Lack, Leu- thold & Smeenk (1980). The present paper serves to expand informa- tion on these features of the ecology of the land-birds, excluding the birds of prey, and provides the census figures on which the ecological interpretations are based. Where there are sufficient data, some in- formation on feeding ecology is also given. One of the central tenets of competition theory is Gause "Ss comper— itive exclusion principle where "complete competitors cannot coex- ist" (Hardin 1960). Although there is currently considerable argu- ment about the role of competition in structuring communities (e.g. Cody 1974, several authors in Keast & Morton 1980) it is a conveni- ent way of pointing to important aspects of the ecology of the var- ious species. Consequently, discussion in this paper will concentrate on differences between closely related species, with the species grouped usually into families. STUDY AREA Tsavo East National Park is an area of about 13000 km’? lying between about 80 and 150km inland from the Kenya coast. It is divided into two parts by the Galana River. As with most previous work in the Park, the vast majority of the data for this study were collected in the part south of the river, and especially in the western half. Climate As in most parts of the tropics, Tsavo's seasons and climate are dom- inated by the rainfall. There are usually two wet seasons and two dry seasons each year. The so-called 'short' rains usually start during the first half of November and last through December. There is then the short dry season until late March, the 'long' rains during April, and from mid May to the end of October the long dry season. On average about half the annual total of rainfall falls in each wet season Scopus 9: 2-23, June 1985 Tsavo East land-bird ecology S (total varies from about 250 mm/yr at Aruba and to the east, to about 500 mm/yr on the west side near Voi) although in both years of this study, 1975 and 1976, the April rains were very poor. This feature may not be particularly unusual as, contrary to much of the rest of Kenya, the 'short' rains in the Tsavo area have been shown mathematic- ally to be more reliable and predictable (Tyrell & Coe 1974). The two dry seasons differ slightly in that during the long dry sea- son the sky is more often overcast, the temperature is about 5°C cooler and there is a much stronger wind. In 1976 too this dry sea- son was broken by a total of 50 - 100mm of rain over a few days in early September. For more details of the temporal and spatial fea- tures of the climate see Cobb (1976), Leuthold (1977) or Lack (1980, 1983) .: The habitats A major scheme for classifying East African habitats was proposed by Pratt, Greenway & Gwynne (1966), and this was used in the present study as a basis for defining the habitats in Tsavo East. The Park falls into Pratt et al.'s ecological zone V which is characterized by a semi-arid climate with the "woody vegetation dominated by Commiphora and Acacia and allied genera often of shrubby habit" (Pratt et al. 1966, p. 371). Within this zone, Pratt et al. designated physiognomic types based on canopy cover of woody vegetation. The authors were mainly concerned with rangeland, and hence the amount of grass, and chose their critical values of canopy cover of woody vegetation at 2 per cent and 20 per cent. For birds the woody vegetation is a more important factor than grass, especially at low canopy cover. Critical values were chosen, therefore, at 1 per cent and 10 per cent canopy cover to define six main habitat types as follows: Grassland (G) less than i per cent trees, less than 1 per cent bushes; Bushed Grassland (BG) less than 1 per cent trees, 1 - 10 per cent bushes; Wooded and Bushed Grassland (WBG) 1 - 10 per cent trees, 1 - 10 per cent bushes; Bushland (B) less than 1 per cent trees, more than 10 per cent bushes; Wooded Bushland (WB) 1 - 10 per cent trees, more than 10 per cent bushes; Woodland (W) more than 10 per cent trees, variable, but usual- ly more than 10 per cent bushes. A seventh habitat type was also de- fined - the small area of Riverine forest (R) along the Voi River ex- tending to about 15km east into the Park from Voi. The first five of these habitats (G, BG, WBG, B, WB) are referred to collectively as the Park savanna habitats (PSH). When the Park was gazetted in 1948 the dominant vegetation type was Woodland (Napier Bax & Sheldrick 1963). This habitat is not now found in the southern area of the Park although it remains in areas just outside to the south and west near Voi and in parts of the northern area. The habitat type is dominated by Commiphora spp. (mainly C. africana) and Acacia spp. with a canopy at 7 - 8m. The bush layer varies from very open to nearly impenetrable thickets, with Grewia spp. and Sansevieria spp. prominent. In the Park grasses are usually Sparse or absent due partly to heavy grazing by wild mammals or, es- pecially outside the Park, by domestic animals. 4 Tsavo East land-bird ecology The most common habitats now inside the Park are Bushed Grassland and Wooded and Bushed Grassland. Together, these cover nearly three- quarters of the total area. The two thicker habitats, Bushland and Wooded Bushland, are mainly in the western part, and Grassland is rare. This radical change in habitat type over the last 35 years has been brought about particularly by fires and elephants. These changes have also resulted in changes in the species composition of the veg- etation. Commiphora and Acacia are now almost absent and the main trees are Melia volkensii, Delonix elata and Platycelyphium voense. The bush layer is now dominated by Premna and Sericocompsis. With the opening up of the woody vegetation grasses of several species have greatly increased and are now a prominent feature of the habitat in many places. The Riverine forest is rarely more than 150m wide and has a nearly closed canopy at about 20m, consisting especially of Newtonia hilde- brandtii, Dobera glabra, Ficus spp. and Acacia spp. In most places there is a very dense bush layer. Grasses are very thick and matted around the edges, but sparse in the forest itself. There are very few sources of permanent water in the Park. The main ones are the Athi, Tsavo and Galana Rivers, Aruba Dam, and some pools in the upper reaches of the Tiva River in the northern area. Minor sources include a few artificially enlarged waterholes near the Voi River, and a few pools in the tributaries of the Galana. This lack of water considerably restricts the distribution of most mammals in the dry season, and perhaps a few birds. In the wet season the situation Changes drastically. Seasonal rivers start to flow, the most import- ant being the Voi and the Tiva, and numerous shallow pans fill and hold water for varying periods; the majority of these pans are dry by a month after the last rain. Food supplies and their seasonal variation There were five main food types used by the land-birds in the Park: fruit, nectar, grass seeds, arthropods (mainly insects) and small vertebrates. The last of these was unimportant for any except birds of prey, which are not considered here in any detail. The relative abundance of nectar, fruits, seeds and arthropods was measured through the year in 1976. How typical this year was is un- known in detail. The data for Commiphora woodland agree broadly with those given by Fenner (1983) for fruit and flowers, and the seasonal occurrence of the rain was as usual in 1976, although the amounts were below average. Nectar was important only for the sunbirds Nectariniidae. In Woodland and Riverine, flowers of a variety of woody plants were visited, and there was no very obvious seasonal pattern in the occurrence of flowers. In the Park Savanna Habitats only Delonix elata and Platy- celyphium voense produced flowers that were visited at all regularly. D.elata produced flowers at the end of both wet seasons and P. voense only in late March just before the April rains. Tsavo East land-bird ecology 5 Rather few fruits seemed to be important in the diet of birds and there were three main seasonal patterns: 1. Grewia bicolor in Woodland, and Premna spp. in the Park savanna habitats produced fruits in the later parts of both wet seasons. 2. Some Commiphora spp. fruits (in Woodland only) were available all the year but there was a major peak in the abundance from July to September. Salvadora persica, only occurring in or near Riverine, had fruited only in July and August with none available at other times. 3. Ficus spp. (in Riverine only) appeared to fruit at any season although it is not known whether or not there were always one or more trees in fruit. Some other fruits were eaten by birds, particularly in Woodland. Some fruits were probably available there all the year although there were probably more of species other than Commiphora in the wet season. The major peak of fruit abundance in Woodland was certainly between July and September, due to the Commiphora. Grass seeds on stems showed a major peak in abundance in January and February (the two months following the 'short' rains) with smaller peaks following the poor 'long' rains (June) and any unseasonal rain, e.g. some seeds appeared in mid to late October following the rain in September 1976. The abundance of seeds on the ground was not measured but the peaks are likely to have been slightly later. The only period when they would not be available is likely to have been the first month of each wet season, due to germination. The effect found by Thiollay (1971) of grass cover hiding seeds on the ground is not im- portant in Tsavo as the grass cover is rarely very high, due both to a lower total rainfall and the high grazing pressure. The seasonal abundance of arthropods will be described in more de- tail elsewhere (Lack & Cockerell in prep.). By using pitfall traps and sweep-netting, arthropod biomass on the ground and in the grass layer vegetation repectively were found to increase by a factor of five or six in the December wet season compared with the dry season. By March the abundance in both had declined to their October levels. There was another increase in response to the April rains, but in 1976 this peak was lower than the December one. In years with more rain in April it may be larger. The abundance of arthropods in the woody vegetation was not measured. In a similar area of Senegal, Morel (1968) found factors of 17 and 60 in two years for the biomass in the wet season compared with the pre- ceding dry season. He did not, however, assess arthropods in the bark, only those on the leaves, so the difference between wet and dry seasons is considerably exaggerated. METHODS Censuses The most important data for this study were the numbers of birds in 6 Tsavo East land-bird ecology the various habitats in the different seasons. For this censuses were conducted which gave a relative abundance figure based on the numbers seen per unit time. All censuses were in units of 15min, and the habitats were censused approximately in the proportion that each oc- curred in the whole area. The study period was divided into 25 cal- endar months from December 1974 to December 1976 inclusive, and the length of time spent. censusing in each habitat in each month is given in Table 1. TABLE 1 Number of 15-min censuses carried out in each habitat in each month Habitat Voom menehs G BG WBG B WB W R Total 1974: December 9 15 34 5 Li. "Qt 13 116 1975: January ili 32 28 19 2-29 T7 i Bsye) February 12 59 a2 18 ne Ve” 13 174 March 9 2 27 dn3 13, 23 7 113 April ig 40 38 16 1 3}.4:26 11 155 May 8 2 38 9 25: pets 11 134 June 12 3\3) 33 21 13 2226 qj 150 July 7 22 28 15 10,3019 8 109 August 5 15 Sul 7 24, Eales 8 103 September 10 34 36 22 1A. 22 7 142 October 8 35 34 16 pe ee lr! 6 126 November 12 251 36 21 14 26 8 144 December 5 5 18 8 10 S49 8 73 1976: January q 20 le, 12 S “26 8 98 February 4 72 #2 6 8.473 i 62 March 2 22 38 10 233 27 7 129 April 6 29 12 13 2935530 7 126 May 9 19 24 10 Sis eee 12 29 June 2 17 26 10 62 6 Te, July 4 20 21 13 28 34 10 130 August 4 18 24 3 LAO 6 #2 September 2 22 12 4 4-95 6 65 October S) 14 34 if 7 he 6 89 November 4 23 30 6 10% 87 7) a7 December 0 4 18 1 1 ote 7 49 Totals 168 582 681 285 346 515 213 2790 Key: G = Grassland, BG = Bushed Grassland, WBG = Grassland, B = Bushland, WB = Wooded Bushland, W R = Riverine Wooded and Bushed = Woodland, In censuses all birds seen and identified were counted while those only seen flying over were recorded separately. In addition, a list of Tsavo East land-bird ecology species that were only heard was made. All censuses were conducted be- tween sunrise and 11:00. The 15-min units were walked to the following patterns: 1. All Park savanna habitats: censuses were carried out at 1- or 2-km intervals along Park roads with the first one of a series taken at the first change of the car's odometer after a fixed point, usually a road junction. For the census itself the path walked varied a little but was usually a complete semi-circle (i.e. in- cluding the diameter which was the road) of radius about 150m. This gives the area sampled in the 15min as approximately 8ha. 2. Woodland: almost all censuses were carried out while walking along existing paths, dividing these into 15-min units. 3. Riverine: due to the nature of the habitat a variety of methods was used. Where possible, and not potentially too dangerous, the author walked along the edge of, or through, sections of the forest in units of 15min. In several cases, however, the counts were made while standing more or less stationary at one point. The biggest problem with all comparisons of censuses is that of bird conspicuousness. In this study potential difficulties come under three headings: 1. Comparing species: the most important comparisons are between closely related species. These are usually similar in such charac- teristics as behaviour, amount of noise, bright colours, and are hence conspicuous to a similar degree. 2. Comparing seasons: in Tsavo there are in effect two seasons - wet and dry. In the wet season the leaves make all habitats more diffi- cult to see through. Hence caution has to be exercised when a bird. is apparently more common in the dry season. 3. Comparing habitats: those habitats with more vegetation are more difficult to see through than more open ones. Hence only the fig- ures for those birds apparently more common in the open habitats need concern us. As will be seen, many more species show an increase in the denser habitats, and for those predominantly in the open there is usually general evidence from the literature and from feed- ing habits that they do indeed prefer them. No corrections have been made for differing conspicuousness, large- ly because any would be very arbitary. Differences certainly exist and may affect the fine detail of some of the figures presented here, but they do not affect the gross differences or arguments to be pre- sented. Feeding behaviour During censuses and at other times observations of birds seen feeding were recorded. Data collected included the type of food where it was possible to identify this from observations; whence and how the food was obtained; activity of the bird (perched, flying, etc.); position in the vegetation and/or position before and after the feeding move- 8 Tsavo East land-bird ecology ment, amplified by recording the hgight of the vegetation and the height of the bird in it and the horizontal position of the bird in the vegetation - if the bird was feeding in the woody vegetation it was assigned to the edge (up to 0.2m into the vegetation), just in- side (c. 0.2 - 1.0m in), or inside (more than im in) - these three categories correspond roughly with the terminal twigs, larger twigs, and branches (including the trunk) respectively. The feeding rate was also recorded for birds which fed by sitting and waiting on perches and then flying out, either to catch insects in the air or on the ground, and sometimes the feeding rate was determined by watching in- dividual’ birds for up to 15min: It was often difficult (and would sometimes be misleading) to count the number of individual food items eaten. When a bird was 'seen feeding' at a site it was scored five items. However, when calcu- lating vertical and horizontal position in the vegetation, only one figure per bird was scored - for horizontal the predominate one, for vertical the mean. THE LAND-BIRDS Lack et al. (1980) have recorded 324 species of land-birds in Tsavo East. About half of these have been seen too rarely for any quantit- ative analyses and only the more common species are considered here in detail. A list of the others recorded is given at the end of each section. For brief details of the status and records of these, and the common species, see Lack et al. (1980). Data on relative abun- dance of birds in each habitat are given in Table 2 and for each month in Table 3. All bird nomenclature follows Britton (1980). Ostrich Struthionidae From an ecological viewpoint the Ostrich Struthio camelus can be classed as a large herbivorous mammal, and Cobb (1976) included it in his survey of these. Cobb found, from aerial surveys, that it was primarily an open country species although the race in Tsavo East, the Somali Ostrich S.c. molybdophanes, is tolerant of thicker scrub than the other race occurring in Kenya, massaicus. The Somali race is also thought to be more of a browser than other races (Mackworth-Praed &iGrante1g57)e. Gamebirds Phasianidae, Guineafowl Numididae Two common Francolinus species, the Yellow-necked Spurfowl F. leuco- scepus and the Crested Francolin F. sephaena, were both present all the year although the Yellow-necked Spurfowl was a little more obvi- ous in the wet seasons, perhaps because it was more vocal then. Both species preferred the thicker habitats, with the Yellow-necked Spur- fowl primarily in Riverine and Wooded Bushland, and the Crested Fran- colin primarily in Woodland. The Helmeted Guineafowl Numida mele- agris also occurred rarely in the thicker habitats, especially Wood- land. The very few of all three species seen feeding fed entirely from the ground. Swank (1977) analysed stomach contents of all three in Mkomasi Reserve just to the south of Tsavo West, in Tanzania. He found all three to be primarily vegetarian although insects, especial- Tsavo East land-bird ecology 9 ly termites, formed 25 - 30 per cent of the diet of the two Franco- linus and 10 per cent for the Helmeted Guineafowl. The final common species of these two families, the Harlequin Quail Coturnix delegorguei, is totally different from the other three. It is much smaller and it occurred mainly in the open habitats although always where there was a high grass cover. Also, in contrast to the others, it is highly migratory. It was present in very large numbers in December and January when the grass cover was highest and a few were seen in October and November and between February and May. It is well-known as a migrant and apparently breeds opportunistically when conditions are favourable (Britton 1980). As far as is known it feeds almost entirely on grass seeds taken from the ground. Other species recorded: Hildebrandt's Francolin F. hildebrandti, Kenya Crested Guineafowl Guttera pucherani, Vulturine Guineafowl Acryllium vulturinum. Button Quails Turnicidae The Quail Plover Ortyxelos meiffreni was probably much commoner than it appeared from censuses as the majority were only seen when flushed at very close range. It occurred in all Park savanna habitats though it was not seen in areas with a grass cover of less than about 25 per cent. It was not seen in Woodland and it is probably a species which has moved into the area with the opening up of the habitat (Lack 1975). As far as is known it eats grass seeds. Other species recorded: Button Quail Turnix sylvatica. Bustards Otididae The only common species was the Buff-crested Bustard Eupodotis rufi- crista. It was a common resident in all habitats except Grassland and Riverine. It was very secretive but called frequently. It was heard in 52 per cent of all 15-min censuses so was certainly commoner than sightings would suggest. Other bustards recorded: Hartlaub's E. hartlaubii, White-bellied E. senegalensis, Heuglin's Neotis heuglini, Kori Otis kori. Plovers Charadriidae, Thicknees Burhinidae, Coursers Glareolidae This group of long-legged insectivorous ground-dwelling species have Similar ecology so are treated together. All may be at least part- ially nocturnal, especially the Spotted Thicknee Burhinus capensis and Heuglin's Courser Rhinoptilus cinctus. These two species, like the Buff-crested Bustard, are very secretive by day and were usually seen only when flushed at close range from the base of a bush. They had Similar habitat preferences to the Buff-crested Bustard. The Spotted Thicknee was probably not very common but it is likely that Heuglin's Courser was much commoner than it appeared from censuses. The two species presumably do not compete seriously with each other as the thicknee is nearly four times the size of the courser. The next com- monest courser, Temminck's Cursorius temminckii, was very much an open country species. Although only rarely seen in censuses (Several were seen at other times) it was seen much more often between May and Oc- Continued on page 13 10 Tsavo East land-bird ecology TABLE 2 The number of each species/10h in each habitat Habitat vs) Species G BG WBG B WB W PSH Total Yellow-necked Spurfowl Crested Francolin Harlequin Quail Helmeted Guineafowl Quail Plover Buff-crested Bustard White-bellied Bustard Black-headed Plover Crowned Plover | Caspian Plover Spotted Thicknee Heuglin's Courser Black-faced Sandgrouse Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse Red-eyed Dove © Ring-necked Dove Laughing Dove 1 Namaqua Dove Emerald-spotted Wood Dove Orange-bellied Parrot White-bellied Go-away Bird Great Spotted Cuckoo Black and White Cuckoo = Eurasian/African Cuckoo - Didric Cuckoo = White-browed Coucal = Speckled Mousebird = Blue-naped Mousebird = Striped Kingfisher x Chestnut-bellied Kingfisher - Eurasian Bee-eater = Madagascar Bee-eater me White-throated Bee-eater 2 Little Bee-eater = Somali Bee-eater = Eurasian Roller 8 1 1otr — No 1 «® Me bh lwwlhre*xeerl ot — 1 orn x RP OK WK = ; ~Porriireodx* BexKX ANP e NNFPNK BM NORP RPP RPK NONHDP PRP PPK WKRhRNHWORNDK NOP KM NYOWHK DY KM BK NPP NO Re e~I | a od Or NO ke No No Re eR = lwnwoditinrr*k* KF op MK ND K (op) e (tiem wl = I os 1x 1* ™ - 1 & OV I ba (1K Mx ae ™% O1 ND OV M (ix BeK Ke K N (x BOK PNP eK 1OrPrpnorl OWONDrRrRAOARD YA He ND xX («exe eK Lilac-breasted Roller Rufous-crowned Roller Broad-billed Roller - Hoopoe = Green Wood Hoopoe = Abyssinian Scjmitar pipe © - Grey Hornbill x 1 #xNOoOrK FM '™% ™ PNPRP IT KX NOIP PPM MR DO BRM MPP RPK KM PK WOW KP ODE KX PNBM DOK KM OPP PrP WI PRPOANrF 1 XP KPO] PRP NP KNHAKYFPNP ~I XK —s iw 6~ POF *K KM RP ND No OwWwree | ®¥ MOAITIP Pre *K MwWtlreitliekek Purell x wWwuWreoat &* eK wl & — ~ Continued opposite Tsavo East land-bird ecology Ad Table 2, continued ee Oo ct 0) Species G BG WBG B WB W R PSH Red-billed Hornbill ~ 2 Von der Decken's Hornbill - x Yellow-billed Hornbill - = Brown-breasted Barbet - - Black-throated Barbet - - ~ Spotted-flanked Barbet - - Red-fronted Tinkerbird - ~ d'Arnaud's Barbet - x Red and Yellow Barbet - 1 Greater Honeyguide = - Lesser Honeyguide - - Nubian Woodpecker ns 1 Cardinal Woodpecker = x= Bearded Woodpecker - I t (x*¥ OW I 1% — Ww ~™HOr 1K WR I % i ireerl*NnNoil i i$ ™NWK KM WO WrPRNMK MOM MO! OFA A ~rPeK KM MW I KR MK Chestnut-backed Sparrow L'k 68 32 . Chestnut-headed Sparrow L'k 77 52 4 Singing Bush Lark 5 3 Red-winged Bush Lark 44 15 Pink-breasted Lark #5" 555 Friedmann's Bush Lark x Drongo 1 3 Black-headed Oriole = x x 1 | ee | | a | wre “Iu NO na 1M « BM OV OV K W a 1 — (om) Ul |! one pe *% 1 i} ass (=>) — = o) — oO — Golden Oriole = Grey Tit = Scaly Chatterer = = Rufous Chatterer = = Black Cuckoo Shrike = = Zanzibar Sombre Greenbul = - Northern Brownbul - - Common Bulbul - Rufous Bush Chat x White-browed Scrub Robin - Irania = Sprosser Rock Thrush Isabelline Wheatear* { ! ie *K Re OY * ' 1% 1% OV 1 mor it ITHOrRNBOWODWRPkRP UY WUD! WO Northern Wheatear* Pied Wheatear Capped Wheatear Bare-eyed Thrush Marsh Warbler Upcher's Warbler* { = — 1'«xe kK HOM 1 = 1rerPNM NM OW ll ieee DP DB M lrmorrerenwnol *® nore I 10 10 (nore il MNWFPNHORPK PRP BRWWKPENUBRP EK KEK PNWK ANP IYPF KNYNNYKK NY PRP RYH WO OO “~rmoOrRPhM IK MONMWWH tl KK Ue | 1 1 eex Bx MPO OPR BRM KM YO OF’ 1 xm KM x» wYK EK NnyeKe WwW ll 16] Olivaceous Warbler* = Continued overleaf 12 Tsavo East land-bird ecology Table 2, continued G BG WBG B WB W R PSH | oO ct 0) be em Willow Warbler Garden Warbler = Whitethroat 1 Barred Warbler - Yellow-breasted Apalis = Grey Wren Warbler = Desert Cisticola 5 Ashy Cisticola 10 Tiny Cisticola = Yellow-vented Eremomela Red-fronted Warbler = Northern Crombec = Grey Flycatcher = Spotted Flycatcher = Black-headed Batis = Chin-spot Batis = Pygmy Batis = Paradise Flycatcher = = Pangani Longclaw 11 4 Golden Pipit 4 20 Black-backed Puffback = a Slate-coloured Boubou = = Grey-headed Bush Shrike = = Brubru = Rosy-patched Shrike x Three-streaked Tchagra x Black-headed Tchagra = Long-tailed Fiscal = Taita Fiscal 18 Red-backed Shrike x Red-tailed Shrike 9 1 x el NO | 1|w © Oe* Ww 1lwnrt NON Ore te } By ws ed ~ eel & m x me Wo I I ae, ee ee | 1 Were wry ~ ! - * — rPrPNHO I BB I J 10.0) MOMmMexM ere 1K UN e | | N Re [| fon) IS) | RS 1 Inwoe’e *® KM DOP RPK KKM DOK BPM PP BK ND — [x NO 1 — WwnNhnD ) oO x N | i (Cok aS — le B&B 1ewWDh I 1 fewer il *K PrPerwrereereo l Re —s (nNnoorwwWwWwWwWw SB XK _ e Nh — [Iie Nervanes XK — N = Lesser Grey Shrike White-crowned Shrike Helmet Shrike Retz's Helmet Shrike = Violet-backed Starling = = = Wattled Starling 6 £10 11 Blue-eared Glossy Starling - - - RUuppell's Long-tailed Glossy Starling = = = el 1 a a = x x Red-winged Starling - - = = - 2 - oy x Magpie Starling Golden-breasted Starling Fischer's Starling Hildebrandt's Starling — FPONKNMFPUNRPRFP WOK XUN KX RPP WNHYK KKM P YIP NOK KX PNK DM PB MK ND — eS 1oworoaoaonwr ! NO Re eR — —s fre OrNHOPRP.!I WB XM |! mOomwmol vowxk* OnD 1 = WW — aI / — MmoO!lyNYrYOTuUB I KM MR rs ™ Re xn I = 20 20 Pao WPS, 14 15 17 22) 33 16 A 3 #2 10 ix el NOon 1 Continued opposite Tsavo East land-bird ecology 13 Table 2, continued G BG WBG. B WB W R PSH Total Shelley's Starling = ges dy 2) OK = 1 1 Superb Starling x, elG 24 13 Aa 2 8 Pal 17 Red-billed Oxpecker 1 4 ea”? Bul 6 3 3 Collared Sunbird = = = = = = 3 - x Eastern Violet-backed Sun'b - = iad xi 2 = x 1 Amethyst Sunbird = = = = iw ES = = x Little Purple-banded Sun'b = x a= XO 1 x 1 Hunter's Sunbird - 2 Ae LETS 8 4 6 Abyssinian White-eye = = | a> Boh se 1 xX x Red-billed Buffalo Weaver - 14 40 19 26' 15 18 24 22 White-headed Buffalo Weaver 1 11 415 19779 2 13 11 Parrot-billed Sparrow 1 2 A? oe 20” 23 33 13 12 Yellow-spotted Petronia 4 10 18 14 21 10 11 14 13 White-browed Sparrow Weaver - 1 a x i- 2 1 1 Black-capped Social Weaver = = - 9 - = = 1 1 Red-headed Weaver = = > i aoe 2 x x Black-necked Weaver = = ma x 3 x 1 Masked Weaver = x x one x 2 x > 1 Black-headed Weaver = ns > ae CEES 1 1 x Chestnut Weaver = 4 se ex x 99 = 1 3 Red-billed Quelea 46 80 144 11 6B 19 594 90 if is) White-winged Widowbird = = 1 - = 6 x i Fire-fronted Bishop = = 4 12 6 4 8 5 5 Pin-tailed Whydah = = - = ee 2 - x Paradise Whydah - = 13 eet 13 5 4 Green-winged Pytilia ee | Wey: Sard 1 1 1 Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu = = x = x ex 10 x 1 Purple Grenadier - = = - i - me x Crimson-rumped Waxbill = = 1 = = 2 x x Grey-headed Silverbill = - = 1 2 - 1 1 Cut-throat 8 8 4 8 - 1 14 10 Somali Golden-breasted Bunting = 2 BS 12 = 6 5 Yellow-rumped Seed-eater = = — = =) of x = x Notes: Habitat abbreviations as in Table 1 x = less than 0.5 seen per 10h * = not identified positively in the 1974/75 winter, and some individuals not identified positively in the 1975/76 winter but the figures are given to facilitate comparisons Total = average of the figures for the eight different habitats. tober (7 of 10 seen in censuses) than between November and April. There are two large resident plovers, the Black-headed Vanellus tec- tus and the Crowned V.coronatus. As can be seen from the figures, Continued on page 19 Tsavo East land-bird ecology 14 (O91) 2eusTZbuTY petTTeq-ynuyzseyo (871) zeustsbuty pedtaz4s (ZSvV) patqesnow pedeu-entg (€9) PATqesnow peTyoeds Z = = (GG) TeONOD peMorgq-—s 7 TUM ee ae (VS) COYyOND OTzpta = = = (79) OCOyOND ueoTAsZW/uetTsezng (TG) OCOYOND SATYyM pue Weta (pT) Coyond pe zqods 3zee2p G € (902) pata AemMe-O5 peTTTEeq-eqTUM (a (S7Z) 3OAIed PSeTTTEq-ebuez0 Ges | (LIL) @Aoq poom pejj0ds-pTezeuq (LLT) eAoq enbeuey (8TET) eAod S5utTyhbneT Z 6 (SS6) eAod pexseu-buTyY x S (00) ee) oI HAN WON = Ma R AN xa A ANN oS om = OA K “aN =“ AOS *K ! I I 1 Iara KH MOK 1 1 1 N 1 “a “a WF _ = —_ (ZZ1) eAod peAe-pou T (668) eSsnozbpues peoez-yoeTa - (LZ) esnozbpues peTTTeq-jnuyzseyo z (v7) AesaznoD s,utThbney - (97) SeUuxSTUL pezjods a = . 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I ANMNMKMNON K XK J I I I N st 1 Tsavo East land-bird ecology 19 ee ease ia bie | Continued from page 13 2 eee 4 icy. 1 there was a clear habitat difference s between the two, with the Black- Pe Sy im, SO 1 headed commonest in the thicker Park & iz savanna habitats and the Crowned in See ee Ene more open. — Pere was some over— = lap, and in the overlap the Crowned, ithe Sie ye! a ory subjectively, seemed to prefer areas MS with more grass. The final common ate, Sonicare a1 species, the Palaearctic Caspian he ag Plover Charadrius asiaticus, only ewer jor Kream 1 hatleeaene: Size (om he sewo, resident a plovers, was virtually confined to > eh, ea Pek rit Sets very open areas, especially those 2 almost devoid of grass to the south el A ey a 4 ang. case of Aruba. | Et was seen be- 6 tween early September and early sre) yk tn 4 April, usually in small flocks. Most a appeared to be on passage. That only soy Lactate ee few were seen in censuses is mainly EI a reflection of its restricted habi- Pct pose fo tr x tate pre Ferences: ) 5 All these species were only seen feeding from the ground taking in- sects, and all seemed to favour bare ground. Other species recorded: Senegal Plover Vanellus lugubris, Cream- coloured Courser Cursorius cursor, Two-banded Courser Rhinoptilus afri- canus, Violet-tipped Courser R. chal- copterus, and ten plover species, one thicknee and one pratincole, all of which are mainly waterside birds. Sandgrouse Pteroclidae, Pigeons Columbidae (25) Grey-headed Silverbill (56) Cut-throat (702) There is some argument about the tax- onomic relationships of these two families but as their ecological re- quirements are similar, they are con- Sidered together. The six common species fall into three pairs based on body size. Of the large pair the Black-faced Sand- grouse Pterocles decoratus was very common throughout the year in all Park savanna habitats where there was Note: conventions as in Table 2 (where applicable); the figure after each bird's name is the total number recorded on censuses Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu (59) Somali Golden-breasted Bunting (353) Yellow-rumped Seed-eater (17) Green-winged Pytilia (85) Purple Grenadier (21) Table 3, continued Crimson-rumped Waxbill 20 Tsavo East land-bird ecology woody vegetation. It was very rare in Woodland and Riverine. Despite its need to drink every day its distribution in the southern part of Tsavo East did not seem to be restricted in the dry season. Sandgrouse are known to move quite long distances daily for water, e.g. P. namaqua goes up to 80 km each way in the Kalahari (McLean 1968). As far as is known, in common with other sandgrouse, the Black-faced is entirely granivorous throughout its life, taking small seeds from the ground. The other large species, the Red-eyed Dove Streptopelia semitorquata was also a resident but had totally contrasting habitat preferences. It was common in Woodland and Riverine but was nearly absent from all Park savanna habitats. It seemed to be much more arboreal than any others in these families and, although there was. only one record of it eating fruit in the present study - on the bush Salvadora persica - it is suspected that it was rather more of a frugivore than a granivore. All the handbooks say it is entirely granivorous although Goodwin (1967) adds "it does also eat berries in trees". It was, however, entirely a frugivore at Lamto, Ivory Coast (Thiollay 1971). The pair of small doves, the Namaqua Oena capensis and Emerald- spotted Wood Dove Turtur chalcospilos, had similar habitat preferences to the Black-faced Sandgrouse and Red-eyed Dove respectively, and hence were very different from each other. The wood dove was more widespread in the Park savanna habitats than the Red-eyed Dove, per- haps because it feeds entirely on seeds on the ground, particularly among the litter. It was a resident. The Namaqua Dove is, as far as is known, entirely granivorous but was seasonal in its occurrence in the Park. It was absent in the long dry season, increased sharply in the 'short' rains, and then remained in steadily reducing numbers un- til about mid June. Where it goes between June and November is un- known. Britton (1980) and Curry-Lindahl (1981) say that only local movements occur but, in common with many other species, the movements appear to be much more regular and substantial. The middle-sized pair, the Ring-necked Dove Streptopelia capicola and the Laughing Dove S. senegalensis, were both fairly common in all habitats although statistically their preferences were different (xX? = 63, with df 6, P<0.001). However, their patterns of seasonal occur- rence were different. The Ring-necked Dove was common in all habit- ats throughout the year (Fig. 1) although there was a slight increase in numbers in the wet seasons, especially in January. The Laughing Dove, by contrast, was only present in small numbers for most of the year and these were almost all in Woodland or near water. In Decem- ber and January very large numbers came in to all habitats (Fig. 1). These birds were coming into Tsavo to breed. Both species seemed to be entirely granivorous, taking seeds from the ground. In Botswana, Irving & Beesley (1976) found that, in grain crops, the Ring-necked fed mainly from the heads of the standing corn and the Laughing Dove fed mainly from the ground. This difference did not appear to hold in Tsavo. The Laughing Dove is regarded as migratory in several other parts of Tsavo East land-bird ecology 21 Fig. 1. The habitat pref- 20 a) erences of two Streptopel- | ia doves: a) Ring-necked S.capicola February to 10 November, b) Ring-necked December and January, c) Laughing Dove S. sen- egalensis February to No- vember, d) Laughing Dove December and January. 20 (b) Habitat abbreviations as in Table l. Yn i= 3 10 oS So a o 40 5 20 120 80 : ne BG WBG Africa although it is often, as in Tsavo, partially resident. It oc- curs only after good rains in the Kalahari (McLean 1970). In Zambia largest numbers occur between April and November which is the dry season there, and there are evidently more birds after poor rains (Benson et al. 1973). This is, of course, the period they are absent from Tsavo, and although Benson et al. think that the influx to Zam- bia is from the south, they give little evidence to support this suggestion. The Tsavo birds might go to Zambia, but there is really too little documentation of the movements in other areas to be sure. Other species recorded: Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse Pterocles exust- us, Speckled Pigeon Columba guinea, Mourning Dove Streptopelia de- cipiens, Tambourine Dove Turtur tympanistria and Green Pigeon Treron australis. Parrots Psittacidae The Orange-bellied Parrot Poicephalus rufiventris was the only parrot species recorded in Tsavo East. It was fairly common, and resident, in Woodland and Riverine and a few were recorded in Wooded Bushland. All parrots seen feeding (43 birds) were eating fruit except for one 22 Tsavo East land-bird ecology eating leaves and one probably flowers. The species took fruit from both bushes (10 birds) and trees (33 birds) and took some of the large fruit, e.g. Commiphora boiviniana in addition to the commoner small C. africana, and others. Turacos Musophagidae The White-bellied Go-away Bird Corythaixoides leucogaster was a common resident in Woodland with a very few in Wooded Bushland and in trees along riverine fringes. It was, however, not seen in the Voi River forest. As it is a shy bird very few feeding data were obtained, but it seemed to be largely a fruit eater (8 of 12 birds seen feeding, and 3 of the other 4 were eating Acacia mellifera flowers on one day). Other species recorded: Violet-crested Turaco Tauraco porphyreolophus. Cuckoos Cuculidae None of the eleven species recorded was common, although only two can be considered rare, the Emerald Cuckoo Chrysococcyx cupreus and the Yellowbill Ceuthmochares aereus. Three others were seen only very rarely but were heard regularly in the wet seasons: the Black Cuckoo Cuculus clamosus, Red-chested Cuckoo C. solitarius and Klaas' Cuckoo Chrysococcyx klaas. All three were almost restricted to Woodland. The first two are probably migratory, being present from November to Jan- uary and April. Only three Klaas' Cuckoos were seen in censuses, and one was in each of June and July, suggesting that it may be partially resident. The only other species which can be seen all the year (despite the data in Table 3) is the White-browed Coucal Centropus superciliosus. It was, however, much commoner in the wet seasons. It occurred fair- ly commonly in thick bushes, especially along rivers and small water- courses, although it retreated to the main rivers in the dry season. All four food items seen taken were large insects from the ground. The other species were all wet season visitors only. All occurred in both wet seasons although all were commoner in December and Jan- uary than in April. The Great Spotted Cuckoo Clamator glandarius occurred wherever there were trees, especially in Wooded and Bushed Grassland. It has bred in Tsavo East (Trevor & Lack 1976) but whether the birds involved are all of Afrotropical provenance or in- clude some which have bred in the Palaearctic is unknown. The Black and White Cuckoo Clamator jacobinus is a little smaller than the Great Spotted but was more common. It was usually seen low down in bushes (none of the 13 food items taken was higher than 1m up in the veg- etation) but it was nevertheless commoner in habitats with trees (WBG, WB, W and R) (x?=14, with df 1, P<0.01). There is a breeding record of this species too (Turner 1977), which suggests that some at least are of African origin. However, East African birds are thought to be largely migrants from the Indian subcontinent (Friedmann 1964). The one common small species, the Didric Cuckoo Chrysococcyx cap=- rius was the commonest cuckoo of all. It occurred in all habitats Tsavo East land-bird ecology a3 except Grassland but was commoner in those with trees (x?=18, with df 1, P<0O.01). Like the Black and White Cuckoo the Didric also apparent- ly fed mainly in the bushes (6 of 7 birds seen feeding). The final two species are often considered to be races of one and often they were not distinguished in this study: the African Cuckoo Cuculus gularis and the Eurasian Cuckoo C.canorus. Both occurred and the latter was probably the commoner. The two species combined were also commonest in habitats with trees, though both differ from other cuckoos in being seen in trees rather than bushes. All sightings of food taken were of insects, mostly quite large ones. -Mousebirds Coliidae The Blue-naped Mousebird Urocolius macrourus was a resident, although it was seen more often at times when Commiphora africana and Salva- dora persica were fruiting (July to September and not the whole dry season). It was seen to eat fruits of both species extensively. It was commonest in Riverine but was more widespread than the Speckled Mousebird Colius striatus and occurred fairly commonly wherever there was woody vegetation. The Speckled Mousebird, also a resident, was almost confined to Riverine. Both species were recorded only eating fruit, and both appeared to eat whichever was available at the time. The majority of sightings of both species were of birds in bushes, not trees (Blue-naped 67 of 78 birds and Speckled 11 of 15 birds). Despite the dominance of Riverine in their habitat preferences, neither was recorded eating Ficus spp. ETaUts . Other species recorded: White-headed Mousebird Colius leucocephalus. [to be continued] 24 Observations from northwest Somalia BIRD OBSERVATIONS FROM NORTHWEST SOMALIA G. Clarke Following the publication of the Birds of Somalia by J.S. Ash and J.E. Miskell (1983) - hereafter referred to as A&M - and subsequent cor- respondence with Dr Ash, it seems desirable to publish some notes based on my stay in northwest Somalia (ex-British Somaliland Protect- orate) during the periods October 1955 to 26 January 1957, and from 1 December 1957 to 3 January 1959. The actual date of arrival in Somaliland was in late August 1953 but little ornithological work was done until October 1955 when both volumes of Mackworth-Praed & Grant (1952, 1955) became available. Only data which supplement the infor- mation in A&M are given here. I was based at Hargeisa’for the majority of the time, so that this district received the most attention, with only considerably shorter periods elsewhere. October 1955 was spent at Adadleh; the last fort- night of May 1956 at Erigavo; October 1956 at Dubur, Sheikh; and some time was also spent at Burao.. Many trips, both on duty and for pleas- ure, were made into the surrounding bush, mostly within 80km. At weekends and on holidays longer runs were made, allowing places fur- ther afield to be visited. Berbera was visited annually during the winter, and an opportunity was twice taken to visit Sebawanak, in March and December 1958. The last week of May 1958 was spent at Zei- la, when the island of Saad Din was visited. The results of this study were originally written up in 1968, but remained unpublished except for the abstraction of notes on 19 species in Baird (1979). For the present paper they have been completely re- worked into atlas form to follow that of A&M, which is based upon the 4; x 45 degree square. This treatment has provided data from 22 such squares (Table 2). During the study 311 species were identified; of which 65 were found to be in some stage of the breeding cycle. Altogether 298 squares for 173 species are additional to those given by A&M, and a further 17 squares for 13 species are available from other sources (Table 1). In addition to the new square data, some species are also commented upon, providing breeding, migrational and/or distributional information. Table 1 Summary of species/squares a a a ET NI I EI I IPR LE ET I TI IE TT I EI EL LOLI LEE LATE) Species Squares Breeding species squares 311 1165 65 80 Total recorded in study 173 2930 53 63 Additional records 18) 17 2 2 Additions (other sources) 186 a5 55 65 Total additional r 1Co-ordinates for all localities are listed in Appendix A Scopus 9: 24-42, June 1985 Observations from northwest Somalia 25 For accounts of the topography, climate, habitat and status, see A&M. ORDER AND NOMENCLATURE The order and nomenclature followed is that used by A&M, as is the method of presenting the data, and their sequential species number is followed by the scientific and English names. Those species for which there are ten or less records are suffixed by an asterisk. The Mackworth-Praed & Grant numbers are given after the English names. The additional square information follows at the end of the note, ex- cept for those species for which additional comments only are made. SOURCE OF DATA The material of this study is taken from approximately 4000 separ- ately recorded observations, mostly on those species seen infrequently such as migrants, raptors (except the common Tawny Eagle Aquila rapax) and breeding species. Few definite searches were made for nests as it was found that disturbance, especially of small species, usually ended with predation. A number of birds were collected, especially in 1958, taking those which appeared to be new to the country; and most of them were sent to Mr J.G. Williams at the (now) National Museum, Nairobi. A few were also sent to the British Museum (Nat. Hist.), London. Mr A.R. Tribe of the Government Forestry Department kindly allowed me access to part of his collection, and some of his specimens are included below. DISTRIBUTION The 22 4 x *% degree squares visited in the course of the study are listed below, together with the number of species recorded in each (Table 2). This reflects the amount of effort which was given to each square, but no conscious effort was made to collect atlas data on bird distribution. Rather, the object was to visit those places known to produce interesting and different birds; for example the coast, mount- ains, the great open plains, and by no means least, the riverine wood- land systems. Table 2 Species/square distribution LINo. 2c 9a 10a 10c 10d lic 13a 13b 18a 18b 18d 19a 19b 19c 19€ Meummeesae 56! 49 9 14 136 70 20 90 110 51 196 105. 35° 8 CINo. 20a 20b 20c 20d 26a 27b 28b No. of spp. fOREAGAT BO NGA 2 1 1 Total species/squares = 1165 As can be seen from these erratic results, much remained to be done. 26 Observations from northwest Somalia SPECIES ACCOUNTS 1. Struthio camelus molybdophanes Ostrich 1. Frequently seen with some usually solitary males penetrating thicker bushland. 18ab, 19a, 20ac. Breeding: nests were not found, but larger flocks were usually com- prised of young birds with a few adults in attendance. Eggs were brought into Hargeisa and Burao for sale. 2. Tachybaptus ruficollis Little Grebe 4. Opportunistic, colonizing quite small freshwater pools. 1llc. Breeding: 11ic, at Bihendula on 28 Dec 1958, when a pair with two chicks was seen. 10. Pelecanus onocrotalus White Pelican 31. Two records only: 20 at Zeila on 28/29 May 1958 and 2 at Sebawanak on 14 Dec 1958 (previously reported in Baird (1979)). 2c. 20. Ixobrychus minutus Little Bittern 50. A female, presumably of the nominate race, was found alive at Burao on 14 Sep 1956 in a damaged and partly opened box of stores which had been received the previous day from Berbera. The bird was released at Bihendula three days Later.) 7) 20br 22. Ardea cinerea Grey Heron 33. 2c. 28. Bubulcus ibis Cattle Egret 42. One at Berbera on 12 Jan 1957 and 4 at Sebawanak on 14 Dec 1958. Also 2 at Borama on 5 Oct 1958, re- ported by Mrs M. Gregor (pers. comm.). 10a, 18a. 29. Butorides striatus Green-backed Heron 45. One, probably of the race atricapiijusion, 24 Aug) 195enae Bayo Daten ego 30. Egretta alba Great White Egret 37. One 23 - 26 Dec 1956 at Ber- bera. ile: )Thel first, record north of 4°N- 32. Egretta garzetta Little Egret 40. llc. 33. Egretta gularis African Reef Heron 41. 10a. 38. Ciconia abdimii Abdim's Stork 58. Irregular passage migrant through squares 18abd, 19abcd and 20abcd. One at Eik in late Jun 1958 (H. Playfair pers. comm.) and 200+ at Borama on 29 Jun 1958 (A.R. Tribe pers..comm.)); ~lSal, 19a," 27a. 42. Leptoptilos crumeniferus Marabou 61. Rarely recorded by Archer & Godman (1937) except in squares 2 and 9. Present from Jun to Sep with 210 at Hargeisa in Aug. One Dec record of a possibly sick bird. 18b, 19b, 20a. 43. Mycteria ibis Yellow-billed Stork 62. Maximum 4. 10a. 47. Threskiornis aethiopica Sacred Ibis 63. 2c, lic, 20b. 49. Platalea leucorodia Eurasian Spoonbill 69. 10a. 50. Phoeniconaias minor Lesser Flamingo* 72. One at Sebawanak on 10 Mar 1958, feeding apart from 25 Greater Flamingos Phoenicopterus ruber of which it was about half the size, with the general colour a much deeper pink, and the deep red bill having a black tip. This species Observations from northwest Somalia P15 was subsequently recorded in some numbers on the north side of the Gulf at Aden by Ennion (1962) and Clarke (1967). This is the first published record for Somalia, referred to without detail by A&M. 56. Anas clypeata Shoveler* 80. One and 5 birds at Sebawanak on 10 Mar and 13 Dec 1958, respectively. Wings were obtained on 27 Dec 1958 from 2 birds newly shot at Sebawanak. There are 6 previous records from Somalia (vide A&M). 57. Anas crecca Teal* 87. One at Sebawanak on 13 Dec 1958, and a wing was obtained from a bird shot on 27 Dec. There are 8 previous rec- ords from Somalia (A&M). 61. Anas querquedula Garganey 88. One at Hargeisa on 17 Sep 1958. 19a. 69. Sagittarius serpentarius Secretary Bird 103. Thinly distributed on the plains east to Burao. 19a. 71. Gyps rueppellii Rltppell's Vulture 106. Archer & Godman (1937) con- sidered this species to be rare. However, individuals were frequently seen between Hargeisa and Sheikh, where the species was not rare with- in a restricted range. 19ab. Breeding: carrying nest material to cliff sites at Ala'ule at the end of Nov 1956. At another possible nest site at Gaan Libah 40 were seen in Dec 1958. 20a. 72. Neophron monachus Hooded Vulture 111. 13a, 19b. 73. Neophron percnopterus Eygptian Vulture 110. 10a, 13b, 18b, 27b. 75. Trigonoceps occipitalis White-headed Vulture 109. Thinly distrib- uted, never more than two together. 18ab. 77. Circus macrourus Pallid Harrier 183. Noted Sep and Nov - Jan. 18ad, 19c. 78. Circus pygargus Montagu's Harrier 182. One record of 2 males quartering open fields near Gebile on 20 Sep 1958. 18b. Circus spp. 'Ringtail' harriers. '‘Ringtails' were seen in the following squares, in some cases accompanied by male C. macrourus. Latest date was 9 Mar at Sebawanak. 10d, i8d, 19a. 83. Circaetus gallicus pectoralis Black-chested Snke Eagle 154. 10a, 18d, 19ac. 84. Terathopius ecaudatus Bateleur 159. i3a, 18ad, 19bc. 85. Accipiter badius Shikra 176. Woodland, but once on the Ban Seila on 13 Apr 1958. 18b, 19c. Breeding: a pair noted adding to a nest at Gedka Debta on 16 Feb 1958, one of which was sitting tight on 4 Apr. Two fledged young were being fed by an adult at Hargeisa on 24 Jun 1958. Also noted by A.R. Tribe (pers. comm.) using the same nest at Daloh (C3 in each case) in 1954 and 1955. 13a, 18b, 19a. 90. Aquila nipalensis orientalis Steppe Eagle* 138. Although not cert- ainly identified, the large, dark, almost black birds seen frequently during the winter months were probably this species. Berbera and Har- geisa. 28 Observations from northwest Somalia 91. Aquila rapax Tawny Eagle 139. 18d, 19c. Breeding: 19ac, in Oct and Nov in Hargeisa District. Two chicks newly hatched on 27 Nov f955i 94. Butastur rufipennis Grasshopper Buzzard 158. Migrant, noted 20 Sep to 7 Oct in small numbers from Nabadid east to Mt Wogr. 1i18b, 19a. 95. Buteo augur archeri Augur Buzzard 167. 18b, 19a. 100. Hieraaetus spilogaster African Hawk Eagle 143. Breeding: 18a. Half-grown chick noted at Amoud, Borama, 23 Mar 1958. 103. Melierax gabar Gabar Goshawk 178. The black form was commonly seen in Hargeisa district, usually forming a mixed pair, but both were black on one occasion. 18ad. 105. Melierax poliopterus Pale Chanting Goshawk 179. 18d, 19c. Breed- ing: 19c, a nest containing 1 well-grown nestling on 19 Nov 1958, at Hargeisa Airfield. 106. Polemaetus bellicosus Martial Eagle 146. 13a, 18ad, 19a. 108. Milvus migrans Black Kite 132. Widely distributed Sep - May. 13a, 20b. Breeding: at Berbera, sitting tight in Dec. lic. 110. Chelictinia riocourii Swallow-tailed Kite 131. One record of 10 to 12 birds from grass plains near Silil on 29 May 1958. There are only 10 previous records (A&M). 111. Elanus caeruleus Black-shouldered Kite 133. Scarce; twice seen Singly during Jun 1958. 19cd. 113. Pandion haliaetus Osprey 186. 10a. 115. Falco biarmicus Lanner Falcon 113. 18b, 19d. 117. Falco concolor Sooty Falcon* 118. A.R. Tribe collected an unsexed bird on an unspecified date at Hubera, probably in square 14b near Erigavo where he worked (but there is another Hubera in 12a). This is the tenth record for Somalia (A&M). 119. Falco naumanni Lesser Kestrel* 126. Three records in 1958: 15 - 20 on 2 Feb at Biyo Dai, a flock of c.50 on 19 Feb a. few miles NW of Hargeisa, and 110 between Bulhar and Sebawanak on 10 Mar. Not seen in other years so possibly of irregular occurrence. 10ac, 18b, 19a. There are only 5 previous records (A&M). 121. Falco peregrinus Peregrine Falcon 112. Uncommon: records in Mar, Apr, Oct and Nov. Not racially identified. 18d, 19c. 122. Falco rupicoloides White-eyed Kestrel 124. Infrequently seen, with no records for 1958. 19a. 123. Falco subbuteo Hobby 115. An immature at Adadleh on 5 Oct 1958. 19) 124. Falco tinnunculus Kestrel 123. Noted frequently on the plateau. Males resembling the nominate race, i.e. with definite black terminal tail bands, were common in the winter months whilst at Borama in Dec- Observations from northwest Somalia 29 ember a male with brighter, glossier mantle was noted - probably of the race carlo. 13b. Breeding: the resident archeri was found sit- ting on slightly incubated eggs (C3 and C4) at Erigavo on 20 May 1956; one of these nests shared the same tree with that of a Cape Rook Cor- vus capensis, which also had a C3. 125. Polihierax semitorquatus Pygmy Falcon 129. Breeding: 3 nests (A, B and C) were located at Hargeisa in riverine acacia woodland in 1958, all in the old nests of White-headed Buffalo Weavers Dinemellia dine- melli, and all within 14 miles (2.4km) of each other. On 21 Mar 3 young were seen in Nest A, and were outside on 9 Apr at which time 2 were noted as males. On 3 Apr 2 immatures were at Nest B. Nest C was discovered on 12 Apr when the pair were mobbed by Dinemellia. No young were seen at Nest C, but each nest entrance was marked with ex- creta. 19a. 126. Coturnix coturnix Quail* 211. One at Burao on 26 Sep 1956. 20b. The fifth record for the country (A&M). 131. Francolinus sephaena Crested Francolin 194/195. 18d. Breeding: half-grown young were seen at Hargeisa on 18 Apr and 7 May 1958. 19a. 134. Numida meleagris 216. 18d. 138. Gallinula chloropus Common Moorhen 239. One at Biyo Dai on 29 Jan 1956 .1249a . 142. Porzana parva Little Crake* 229. A&M show square 19a, but this record refers to an incorrectly labelled female collected at Burao on 9 Oct 1958, therefore the distribution should read 18a, 20b. 149. Eupodotis humilis Little Brown Bustard 255. Breeding: a pair with an immature, smaller than the female, at Gaan Libah on 15 Jun 1958. 19b. 151. Eupodotis ruficrista Buff-crested Bustard 257. 18b. 153. Neotis heuglini Heuglin's Bustard 252. Uncommon. Noted only S of Burao, and SW of Berbera. i0d. 154. Otis arabs Arabian Bustard* 249. Two coastal records of single birds at Zeila and Sebawanak on 28 May and 13 Dec 1958. 10a. There are at least 4 previous records from Somalia. 155. Otis kori Kori Bustard 250. Open plains and light bush, but was much persecuted. i8b, 19a. 158. Haematopus ostralegus Oystercatcher 294. Small parties of up to me haras. 9 lic. 160. Charadrius asiaticus Caspian Plover 277. Borama and Hargeisa (maximum 21) 18 - 25 Sep 1958. Two at Sebawanak on 14 Dec 1958. 10a, 2e; 161. Charadrius dubius Little Ringed Plover 267. Maximum of 12 at Bur- ao on 13 and 30 Sep 1956; 2 at Bederwanak on 1 Oct 1958. 19a, 20b. 167. Charadrius tricollaris Three-banded Plover 272. 20a. 30 Observations from northwest Somalia 169. Pluvialis squatarola Grey Plover 279. One at Loyada in breeding plumage on 28 May 1958. tic. 170. Vanellus coronatus Crowned Plover 281. 13a, 18d, 19c. Breeding: chicks were noted at Erigavo in May 1956, and at Hargeisa in Aug and Sep. Copulation was also observed in Dec 1955. 13a, 19a. 177. Actitis hypoleucos Common Sandpiper 312. 10a, 20b. 178. Numenius arquata Curlew 311. Coastal, otherwise 1 flying S at Hargeisa on 24 Aug 1958. 19a. 181. Tringa glareola Wood Sandpiper 314. 18a. 184. Tringa stagnatilis Marsh Sandpiper 317. One at Burao on 13 Sep 1956, appearing with heavy rains. 20b. 187. Gallinago gallinago Common Snipe 298. Two (1 collected) 25 Sep - 1 Oct 1958 at Bederwanak. An emaciated bird at Hargeisa on 25 Oct IQ 56 iat 191. Calidris alpina Dunlin* 304. One at Berbera 17 Sep 1956 - the eighth record for Somalia (A&M). 200. Philomachus pugnax Ruff 309. Small numbers on passage Aug and Sep. Three at Sebawanak on 14 Dec 1958. 10a, 20b. 201. Arenaria interpres Turnstone 310. Small numbers on the coast in winter, with 40+ at Berbera on 7 Mar 1958. lic. 202. Himantopus himantopus Black-winged Stilt 296. Two records only. One at Burao on 13 Sep 1956, 5 at Sebawanak on 13 Dec 1958. 20b. 206. Burhinus capensis Spotted Thicknee 262. 18b. 209. Cursorius cursor Cream-coloured Courser 325. Movements: 6 flying N over the escarpment at Gaan Libah on 19 Dec 1958 may only have been a local movement, but an unusually large flock of 25 - 30 was seen at nearby Go'o the previous day. 10ad. Breeding: a few immatures were at Dubur on If Oct 1956. 20a. 210. Rhinoptilus africanus Two-banded Courser 327. 20b. Breeding: a newly hatched chick was found on the Ban Seila on 17 Aug 1958. 18d. 214. Glareola pratincola Common Pratincole 330. Three records only. An immature at Hargeisa on 13 Aug 1958, 2 (1 immature) at Burao on 13 Sep 1956 and 1 at Berbera on 17 Sep 1956. tic, 20b. There are only 2 previous records in the north (A&M). 219. Larus argentatus Herring Gull 339. Usually some at Berbera in winter, mainly immatures. lic. 225. Larus ridibundus Black-headed Gull 345. Immatures in small num- bers at Berbera in Dec and Mar. Also noted at Aden in 1961, where present throughout the summer (Clarke 1967). 230. Chlidonias leucopterus White-winged Black Tern 361. One record of 8 near Loyada on 28 May 1958, 1 was in breeding plumage and the rest changing into breeding plumage. Observations from northwest Somalia 31 235. Sterna bengalensis Lesser Crested Tern 355. lic. 246. Pterocles exustus Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse 369. 19a. 248. Pterocles senegallus Spotted Sandgrouse 368. Coastal only, max- imum 88 in Mar and Dec. iic. 250. Columba guinea Speckled Pigeon 379. 19c. Breeding: at Hargeisa in Apr, Oct and Nov. 19a. 251. Columba livia Feral Pigeon 376. lic, 19a. 255. Streptopelia decipiens Mourning Dove 387. Seen only at Hargeisa. Breeding: 2 nests containing C2 on 21 - 25 Mar 1958. Copulation seen an Auge: 19a. 259. Streptopelia semitorquata Red-eyed Dove 386. 13b, 18ab. 260. Streptopelia senegalensis Laughing Dove 392. 13b. Breeding: eggs and nestlings found in Mar, Jul, Aug and Nov at Hargeisa, once in the same bush as S.decipiens. 19a. 264. Treron waalia Bruce's Green Pigeon 400. Local movements during Mar, Sep and Oct at Hargeisa and Burao where the fig Ficus does not occur. 13b, 19a, 20b. Breeding: a bird was collected at Gedka Debta on 4 May 1958 containing a fully-formed egg. 18b. 265. Poicephalus rufiventris Orange-bellied Parrot 448. This species possibly moves out of NW Somalia during the summer months as none was seen Jun - Aug. 18a, 20d. 267. Corythaixoides leucogaster White-bellied Go-away Bird 440. 13a, 18a. 269. Chrysococcyx caprius Didric Cuckoo 417. Three singly at Hargeisa in Apr, Jun and Jul. 19a. 271. Clamator glandarius Great Spotted Cuckoo 413. Infrequently seen in Feb, Apr, Jun and Dec. 18bd, 19d. 274. Cuculus canorus Eurasian Cuckoo 404. Seen passing through Har- geisa 19 Jul - 14 Sep. Also 6 on Mt Wogr (4 together) on 14 Oct 1956. They were not determined racially, but in any case, the races record- ed from eastern Africa are poorly defined. 13a. 274a. Cuculus clamosus Black Cuckoo* 407. A.R. Tribe collected a male at Sheikh on 26 Sep 1957, wing 178mm, tail 165mm. This appears to be the first record for Somalia. 20a. 275. Cuculus gularis African Cuckoo* 404. One at Borama on 24 May 1958. A bird with a yellow bill was calling up to 20 times a pene- trating cuc-kow, quite different from the call of C.canorus. This is the eighth record for Somalia (A&M). 280. Centropus superciliosus White-browed Coucal 423. 18b, 19b. 282. Athene noctua Little Owl 537. 18d, 19c. Breeding: at least 1 juvenile seen in a tree at Bederwanak on 29 Nov 1955. An egg was taken from a tree nest at Hargeisa on 25 Mar 1958 and A.R. Tribe a2 Observations from northwest Somalia (pers. comm.) collected a family of five from a Galla grave mound near Exigavo. 13aynt9ian 283. Bubo africanus Spotted Eagle Owl 543. Two records only, from rocky streambeds where they were day roosting under rock overhangs, at Hargeisa on 23 Dec 1955, and at Dubur on 18 Oct 1956. 19a. 284. Bubo lacteus Verreaux's Eagle Owl 544. Breeding: a single fledg- ling seen at Gedka Debta on 9 Feb 1958, whilst a large unfledged cap- tive chick at Hargeisa had its legs deliberately broken by a Somali, and was destroyed. 18b, 19a. 287. Glaucidium perlatum Pearl-spotted Owlet 538. Recorded on 8 occa- Sions: 4 in Feb, once in Apr, 2 in Aug, and once in Sep; all single birds in thick riverside woodland. 297. Caprimulgus nubicus Nubian Nightjar 553. Three individuals of the race torridus were collected after being killed by vehicles - ident- ified by J.G. Williams. 301. Apus affinis Little Swift 643. 19b. Breeding: one colony of 32 - 36 nests under a rock overhang at Monkey Rock N of Adadleh on 13 Jul 195Sru Ob. 305. Apus melba Alpine Swift 640. 13a. 313. Apaloderma narina Narina's Trogon 570. A.R. Tribe collected a fe- male at 1600m at Bismago, Almadu, on 17 Jul 1955. 4ac. 315. Ceryle rudis Pied Kingfisher 465. A male collected by A.R. Tribe at Horufadi on 15 Aug 1957, wing 138mm, tail 69mm. He also reported one in mangroves at the mouth of the Silil wadi, 40km E of Zeila, during the last week of May 1958. 2d, 28a. The first records from north Somalia. 321. Halcyon leucocephala Chestnut-bellied Kingfisher 477. Contrary to Archer & Godman (1961) this species was noted only in Apr - Oct. 18bd. 325. Merops nubicus Carmine Bee-eater 484. One record of a few birds in a flock of White-throated Bee-eaters M. albicollis, at Gedka Debta, 280 —) Si Auge 9555 a eb 328. Merops pusillus Little Bee-eater 488. Breeding: an immature was seen with adults at Hargeisa on 21 Jun 1956. 19a. 329. Merops revoilii Somali Bee-eater 491. 18d, 19c. Breeding: an adult was watched carrying food to a nest (observation for 45min) 32 km S of Hargeisa on 16 Apr 1958. Three days previously 4 eggs had been found below this nest entrance (1 broken), and were judged to be correct for this species (C.W. Mackworth-Praed pers. comm.). They measured 17.5 x 15.Omm. 19c. 330. Merops superciliosus Madagascar Bee-eater 482. Breeding: 6 - 10 nests were found in a wadi bank at Amoud on 24 May 1958. The adults were feeding young. In 1958 A.R. Tribe reported (pers. comm.) that they had bred at Odweina for several years. 18a. Observations from northwest Somalia 33 332. Coracias caudata Lilac-breasted Roller 460. A summer visitor to northwest Somalia, Mar - Oct, but some birds apparently overwinter for they have been seen in Jan and Feb, prospecting nest sites as early as 3 Mar. i19c. Breeding: at Hargeisa in Apr. 19a. 333. Coracias garrulus Eurasian Roller 457. Mainly on passage 16 Sep - 17 Nov, though 1 was at Bihendula on 15 Dec 1958. Only one spring record, at Hargeisa on 4 May 1958. 18b, 19bc, 20b. 336. Upupa epops Hoopoe 517/518. 19d. 338. Phoeniculus minor Abyssinian Scimitarbill 527. 26a. 339. Phoeniculus purpureus Green Wood Hoopoe 519, 521. 13b, 18d. Breeding: bird found sitting in a tree hole at Hargeisa on 9 Apr 1958. 19a. 342. Tockus erythrorhynchus Red-billed Hornbill 505. 18a. 343. Tockus flavirostris Yellow-billed Hornbill 506. 13b, 18ad. Breed- ing: a female was found walled into a nest at Hargeisa on 18 Apr 1958. At least one chick was seen on 25 Jun, and the nest was empty by 13 guts. (19a. 346. Bucorvus abyssinicus Abyssinian Ground Hornbill* 516. A few un- dated records of pairs and small parties from open plains about Naba- did, also twice near Biyo Dai on 9 Sep 1955 and 16 Dec 1956. 19a. Four previous records from Somalia (A&M). 349. Pogoniulus pusillus Red-fronted Tinkerbird 594. 13b. Breeding: copulation was noted at Medishe in May 1956. 13b. 351. Trachyphonus erythrocephalus Red and Yellow Barbet 601. Occurs alongside T. margaritatus at Adadleh and about Mt Wogr. lic, 19a, 20d. 352. Trachyphonus margaritatus Yellow-breasted Barbet 602. Found on the crest of the plateau northwards to the coast. 10a. 353. Indicator indicator Black-throated Honeyguide 605. Single birds an@ pairs at Gedka Debta and Ala'tule. 20a. 360. Campethera nubica Nubian Woodpecker 619. Breeding: two chicks at Hargeisa on 17 Mar 1956 left the nest a week later. 19a. 361. Dendropicos fuscescens Cardinal Woodpecker 623. Less common than C. nubica though as widely distributed. 13a, 18ad. 371. Eremopterix nigriceps White-fronted Sparrow Lark 680. 19a, 20c. 372. Eremopterix signata Chestnut-headed Sparrow Lark 681. Small flocks on the plateau, infrequent, Jun and Sep - Nov. 18ad, 19ac. 373. Galerida cristata Crested Lark 675. 10d. 374. Galerida fremantlii Short-tailed Lark 678. Three records only, in Jul and Oct 1958. 19b. 375. Galerida malabarica Short-crested Lark 676. 18d, 19c. 34 Observations from northwest Somalia 381. Mirafra gilletti Gillett's Lark 664. 19b. 389. Hirundo aethiopica Ethiopian Swallow 1057. Although stated by A&M to be resident, this species was partially migratory in northwest Som- alia, as few birds were to be seen Dec - Mar. On 26 Nov 1958 a flock of 82 was noted before they disappeared, whilst definite increases in numbers were noted in Apr. 391. Hirundo fuligula African Rock Martin 1073. Breeding: two nest- lings "seenwat ba toh during 922) — 2 SeMay ae 5 Gae heck 392. Hirundo rustica Eurasian Swallow 1054. Common passage migrant. Birds moved eastwards in Apr, a few westwards in Jun with more ap- pearing in Jul. The Jul passage agrees with that observed at Aden (GVarker 196/)= 9 vinic.. SaranliGie 22 0b - 397. Dicrurus adsimilis Drongo 1088. 13b. 40 tOriolus On7o0lus Golden, Orrzole ,bV64. Vibe Oa- 402. Corvus albus Pied Crow 1172. Wanderers reported from Sheikh in Oct 1956 (Mrs K.’ Lloyd pers. comm.)); from Burao on*28/72900ers12aaq (J. Corkhill pers. comm.); and Las Dureh (A.R. Tribe pers. comms) 11a; AON de 403. Corvus capensis Cape Rook 1173. lic, 13a, 19a. Breeding: found nesting in the same tree as a Kestrel at Erigavo on 20 May 1956. The nestlings were heard but could not be seen. A second nest with C4 was Lound ,onw2ce Mayne. lar 405. Corvus rhipidurus® Fan-tailediRaven 1 i771 8b, olgae 400. Corvus ruficollis edithae Brown-necked Raven 1171. Common, flock- ing in autumn when 100 were seen at Dubur on 18 Oct 1956. 18d, 19cd. 408. Remiz musculus Mouse-coloured Penduline Tit 1161. Two at Burao on 27 Nov 1956. 20b. 409. Turdoides aylmeri Scaly Chatterer 733. Infrequently seen in small flocks but only at Hargeisa. 411. Turdoides rubiginosus Rufous Chatterer 732. One collected from a dozen birds feeding in herbage and low bush covering an alluvial fan of the Horrof wadi near Borama on 3 Nov 1958. It was sent to J.G. Williams. None was seen subsequently when the site was visited on 4 Dec. The first record of the species from northern Somalia, and it is presumably referable to the nominate race, also new to Somalia. 420. Pycnonotus barbatus Common Bulbul 743, 744. Both the races somal- iensis and dodsoni noted, the latter in the east. 13b. Breeding: on 20 Jun 1958 a nest with 3 nestlings was found at Hargeisa, but by 25th it had been destroyed. This nest was concealed under the remains of an old shirt in an otherwise leafless garden bush. Another nest with C3 was found on 8 Aug, 2 eggs hatched and the young had fledged by 27 the eel iar 424. Cercotrichas galactotes Rufous Bush Chat 934. All records in Observations from northwest Somalia 35 passage months of Mar and Apr, and Aug - Oct, except for a bird at Berbera on 13 Dec 1958. Race(s) not determined. 431. Irania gutturalis Irania 920. A white-bellied male was seen at Hargeisa on 13 Apr 1958. 19a, 20b. 434. Monticola rufocinerea Little Rock Thrush 853. 13b. 435. Monticola saxatilis Rock Thrush 850. Passage migrant generally commonest along the Sheikh/Burao line. One at Hargeisa on 8 Dec 1957. 438. Oenanthe deserti Desert Wheatear 857. 10a. 439. Oenanthe isabellina Isabelline Wheatear 855. The commonest over- wintering wheatear in northwest Somalia. Earliest date was 24 Aug. 10a, 20bcd. A.R. Tribe had specimens from 3c and 13a. 441. Oenanthe oenanthe Northern Wheatear 854. At least 3 records from Biyo Dai, Gaan Libah and Hargeisa in Dec and Jan, but could have been commoner and overlooked. 1i19b. 442. Oenanthe phillipsi Somali Wheatear 856. 10d. Breeding: 19a, in Apr at Hargeisa where immatures were noted. 444. Oenanthe pleschanka Pied Wheatear 859. Common mid Oct to early Apr. White-throated forms were seen twice. 445. Phoenicurus ochrurus Black Redstart 918. A male collected at Gaan Libah on 17 Dec 1958: wing 88mm, tail 65mm. 18b. 447. Saxicola rubetra Whinchat* 883. One at Hargeisa on 20 Apr 1958. 19a. The ninth record for Somalia (A&M). 449. Turdus abyssinicus ludoviciae Somali Blackbird 838. The normal habitat for this distinctive subspecies is juniper forest Juniperus procera, but one was noted in citrus orchard at Haraf on 28 Nov 1958. It was presumably moving between juniper stands situated to the east and west along the escarpment. 18b. Turdus sp. On 12 Oct 1958 whilst on Mt Wogr, a thrush-like bird was seen flying across a glade before disappearing into undergrowth. It was not seen again. The briefest description included: thrush- like shape and size, bright red bill, generally brownish colour with reddish tail and patch in wing, underparts possibly whitish. This description does not agree with any known species. There is a pos- sibility that an undescribed species exists amongst the undergrowth on the mountain. It was not seen by G. Wyman Bury, an ornithologist who spent Jun - Nov 1905 on Mt Wogr; although possibly he spent most of his time in the surrounding country (Archer & Godman 1937). 452. Acrocephalus baeticatus African Reed Warbler* 946. Dr J.S. Ash (pers. comm.) suggests that a bird collected, but unfortunately not preserved, in mangroves at Zeila on 29 May 1958, may possibly be this species. Description: olivaceous brown above, with wings and tail browner and less olivaceous. Below, throat and belly whitish, re- mainder creamy-buff with flanks and undertail browner. The tail was rounded. Wing 56mm, ist primary just shorter than coverts, narrow 36 Observations from northwest Somalia and sharp pointed; 2nd = 6th, 3rd = 4th = longest, 5th just shorter than 3rd/4th. Notch on inner web of 2nd fell far short of the tip of 8th. Upper mandible blackish, lower yellow-flesh, 12mm to base of feathers. Gape orange, feet blackish with a hint of greenish, tarsus 21mm. Dr Ash has kindly provided details of a specimen from similar habitat at Alula for comparison: Zeila bird Alula A. baeticatus Winglength 56 mm 55 mm 59 mm ist primary just Stuarts) 796upp 9) £24". 00. Any reference cited should be listed at the end of the contribution following the form used in this issue. Names of periodicals must be given in full and, in the case of books, the town of publication and the publisher should be given. A number of works, which are cited frequently, should not be listed under ‘References’; the name(s) of the author(s) and date(s) of publication should be given in the text in the normal way. All contributions, which will be acknowledged, should be sent to the Editor, G.C. Backhurst, Box 24702, Nairobi. WORKS WHICH SHOULD NOT BE LISTED UNDER ‘REFERENCES’ ‘BACKHURST, G.C., BRITTON, P.L. & MANN, C.F. 1973. The less common Palaearctic migrant birds of Kenya and Tanzania. Journal of the East Africa Natural History Society and National Museum 140: 1-38, = Backhurst et al, 1973. BENSON, C.W., BROOKE, R.K., DOWSETT, R.J., IRWIN, M.P.S. 1971. The birds of Zambia. London: Collins, = Benson et al, 1971. BRITTON, P.L.(ed.) 1980. Birds of East Africa, their habitat, status and distribution. Nairobi: -EANHS, = Britton 1980. BROWN, L.H. & BRITTON, P.L. 1980. The breeding seasons of East African birds, Nairobi: EANHS, = Brown & Britton 1980. BROWN, L.H., URBAN, E.K. & NEWMAN, K. 1982. The birds of Africa, Vol. 1. London and New York: Academic Press, = Brown et al. 1982. HALL, B.P. & MOREAU, R.E. 1970. An atlas of speciation in African Passerine birds. London: British Museum (Nat. Hist.), = Hall & Moreau 1970. JACKSON, F.J. 1938. The birds of Kenya Colony and the Uganda Protectorate. 3 vols. London: Gurney & Jackson, = Jackson 1938. MACKWORTH-PRAED, C.W. & GRANT, C.H.B. 1957 & 1960. African handbook of birds. Series I, Vols. 1 & 2; Birds of eastern and north eastern Africa. 2nd edition. London: Longmans Green & Co., = Mackworth-Praed & Grant 1957 and/or 1960. MOREAU, R.E. 1966. The bird faunas of Africa and its islands. London: Academic Press, = Moreau 1966. 1972. The Palaearctic-African bird migration systems. London: Academic Press, = Moreau 1972. SNOW, D.W. (ed.) 1978. An atlas of speciation in African Non-Passerine birds. London: British Museum (Nat. Hist.), = Snow 1978. EAST AFRICAN BIRD REPORT This forms the fifth issue of Scopus and each report covers one calendar year. Records of Afrotropical Region and Oceanic birds should be sent ot D.A. Turner, Box 48019, Nairobi; records of Palaearctic Region birds to Dr D.J. Pearson, Department of Biochemistry, University of Nairobi, Box 30197, Nairobi. Records should be sent in early in the new year to ensure the speedy production of the Bird Report. Reports of rare birds may be telephoned ‘hrough to any OS-C member (numbers inside front cover) in the hope that the bird(s) aay be seen by others. _ Criteria covering the submission of Bird Report records are given in Scopus Supplement, ane 1982, copies of which are available from D.A. Turner. BIRDS OF EAST AFRICA pies of this 270-page book are available from the Secretary, EANHS, Box 44486, Nairobi, t Stg£8.00 or US$17.00 surface mail to anywhere in the world. ©10AMR EF ez - CONTENTS BAD HOM aE eee ee a a et wae Be ec xe ete ete a rst PETER LACK. The ecology of the land-birds of Tsavo East National Park, Kenya. 6. af se Ae Se es ee oo G. CLARKE. Bird observations from northwest Somalia ...... . Jjo 7 Ash Midwinter Observations) £~0m! DiyjtbOuci i) yma Short communications Reviews Notices Addendum PETER and HAZEL BRITTON. Shoebill Balaeniceps rex: a deletion from the Kenya avifauna . -. =. = % N.E. BAKER. Ground nesting of Emerald-spotted Wood Dove’ fugceur Chalcospilos: fae A.L. ARCHER. Protective behaviour in a nestling Red-chested Cuckoo Cuculus solitarius ... J.E. MISKELL and J.S. ASH. Gillett's Lark Mirafra gillecei, new tO Kenyal 52 (5) nnn Gs CLARKE. Leucisitie Somalal balsds CnC Printed in Kenya by AMREF, Box 30125, Nairobi 24 43 50 50 52 33) 54 55) 56 49 ) 4542. ISSINSOZS 0 S462 TS wa B tee, “BAL LEISUN I 4a; OS Py \. A quarterly publication of the Ornithological Sub-Committee East African Natural History Society Edited by Graeme Backhurst Volume 9 (3) September 1985 SCOPUS Scopus is normally published five times a year (although issues may be combined to allow for long papers) by the Ornithological Sub-Committee of the East African Natural History Society. Subscriptions are payable to the OS-C Hon Treasurer (and Secretary), D.A. Turner [tel. 48772] , Scopus a/c, Box 48019, Nairobi, Kenya, at the following rates: East African residents: KShs 75.00 (KShs 78.50 up-country). Overseas, surface mail: Stg£6.00, US$12.00 or equivalent in convertible currency. Drafts in Kenya currency cannot be accepted. Overseas, air mail: Stg£7.50, US$15.00 or equivalent in convertible currency. Drafts in Kenya currency cannot be accepted. Overseas rates apply to all countries other than Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Those wishing to remit by bank transfer should do so to D.A. Turner, Scopus a/c No. 2852601, Barclays Bank of Kenya Ltd., Market Branch, Box 30018, Nairobi. The Chairman of the OS-C is Dr D.J. Pearson [house tel. 47041], Department of Biochemistry, University of Nairobi, Box 30197, Nairobi. Other members of the OS-C are: G.C. Backhurst [house tel. 891419, office tel. 501301], Editor of Scopus and Ringing Organizer, Box 24702, Nairobi; N.E. Baker, Box 5272, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; J.S.S. Beesley (UK); Dr Margaret Carswell, Box 151, Kampala, Uganda; M.A.C. Coverdale [¢el. Diani 2088], Box 36, Ukunda, via Mombasa; J.H. Fanshawe, GEMS PAC, UNEP, Box 47074, Nairobi; Mrs Cecilia Gichuki [office tel. 742131/4, 742161/4], Ornithology Section, National Museums of Kenya, Box 40658, Nairobi; Dr K.M. Howell, Box 35064, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; Dr W. Karanja, Department of Zoology, University of Nairobi, Box 30197, Nairobi; Dr A.D. Lewis, Department of Geology, University of Nairobi, Box 30197, Nairobi; B.S. Meadows (UK); Dr D.E. Pomeroy, Department of Zoology, University of Makerere, Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda; J.F. Reynolds (UK); D.K. Richards, Box 24545, Nairobi; Dr M.E. Smalley, Department of Zoology, University of Nairobi, Box 30197, Nairobi; T. Stevenson, Lake Baringo Club, Box 47557, Nairobi. NOTES FOR CONTRIBUTORS - Scopus welcomes original contributions in English on all aspects of the ornithology of eastern Africa. Contributions will be assessed by the members of the OS-C and/or by independent referees. The material published in Scopus is divided into ‘papers’ and ‘short communications’, the latter will usually be less than two pages in length. Authors of ‘papers’ are entitled to five copies of their contribution gratis. Extra copies, which will be supplied at cost, must be ordered when the MS is submitted. Contributions should be typed in 1% or double spacing on one side of the paper only, with wide margins all round, and should be submitted in duplicate. Exceptionally clear hand-written MSS will be considered but these too should be sent in duplicate. Both English and scientific names of birds should be given when the species is first mentioned, thereafter only one should be used; they should be those of Birds of East Africa unless the species does not occur in that work. Tables, which should be numbered, should appear in the typescript, NOT grouped on separate sheets at the end. Metric units should be used. Illustrations should be on good quality white paper, bristol board or tracing material, in line, and should not be larger than 19 x 23 cm. Lettering (in black) will be the responsibility of the author and should be done neatly in Letraset (or similar), no larger than 14 point (3.9 mm). Each illustration should be numbered (Fig. 1, etc.) and be provided with a legend typed on a separate sheet of paper. Photographs will also be considered. Scopus 9 (3), September 1985 THE ECOLOGY OF THE LAND-BIRDS OF TSAVO EAST NATIONAL PARK, KENYA (continued) Peter Lack Kingfishers Alcedinidae Only two of the six species concern us here. The Striped Kingfisher Halcyon chelicuti was a resident which occurred fairly commonly wherever there were large trees with some open ground underneath. It Was especially common in Riverine where these requirements are most often met. The Chestnut-bellied H. leucocephala had similar require- ments, but had a more marked preference for Riverine. When it was seen elsewhere, it was usually near waterholes. Despite these habitat preferences I did not see either species feed from the water. The Chestnut-bellied was markedly seasonal in its occurrence in Tsavo al- though one or two could usually be found in any month. Some may move only a short distance. Tennent (1962) found the species around Kitui (250 km NNW of Voi and 500m higher) between July and September and again in February and March. It is also known as a longer distance Migrant, viz. the two ringing recoveries in Kenya in November and March of birds ringed in Ethiopia in October (Ash 1976). TABLE 4 Feeding behaviour of two kingfishers Halcyon in Tsavo H. leucocephala H. chelicuti Number of items 59 46 Pounce to ground (%) 80 85 Items taken from the air (%) 8 ikal Items taken with bird in flight (%) 31 41 Height of perch used to reach for prey (m)* 4.4 + 0.4 (41) Vals ocala. (sib) Distance flown (m)? 10-2 ,+ Use (38) de 4s 3 27 (30) ‘Perches on trees (%) 76 00 Shee nak bushes (3) Oe ee Our a> Feeding rate (items/min) 0.13 Ost2 (13 items) (24 items) Notes: *Heights and distances are quoted as mean + standard error, with sample size in parentheses ?7 per cent on electricity wires Data show that the feeding behaviour of the two kingfishers is very Similar indeed (Table 4). Both species were usually seen on horizon- Scopus 9: 57-96, September 1985 58 Tsavo East land-bird ecology tal branches at the base of tree canopies whence they pounced to the ground for individual prey items. All prey seen taken where quite large insects. Other kingfishers recorded: Brown-hooded H. albiventris, Pygmy Ispid- ina picta, and two fish-eating species. Bee-eaters Meropidae Considerable numbers of large bee-eaters passed high overhead between late August and October and again in April. Three species were in- volved, the Eurasian Merops apiaster, Blue-cheeked M. persicus and the Madagascar M. superciliosus, but they rarely stopped. The Madagascar Bee-eater did, however, stop at other times and occurred fairly com- monly in Woodland and Riverine (rarely in other habitats) from Novem- ber to late March. There is also one certain and one possible breed- ing record for July and August (see Lack et al. 1980). The nominate race of M. superciliosus occurs in East Africa from May to September although some individuals apparently remain at parts of the coast throughout the year (Britton 1980). Where the birds which came to Tsavo in November were coming from was uncertain. I suspect that they came from Somalia following the rain belt south, as is com- mon with other species. Although Archer & Godman (1961) say that the species is resident in Somalia, November to March is dry there and it may be only partially resident. The few Tsavo records in July and August no doubt refer to the well-known population; this population is in Madagascar and southeastern Africa from October to March and mi- grates north at other times. The species is seen extensively on pass- age in Zambia in April and September (Benson et al. 1973). The White-throated Bee-eater M. albicollis is another migrant to Tsavo. It occurred from November to January and again in March and April, with very few in February. The migrations of this species are quite well-known. It breeds just south of the Sahara (exceptionally into southern Kenya) in the northern summer (Snow 1978), and then mi- grates to spend the non-breeding season in parts of Kenya, Tanzania and localities further to the west. In Tsavo it occurred only in the more open habitats and along the edge of Riverine. The final two species are both small and were resident. The Little Bee-eater M. pusillus was commonest in Riverine, and when away from this habitat it was almost always by watercourses or other damp areas. By contrast, the Somali Bee-eater M. revoilii only occurred in the Park savanna habitats with woody vegetation and often in very dry areas. It is another species which has been extending its range south with the opening up of the habitat (A.D. Forbes-Watson pers. comn., Leuthold 1973). The feeding ecology of the four species is summarized in Table 5. All species were entirely insectivorous and took the majority of their food in flight. It was noted that the insects caught were fairly big but I could not tell whether or not there was a predominance of Hymen- optera, as recorded in many places (Fry 1972). 59 Tsavo East land-bird ecology SS SS SS SS SS RO AR, punozb sy Wory ¥ZT UATM EF = U SUTeUWeZT aATeYy. pepntoxe oeze eseuy JI “ate oy UT ,TereAes, buTyez [Te spaztq zt pue ‘OT “8 ‘G ‘€ FO SpA0DeX SApnToUT sTUL, 6Z/O0°T + Z°8 Sowooeq eaznhTF Sty pepntoxs eze Ws] 4e SeATM AQTOTAWOeTS UO spzTtq ale ailee (/) 4074s enbtT Go eu} AZeqVye ezts eTdues seyj YATM 7Z0Aze pzepueqs + ues se pajonb seize ssoue ASTp pue SqUuBTeH, *SO70N (VE) (18) (6T) (82) sesoyjuerzed 9S°0 89°0 Whe (0 0€°O UT swezT FO ZequmuU (UTW/SWeyIT) oer BbuTpeeq O€/ ve/ Sil/, Ge7 Cl 2 0 4G Lge Ue Sall’) 9°€ + E°UT O°r + 6°82 ((W) wWeqT ‘ pooy OF UMOTF soUe STAC c€/ Gay bS/ 90/ 1.40 ct ST Op €E°O + GT Lowen fh ts 28°O + 8°OT ,(u) Aeszd z0oz ATeM O07 pesn yorzed so AyUudbTEH ve/Z°0 + ZT Sv/E°0 + LT 97/8°0 + E°E Ov/T°T + L°8 ,(W) emnqdeo zo 3ybhTeEH 02 v Z ) (%) punozb6 su worzz uexyey, 08 96 86 OOT (%) aTe ey} UT UuSeyeL 08 8E7 e€7Z SOT suleztT JO 7ZequNN (B¢1) Trews © (61) TTeus (6¢z) untpew (Bey) ebzeq (3y5Tem) ezTsS TITTOASZ *W SNTTrsnd *w STTTOOTQT® °W SNSOTTTOZedns *W OARS] UT SdOAMW STAaZPe-seq UOWMIOD INOJ FO ANOTAPYyeq buTpeeay G dAITAVL 60 Tsavo East land-bird ecology The differences between species mainly reflect their habitat and size differences, the larger species feeding higher in the air, using higher perches to wait for prey and flying further out to feed. in particular, the Madagascar Bee-eater used the electricity wires run- ning parallel to the Nairobi - Mombasa road as perches, and these were considerably higher than any other perch nearby. Other species recorded: Carmine M. nubicus. Rollers Coraciidae There was only one resident species, the Lilac-breasted Roller Corac- jas caudata. It occurred in all habitats although it was much com- moner in Riverine than elsewhere. The Rufous-crowned Roller C. naevia was much less common, is larger and had similar habitat preferences. It was, however, a migrant, occurring particularly from April to June. Brown & Brown (1973) also found an increase in this species at this time of year, and in the Lilac-breasted, along the Nairobi - Mombasa road, especially after good rains. Again the birds were of unknown origin. The final Coracias species is the Eurasian Roller C. garrulus which, when it was present, was much the commonest of the three. It occurred in all habitats, but especially the Park savanna habitats. It ‘was rarest in Riverine where the Lilac-breasted was commonest. It ar- rived with the onset of the rains in November, and became steadily less common as the northern winter progressed, although during rain, and during spring migration, some large very loose flocks (up to sev- eral hundred strong) were seen passing through. The final species, the Broad-billed Roller Eurystomus glaucurus is another species which occurred from November to April although it appeared in small numbers after unseasonal rain (e.g. September 1976). This suggests, perhaps, that it does not move far. It was uncommon and occurred only in Riverine and occasionally near baobab trees. All four species were primarily insectivorous although they were seen to take small vertebrates occasionally. The Broad-billed was very different from the other three though I have few data. It was usually seen at the top of large bare trees (mean height of 13 birds seen feeding/searching was PSeim (ese 1.2m). From these it took insects in the air and only occasionally from the ground. Ground feed- ing was the predominant feeding method of the other three species, data for which are given in Table 6. All were very similar. The only statistically significant difference between any species pair was the height of perch used by the Eurasian compared with the other two. This was due largely to the species' habitat preferences and the perch availability in these habitats. In most cases the species flew out and ate single items such as large beetles or grasshoppers. All the rollers were opportunists, however, and capitalized on, for example, an emergence of flying termites. They were also occasionally seen eat- ing several termites on one flight to the ground. Tsavo East land-bird ecology 61 TABLE 6 Feeding behaviour of three rollers Coracias in Tsavo C. garrulus C. caudata C. naevia Number of feeding movements? £1282 104 16 % from ground 9A a9 69 % from air 8 19 25 Height of aerial capture (m)? 4.2 +.1.9 6. 8.41.8 350 452-2 /7 J£i13 Le Height of perch used to search for prey (m)’ 2 ete oe 226/t70.3 Go + 1e2 Ths /67 /9 Distance flown to food (m)?* Aono 2 16.0 + 1.6) 2027 454.7 {72 /65 /9 Feeding rate (items/min) number of items in 0.16 0.14 0.07 parentheses (42) (51) {8) Notes: ‘Heights and distances are quoted as mean + standard error with the sample size after the oblique stroke (/) In most cases one feeding movement is equivalent to one food item, but in a few cases the bird flew down to a termite or ant nest and ate several items before returning. These have been scored as one feeding movement in this table. 7I also had four records of 'several' birds catching flying termites in the air. These are not included above. Hoopoe Upupidae The African race (africana) of the Hoopoe Upupa epops was fairly com- mon in thicker habitats between January and July, especially in Wood- land. It was very rare for the rest of the year and probably migrates south to southern Tanzania for this period (see Britton 1980). All 97 food items recorded were insects taken from the ground. Eighty per cent were from bare ground, often as a result of digging. It eats a large number of termites as do many ground feeders but what proportion of the total diet was termite is unknown. It often worked along termite galleries. Wood-hoopoes Phoeniculidae There were two common residents: the Green Wood-hoopoe Phoeniculus Purpureus occurred only in habitats with trees, particularly Riverine. The Abyssinian Scimitarbill P.minor is half the size and occurred in 62 Tsavo East land-bird ecology all habitats with woody vegetation, except Riverine, but was commoner in the thicker ones. The feeding behaviour of the two species was very similar. Both fed mainly by probing twigs, branches and sometimes fallen logs, and ex- tracting insects from the bark. They sometimes dug extensively into the bark and pulled off pieces. There is also a major difference in that the larger Green Wood-hoopoe chose larger branches (Table 7). Other species recorded: Violet Wood-hoopoe P. granti and Scimitarbill P. cyanomelas. TABLE 7 Feeding sites of two wood-hoopoes Phoeniculus (n = 45 for both species) P. purpureus P. minor SS SS SS, Twig/stem diameter 0.5 inches (1.3 cm) - 11 Branch diameter 0.5 inches (1.3 cm) La 23 Main trunk 24 9 Fallen log 11 2 Live wood* ?size 22 20 Dead wood ?size iA 18 Other? 20 18 Notes: a) Figures are percentages b) Records of feeding and active searching have been included. Only one record per bird has been scored. If a bird was on more than one site while being watched, only the first site has been scored. c) P. purpureus feeds from larger branches. Taking the first three sites only, the difference between the species is signifi- Can't (enw a1 l pices Dy < 0). Oi) ie *For P. purpureus the 22% is made up of 11% on 'twigs' and 11% on 'branches'. For P.minor the 20% is made up of 7% on 'twigs and 13% on ‘branches’. ?For P. purpureus the 20% is made up of 7% from the ground and 13% from unknown sites. For P.minor the 18% is made up of 5% from the air, 4% from leaves and 9% from unknown sites. Hornbills Bucerotidae There were four common species, all in the genus Tockus. Some individ- uals of all four species were resident, but only the Grey Hornbill T. nasutus showed no seasonal pattern of occurrence. It occurred most commonly in Riverine but was also seen in other habitats, and was seen more often in very dry areas than any of the other species. The Yellow billed Hornbill Tf. flavirostris showed a slight seasonal peak of abun- dance in April but was present all the year. It was common in Woodland and only very few were seen outside this habitat. The other two species, the Red-billed Tf. erythrorhynchus and Von der Tsavo East land-bird ecology 63 70 60 = (Sy) oO (a) hours wW Oo Nos per 10 ete ee nS Fig. 2. The seasonal pattern of occurrence of two hornbills in Wood- land and in other habitats. Solid line: Von der Decken's Tockus deck- eni in Woodland, and ..... in all other habitats. +. .+ Red-billed T. erythrorhynchus in Woodland, ande....-.ein all other habitats. Three- month running means have been calculated (see text). T. deckeni, were the commonest two. Von der Decken's was, like the Yellow-billed, very much commoner in Woodland than in any other habi- tat. The Red-billed was also commonest in Woodland, but was very much the commonest of the four species in all the other habitats except Grassland. The seasonal cycles of abundance of these last two species were al- most complementary, with the Red-billed being commonest in the wet seasons and Von der Decken's in the dry season. But this is an over- Simplification. The data for the two species are shown in Fig. 2 over the 25 months of the study (calculated as a three-month running mean) with the birds in Woodland separate from those in all other habitats. Von der Decken's Hornbill showed a peak of abundance in Woodland co- inciding with the peak of Commiphora africana fruit. In other habi- tats there was a slight peak during the wet seasons, but it was always uncommon in these. The cycles of the Red-billed parallel these very Closely, but here the cycle in the Park savanna habitats and Riverine dominates that in Woodland in the total. The peak coincides with the peak insect abundance. I have no specific evidence to show whether 64 Tsavo East land-bird ecology there was some seasonal movement from the Park savanna habitats with Riverine into Woodland in July. A subjective impression of the num- bers involved suggested that there was some additional movement into and out of the Tsavo area as a whole. All four species ate both fruit and insects (Table 8). The Red- billed was much more insectivorous than the other species and this ex- plains its broader habitat preferences and the dominance of the ‘other habitats' in its seasonal cycle. The insects taken by all four were predominantly from the ground: Red-billed 94 per cent of 175 items TABLE 8 Food items of four hornbills Tockus in Tsavo Percentage on No. of Other Other Unknown items Fruit Insect plant animal? Unknown T. erythrorhynchus 748)8) 35 64 1 1 1 T. deckeni 226 69 29 2 - - T. flavirostris 83 63 Si - = - T. nasutus 65 69 20 - 8 3 Notes:'Other plant: fT. erythrorhynchus - 1 seed; Tf. deckeni - 1 seed, 5 flowers ?Other animal: fT. erythrorhynchus - 1 lizard; T. nasutus - 3 lizards, 1 frog, 1 egg where the site of capture was known, Von der Decken's 93 per cent of 55 tems, Yellow-billed 97 per cent of 31 items and Grey 80 per cent of 10 items. The first three, at least, took a large number of termites, and the Red-billed was seen several times eating termites and beetles from dung-piles, especially those of elephant and buffalo. The fruits taken were correlated with habitat preferences. Commiphora spp. ac- counted for 66 per cent of the fruits taken by Von der Decken's, 83 per cent by Yellow-billed but only 35 per cent by Red-billed. My few data suggest that the Grey is rather different from the other three. The insects were all single large items; I did not record it eating termites and only two individuals were seen eating Commiphora fruit. Kemp (1973) says it is entirely an insectivore and, further, that it feeds entirely in the trees. Other species recorded: Crowned T. alboterminatus, Silvery-cheeked Bycanistes brevis and Ground Bucorvus cafer. Barbets Capitonidae The six common species were all resident and, with the exception of the two ground barbets Trachyphonus spp., were very restricted in their habitat preferences to Woodland and/or Riverine. They were all seen almost invariably in the trees rather than in bushes. Tsavo East land-bird ecology 65 The Brown-breasted Barbet Lybius melanopterus was only seen in Riverine forest, and usually at fruiting trees, especially Ficus spp. Of 77 food items, 90 per cent were fruit. The Spotted-flanked L. lac- rymosus was similar except for being seen occasionally in Woodland, or along small watercourses. It differed further in being half the size, and eating both insects (44 per cent of 66 items) and fruits (56 per cent). It took 66 per cent of its insects in flight. The Black-throated Barbet L. melanocephalus was very similar in size and plumage to the Spotted-flanked but it was almost restricted to Woodland, not Riverine, and ate fruits almost exclusively (97 per cent of 91 items of which 78 per cent were Commiphora). The Red-fronted Tinkerbird Pogoniulus pusillus, half the size of the previous two species, occurred rarely in both Woodland and Riverine and ate pre- dominantly fruits (87 per cent of 37 items). The two ground barbets fTrachyphonus are very different structually from the other barbets. D'Arnaud's Barbet T. darnaudii occurred quite commonly in the thicker habitats although it was very rare in River- ine. The Red-and-Yellow Tf. erythrocephalus was more widespread still, occurring in all habitats except Grassland. In contrast to the other barbets, these two fed in the bushes or on the ground, and not in trees. The Red and Yellow was primarily an insectivore (83 per cent of 29 items); indeed the only bird seen eating fruit was one eating Salvadora persica in a bush which was laden at the time. All the in- sects were termites taken from the ground. D'Arnaud's ate both in- sects (55 per cent of 77 items) and fruits (45 per cent). All the insects were from the ground, and in all but one case (ants) they were termites. Other species recorded: White-headed Lybius leucocephalus, Black- collared L. torquatus, Red-fronted L. leucomelas and Golden-rumped Tinkerbird Pogoniulus bilineatus. Honeyguides Indicatoridae The Black-throated Honeyguide Indicator indicator was rare south of the Galana River and occurred mainly in Woodland. North of the river it was slightly commoner. The Lesser Honeyguide I. minor was uncommon in Woodland and Riverine. It was probably resident but was noted more often in the wet seasons, probably due to its calling more then. Other species recorded: Scaly-throated Honeyguide I. variegatus. Woodpeckers Picidae All three species recorded were fairly common residents at least in some habitats. The Nubian Campethera nubica was the commonest and most widespread. It occurred wherever there were trees or large dead stumps. The Cardinal Dendropicos fuscescens had similar habitat pref- erences but was much less common. The Bearded Thripias namagquus only occurred where there were large trees and therefore it was largely confined to Riverine. 66 Tsavo East land-bird ecology All three species seemed to be typical woodpeckers, habitually searching twigs and branches for in- sects. I have very few records of birds capturing food items. The data for the size of twigs and branches on which birds were seen actively searching for food are shown in Fig 3 and show that the size of branch closely parallels the size of the bird: median diameter for the Car- dinal (weight 25 g) was 1.6cm, for the Nubian (59 g) 3.0cm, and for the Bearded (82 g) it was 11.4cm. D [o) . (=) of records Larks Alaudidae There were four regular Mirafra and two regular Eremopterix species. The two commonest Mirafra species were both resident with the Pink-breasted Lark M. poecilosterna one of the most widespread birds in the area. It was very common in all the Park savanna habitats but only occurred in Wood- land where there were few bushes under the trees. It was not seen in Riverine. With these preferences it ELGG sau) hewitt Ser lbpuUcron ior is probable that the species has be- twig/branch size searched by come much commoner with the opening three woodpeckers: a) Cardinal up of the habitat. The Red-winged Dendropicos fuscescens (n = 44),|Bush Lark M. hypermetra is much b) Nubian Campethera nubica (n=|larger. It occurred primarily in 36), c) Bearded Thripias nama- Grassland although it seemed to re- guus (n = ll) quire a few dead sticks for use as — SS’ Song ‘posts. Lt c¢eupecd set seamen Park savanna habitats, though it was much less common there. nN (ao) % 5 10 15 20 25 Twig size (cm) The status of the other two Mirafra species is in some doubt. This is due mainly to identification problems, especially early in my study. Both species, the Singing Bush Lark M. cantillans and Fried- mann's Bush Lark M. pulpa, occurred regularly from December to Feb- ruary with some remaining till May. A few individuals of either or both (I could only reliably distinguish them when they were singing) were found at other times but most seemed to have moved away. The Singing Bush Lark is certainly migratory in some parts of its range (Mackworth-Praed & Grant 1957) and it and Friedmann's have come to the lights of Ngulia Safari Lodge in Tsavo West in November and December, suggesting that they both move at night (Backhurst & Pearson 1977). In December 1976 a Red-winged Bush Lark also came to the lights there at night (G.C. Backhurst pers. comm.). Tsavo East land-bird ecology 67 The Singing Bush Lark had very similar habitat preferences to the Red-winged but was less common. Friedmann's was found most commonly in Bushed Grassland and more were seen in the western half of the Park, where there was a higher grass cover, than in the more eastern parts. Most of the unidentified individuals between May and November were in Grassland which suggests that most were probably Singing Bush Larks, not Friedmann's. All individuals of the four species which were seen feeding were on the ground, and they seemed to take both seeds and insects. My data record Red-winged Bush Lark eating 32 items - 47 per cent insect, rest unidentified; Pink-breasted Lark 60 items - 47 per cent insect, rest unidentified; the Singing Bush Lark was seen to take a single flying insect. The stomach of one Friedmann's Bush Lark collected in Tsavo East contained both seeds and insects (Lack 1977). This last paper also contains many more details of this species, with comparative notes on the others. The Chestnut-headed Sparrow Lark Eremopterix signata was found fair- ly commonly in the three most open habitats with a few in Bushland and Wooded Bushland. I did not record it in Woodland or Riverine. The species was not recorded before 1965 and it has evidently replaced Fischer's Sparrow Lark E. leucopareia which was fairly common in the early 1960s (D.A. Turner pers. comm.) , presumably again due to the Opening up of the habitat. The other Eremopterix, the Chestnut-backed E. leucotis was less common and restricted to Grassland and Bushed Grassland. 120 4 il \ aa uv ~~ at “| k ORN iD See CAtre My oo de WAL Sok Si Nu 6 D 1976 Fig. 4. The seasonal occurrence of two species of sparrow lark: solid line Chestnut-headed Eremopterix signata, pecked line Chestnut-backed E. leucotis The Chestnut-backed Sparrow Lark occurred only in flocks and soon after rain (Fig. 4). The Chestnut-headed was also in flocks except when breeding (April) but was rather erratic in its appearances. Many were seen in April and May 1975, September and October 1975, February 68 Tsavo East land-bird ecology 1976 and May to September 1976 with relatively few at other times (see Fig. 4). The species evidently wanders a good deal, though some in- dividuals are resident in some areas (Britton 1980). Both these birds are thought to be largely granivorous although the Chestnut-headed was seen taking insects to its young in the nest on three occasions. Other species recorded: Flappet Lark Mirafra rufocinnamomea, Fischer's Sparrow Lark Eremopterix leucopareia. Drongos Dicruridae The Drongo Dicrurus adsimilis was one of the most widespread birds in the Tsavo area. It was resident and common in all habitats with trees especially Woodland. It was less common in Bushland and much less in Grassland and Bushed Grassland. It was insectivorous and predominant- ly a flycatcher taking 71 per cent of 363 items in the air, 20 per cent from the ground and 8 per cent from leaves in bushes or trees. In all, 85 per cent of items were taken while the bird) was) in, f£lvehe eithe average height above the ground of the perches used to wait for prey was 4°6m (see, = 0.5, mn = 124)),) and) the bi ndy vem some 9.3m (se. .— 0.8, n = 109) to the food items. Lt was) cftenjseen following large mammals taking insects disturbed by them. Orioles Oriolidae The Black-headed Oriole Oriolus larvatus was a resident in Woodland and Riverine and occurred rarely in other habitats with trees. The Golden Oriole O.oriolus had very similar habitat preferences al- — though was commoner in Wooded and Bushed Grassland. It is a Palae- TABLE 9 Feeding behaviour of two orioles Oriolus in Tsavo a TE O. oriolus O. larvatus a Number of items 53) 41 per centage insects’ AS, 3y per centage of insects taken off leaves Qe 80 per centage of total food items taken while bird was in flight 2 24 Height of feeding (m)? 8.8) 4/058 6.8 + 1.0 (18) (15) a EEE SIEDUnIISIEEEDUURIE Notes: ‘All items that were not insect were fruit 2Height is given as mean + standard error with the sample size in parentheses. The difference between the two species is not significant; t = 1.56 with df 31, N.S. iD arctic migrant and occurred from October to April. It was one of the few migrants to arrive before the rains (lack.1983)~ Both species were seen to eat both fruit and insects and almost en- tirely in trees. Table 9 gives some data on their feeding behaviour Tsavo East land-bird ecology 69 and shows that here, as in habitat preferences, there seemed to be al- most no differences between the two species. Furthermore the two are almost the same size. Other species recorded: African Golden Oriole O. auratus. Crows Corvidae The Pied Crow Corvus albus was fairly common in Voi town but was only very rarely recorded inside the Park boundary. The White-necked Raven C.albicollis was similar but ranged a little further from the town. Neither species was important in the ecology of the Park, and both appeared to be largely dependent on man for their food, whether it was his rubbish, or carcasses of animals killed by vehicles on the main road. These carcasses were left to the two crows and the Black Kite Milvus migrans, which had a very similar distribution, whereas 'natu- ral' carcasses in the Park were left almost entirely to the vultures and the Marabou Leptoptilos crumeniferus. Other species recorded: Indian House Crow Corvus splendens. Tits and Penduline Tits Paridae and Remizidae The Grey Tit Parus afer and the Mouse-coloured Penduline Tit Remiz musculus were both rare residents in Woodland and other thick hab- itats. They were mostly seen in the northern area. Other species recorded: Whité-bellied Tit Parus albiventris. Babblers Timaliidae Both the Scaly Chatterer Turdoides aylmeri and the Rufous Chatterer T. rubiginosus were usually seen in noisy groups of about five, moving Slowly through thick bushes within one metre of the ground. Neither Was common. I have no data but both species are thought to be en- tirely insectivorous and feed on or near the ground. The Scaly Chatterer was a resident in Woodland, especially the thicker parts, and was also seen, but more rarely, in Bushland and Wooded Bushland. The Rufous Chatterer was rarely seen in Riverine and very rarely elsewhere. Cuckoo Shrikes Campephagidae The one species, the Black Cuckoo Shrike Campephaga flava, was rare in Woodland, Riverine and, in the northern area only, in other thick hab- itats. More were seen from December to May than at other times (27, cf. 3 in censuses) indicating that it was mainly a migrant or wanderer to Tsavo. It fed mainly on insects taken from leaves (81 per cent of 21 items) and many were taken while the bird was in flight (67 per cent). Bulbuls Pycnonotidae Both the Zanzibar Sombre Greenbul Andropadus importunus and the North- ern Brownbul Phyllastrephus strepitans were much more often heard than seen. They were both fairly common residents, but only in Woodland and Riverine. The Common Bulbul Pynonotus barbatus, of which the 70 Tsavo East land-bird ecology distinctive race dodsoni occurs, was a resident and more widespread than the other two. It was commonest in Woodland and Riverine, but occurred regularly in all habitats except Bushed Grassland and Grass- land. All three species spent much of their time inside thickets. The Zanzibar Sombre Greenbul was only seen eating fruits (19 items) and the Northern Brownbul only insects (45 items). The latter stayed very low down (mean height of feeding = 1.2m(s.e. = 0.2m, n = 19)) taking insects from leaves (70 per cent), stems (9 per cent), the ground (6 per cent) or the air (7 per cent). The Common Bulbul ate insects (14 per cent of 139 items), fruit (72 per cent) and flowers (14 per cent). Despite their habitat preferences the Zanzibar Sombre Greenbul and Common Bulbul were only rarely seen eating Commiphora fruit (25 per cent of the fruits eaten by each), and for both species much of the fruit taken was from bushes not trees. Other species recorded: Yellow-bellied Greenbul Chlorocichla flavi- ventris and Nicator Nicator chloris. ; Thrushes and Chats Turdidae There were eleven regular species of which seven were Palaearctic mi- grants. Three of the four Afrotropical species were resident and oc- curred only in the thicker habitats, although none was in Riverine. The Bare-eyed Thrush Turdus tephronotus was fairly common in Woodland but very rare outside this habitat. The Spotted Morning Thrush Cich- ladusa guttata was very rare in censuses and only seen in Woodland. It always remained in the middle of the thicker bushes. The White- browed Scrub Robin Cercotrichas leucophrys was the commonest of the three. It was fairly common in Woodland, Wooded Bushland and Bushland with some in thickets in other habitats. The final Afrotropical species, the Capped Wheatear Oenanthe pileata, was an uncommon visi- tor to open habitats, mainly from March to June. Among the seven Palaearctic migrants there are similar sized potent- ial competitors for all these four Afrotropical species. However, only for the Capped Wheatear, for which there are three, and the White-browed Scrub Robin (one) are these migrants congeneric. The Rock Thrush Monticola saxatilis is of similar size to the Bare-eyed Thrush but it occurred primarily in the open habitats. It was commonest in December and January but was present from November and stayed until late March. The Irania Irania gutturalis and Sprosser Luscinia luscinia were very similar in all respects to the Spotted Morning Thrush. Both oc- curred in thick bushes primarily in Woodland and both were present throughout November to April although there were fewer in January and February than the other months. The Rufous Bush Chat Cercotrichas galactotes was the only one of these Palaearctic migrants to meet a fairly common resident congener, the White-browed Scrub Robin. The habitat preferences of the two over- lapped considerably, but the Rufous Bush Chat was more widespread in the open habitats. It was common all through the northern winter from November to March. Tsavo East land-bird ecology 71 The three Palaearctic Oenanthe species are unlikely to compete seri- ously with the Capped Wheatear as this was relatively very much scarcer. However, it is possible that the Palaearctic species delay the arrival of the Capped as it arrived in Tsavo mainly after the Pal- aearctic ones had left. The three Palaearctic wheatears, although superficially very similar, had rather different habitat preferences from each other. The Pied O. pleschanka was commonest in Wooded and Bushed Grassland and Wooded Bushland, the Northern O. oenanthe mainly in Bushed Grassland, Wooded and Bushed Woodland and Bushland, and the Isabelline O. isabellina was much commoner in Grassland and Bushed Grassland than in other habitats. The Isabelline and Pied occurred commonly from November to March but the Northern arrived earlier. It was one of the few migrants to appear before the rains with a few seen at the end of September. It also largely disappeared by the end of February which was four to six weeks earlier than most other Palae- arctic migrants (see Lack 1983). All the thrushes and chats fed to a large extent from the ground. Most ate many termites. I have no data for the Bare-eyed Thrush or Spotted Morning Thrush and very few for the Capped Wheatear, Irania or Sprosser. As suggested above, the Spotted Morning Thrush, Irania and Sprosser probably fed from inside the thick bushes and not in the Open. The White-browed Scrub Robin took 98 per cent of 46 recorded items from the ground and the Rufous Bush Chat 92 per cent of 165 items. Subjectively, the scrub robin took food mainly from the litter near bushes and the Rufous Bush Chat from bare ground, and it was also prepared to venture further from bushes. This difference is probably related to the species' habitat preferences. The Rock Thrush fed while running along the ground (ground gleaning) and by pouncing to the ground from elevated perches like the rollers Coracias spp. Unlike the rollers though, it usually ate several items often running a few metres between each, before returning to its perch. Of the 116 items recorded 96 per cent were taken from the ground, 27 pounces to the ground were noted, on 13 of which the bird took several items before returning. Data on the feeding behaviour of the three Palaearctic wheatears are given in Table 10. The Northern and Isabelline took their food almost exclusively from the ground whereas the Pied took a third from the air. The major difference between the first two can be seen in the last line of the table, and concerns the method of catching prey. The Isabelline spent most of its feeding time actually on the ground run- ning about, whereas the Northern (and Pied) spent a considerable time sitting on elevated perches waiting for prey to become visible. This feeding method may be related to the size of prey taken. Those wait- ing for prey from an elevated perch should tend to move out only for the larger prey items. The Capped Wheatear seemed to be an ‘'average' wheatear with 5 of 10 items taken from the ground and 5 from the air. These data on the feeding behaviour of wheatears agree in many re- spects with those of Cornwallis (1975). working in Iran. He also found 22 Tsavo East land-bird ecology TABLE 10 Feeding behaviour of three wheatears Oenanthe in Tsavo O. pleschanka O. oenanthe O. isabellina Number of items 100 201 268 Percentage on herbage/ground 64 7 94 Percentage in air 30 2 4 Percentage in bushes 6 1 1 Number of items on ground/herbage herbage 64 194 293 Number of movements to the ground from perch? 38 (59 per 72 (37%) 21 (8%) cent of ground feeds) Notes: No feeding records of O.oenanthe and O. isabellina before 1 July 1975 are included *see text the difference between the Northern and Isabelline noted above but in Iran all 37 items seen taken by the Pied Wheatear were from the groun& and none were from the air. Other species recorded: Red-tailed Chat Cercomela familiaris, Eastern Bearded Scrub Robin Cercotrichas quadrivirgata, White-browed Robin Chat Cossypha heuglini, Nightingale Luscinia megarhynchos, Red-tailed Ant Thrush Neocossyphus rufus, Whinchat Saxicola rubetra and Cliff Chat Thamnolaea cinnamomeiventris. Warblers Sylviidae A total of 30 species and one probable have been recorded in Tsavo East (Lack et al. 1980), but only ten (six breeding in the Palacarctre and four in the Afrotropics) can be considered common. A further seven (three Palaearctic and four Afrotropical) were regular in some habit- ats at certain times. The four common Afrotropical species were all rather different from each other. The Grey Wren Warbler Camaroptera simplex was a resident in Bushland, Wooded Bushland and Woodland with only very few (10 per cent of 106 birds in censuses) in other habitats. It fed on insects on or near the ground in thick bushes, like a variety of other African species, notably the bush shrikes Malaconotidae (q.v.), it is, how- ever, considerably smaller than any of these. See Table 11 and below. The Northern Crombec Sylvietta brachyura was a common resident in Woodland and Wooded Bushland. It was rarer in other habitats but was not seen in Grassland or, inexplicably, Riverine. It looked, fed and behaved very like a nuthatch Sitta sp. It walked and ran along branches and twigs, usually horizontal ones, taking insects from the bark (78 per cent of 80 recorded items). -Tsavo East land-bird ecology 73 The Ashy Cisticola Cisticola cinereola was present all the year in open habitats, especially Grassland and Bushed Grassland. It was seen usually in thick grass but I have no data to show that it fed there. The Tiny Cisticola C. nana occurred rarely in the more open parts of Woodland and in a few isolated areas of the Park savanna habitats where there were large trees with open ground underneath. It was pres- ent all the year. It fed almost entirely from the ground where there was some grass with bare patches in between (62 per cent of 21 items from grass, 24 per cent from bare ground). Four more Afrotropical species were regular though rare. These are the Desert Cisticola C.aridula - in Grassland and most obvious in the wet seasons, but may be resident; the Red-fronted Warbler Spiloptila rufifrons, in Bushland; Yellow-vented Eremomela Eremomela flavicriss- alis, in the more open parts of Woodland and the Yellow-breasted Apalis Apalis flavida, mainly in Woodland and seen only between May and October (see below). The timing of the movements of the Palaearctic warblers and some of their ecology are described by Lack (1983). For the first winter of the study (1974-75) I had great difficulty distinguishing the two common Hippolais species and some individuals in the 1975-76 winter were Similarly not positively identified. In all only about half the Hippolais individuals were identified and the data given here refer only to those birds. Of the two species, Upcher's Warbler Hippolais languida is slightly larger. It occurred sparsely in all habitats except Grassland and Riverine. The Olivaceous Warbler H. pallida was common in Woodland and especially Riverine but was very rare in other habitats. Upcher's also arrived and reached peak numbers about a month after the Olivaceous (median test on 1975-76, X* = 6.0, df 1, P <0.05) though both species left about the same time. Both were un- usual in being at peak numbers during the dry season (February to March) - see below and Lack (1983). The two Sylvia species parallel the two Hippolais in some respects. The Barred Warbler S.nisoria is the larger, was more widespread over the habitats, and arrived and showed peak numbers about a month after the Whitethroat S. communis (median test x? = 13, df 1, P<0.001). The Whitethroat had a preference for habitats with trees, though not Riv- erine, and the Barred was equally common in all habitats except Bushed Grassland and Grassland, but including Riverine. The final two are the Marsh Warbler Acrocephalus palustris and the Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus. Both were commonest in habit- ats with trees but the Willow Warbler was much rarer in Riverine. The Marsh Warbler may be largely a passage migrant, being grounded only by adverse weather conditions. It occurred in December and January, with a few in April. The Willow Warbler was as common in spring (April) as in autumn (December) and there was also a small passage in October. Data on the feeding behaviour of these six species and two of the Afrotropical ones are given in Table i1. 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Interestingly, the one bush feeder, the Whitethroat, had a preference for those habitats with trees. Among the tree feeders the Willow Warbler stands out: it was found at the edge of the canopy and not inside it. The Marsh Warbler is an interesting species because, in most areas where it has been studied, it occurs in grass and thickets, e.g. in Europe where it breeds (Voous 1960), and in Zambia (Benson et al. 1973). MThickets are present but reeds and rank grass are rare in Tsavo. With six common Palaearctic species present at some periods it is - pertinent to ask if any come into potential competition with Afrotrop- ical species. The fact that only four Afrotropical species were fairly common may itself be indicative. As noted above, three of the four were obviously different from all the Palaearctic species, the North- ern Crombec and Tiny Cisticola by their feeding methods (bark and ground respectively), and the Ashy Cisticola by its habitat prefer- ences (many in Grassland and Bushed Grassland) and presumed feeding Site (grass). Data on the fourth common Afrotropical species, the Grey Wren Warbler, and the Yellow-breasted Apalis are also given in Table 11. As can be seen, the only Palaearctic species which was similar to the Grey Wren Warbler was the Whitethroat, but most of the Grey Wren Warbler's food came from twigs or the herbage and ground, and not from the leaves. The Grey Wren Warbler also fed lower down (d = 3.5, df 62 P<0.001). There was some evidence for the Palaearctic species excluding the Yellow-breasted Apalis. The latter's feeding behaviour appeared very Similar to an ‘average’ Palaearctic warbler, and it was most similar to the two Sylvia species. However, as noted above, it was only seen between May and October (ten separate occasions, not all in censuses). The other three regular though rare Palaearctic species were the Sedge Warbler Acrocephalus schoenobaenus which occurred mainly in the spring in reedy margins or bushes near water, the Basra Reed Warbler A. griseldis which occurred in both spring (April) and autumn (Decem- ber) especially in the Voi River vegetation and thickets in Woodland, and the Garden Warbler Sylvia borin which occurred in thick bushes in December and January. It seems that, as a family, the warblers have been more subject to changes in status and occurrence over the last twenty years than most other families of birds, and it appears that these changes have been largely due to the habitat changes noted at the beginning of this paper. The Yellow-breasted Apalis, Red-fronted Warbler, Buff-bellied Warbler Phyllolais pulchella, Somali Long-billed Crombec Sylvietta isabellina and Banded Parisoma Parisoma boehmi, all formerly occurred quite widely, particularly in Acacia trees around 1959-60 (A.D.Forbes- Watson pers. comm.) but are rare or nearly absent now. 76 Tsavo East land-bird ecology Other species recorded: Afrotropical: Lesser Swamp Warbler Acroceph- alus gracilirostris, Moustached Warbler Sphenoeacus mentalis, Rattling Cisticola Cisticola chiniana, Winding Cisticola C. galactotes, Tawny- flanked Prinia Prinia subflava, Pale Prinia P. somalica, Grey-backed Camaroptera Camaroptera brachyura; Palaearctic migrants: River Warbler Locustella fluviatilis, Reed Warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus, Great Reed Warbler A. arundinaceus and Olive-tree Warbler Hippolais olive- torum. Flycatchers Muscicapidae Two Muscicapinae, three Platysteirinae and one Monarchinae were reg- ular in Tsavo. Of the Muscicapinae the Grey Flycatcher Bradornis microrhynchus was an uncommon resident in the thicker habitats, espec- ially in Woodland. It was not seen in Riverine. The Spotted Fly- catcher from the Palaearctic was common in Tsavo from November to the ‘end of March in all habitats with trees (98 per cent of 500 seen in censuses), especially Riverine. The Grey Flycatcher fed mainly by pouncing to the ground and the Spotted mainly took insect in the air, usually close to vegetation (Table 12). TABLE 12 Feeding behaviour of two Muscicapine flycatchers in Tsavo Muscicapa Bradornis striata microrhynchus Number of items 373 7% Per cent in air 74 i5 Per cent off twigs 4 7 Per cent off leaves 9 7 Per cent off ground Pi dae Per cent with bird in flight 89 2p Per cent taken by pouncing 6 69 (I EE, All three Platysteirinae are in the genus Batis and all were probab- ly resident although none was common. The Black-headed Batis Batis minor was almost restricted to Riverine. It was occasionally seen in Woodland and along smaller watercourses. The Chin-spot Batis B. mol- itor was confined to Woodland and the Pygmy Batis B. perkeo occurred rarely in all habitats with trees, except Riverine. All three fed in a similar fashion, usually making short flights within a tree to take insects from the vegetation (Table 13). Because of their habitat pref- erences though, only the Chin-spot and Pygmy met, and only in Wood- land. The only Monarchinid, the Paradise Flycatcher Terpsiphone viridis, was an uncommon visitor to Woodland and Riverine from November to May, although there were fewer in January and February. Its feeding methods were a combination of those of the Spotted Flycatcher and the Batis species (50 per cent of 16 items from the air, 37 per cent from the vegetation, 13 per cent from the ground). It appeared to remain Tsavo East land-bird ecology 77 well inside the vegetation. TABLE 13 Feeding behaviour of three flycatchers Batis in Tsavo Ree Br tans B. minor B. molitor B. perkeo Number of items 45 49 49 Per cent in air 24 14 14 Per cent off leaves 53 69° 55 Per cent off twig/stem 18 14 Sil Per cent with bird in flight on 100 100 Per cent inside the vegetation 73) 81 50 (n) (17) (16) (14) Per cent just inside 53 13 2A Per cent at edge 18 6 PX Height of feeding (m) Ss): 4.8 3.4 standard error 0.9 OES 0.6 (n) (20) (20) (15) Note: a) 62 per cent of these were recorded as from the underside, 3 per cent from the upper surface and 35 per cent unspecified Other species recorded: Ashy Flycatcher Muscicapa caerulescens, Lead- coloured Flycatcher Myioparus plumbeus, Southern Black Flycatcher Melaenornis pammelaina, Pale Flycatcher Bradornis pallidus. Pipits and wagtails Motacillidae Two wagtails were fairly common locally but not in areas which were censused. The African Pied Wagtail Motacilla aquimp was a resident in the open areas beside rivers, but not in Riverine as defined here, and around buildings. The Palaearctic Yellow Wagtail M. flava, of one or more subspecies, occurred between November and April in short grass (‘lawn') areas especially in the compound of Aruba Lodge. Both wag- tails were seen feeding on insects captured on or near the ground. Of the Anthus pipits Richard's A. novaeseelandiae was the most often seen, but it was only a sporadic visitor between November and April. The Pangani Longclaw Macronyx aurantiigula was fairly common all the year but was more often seen in the wet seasons. It was always in areas with a high grass cover, especially Grassland. The Golden Pipit Tmetothylacus tenellus was common in all the Park savanna habitats and rarely occurred elsewhere. A few could be seen at any time of year but numbers increased enormously with the onset of the rains in Nov- ember. At the start of the wet season this species in particular could be very localized to areas which had had rain. The Pangani Longclaw was usually seen in thick grass although both the insects I Saw taken were in the air about 1m up. The Golden Pipit was a ground feeder but was more catholic in its choice of substrate than the long- claw, feeding off the herbage and at times even from bare ground. Other species recorded: Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea, Plain-backed Pipit Anthus leucophrys, Tree Pipit A. trivialis, Red-throated Pipit A. cervinus. 78 Tsavo East land-bird ecology Bush Shrikes Malaconotidae There were ten regular species though very few were common. There was a pair of species in each of four genera, all of which were super- ficially similar in ecology, and two other species which were rather separate. All those for which I have data were entirely insectivorous except for the occasional instance of birds eating fruits, but they only did this when the fruits were abundant. The Black-backed Puffback Dryoscopus cubla was resident, but more often seen in the wet seasons. It occurred only in Riverine, espec- ially the thicker parts. It spent its time mainly in trees (mean height of feeding 7.4m, standard error 1.3, n = 7) in contrast to the other Dryoscopus, Pringle's Puffback D. pringlii, which fed in the bushes (height of feeding 2.2m, standard error 0.4, n = 8). This species too had different habitat preferences; it was a rare bird in Woodland and was commoner in the northern area. The Black-headed Tchagra Tchagra senegala was an uncommon resident in the thickest parts of Woodland. It appeared to remain almost ex- clusively within thickets. The Three-streaked Tchagra T. jamesi was a regular resident in Bushland, Wooded Bushland and Woodland and some- times elsewhere in thick bushes. It was always low down and often in thickets - mean height of feeding 0.3m, standard error 0.1, n= 8. The Tropical Boubou Laniarius ferrugineus was only recorded during and soon after the wet seasons in the Voi River Forest. The Slate- coloured Boubou L. funebris was a common resident in Woodland and in thick bushes along watercourses but not in the Voi River Forest. It was usually seen low down in thickets and was also seen eating Comm- iphora fruits at times. Both Malaconotus species were rare though both are very elusive. Both were more often heard than seen. Unlike the other pairs these two are very different in size. The Sulphur-breasted Bush Shrike M. sulfureopectus was recorded in Woodland and only very occasionally outside. The Grey-headed Bush Shrike M. blanchoti was resident in both Woodland and Riverine. Both species were usually seen in trees (mean height of feeding for the Grey-headed 5.7m, standard error 1.4, n = 8; no feeding data for the Sulphur-breasted). Finally two species which are very different from all the others in the family: the Brubru Nilaus afer was an uncommon resident in habi- tats with trees, except for Riverine. It fed by taking insects, most- ly from leaves (30 per cent of 33 items) or twigs (42 per cent) mostly while perched (79 per cent). It was usually in trees (mean height 6.5m, standard error 0.6, n = 20). The Rosy-patched Shrike Rhodo- phoneus cruentus was a resident, primarily, but not exclusively in areas with bushes but no trees. It fed mainly while running along the ground picking insects from bare ground or grass (92 per cent of 50 items). It was usually seen within 5m of bushes and where there was some grass and not in large areas of bare ground. Other species recorded: Brown-headed Tchagra Tchagra australis, Red- Tsavo East land-bird ecology 79 naped Bush Shrike Laniarius ruficeps, Four-coloured Bush Shrike Malac- onotus quadricolor. Shrikes Laniidae Five fairly common species occurred, all in the genus Lanius. A sixth species, the White-crowned Shrike EFurocephalus rueppelli, a member of the Prionopidae, is also included here as it is much more similar in ecology to the Lanius species than the other two helmet shrikes (q.v.) Three of the group are Palaearctic migrants: the Lesser Grey Shrike Lanius minor only occurred on spring passage in April in all habitats except Riverine. The Red-backed Shrike L.collurio occurred predom- inantly in April although it was also present in small numbers in December and January (Fig.5). It occurred in all habitats though it was very rare in Grassland. The Red-tailed Shrike L. isabellinus was 40 per 10 AOUTS _, (eo) fa) Nos ee Ae Su On INGO esl Ms Ay Muppet JA 8 Se Oh Nie D 1975 1976 Fig. 5. The seasonal occurrence of two species of shrike in Tsavo: solid line Red-tailed Shrike Lanius isabellinus, pecked line Red- backed Shrike L.collurio common in all habitats. It occurred from the onset of the rains in November till the end of March when it disappeared rather abruptly (Fig. 5). This departure coincided with the arrival of the Red-backed (a form which has been considered conspecific with the Red-tailed). It is not simply a question of replacement though, as the two species differ slightly in both their habitat preferences (Red-tailed much commoner in the open habitats) and feeding ecology (see below). 80 Tsavo East land-bird ecology The two Afrotropical Lanius species also had different habitat pref- erences from each other. The Taita Fiscal Lanius dorsalis was a com- mon resident in all the Park savanna habitats, especially the open ones. The Lond-tailed Fiscal L.cabanisi was much rarer. It was ap- parently in similar habitats but was always in the lusher areas near to watercourses or other damp parts and not on the open dry plains. It too was resident and was usually seen in small groups rather than as Singles or pairs. The White-crowned Shrike was a common resident in the thicker habitats, especially Wooded Bushland and Woodland. All six species fed mainly by pouncing to the ground from a promin- ent perch. Data on their feeding behaviour are given in Table 14. All were very Similar. In general, the two smallest, the Red-backed and the Red-tailed, perched on lower bushes and flew out less far than the others, and the largest, the Long-tailed Fiscal, did not flycatch. The White-crowned Shrike took a higher proportion of its food in the air than any of the others except the Lesser Grey and Red-backed. But these two were only commonly present in April, the second wet season, when flying insects were more common. Helmet Shrikes Prionopidae Three species occurred but the White-crowned Shrike has already been discussed above. The two other species were common residents, though very restricted in their habitat preferences. Retz's Helmet Shrike Prionops retzii was seen only in Riverine and the Helmet Shrike P. Plumata largely in Woodland with a very few in other habitats. Both species, and the White-crowned Shrike, usually occurred in groyps of five or six and all have been shown to be co-operative breeders (see review in Grimes 1976). Feeding data for the two Prionops are given in Table 15 (p. 82). Both species were usually seen moving slowly through the vegetation at the base of the tree canopy taking insects, particularly off twigs and branches. The difference between the species' feeding height is due mainly to the difference in tree canopy height in the preferred habitat of each species. Starlings Sturnidae A total of twelve species has been recorded and, although six were un- common none was rare. The Red-winged Starling Onychognathus morio oc- curred in the Park on rocky hills. However, numbers in censuses were mainly during an influx into Woodland in August and September 1975, apparently in response to the abundance of Commiphora fruit at that time. Rippell's Long-tailed Glossy Starling Lamprotornis purpuropter- us was fairly common along the Tiva River and in some other parts of the northern area. It was very rare south of the Galana River. The Violet-backed Starling Cinnyricinclus leucogaster was a rare visitor, mainly to Woodland between late March and September. The Magpie Star- ling Speculipastor bicolor was a sporadic visitor in flocks to thicker habitats; I saw them mostly in the northern area but there was an in- flux into the southern area in November and December 1976. 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ZOIZS pzrepuezjsS 8°6 (aks Ev. 6°D = 9°L (Ww) peey TeTzee Fo ZYybTeH wi S Z (a 6 1 seyusng ut seAeeT worAF juUSeD reg 6 VI [deg 8 0) ST ate wozy jUSD A9dg EL 18 08 €8 06 08 (ebeqzey pur) punozb worzysy quedo xzeg silt av TV qatl el8 et tC SswezT JO ASQUNN BST °'T 3 roo uUTUI* T ZOp°T qeo°T onz*g” :(mMotTeq Aex) setoeds OAPS] UT *dds sntuey asATFZ pue T{TTeddenz snTeydssorzng :saeyrzys xTS fo rnoTAPYyeq buTpeeay Vl ATaVvL 82 Tsavo East land-bird ecology TABLE 15 Feeding behaviour of two helmet shrikes Prionops in Tsavo P. plumata P. retzii a lm a aa a Number of items 76° 46 1 fruit, rest insect all insect Per cent from air 16 13 Per cent off twigs/stem 41 26 Per cent off branches/trunk 9 37 Per cent off leaves 9 15 Per cent off ground 19 MR; Per cent from other sources 6 : 0 Per cent when perched 32 33 Per cent when hovering 11 30 Per cent in flight? 49 35 Per cent pounce to ground 5) 2 Per cent unknown 3 0 Height of feeding (m), + standard error, (n) 3.0, 0.4 5.0, 0.8 (56) (29) Notes: a) I have scored as one item (rather than five) each of three birds which pounced to the ground and then ate several ter- mites, as in each case only one movement was involved. b) These are where the bird snatched an insect in passing with- out a significant pause. any area. Shelley's Starling Spreo shelleyi was fairly common in parts of the northern area but much less so in the southern, although in all areas it often occurred in flocks of up to fifty. Of these six species the Violet-backed and Magpie Starlings appeared to be more frugivorous than the others and the two Spreo species and Rippell's Long-tailed more insectivorous, but all probably eat both. From an ecological point of view the six commoner species can be di- vided into three singles and a group of three. The Blue-eared Glossy Starling Lamprotornis chalybaeus was a resi- dent restricted to Riverine. I saw it feeding on insects on the ground (67 per cent of 21 items) and fruits of Salvadora persica. The Wattled Starling Creatophora cinerea was a wet season visitor. It was one of the few species which showed an equally well-marked peak of abundance in April as in December with a drop in numbers in between. When it was present it was a fairly common bird, and often in large flocks (100+). It was usually seen in habitats with trees although it was less common in Woodland than the others. Like other starlings it was seen eating insects on the ground (61 per cent of 167 items re- corded) and fruit (39 per cent). The final sturnid, the Red-billed Oxpecker Buphagus erythrorhynchus Tsavo East land-bird ecology 83 was very different from all the other birds in the Park. It was fair- ly common as a resident in all the habitats inside the Park but was less common in the Woodland I worked in outside. It fed almost ex- clusively on ectoparasites on the hides of large mammals and seemed especially to favour rhino, buffalo and giraffe although I saw it also on many antelopes and warthog. The reason for it being less common in Woodland was probably that the animals that occur there, domestic cattle, sheep and goats, are now regularly dipped and have many fewer parasites. In Tsavo East the Red-billed is the only oxpecker; in many other areas the Yellow-billed B. africanus also occurs, and where the two coexist they appear to divide the resources between them with the Yellow-billed feeding mainly on buffalo and the Red-billed on other species (Buskirk 1975). The group of three referred to above comprises two Spreo species, the Superb S.superbus and Fischer's S. fischeri, and the Golden- breasted Cosmopsarus regius. The Superb and the Golden-breasted were usually seen in groups of six to ten but Fischer's was more common in flocks of up to forty. The two Spreo species were both commonest in the Park savanna habitats with trees, but the Superb was commoner than Fischer's in those without, and Fischer's was commoner in Woodland. Despite this the Superb was much commoner than Fischer's in the north- ern area. In Woodland and Riverine the Golden-breasted was much com- moner than either of the others. All three were resident in good numbers, but all showed seasonal peaks between June and August. All are conspicuous birds so the peaks are unlikely to be artificial. It is surprising though that numbers were lowest in the wet season during peak insect abundance. It is possible that the birds lived in smaller groups then and were more spread out. All three species fed mainly on the ground, usually in bare patches and were predominantly insectivorous: for the Golden-breasted 76 per cent of 394 items were insect (97 per cent of these from the ground), for the Superb 87 per cent of 597 items were insect (all from the ground) and for Fischer's 99 per cent of 292 items (all from the ground). They all ate large numbers of termites. I also recorded all species eating fruits - Fischer's only once, Superb 10 per cent of items (eight birds) the remaining 3 per cent of items were Acacia flowers, and the Golden-breasted 24 per cent of items (18 birds). This last is related to habitat preferences as six of the 18 birds were eating Commiphora (i.e. in Woodland) and another four were on Dobera (i.e. in Riverine). Sunbirds Nectariniidae All five regular species were resident. The Collard Sunbird Anthrep- tes collaris occurred rarely in Riverine and in gardens around Park Headquarters. The Eastern Violet-backed A. orientalis occurred mainly in Woodland but also in other thick habitats. It was not seen in the Voi River Forest, where Collared occurred, but was seen several times in the fringe of Acacia trees (mainly A.elatior) along the Tiva River 84 Tsavo East land-bird ecology TABLE 16 Feeding behaviour of five sunbirds in Tsavo I OS ESSA I SID, TES Species (key below): Ao Ac Nb Na Nh Bill (key below) ss ss sc IAS ibe Number of items 94 38 178 81 A020" Nectar: Per cent of total 54 18 82 63 77 Per cent from Delonix elata @) 0) 10 41 35 Per cent from other trees Sil 100 52. 20 ay: Per cent from bushes 49 6) 38 39 28 Insect: Per cent of total 46 87 18 34 21 Per cent off leaves 88 67 yf! 67 43 Per cent off twigs 0) 1S, 0) Bi) 36 Per cent taken in air 1 sys 69 6) PAs Percent taken by bird ane plot 14 Be 69 33 34 Key to abbreviations of species names: Ao = Anthreptes orientalis; Ac = A. collaris; Nb = Nectarinia bifasciata; Na = N. amethystina; Nh = N. hunteri. Key to bill type: ss = short straight; sc = short curved; lc = long curved. ; Note: a) includes ten feeds on Commiphora fruit. where I did not record the Collared. The Amethyst Nectarinia ameth- ystina was very Similar in preferences to the Collared, being in Riv- erine and gardens. The Little Purple-banded WN. bifasciata was nearly confined to Woodland but, in the northern area, it occurred in other thick habitats. The final species, Hunter's WN. hunteri, was much the commonest and most widespread species, occurring in all habitats ex- cept Grassland though it was commonest in Woodland. All five species were seen eating both insects and nectar. Data are given in Table 16 but the absolute figures for the proportions of in- sect and nectar feeding must be treated with caution. Nectar feeding is likely to be much more conspicuous than insect feeding, though the relative amounts between species in the proportion of nectar to insect should not be affected. Except that they ate nectar, the two Anthrep- tes species and the Amethyst, are shown to be very like the warblers, although they all took more food in flight than the warblers. For the two long-billed Nectarinia species, the Amethyst and Hunter's, the large flowers of Delonix elata appeared to be very important, and the short-billed Little Purple-banded fed mainly on smaller flowers. In former times the ecological situation was evidently much more complicated. In addition to the above five species, the Olive Sunbird N. olivacea, Variable N.venusta, Mariqua N. mariquensis, Beautiful N. pulchella and Smaller Black-bellied N. nectarinioides were all present in varying numbers and most of them were in Woodland and/or Tsavo East land-bird ecology 85 the Voi River Forest. I saw a few Smaller Black-bellied each year, there is one recent record of Variable, and there have been no records of the others for several years. Other species: one probable record of the Bronze WN. kilimensis. White-eyes Zosteropidae The one species, the Abyssinian White-eye Zosterops abyssinica, oc- curred rarely in any area with large trees. It was usually seen in small groups but otherwise behaved like a warbler. Weavers, sparrows Ploceidae Both members of the Bubalornithinae were common and widespread. Both occurred commonly throughout the year but showed some seasonal patt- erns of occurrence. Their habitat preferences overlapped extensively. The Red-billed Buffalo Weaver Bubalornis niger was commonest in the wet seasons and occurred more in flocks then. It was common in all habitats except Grassland. The White-headed Buffalo Weaver Dinemellia dinemelli was commonest from June to August and occurred in all habi- tats although it was rare in Grassland and Riverine. Both species fed primarily on the ground and were seen to take both seeds and insects but the proportion of each was unknown. Both species ate some fruit but the White-headed was not seen to eat any Commiphora so the season- al pattern of abundance of this fruit seems not to affect this bird's humbers. Indeed, there is no very obvious cause for its seasonal oc- currence. Two sparrows Passerinae were very common residents. The Parrot- billed Sparrow Passer griseus gongonensis was commonest in Riverine. It also occurred in all other habitats but was very rare in Grassland and Woodland. The Yellow-spotted Petronia Petronia pyrgita was reg- ular in all habitats. The Parrot-billed Sparrow fed on the ground and probably ate both seeds and insects. The petronia had a very varied diet: of 158 items recorded, 27 per cent were fruits in both trees and bushes, 27 per cent were certainly insects (three-quarters in woody vegetation with mean height 4.7m, standard error 1.1, n = 15 birds), 2 per cent in the air, 12 per cent from the ground, and 32 per cent were items from the ground where it could not be determined whether the bird was eating seeds or insects. The only regular species in the Plocepasserinae was the White-browed Sparrow Weaver Plocepasser mahali. It was a fairly common resident in Yiverine fringes and gardens, although not in Riverine forest. All seen feeding were on the ground. Of the 15 weavers Ploceinae only ten were regular. The Black-necked Weaver Ploceus nigricollis was a fairly common resident in Woodland and was seen in other habitats only in the northern area. The Red- headed Weaver Anaplectes rubriceps was an uncommon resident in Wood- land and Riverine and was seen regularly around Park Headquarters where it often nested on, or even in, buildings. These two species had very different ecology from the other weavers. They occurred singly and not in flocks and were primarily insectivorous and not 86 Tsavo East land-bird ecology granivorous. Both species took insects mostly from leaves (Black- necked all 16 insects, Red-headed 90 per cent of 32 insects). My data suggest that the Black-necked fed mainly fairly low down (mean height 1.4m, standard error 0.6, n = 4) and the Red-headed in trees (mean height 7.9m, standard error 1.3, n= 9). The difference is signifi- cant (d = 4.5 with df 11, P <0.001). I also saw both species eating fruits (Black-headed: 4 birds on Commiphora, 1 on Salvadora persica and 1 on Acacia pods; Red-headed: 2 birds on Acacia pods and 1 on Premna). (All the above figures for the Red-headed Weaver exclude two birds seen catching flying termites from a bush.) All the remaining eight species were seasonal visitors occurring from December to February. The commoner ones reappeared in smaller numbers in April and May. The Golden Weaver Ploceus subaureus was not seen in censuses but was seen around its nest sites, particularly in reeds along the Galana River, and there was sometimes a colony in Voi. The Masked Weaver P. intermedius was fairly common in Woodland and less so in other thick habitats. The Black-headed Weaver P. cucul- latus was almost restricted to the Voi area. A few individuals stayed © at colonies all the year, e.g. at Voi Safari Lodge, but there were many more present in the wet seasons. The Chestnut Weaver P. rubig- inosus occurred in Woodland and rarely in other habitats. The Red- billed Quelea Quelea quelea, when present, was the most abundant bird in the area and often occurred in flocks of several hundreds, some- times thousands. It was commonest in open habitats but occurred reg- ularly in all. As with a few other such visitors a few individuals could be seen at all times, but the large flocks were found only in January and February. It has bred in the area then but does not do so regularly. The White-winged Widowbird Euplectes albonotatus was only recorded in December and January in damper areas especially near the Voi River. The Fire-fronted Bishop E. diadematus was common from De- cember to February but much less so after that. It occurred in all habitats though it was rare in Grassland. Finally, the Zanzibar Red Bishop E. nigroventris was a rare visitor to riverside habitats. All these species are thought to be primarily granivores although most, if not all, will take some insects when breeding. Many of them take the seeds direct from the stem, see discussion below. Where the species spend the remainder of the year is largely un- known, except for the Red-billed Quelea. This migrates between Som- alia and southern Tanzania following the rain belt, with a dry season refuge in northern Tanzania (Ward 1971). I suspect that many other weaver species (and others) will be found to be similar. The Fire- fronted Bishop, however, may be different as it has only very rarely been recorded south of Tsavo (Hall & Moreau 1970). However, this and several other species are very difficult to distinguish when they are not in breeding plumage, and hence a species could easily be overlook- ed unless it is very common. Of the five Viduinae only two were regular. The Pin-tailed Whydah Vidua macroura occurred rarely, mainly soon after the wet seasons and was almost restricted to Riverine. Males were often displaying but Tsavo East land-bird ecology 87 their main host, the Waxbill Estrilda astrild, was very rare. The Paradise Whydah V. paradisaea was much commoner and occurred in flocks after rain, especially in January and February, in Riverine and a few were seen in other areas with large trees. All individuals seen feed- ing were on the ground and it is thought that the species is entirely granivorous. Other species recorded: Grey-headed Social Weaver Pseudonigrita arn- audi, Black-capped Social Weaver P.cabanisi, Grosbeak Weaver Amblyo- spiza albifrons, Parasitic Weaver Anomalospiza imberbis, Black-winged Red Bishop Euplectes hordeaceus, Spectacled Weaver Ploceus ocularis, Vitelline Masked Weaver P.velatus, Straw-tailed Whydah Vidua fisch- eri, Steel-blue Whydah V. hypocherina and unidentified indigobirds Hypochera spp. Waxbills Estrildidae Only five species were regular and none was common. The Green-winged Pytilia Pytilia melba was a resident in all areas with thick bushes. The Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu Uraeginthus bengalus was a resident re- stricted to Riverine and gardens, but was there quite common. The Crimson-rumped Waxbill Estrilda rhodopyga occurred between December and March usually near rivers and other damp places. The Grey-headed Silverbill Lonchura griseicapilla was an irregular uncommon visitor to any area. Finally, the Cut-throat Amadina fasciata was a visitor, at times fairly common especially during January to March to open areas. I have few feeding data for any of these species and the following comments are mainly subjective impressions. The Green-winged Pytilia stayed mainly under or very close to bushes whereas the Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu was seen further from them, as was the Cut-throat which additionally often occurred in flocks rather than as singles or pairs. These three seemed to feed almost entirely on the ground and mainly on seeds. The pytilia certainly also ate termites (e.g. the stomach ana- lysed by Lack & Quicke 1978). Termites of course occur in the same places as seeds (see discussion below). The other two, Crimson-rumped Waxbill and Grey-headed Silverbill, seemed to take seeds mainly direct from the grass stems not the ground. The birds occurred mainly at times when these seeds were most abundant. Three other species occurred regularly but were very uncommon. The Purple Grenadier Uraeginthus ianthinogaster was regular in Woodland and in thicker habitats in the northern area. The Silver-bill Lonch- ura malabarica was seen near water, and the Bronze Mannikin L. cucul- lata occurred around houses. Other species record¢d: Waxbill Estrilda astrild, Black-cheeked Wax- bill E.erythronotatus, Peters' Twinspot Hypargos niveoguttatus, one or more firefinch species Lagonosticta sp(p)., Quailfinch Ortygospiza atricollis, Orange-winged Pytilia Pytilia afra, Blue-capped Cordon- bleu Uraeginthus cyanocephalus. 88 Tsavo East land-bird ecology Buntings, finches Fringillidae The Somali Golden-breasted Bunting Emberiza poliopleura was a common resident in Bushland and Wooded Bushland with a few in other habitats with thick bushes, but it was not in Riverine. It fed on the ground walking around like a lark. Food items not recorded but it is thought to eat both insects and seeds. Other species recorded: Cinnamon-breasted Rock Bunting Emberiza taha- pisi, Yellow-rumped Seed-eater Serinus atrogularis, Grosbeak Canary S.donaldsoni, White-bellied Canary S.dorsostriatus, Yellow-fronted Canary S.mozambicus. Other land-bird species Aerial species: swifts Apodidae and swallows Hirundinidae The methods of study I used were unsuited to these species although a few data on their occurrence were obtained using a series of counts along the roads of the Park. A fixed 189km was covered each month and all species seen were counted. Other data were obtained on a casual basis only. 800 600 200 ITO NS OUND DB OM AP Men eh cea 1975 1976 a, Fig. 6. The seasonal occurrence of aerial species in Tsavo East (data from counts along 189km of Park roads): solid line Eurasian Swallow Hirundo rustica, pecked line all other species of swift Apodidae and swallow Hirundinidae combined. Three resident species of swift were common and all were seen pre- dominantly around their nests: the Little Swift Apus affinis on build- Tsavo East land-bird ecology 89 ings, the White-rumped A. caffer especially in culverts but also on buildings and the Palm Swift Cypsiurus parvus around doum palms Hy- Pphaene coriacea. The last therefore mainly occurred near water- courses. Only one swallow, the Eurasian Hirundo rustica, was common; it oc- curred from September to early May but was common only from the onset of the rains in November till mid February (see Fig. 6). It occurred over all habitats, usually feeding fairly low over the ground, and it quite often followed large mammals, catching the disturbed insects. Small numbers of four resident species were also seen, usually near their nest sites: the Wire-tailed Swallow Hirundo smithii near water, Red-rumped H. daurica mainly in culverts, Striped H. abyssinica mainly on buildings, and the African Rock Martin H. fuligula around rocky mi 1is.. Other species recorded: swifts - Mottled Apus aequatorialis, Eurasian A.apus, Black A. barbatus, Horus A. horus, Alpine A. melba, Nyanza A. nianzae, Bohm's Spinetail Neafrapus boehmi, Mottle-throated Spine- tail Telacanthura ussheri; swallows - House Martin Delichon urbica, Mosque Swallow Hirundo senegalensis, Banded Martin Riparia cincta, Sand Martin R. riparia. Nocturnal species: nightjars Caprimulgidae and owls Tytonidae. and Strigidae There were three regular resident owls of which the Pearl-spotted Owl- et Glaucidium perlatum was probably the commonest. It was common along rivers and more rarely anywhere else where there were trees. The Spotted Eagle Owl Bubo africanus occurred throughout the Park and was usually found roosting on or near the ground. Verreaux's Eagle Owl B. lacteus was only seen in large trees, especially along rivers. There are eight species of nightjar recorded. Nearly all positive identifications were road casualties, and it is probable that most, if not all, were migratory, occurring in Tsavo during and soon after the wet seasons. Stomach contents of eleven individuals of five species were analysed by Lack & Quicke (1978) and the diets were shown to be very generalized. The eight species recorded are Slender-tailed Cap- rimulgus clarus, Donaldson-Smith's C.donaldsoni, Eurasian C. europ- aeus, Gabon C.fossii, Dusky C. fraenatus, Plain C. inornatus, Nubian C.nubicus and Freckled C. tristigma. Of these Donaldson-Smith's and Gabon were probably the commonest. Other owls recorded: White-faced Scops Owl Otus leucotis, Scops Owl O. scops, and Barn Owl Tyto alba. Birds of Prey Accipitridae, Pandionidae and Falconidae My methods of study were again unsuited to the study of such large and wide-ranging species, and they have already been the subject of a de- tailed study by Smeenk (1974, especially pp. 7-24 and Appendices 2 and 3). The majority of the larger species feed on vertebrates and hence 90 Tsavo East land-bird ecology were not competing with any of the other land-birds considered in this study. Some of the smaller species certainly ate insects as well. However, the only two which were seen as regularly as any of the other land-birds were the Pygmy Falcon Polihierax semitorquatus and the Kes- trel Falco tinnunculus. The Pygmy Falcon was a resident and occurred in all habitats. It behaved like a roller Coracias sitting on prom- inent perches and pouncing to the ground, although it also chased small birds. The Kestrel occurred from November to March and was most often seen hovering over very open grassy areas. It was therefore un- like any other bird in the area in its feeding habits. A total of 52 species of bird of prey have been recorded (list in Lack, Leuthold & Smeenk 1980). Others A few storks Ciconiidae were occasionally seen feeding in the grass, especially the White Stork Ciconia ciconia and Abdim's C. abdimii, but neither these nor any others can have more than a very minor effect on the ecology of the land-birds of Tsavo. DISCUSSION As stated earlier, there are three major food types utilized by birds in Tsavo: fruits, seeds and insects, and a few species eat nec- tar and others that eat small vertebrates. The species eating these foods have some characteristics in common and these are discussed briefly here. All the species eating fruits were common in Woodland and/or River- ine and the majority were rather rarely seen in the more open habit- ats. This is not too surprising when one considers the distribution of the fruits. The only fruit eaten regularly which occurred in the Park savanna habitats was Premna spp., and this only fruited for a short period after each wet season. All frugivores ate substantial amounts of the most abundant fruits, especially Commiphora and Salvad- ora persica. Those birds which ate insects as well, largely restrict- ed their fruit diet to these but those birds which were purely fru- givorous also ate a wide variety of other species of fruit. For many of the former birds, the insects they ate were also largely the most abundant ones, termites, and this applied even to the largest birds, the four hornbills Tockus spp. Premna spp. were relatively unimportant to frugivores in general, but were eaten regularly in April by one group of insectivores, some of the Palaearctic chats and warblers, especially Irania, Whitethroat and Barred Warbler. This is a period when these birds are presumably fat- tening in preparation for their flight to their breeding areas. The birds were commoner, and the Premna fruit was freely available, in December but none of the birds was seen to take it at that time. Pre- sumably the birds did not need so much fat in December as, although many were probably just passage migrants, they were not intending to Tsavo East land-bird ecology 91 travel so far. This contradicts Berthold's (1976) experimental work which showed that similar bird species preferred animal food at mig- ration times and the intake of vegetable matter was actually decreas- ed then. The granivores showed completely different habitat preferences to frugivores. Most were commonest in the Park savanna habitats, which reflects the availability of their food. The resident granivores took most of their seeds from the ground after it had fallen, and hence they preferred areas with a low grass cover. Many, but not all, of the visitors preferred areas with a higher grass cover and took their seeds direct from the stem of the grass. There is quite a large number of birds which appeared to take both seeds and insects from the ground. Details of their ecological diff- erences, if any, were very difficult to determine largely because it was very difficult to see what they were actually eating. On several occasions I searched the ground where birds had been feeding indust- riously: there were often seeds and termites, and sometimes other in- sects and even fallen fruit, but also very often there did not appear to be anything edible at all. Much of the food may be very small. A majority of the birds in Tsavo ate insects although they may eat other things as well. There are three major sources of these - the air, the ground and herbage, and the woody vegetation; and the Red- billed Oxpecker uses a fourth - the hides of large mammals. Each of the three major sources is utilized in two main ways, and relatively few species use more than one source or method of feeding. The aerial insects are captured either from continuous flight, a method used by swifts and swallows but few others, or by sallying to individual items from a perch. Swifts and swallows evidently use the source slightly differently from each other as, among the resident species there is - one of each family by water, one of each near buildings and one of each near culverts, although in some places the last four and the Af- Yican Rock Martin all occur together. Those species sallying from a perch are nearly all fairly small, and it is surprising that only one, the Pied Wheatear, uses both this method of feeding and pouncing to the ground on a regular basis, as the methods appear to be very similar. However, there may be a con- flict between the manoeuvrability needed to catch fast-moving prey in the air, and the size and strength which seems to be characteristic of the pouncing species (see below). Those species sallying from a perch to the air almost always stay close to the vegetation, and are largely in the thicker habitats and not out in the open. The two groups of species taking insects from the ground are those which pounce from an elevated perch to single items (pouncers), and those which stay on the ground and run between items (gleaners). A few species, notably the Rock Thrush and Northern Wheatear, combined the methods. Their usual feeding method was to pounce to the ground and then eat several items, often running between each, before return- ing to a perch. 92 Tsavo East land-bird ecology Most of the pouncers are quite large and many have strong hooked beaks. They and the aerial species must expend considerably more en- ergy per food item than species using other methods so there may be a lower limit to the size of prey worth taking. As noted above, the aerial species are on the whole small and probably sacrifice some of their size and strength for manoeuvrability, and sacrifice a strong beak for a wide gape. Pouncers are larger and probably take larger prey, though I have no direct quantitative data on this except for noting often that it was 'quite large'. However, three measures might be related to it: height of perch, distance flown to items and feeding rate. If the bird perches higher it can search further; it is only worth flying out further to larger items; and if feeding is less often it should be only for larger items. I have sufficient data on these measures for ten species of pouncer - two rollers, two kingfishers, five shrikes and a flycatcher and Table 17 gives the correlation co- TABLE 14 Correlation coefficients between size of bird (weight) and three feeding characteristics of specialist pouncing species All 10 species Without 2 kingfishers (df 8) (df 6) Feeding characteristic E Significance 4 Significance Height of perch O83 N.S. 0.60 N.S. Distance flown to food 0.68) ) 40205 0.69 P’) 02.40 Feeding rate =045d 9 Po O40 -0.76 Pre 0.05 Note: the probability level for 'distance flown to food' is approxim- ately equal to 0.05 in both cases. efficients between the three traits and the size (weight) of the ten species. The two kingfishers have a very different beak shape from the other eight species, and the table also shows the correlation co- efficients when these two species are excluded. There is a signifi- cant relation with two of the three variables, and there is an in- crease in the probability value for two of them when the two kingfish- ers are excluded. (With distance flown the probability is approxim- ately equal to 0.05 in both cases.) This suggests that beak shape is likely to be as important as body size in determining what prey can be tackled. The two kingfishers perched higher, flew out a little fur- ther and fed less often than one would have expected from their weight in relation to the other species, and hence may be taking larger prey. There were a large number of species which gleaned on the ground and most of these appeared to be eating the same food as each other, es- pecially termites. The great majority of the birds were open country species feeding from bare ground and/or areas with a low grass cover, although there were a few which were confined to thick grass, e.g. Ashy Cisticola, or litter in the thicker habitats, e.g. Bare-eyed Thrush. Tsavo East land-bird ecology 93 There are also a large number of species in the group which take food from leaves in the woody vegetation. (The other group is the twig specialists, see below.) Like the ground gleaners, the leaf gleaners all seemed to take the same food, although they do largely divide into tree feeders and bush feeders. Perhaps not surprisingly in view of the seasonality of leaves, they are less common and wide- spread than the ground feeders, and a high proportion of them were confined to Woodland and/or Riverine, which are probably the least seasonal of the major habitat types. These habitats also have thicker bushes and more evergreens than the open Park savanna habitats, both of which will hold more insects and hence more birds, especially in the dry season. The final group is the twig specialists, although some of the pre- ‘vious group also take some food from twigs of necessity. The group contains seven common species, two woodpeckers, two wood hoopoes, two helmet shrikes and the Northern Crombec and they all seemed to feed slightly differently from each other. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am very grateful to the Director and Trustees of the former Kenya National Parks and to the Department of Wildlife Conservation and Man- agement of the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife for permission to live and work in Tsavo East National Park. Many people, especially A.D. Forbes-Watson, Dr W. Leuthold and the late D.L.W. Sheldrick, helped me in Kenya, and Drs R.J. O'Connor and G.K. Taylor kindly criticized earlier drafts of the manuscript. The study was possible only with the generous financial support of the Royal Society, Leverhulme Trustees, Frank M. Chapman Fund and the National Audubon Society. REFERENCES _ ARCHER, G.F. & GODMAN, E.M. 1937-61. The birds of British Somaliland and the Gulf of Aden. Vols 1 & 2 London: Gurney & Jackson, Vols 3 & 4 Edinburgh and London: Oliver & Boyd. ASH, J.S. 1976. Bird ringing in Ethiopia: report No. 5 1969-1975. United States Naval Medical Research Unit Five. BACKHURST, G.C. & PEARSON, D.J. 1977. Ethiopian region birds attracted to the lights of Ngulia Safari Lodge, Kenya. Scopus 1: 98-103. BERTHOLD, P. 1976. Animalische und vegetabilische Ernahrung omnivorer Singvogelarten: Nahrungsbevorzugung, Jahresperiodik der Nahrungs- wahl, physiologische und 6kologische Bedeutung. Journal fiir Orni- thologie 117: 145-209. BRITTON, P.L. 1974. Relative biomass of Ethiopian and Palaearctic passerines in West Kenya habitats. Bulletin of the British Ornith- Ologists' Club 94: 108-113. 94 Tsavo East land-bird ecology BROWN, L.H. 1966. Observations on some Kenya eagles. Ibis 108: 531-72. & BROWN, B.E. 1973. The relative numbers of migrant and resident rollers in eastern Kenya. Bulletin of the British Ornith- Ologists' Club 93: 126-130. BUSKIRK, W.H. 1975. Substrate choice of oxpeckers. Auk 92: 604-606. COBB, S.M. 1976. The distribution and abundance of the large herbivore community of Tsavo National Park, Kenya. Unpublished D.Phil. thesis, Oxford University. CODY, M.L. 1974. Competition and the structure of bird communities. Princeton: Princeton University Press. CORNWALLIS, L. 1975. The comparative ecology of eleven species of wheatear (genus Oenanthe) in S.W. Iran. Unpublished D.Phil. thesis, Oxford University. CURRY-LINDAHL, K. 1981. Bird migration in Africa. 2 vols, London: Academic Press. FENNER, M. 1983. Aspects of the ecology of Acacia-Commiphora woodland near Kibwezi, Kenya. Journal of the East Africa Natural History So- ciety and National Museum 175: 1-11. FRIEDMANN, H. 1964. Evolutionary trends in the avian genus Clamator. Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections 146 (4). FRY, C.H. 1972. The biology of African bee-eaters. Living Bird 11; 75-= 1i2e GOODWIN, D. 1967. Pigeons and doves of the world. London: British Mus- eum. GRIMES, L. 1976. The occurrence of co-operative breeding behaviour in Afrrean birds 1Oserich Ait 1a. HARDIN, G. 1960. The competitive exclusion principle. Science 131: 29 2-297 IRVING, N.S. & BEESLEY, J.S.S. 1976. Bird pest research project, Bot-— swana. Final report 1972-1975. London: Centre for Overseas Pest Re- search. KEAST, A. & MORTON, E.S. (eds) 1980. Migrant birds in the neotropics: ecology, behavior, distribution and conservation. Washington D.C.: Smithsonian Institution. KEMP, A.C. 1973. Environmental factors affecting the onset of breeding in some southern African hornbills, Tockus spp. Journal of Repro- duction and Fertility, Supplement 19: 319-331. LACK, P.C. 1975. Range expansion of the Quail Plover. FANHS Bulletin 197 Sia el OP 1977. The status of Friedmann's Bush Lark Mirafra pulpa. Scopus 1: 34-39. Tsavo East land-bird ecology 95 LACK, P.C. 1980. The habitats and feeding stations of land-birds in Tsavo National Park, Kenya. Unpublished D.Phil. thesis, Oxford University. 1983. The movements of Palaearctic landbird migrants in Tsavo East National Park, Kenya. Journal of Animal Ecology 52: 513- 524. , LEUTHOLD, W. & SMEENK, C. 1980. Check-list of the birds of Tsavo East National Park, Kenya. Journal of the East Africa Natural History Society and National Museum 170: 1-25. & QUICKE, D.L.J. 1978. Dietary notes on some Kenyan birds. Scopus 2: 86-91. LEUTHOLD, W. 1973. Is the Somali Bee-eater extending its range? EANHS Bulletin 1973: 101. 1977. Changes in tree populations of Tsavo East National Park, Kenya. East African Wildlife Journal 15: 61-69. MCLEAN, G.L. 1968. Field studies on the sandgrouse of the Kalahari Desert. Living Bird 209-235. 1970. An analysis of the avifauna of the southern Kala- hari-Gemsbok National Park. Zoologia Africana 5: 249-273. MOREL, G. 1968. Contribution a la synécologie des oiseaux du Sahel sénégalais. These Doct. Etat. Mémoires ORSTOM No. 29. NAPIER BAX, P. & SHELDRICK, D.L.W. 1963. Some preliminary observations on the food of the elephant in the Tsavo Royal National Park (East) of Kenya. Esat African Wildlife Journal 1: 40-53. PEARSON, D.J. 1972. The wintering and migration of Palaearctic passer- ines at Kampala, southern Uganda. Ibis 114: 43-60. & BACKHURST, G.C. 1976. The southward migration of Pal- aearctic birds over Ngulia, Kenya. Ibis 118: 78-105. PRATT, D.J., GREENWAY, P.J. & GWYNNE, M.D. 1966. A classification of East African rangeland with an appendix on terminology. Journal of Applied Ecology 3: 369-382. SINCLAIR, A.R.E. 1978. Factors affecting the food supply and breeding season of resident birds and movements of Palaearctic migrants ina tropical African savanna. Ibis 120: 480-497. SMEENK, C. 1974. Comparative-ecological studies of some East African birds of prey. Ardea 62: 1-97. SWANK, W.G. 1977. Food of three upland game-birds in the Selengei Area, Kajiado District, Kenya. East African Wildlife Journal 152 99-105. TENNENT, J.R.M. 1962. Notes on the migration and dispersal of birds at Kitui. Journal of the East Africa Natural History Society 24: 41-42. 96 Tsavo East land-bird ecology THIOLLAY, J-M. 1971. L'avifaune de la région de Lamto (moyenne Céte d'Ivoire). Annals of the University of Abidjan series E (Ecologie) AS oo) TREVOR, S. & LACK, P.C. 1976. Great Spotted Cuckoo parasitising Superb Starling. EANHS Bulletin 1976: 50. TURNER, D.A. 1977. A new host for the Black and White Cuckoo Clamator jacobinus. Scopus 1: 51-52. TYRELL, J.G. & COE, M.J. 1974. The rainfall regime of Tsavo National Park, Kenya and its phenological significance. Journal of Biogeo- graphy ts V87=192 . VOOUS, K.H. 1960. Atlas of European birds. London: Nelson. WARD, P. 1971. The migration patterns of Quelea quelea in Africa. Mols Nilss LIS=—L29 7. Peter C. Lack, Edward Grey Institute/Animal Ecology Research Group, Department of Zoology, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK Present address: British Trust for Ornithology, Beech Grove, Tring, Hertfordshire HP23 5NR, UK (Received 9 May 1983) Spotted Ground Thrush at Gede 97 THE SPOTTED GROUND THRUSH TURDUS FISCHERI FISCHERI AT GEDE IN COASTAL KENYA L.A. Bennun Turdus fischeri, the Spotted Ground Thrush, is a rare, elusive and little-known African bird with a very fragmented distribution. Four races are described, all existing in isolated patches of moist ever- green forest. T.f.natalicus, the largest, breeds in coastal forests in eastern Cape Province, South Africa, migrating in March to Natal and southern Kwazulu (Clancey 1955, 1957). The Malawi race belcheri appears to be resident, but scarce, up to at least 1500m in the Soche and Thyolo forests near Blantyre (Benson 1950, 1952, 1954). A race, maxis, waS described in 1982 on the basis of a specimen collected at 1250m in the Imatong Mts, southern Sudan (Nikolaus 1982). The nom- inate race is known only as a non-breeding visitor between March and November to forests on the Kenya coast (Britton & Rathbun 1978). Completing this pattern of wide geographical separation, an unassign- ed bird has been collected at 1700m in the Upemba National Park of southern Zaire (Benson & Benson 1975). Only natalicus is thought to be reasonably common. T.f. belcheri persists as a very small population, while the type specimen remains the only record of maxis despite three years of fieldwork in the Im- atongs by its discoverer (Nikolaus 1982). Mackworth-Praed & Grant (1960) considered the nominate race "probably now extinct"; there had been only two sight records since Fischer's original specimens were taken in 1885 (Benson 1950, 1954). However, a specimen was shot in Sokoke Forest in 1964 (Keith & Twomey 1968) and regular sightings sub- sequently established the bird as seasonally common in three tiny patches of coral rag forest at Gede, Shimoni, and Jadini. There ap- pears also to be a seasonal presence at a much lower density in Sok- oke Forest, and a few records have been obtained elsewhere on the coast (Britton 1980, Britton & Rathbun 1978, Britton, Britton & Cov- erdale 1980). The birds' breeding grounds are unknown. This study was undertaken to assess the status and general ecology of the nom- inate race at Gede; it was carried out during July and August 1983 as part of the University of East Anglia - International Council for Bird Preservation Arabuko-Sokoke Forest Expedition. METHODS Gede Ruins National Monument (3.18'S, 40.01'E) protects the ruins of a fifteenth century Afro-Arab town. The 44-ha site, on coral rag, has been cleared around the main excavations but is otherwise covered with dense semi-deciduous lowland forest (Moomaw 1960). Mist nets were used at eight sites distributed across the forested area (Fig. 1), from 10 to 17 and 22 to 25 July. Choice of site was constrained by the availability of suitable small paths or trails; Scopus 9: 97-107, September 1985 98 Spotted Ground Thrush at Gede these usually required some clearing, and the net lengths used varied. Several sites were operated simultaneously, the nets being open at each for two morning and two afternoon sessions (i.e. one evening, the whole of the next day, and the morning following that). Nests were opened at 06:00 and closed at 18:30. Weights and wing-lengths were taken for all species caught; in add- ition, all Tf. fischeri were individually colour-ringed, with colour combinations chosen to minimize possible confusion in dim light. Re- location and observation of colour-ringed birds continued at intervals until 19 August, and retrapping was organized at sites A and C (Fig.1) on 8 and 9 August. Some habitat assessment (described below) was un- N 0 100m Fig. 1. Map of Gede Ruins National Monument. Key: ---- path, Oruined building, ruined wall, »——*-forest edge, A - H are net sites, e@ Ground Thrush first caught, o retrap, x relocation, — position of net, ? sighting of unringed bird. dertaken towards the end of the study period. This report also in- cludes data for Tf. fischeri captured during the expedition's work in Spotted Ground Thrush at Gede 99 the adjacent Sokoke Forest (Kelsey & Langton 1984). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Ten Turdus fischeri were captured at Gede, and three in Sokoke For- est. Mean wing-length was 118.3mm (range 114 - 121mm) and mean weight 58.2g (range 53 - 62g). Six recaptures were made at Gede, and three colour-ringed individuals were relocated (Fig. 1). Three of the marked individuals at Gede were neither relocated nor retrapped. General habits The species was at all times very difficult to observe, being silent, shy, and extremely well camouflaged. The birds were markedly terres- trial; when disturbed on the ground they generally stood quite still, remaining motionless for up to six minutes before beginning to forage once more in a typical thrush fashion, making one or two rapid hops then plunging the beak repeatedly into the leaf litter. Vocalizations The South African race natalicus has a rich musical song uttered from high in a tree (Chiazzari 1952). The only vocalization identified at Gede was a very quiet, thin tswee call made while the bird foraged. Song has been heard at Diani (Jadini) south of Mombasa (Irvine & Ir- vine 1977b) and birds there have sung in response to recordings of the song of the race natalicus; the nominate race's song at Diani proved, however, to be quite distinct (R. McVicker pers. comm.) and is heard throughout the birds' stay in Kenya. Activity Capture and relocation timings suggest that the species is most active early and late in the day. None was caught between 09:20 and 17:00, although one bird (B/Y) was observed foraging actively at 11:20, sug- gesting that a steady low level of activity may be maintained through- out the middle hours. Taking all records together, there is no sug- gestion of greater activity in the morning than the afternoon hours, or vice versa (29 morning, 20 afternoon sessions; 15 morning, 8 after- noon records: x*-test; P >0.1). Home range All recaptures and relocations were very close to the original capture points. The greatest displacement was 40m in the case of the immat- ure bird, R/W; all others (13) were below 30m, and most were much smaller than this. Site fidelity was not just a short-term phenomen- on; for example, R/DG and DG/W were retrapped a few metres from their original capture points over a month after they were colour-ringed. It thus seems appropriate to regard individual T.f. fischeri as moving and foraging within a well-defined home range. By contrast, retrap data for the Red-capped Robin Chat Cossypha natalensis (another mig- ratory thrush occurring at Gede: Britton & Rathbun 1978) show that movements between net sites, involving distances of more than 100n, were not uncommon. 100 Spotted Ground Thrush at Gede No territorial interactions were observed in T.f. fischeri; indeed, no two birds were ever seen in close proximity. Some, though, may have had partially overlapping home ranges; for instance, DG/W and R/DG were initially caught in the same net at site A, and DG/W was re- trapped within the known home range of R/DG. At net site C, birds B/Y and W/LG had capture points very close together. Two birds, R/DG and B/Y, were located often enough to allow the cal- culation of home range areas (Fig. 2). The method employed was that of Jennrich & Turner (1969) which relies on NJ | the covariance matrix of the location points: the points were mapped on to an arbitary Cartesian grid, and the area cal- culated from their co-ordinates using the appropriate formulae. Of relatively sim- ple methods this gives the most accurate and stable estimate with a small sample, and is the least sensitive to temporal contingency in the points used (Ford & Myers 1981). Calculated areas were 1360 m for R/DG and 1347m* for B/Y. The Similarity of these values may be fort- uitous; certainly they must be regarded as minimum estimates for the utilized areas, Since it is likely that birds were more difficult to detect the further away they were from the net site paths. Relative abundance The ringing results suggest that T.f. fischeri was the second most abundant for- est floor bird at Gede in July and August, after Cossypha natalensis (Table 1). Britton & Rathbun (1978) gave second place to the Eastern Bearded Scrub Robin Cerco- trichas quadrivirgata; this is a much more conspicuous bird than the ground thrush and observers have probably overestimated its relative numbers in the past. Pooled results from Sokoke Forest show that there C. quadrivirgata is, overall, the more ab- undant of the two (Table 1); however, the Sokoke survey covered a number of differ- ent habitat types, so it is not possible to make a straightforward comparison. Fig. 2) LOCat1On spOIneES for bird R/DG at net site A, used to calculate home range area. Sightings with the same number are temp- orally linked, represent- ing the first and last points where a bird was observed on a single oc- casion. o seen, ecaught. Age structure : Only one immature Spotted Ground Thrush was caught at Gede; the immat- ure:adult ratio was much lower than in either of the other terrestrial thrushes (Table 2: data from Gede and Sokoke combined). This scarcity of immature birds was unexpected. Kenyan ringing records for the species from 1972 to 1981 indicate that, of 19 birds handled, 10 were — Spotted Ground Thrush at Gede 10 TABLE 1 Total numbers caught of three ground-dwelling thrushes Sokoke Forest Gede Ruins ewe... = :_:'P-axXw]____==__a=aa_aaaaaanananaD nn Cossypha natalensis 49 Sy Turdus f. fischeri 3 10 | Cercotrichas quadrivirgata 17 , 5 adults, 3 "fully grown" and 6 immature. Conservatively counting the "fully grown" birds as adults gives an immature:adult ratio for this period of 1:2.2, comparable to the ratio found here for Cossypha nat- alensis. Given this proportion, the chance that no more than one bird out of thirteen caught would be an immature is significantly small, although only barely so (binomial test; P = 0.05). There are several possible reasons for this apparent difference in age structure. Most obviously, it could be caused by unusually poor breeding success in the season prior to the study. However, unlike this study, the ring- ing data for past years include presumed passage periods, as they cover all months from April to October; they also include records from Bamburi, Jadini, Mrima and Shimoni as well as Gede and Sokoke. Adult birds might well exclude immatures from areas of optimum habitat, such as Gede appears to be, so that a larger proportion of immature birds would be captured during passage periods and in sub-optimal forest tracts. With only 19 past records there is unfortunately little scope for subdivision to test this idea. Despite the tiny samples though, it is of interest to examine the coral rag forests (Gede, Jadini and Shimoni) together. Here the immature:adult ratio is 1:2 for the pre- TABLE 2 Immature:adult ratios for three ground-dwelling thrushes [ringing results pooled for Sokoke Forest and Gede Ruins] Total no. Total no. Immature:adult immatures adults ratio Cossypha natalensis 29 57, 122% 0 Turdus f. fischeri 1 12 let 250 Cercotrichas quadrivirgata 8 14 Lae 8 sumed resident period (taken as the second half of May to the first half of September, inclusive; six birds) and 1:1 for dates outside nis (four birds). Population size Because the Spotted Ground Thrush is so hard to see, and the number of birds caught was small, conventional methods of population size estim- ation are inapplicable. To overcome this difficulty a simple techni- 102 Spotted Ground Thrush at Gede que was devised that uses the calculated home ranges to obtain an est- imate of the total area sampled during netting (see Appendix). Using this, the estimated population density is 2.9 birds/ha, giving a total of 113 T.f. fischeri in the 39ha forest area. These are upper limits; if the true home ranges were indeed larger than calculated, then the density estimates would be reduced accordingly. The overall population density in Sokoke Forest is presumably much lower than that at Gede Ruins; a direct comparison is impossible, but while much more mist-netting took place in Sokoke than at Gede (Kelsey & Langton 1984), only three Spotted Ground Thrushes were caught there. Because of the forest's still considerable area, some 37 200 ha, even a low overall density of fT. fischeri could imply a sizeable population. However, only some 28 per cent of the forest is still undisturbed, and this proportion is diminishing constantly (Kelsey & Langton 1984). Diet Attempts during this study to determine diet (by use of tincture of ipecacuanha to induce regurgitation) proved unsuccessful). From stom- ach contents, Chiazzari (1952) described the diet of the race natal- icus as "grubs and insects". Three specimens of the nominate race in the National Museum, Nairobi, had fragments of small millipedes Prion- opetalum spp. in their stomachs, while the stomach of a bird from Sok- oke Forest collected in July contained seeds and fruit pulp (Britton & Zimmerman 1979). Ants have been suggested as part of 7.f. fischeri's diet (Mackworth- Praed & Grant 1960, Burrell & Abel 1976). Large swarms of ants Dory- lus sp. are often encountered at Gede Ruins, and attract considerable numbers of forest birds: for example Cossypha natalensis, Cercotrichas quadrivirgata, and Nicators Nicator chloris. Turdus fischeri was never observed in these feeding parties. In one instance, a Swarm was watched for 3% hours in the home range of R/DG; R/DG itself appeared after 2% hours, perched near the edge of the swarm for some ten sec- onds, then flew away from the bird party and was lost to view. On the available evidence, T.f. fischeri thus appears to be a gen- eralist ground feeder, but a solitary one that may actually avoid parties of feeding birds. Habitat preferences A survey was carried out to assess several habitat variables (mainly related to the amount of shade cast by the upper canopy). Ten sites were selected, five in the assumed home ranges of individual ground thrushes and five at net sites where none of this species had been caught or observed. At each four 4-m* quadrats were sampled, one each 10m north, south east, and west of an arbitary point along the track. The following were assessed: relative proportions of bare soil, leaf litter and low herbaceous growth; the numbers of woody plants in each of four size groups; the degree of undergrowth tangle on a O-5 scale; leaf litter thickness (the average of the number of fallen leaves at four specified points within the quadrat). Spotted Ground Thrush at Gede 103 The results (Table 3) show that the Spotted Ground Thrush appears to prefer habitat characters associated with deep shade: nearly complete canopy cover, extensive, thick leaf litter, and a relatively sparse growth of small saplings. The impression was that the birds" home ranges included one or more densely shaded glades, rather open at ground level, with nearby areas of low, thick, undergrowth, tangled with dead wood and vines, where they retreated when threatened. TABLE 3 Quadrat results averaged for T.f. fischeri home ranges ("+SGT") and net sites where no T.f. fischeri were caught ("-SGT") means: means: Significance Variable FiSGr - SGT of difference’ Depth of litter (1-5) 323 is Pr< 0) O1* Soil cover, per cent 3729 40.6 NS Leaf cover, per cent 51:3 36 21 Py OL05 Herb cover, per cent 10.8 24.3 NS Trees class A, <0.5m high 8.6 20.0 NS Trees class B, 0.5 - 2m high 4.0 10.4 Pe 0.05 Trees class C, 2 - 4m high rOAy. 220 NS Trees class D, >4m high 2.6 ae NS Tangle (0-5) ERE 3.4 NS* Canopy cover, per cent 90.4 75.6 P 0.005 Notes: + = t-test, except * = Mann-Whitney U-test Facial skin All the fT.f. fischeri caught had a small patch of bare skin behind each eye. This patch was coloured pink in six of the birds, and purp- lish-blue in six of the others (the colour was unrecorded for one). Two specimens in the collection of the National Museum, Nairobi, a male and a female, both have the patch coloured "dark pinkish", as re- corded on the labels. This thus seems unlikely to be a sexually di- morphic character, despite the proportions observed. Moult All but four of the Spotted Ground Thrushes handled had completed wing moult, including the first three birds captured (on 10 July) and all five caught after 25 July. The four still moulting were well advanced in replacement (primary scores, out of 50, were 38, 45, 47 and 49). Moult thus appears to be completed by the end of July. A specimen (No. 12287) in the National Museum, collected on 5 May 1966, was in early moult (primary score 5) suggesting initiation shortly after ar- Yival in the non-breeding quarters. To set against this, a bird ring- ed in Sokoke by P.B. Taylor on 3 May 1981 had fresh primaries, indi- cating replacement was already completed. Further information is re- 104 Spotted Ground Thrush at Gede quired before any conclusion can be drawn. General discussion The results confirm that the Spotted Ground Thrush occurs at a much greater overall density at Gede Ruins than in the nearby Sokoke For- est. Britton & Rathbun (1978) suggest three reasons why the Gede Ruins forest might be preferred: 1)*the accumulated detritus from the prolonged occupation of Gede might have improved feeding opportunities 2) the birds might favour wetter areas of lowland forest, with rain- fall greater than 1000mm/yr, 3) there might be a preference for the uneven ground characteristic of coral rag. The ‘accumulated detritus' hypothesis is unsatisfactory, since T. fischeri shows a high seasonal abundance not only at Gede but also at Jadini (Diani) and Shimoni (Britton 1980, Britton & Rathbun 1978, Ir- vine & Irvine 1977a, 1977b, M.A.C. Coverdale pers.. comm.). The birds' preference appears to be for coral rag Eorest in particular, nee Simply for wet lowland forest: they are not more common in the lowland rain forest sector of Sokoke than in the drier habitat types there (Britton & Zimmerman 1979). The ground thrushes recorded in Sokoke during the study period were captured in Afzelia forest (two birds) and dry Cynometra thicket (one bird; Kelsey & Langton 1984). Substrate evenness could conceivably affect the birds' habitat choice, but it seems more likely on present evidence that they are selecting sites with particular vegetation characteristics: areas of closed canopy providing deep shade, thick leaf litter and scant or patchy low veg- etation. The capture site of the Cynometra bird in Sokoke corres— ponded precisely with this description; the canopy was much lower than at Gede but almost completely closed (unfortunately the capture sites of the other two Sokoke birds could not be visited). The species' higher density on coral rag could thus be explained if tracts of structurally suitable habitat occurred there more commonly than in the other coastal forests. There is some evidence for this from tran- sect work carried out to create vegetation profiles of Sokoke habitats (Kelsey & Langton 1984). It is possible too that soil type and high rainfall combine in the coral rag forests to improve conditions in the leaf litter for the ground thrush's invertebrate prey. In this res- pect it would be interesting to compare invertebrate productivity in structurally similar areas of Sokoke and Gede. Further ringing is required to establish wkether the apparent scar- city of immature birds at Gede is a real phenomenon, and, if so, what its causes are. However, this finding does illustrate clearly the importance of locating T.f.fischeri's breeding grounds. Other races are restricted to small patches of forest where the threat of habitat destruction may be great. As migratory coastal races, nominate fischeri and natalicus may be contrasted with the apparently sedentary inland races belcheri and maxis. The species, like the African Pitta Pitta angolensis, is one of the very few true forest birds in Africa to show anything more than altitudinal migration (Benson 1981). Britton -& Rathbun (1978) find Spotted Ground Thrush at Gede 105 "surprising" the movements of the nominate race away from the Kenya coast in months when food is readily available in the leaf litter. As in any migratory species, however, events elsewhere must also be taken into account; movements might, for instance, be timed to coincide with a peak in food abundance in the breeding quarters. The onset of sea- sonal rains usually has a direct effect on food supply, with insects abundant in the early rains and remaining numerous until the end of the wet season (Curry-Lindahl 1981). The Spotted Ground Thrush mi- grates from the Kenya coast as the rains there end and those in the southern tropics begin. The birds reappear in Kenya around March (sertronm es Rathbun 1978) at the start of the coastal wet season (Brit- ton 1980). If rainfall is the primary factor influencing the species' Migration, it seems most likely that the birds breed in northern Moz- ambique, as suggested by Benson to S.N. Stuart (pers. comm.). Since this is one of the ornithologically least known areas of Africa (Brooke 1984), and T.f. fischeri one of the more elusive of African birds (Benson 1950, Chiazzari 1952), the undetected existence of a small breeding population is not implausible. There is some mystery, however, in the complete absence of records for Tanzania south of Pan- gani (Britton & Rathbun 1978). Despite the high density of non-breeding T.f. fischeri at Gede and other coral rag forests, Sokoke Forest may well support the largest total population while the birds are in Kenya. The results of this study suggest that the Spotted Ground Thrush is unlikely to tolerate much modification of its habitat; while the future of the Gede Ruins forest seems reasonably secure, the proportion of primary forest re- Maining in Sokoke continues to dwindle (Kelsey & Langton 1984). Much more effective conservation measures must be introduced there if [7.f. fischeri, and other rare animals, are to survive. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thanks to the Office of the President and the National Museums of Kenya for research permission, to the sponsors of the U.E.A.-I.C.B.P. Arabuko-Sokoke Forest Expedition and Clare College, Cambridge for financial assistance, to the staff at Gede Ruins National Monument for their interest and help, and to N. Collar, M.A.C. Coverdale, R. McVicker, S.N. Stuart and G.R. Cunningham-van Someren for assistance in various ways. G.C. Backhurst kindly allowed me access to EANHS ringing records, while J. and S. Cheffings generously made available accomodation in Malindi. Special thanks to the other members of the Expedition, Gary Allport, John Bowler, Martin Kelsey and Tom Langton, for their unflagging support. Gary Allport supervised ringing and collected the moult data; my thanks to P.B. Taylor for additional moult records. I am most grateful to Victor Caddy, Paul Kelly, Martin Kelsey, P.B. Taylor and an anonymous referee for their criticism which served materially to improve the paper. 106 Spotted Ground Thrush at Gede REFERENCES BENSON, C.W. 1950. Some notes on the Spotted Forest Thrush Turdus fischeri. OSELIChH 213 (58—64 2 1952. A further note on the Spotted Forest Thrush Turdus fischeri.: Ostriehi23 2:48. 1954. The status of Turdus fischeri belcheri. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 74: 88-90. 1981. Migrants in the Afrotropical region south of the equator. "Ostrich 532 31-A9: & BENSON, F.M. 1975. Studies of some Malawi birds Arn- Oldia Rhodesia 7(32): 1-27. BURRELL, J.H. & ABEL, R. 1976. A not so ‘extinct’ thrush on the Kenya coast. EANHS Bulletin 1976: 32-33. BRITTON, P.L. & RATHBUN, G.B. 1978. Two migratory thrushes and the Af- rican) Pitta an coastal Kenya Scopus) 2-1) lye & ZIMMERMAN, D.A. 1979. The avifauna of Sokoke Forest, Kenya. Journal of the East Africa Natural History Society and Nat- ional Museum 169: 1-16. , BRITTON, H.A. & COVERDALE, M.A.C. 1980. The avifauna of Mrima Hill, south Kenya coast. Scopus 4: 73-78. BROOKE, R.K. 1984. Some specimen records from the Ruvuma River, front- ier of Mozambique and Tanzania. Scopus 8: 30. CHIAZZARI, W.L. 1952. Some observations on the Natal Forest Thrush, Turdus fischeri natalicus. Ostrich 23: 49-50. CLANCEY, P.A. 1955. Further as to the present status of (Turdus fisch- eri natalicus) Grote. Ostrich 26: 164-165. 1957. Further records of the Spotted Thrush being killed On Migratton. Ostrich 282-126-127. CURRY-LINDAHL, K. 1981. Bird migration in Africa. Vol. 2, London: Academic Press. FORD, R.G. & MYERS, J.P. 1981. An evaluation and comparison of tech- niques for estimating home range and territory size. In Ralph, C.J. & Scott, M.J. Estimating numbers of terrestrial birds; pp. 461-465. Studies in Avian Biology 6. Lawrence: Cooper Ornithological Society. IRVINE, G.C. & IRVINE, D. 1977a. Down at Diani - October 1976. EANHS Bulletin 1977: 85-86. ——<—<———— "_ 1977b. Notes on birds seen in Diani Forest, Kenya. ibidem 1977: 106-108. JENNRICH, R.I. & TURNER, F.B. 1969. Measurement of non-circular home range. Journal of Theoretical Biology 22: 227-237. KEITH, S. & TWOMEY, A. 1968. New distributional records for some East African binds. 2£b7s 110-9537—548- Spotted Ground Thrush at Gede 107 KELSEY, M.G. & LANGTON, T.E.S. 1984. The conservation of the Arabuko- Sokoke Forest, Kenya. ICBP Study Report 4. Cambridge: ICBP. MOOMAW, J.C. 1960. A study of the plant ecology of the coast region of Kenya Colony, British East Africa. Nairobi: Government Printer. NIKOLAUS, G. 1982. A new race of the Spotted Ground Thrush Turdus fischeri from South Sudan. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club 101: 45-47. APPENDIX CALCULATION OF POPULATION SIZE Consider a population of birds within a closed area A. Assume 1) birds have circular home ranges, radius r (these may overlap to any extent); 2) a mist net placed within A will catch all those birds whose home range it intersects, i.e. all those with home range centres distant AME PH). | Phaethontidae: tropicbirds Phaethon lepturus White-tailed Tropicbird S: I off Shimoni 20 Nov (MH, PH). 1 Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 11 Mar (NEB). Sulidae: boobies Sula dactylatra Masked Booby R: singles off Shimoni 6 Feb, 6 Oct (MH, PH). Sula leucogaster Brown Booby S: an immature off Shimoni 22 Sep (MH, PH). - Fregatidae: frigatebirds Fregata sp.: 1 off Shimoni 8 Sep (MH, PH). Ardeidae: herons Ixobrychus minutus paysii Little Bittern R: several Lake Baringo Jul-Sep (DAT); 1 Lake Naivasha 16 Jun (DJP). Ixobrychus sturmii Dwarf Bittern R: 6 Kalalu Ranch, 50 km W of Jilore, 4 Apr, and 4 still there 20 Apr (MACC). 1 Ruaha NP, Tanzania, 4 Aug (EL); 1 Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 19 May (NEB). Ardeola idae Madagascar Squacco Heron R: recorded Dar es Salaam, Tan- zania, 11 May-—Jul, max 14 (NEB); Thika OPs 24 May-—12 Oct (max 12) (DJP); Mara GR Aug (DAT); also 2 Lake Nakuru 14 Jun, 1 Limuru 16 Jun and 12 Aug and 1 Mombasa 2-12 Oct (DJP, CR, DAT). Ardeola rufiventris Rufous-bellied Heron R: up to 3 Mufindi, Tanzania late Aug—Nov and 2 Usangu Flats rice scheme, Tanzania, 16 Nov (AJB). Egretta ardesiaca Black Heron R: small numbers most months Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Lake Jipe and Lower Tana. Also 1 Lake Naivasha 16 Dec and 1 Lake Baringo 12 Dec (AJB, MACC, DJP, DKR, DAT). Egretta gularis African Reef Heron R: singles Mida Creek 14 Feb (dark), and 19 Nov (white), and Amboseli 10 Jul (white) (DJP, DKR, DAT). Ciconiidae: storks Ciconia episcopus Woolly-necked Stork E: a pair Mara GR 5 May (FA) and 3 Meru NP 30-31 Jul (DAT). 148 East African Bird Report 1985 Phoenicopteridae: flamingos Phoeniconaias minor Lesser Flamingo EN: c. 220 Lake Munyanyango, Rwenzori NP, Uganda, 21 Jun (DEP). Anatidae: ducks, geese Dendrocygna viduata White-faced Whistling Duck N: >1000 Usangu Flats rice scheme, Tanzania, 16 Nov (AJB). Nettapus auritus African Pygmy Goose R: recorded only from Gazi (Mar), Lake Bilisa (Apr) and Mufindi, Tanzania (Sep—Nov) (AJB, MACC). Anas sparsa African Black Duck E: singles Athi River, Nairobi NP, 20 and 25 Aug (ADL, DAT). Accipitridae: birds of prey Gypohierax angolensis Palm-nut Vulture E: singles Kindaruma Mar, Apr, Jul and Nov (BB); 1-2 Meru NP Jul and Nov (DAT). Gypaetus barbatus Lammergeyer R: 1 Hell’s Gate 25 Mar (MS). Accipiter minullus Little Sparrowhawk R: singles Nairobi suburbs Jul, Aug and Nov; 2 near Nakuru Nov; 1 near Mbiuni (Machakos) Nov (ADL, DJP, PW, DAT). Accipiter ovampensis Ovampo Sparrowhawk S: 1 Mara GR 10 Aug (WR, BS). Photograph supplied. Satisfactory Kenya records of this species are very few indeed. Butastur rufipennis Grasshopper Buzzard R: several Meru NP early Nov and parties Tsavo West NP mid Nov (DAT). Buteo tachardus Mountain Buzzard E: 1 Mt Kulal 8 Aug (NR, IR). Aviceda cuculoides Cuckoo Hawk R: recorded Nairobi NP and _ suburbs Jun—Aug, Sigona 11 Aug, Meru 1 Aug, near Malindi 15 Jul and Mombasa— Sokoke—Malindi area (several) 15-18 Aug (ADL, LDCF, DJP, DKR, DAT). Chelictinia riocourii Swallow-tailed Kite R: frequent records Narok—Suswa area, max 7 on 19 Jun (DKR); pair daily Koobi Fora 31 May-8 Jun (FA). Macheiramphus alcinus Bat Hawk R: recorded Mombasa (Jul), Naivasha (Oct), Kakamega (Nov) and Taita Hills Lodge (Nov) (CR, DKR, DAT, DEW). Falconidae: falcons Falco ardosiaceus Grey Kestrel E: 1 Dar es Salaam, Tanzania 12 July was the first record for the area (NEB). Falco cuvieri African Hobby R: recorded Mara GR Nov and Mombasa Oct (CR, DEW). 3 Falco dickinsoni Dickinson’s Kestrel S: 1 Meru NP 30 Jul (RB, WR, BS). The fourth Kenya record, and the most northerly to date. Falco ruplicoloides White-eyed Kestrel E: 6 at base of Mt Kulal 8 Aug (NR, IR); 1 Lokitaung 17 Dec (DJP, DAT). Phasianidae: game birds Coturnix chiniensis Blue Quail R: 1 Madaba, Tanzania, 10 Jul (EL). Francolinus levaillantii WRed-winged Francolin R: party of 5 Mofindi, East African Bird Report 1985 149 Tanzania, 16 Feb (AJB). Ptilopachus petrosus Stone Partridge R: calling Lewa Downs, Timau, Dec (DKR). Turnicidae: button quails : Turnix sylvatica Button Quail M: 1 caught at night Ngulia 18 Dec (GCB). Rallidae: rails Crex egregia African Crake R: singles Mombasa 24 Jul, 10 Nov and 7 Dec (CR); 2 Lake Baringo 3 Aug (DAT). 1 Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 19 May was first for the area (NEB); singles Mufindi, Tanzania, 18, 29 Apr and 14 May (AJB). Porphyrio porphyrio Allen’s Gallinule R: >50 Lake Baringo Aug—Sep and 1 there 10 Nov (DAT); regular Mombasa Jul—Dec (CR). Rallus caerulescens African Water Rail BM: 4 ads with juvs Mara GR 10 Aug (DAT); 1 caught at night Ngulia 10 Dec (GCB). Sarothrura boehmi Streaky-breasted Pygmy Crake S: 1 Mufindi, Tan- zania, 27 May (AJB); attracted to lights at night. Sarothrura rufa Red-chested Pygmy Crake R: a few present all months Kai- mosi (DAT). Heliornithidae: finfoots Podica senegalensis African Finfoot R: pair with 2 young Tana River below Kindaruma 10 Oct (BB); 1 Thika River, Kamburu 29 Oct (BB); pair resident Athi River, Nairobi NP (DAT) and Ruaha NP, Tanzania, 21 Jul (NEB). Otididae: bustards Neotis denhami Denham’s Bustard R: 1 Lemek, Mara GR Jun (DKR); at Lai- kipia: 2 near Maralal 25 Apr, 1 Laikipia Ranch 29 Aug, 3 Mugie 31 Oct and 7 there 5 Dec, 3 P&D Ranch 11 and 28 Nov (MACC, DAT); 2 Narok airstrip 11 Nov (DAT). Otis kori Kori Bustard N: >25 in wheat fields near Narok 11 Aug (DAT). Jacanidae: jacanas Microparra capensis Lesser Jacana R: few resident Mufindi area, Tanzania (AJB). Recurvirostridae: stilts, avocets Himantopus himantopus Black-winged Stilt B: at least 30 juvs Lake Magadi 21 July including a half-grown unfledged chick (DJP). Recurvirostra avosetta Avocet E: 6 Rwenzori NP, Uganda, 21 Jun (DEP). Glareolidae: coursers, pratincoles Rhinoptilus chalcopterus Violet-tipped Courser R: 1 caught at night Ngulia 10 Dec (GCB) was the first for the Lodge. In Tanzania, 4 Madaba airstrip May-Jun (EL) and >40 Mikumi NP 7 Jun (NEB). Glareola nuchalis White-collared Pratincole E: 1 with Common Prat- incoles G. pratincola 16 Feb where Tana River flowed over small falls out of Lake Bilisa, Garsen (DJP, MACC). Glareola ocularis Madagascar Pratincole R: 20+ Sabaki 17 Aug (DAT); 150 East African Bird Report 1985 10+ Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 7 Jun (NEB). Laridae: gulls, terns Anous stolidus Common Noddy R: 1 Sabaki River 3 Feb (LDCF). Chlidonias hybridus Whiskered Tern B: 10+ pairs nesting Limuru swamp 14 Jun (DJP); few recently fledged juvs Lake Nakuru 11 Aug (DJP). Sterna albifrons Little Tern E: c. 10 Lake Shakababo and 1 Lake Bilisa, a few km inland, 15-16 Feb (DJP, MACC). Sterna anaethetus Bridled Tern R: 1 off Watamu 29 Dec (DAT). Sterna bengalensis Lesser Crested Tern E: inland, 1 Lake Shakababo 15 Feb (DJP); 1 Lake Naivasha 9 Aug (BM). Sterna repressa White-cheeked Tern R: 1 Mombasa Apr; small flocks flying south 26-28 May (MACC); 1 Sabaki mouth 21 Oct (CR). Rynchopidae: skimmers Rynchops flavirostris African Skimmer R: small flock Lake Naivasha (max 30) Feb—1 May (DJP) and 1 there 21 Jul (LDCF); several Sabaki mouth Feb, Apr and Oct (LDCF, CR); 1 Kindaruma 28 Jul (BB); 5 Lake Jipe 16 Apr (MS); 12+ Koobi Fora 31 May-8 Jun (FA). 200+ Rwenzori NP, Uganda, Feb—Mar (DEP). Cuculidae: cuckoos Clamator glandarius Great Spotted Cuckoo R: recorded Nairobi Apr and Magadi road Mar (DJP, PW). Clamator jacobinus Black and White Cuckoo R: recorded Tsavo West NP, Amboseli, Naivasha, Baringo, Samburu GR and Mara GR Feb; Nairobi NP Feb—Apr and Jul; Shimba Hills and Kalalu Ranch Apr; Kamburu May; Meru NP Jun; and Koobi Fora Jun. Most records, however, from Kibwezi/Tsavo area Nov—Dec (LDCF, BB, MACC, FA, DJP, DKR, CR, DAT, PW). Clamator levaillantii Levaillant?’s Cuckoo R: 1 Nairobi NP 5 Apr (LDCF). Cuculus gularis African Cuckoo R: calling: Magadi road Mar, Baringo Jun and Maktau, Makindu and Ngulia Nov (DJP, DAT). Cuculus solitarius Red-chested Cuckoo E: calling Mt Kulal 8 Aug (NR, IR). Ceuthmochares aereus Yellowbill M: 1 caught at night Ngulia 10 Dec (GCB). The second record for the Lodge. Centropus grillii Black Coucal R: 1 Mombasa end Oct (CR); 2 Lake es | boli end Dec (DAT); 1 Morogoro, Tanzania, 11 Oct (AJB). Strigidae: owls Scotopelia peli Pel’s Fishing Owl R: pair prospecting Thika River at Kam- buru 30 Jun and one same site 27 Dec (BB). Caprimulgidae: nightjars Caprimulgus donaldsoni Donaldson-Smith’s Nightjar RM: caught at Ngulia 21 Nov and 9 Dec (GCB, DJP). Caprimulgus fraenatus Dusky Nightjar RM: 2 caught Ngulia 14 Dec (GCB). East African Bird Report 1985 151 Caprimulgus inornatus Plain Nightjar RM: caught at Ngulia 21 Nov and 23 Nov (GCB, DJP). Apodidae: swifts Apus berlioad Forbes-Watson’s Swift R: several over Sokoke Forest late Dec (DAT). Apus horus Horus Swift E: 1 Kilifi-Ribe road 21 Nov (CR). Meropidae; bee-eaters Merops hirundineus Swailow-tailed Bee-eater R: 1 Madaba, Tanzania, 27-28 Apr and 1 Songea, Tanzania, 15 Aug (PS). Merops nubicus Carmine Bee-eater E: few Tsavo West NP near Kamboyo mid Oct (DJP). Coaraciidae: rollers Coracias abyssinicus Abyssinian Roller E: 1 Kisumu 9 Dec (DAT). Bucerotidae: hornbills Tockus hemprichii Hemprich’s Hornbill E: 2 Laikipia Ranch 10 Aug (MACC); 2 Menengai 10 Dec (MACC); 4 Marich Pass 12 Oct (ADL). Capitonidae: barbets Pogoniulis chrysoconus Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird E: 1 Kakamega town 16 Nov (DEW). Picidae: woodpeckers Denropicos Stierlingi Stierling’s Woodpecker E: resident Madaba, Tan- zania, throughout the year (EC). Picoides obsoletus Brown-backed Woodpecker R: singles Nairobi suburbs most months; 1 Naro Moru Jun (DKR) and 1 near Arusha, Tanzania, Sep (DKR). Pittidae: pittas Pitta angolensis African Pitta R: 3 caught at night Mufindi, Tanzania, 23 Nov (AJB); 1 recorded Njombe, Tanzania, Nov (EC). Alaudidae: larks Mirafra nigricans Dusky Bush Lark RE: 1 Madaba, Tanzania, 31 Mar (PS). Full details received. Hirundinidae: swallows Hirundo atrocaerulea Blue Swallow R: recorded Luhoto, Tanzania, Jan and Feb and up to 12 Mufindi, Tanzania, to 14 May and from 18 Sep (EMB). Paridae: tits Parus leucomelas Black Tit E: 1 Bagamoyo, Tanzania, 18 Aug (NEB). Timaliidae: babblers Turdoides hindei Hinde’s Pied Babbler R: 3 at usual site Kianyaga 8 Oct (DAT); no other records. Pycnonotidae: bulbuls Nicator chloris Nicator M: 1 caught in the bush at Ngulia 23 Nov (DJP) was new for the site. 152 East African Bird Report 1985 Turdidae: thrushes ass Cercotrichas hartlaubi Brown-backed Scrub Robin R: recorded Nairobi, Kianyaga, Aberdare NP and Naro Moru (various observers). . Dryocichloides poliopterus Grey-winged Robin Chat R: recorded near Kapenguria Apr and Saiwa Feb and Oct (DJP, CR, ADL). | Monticola angolensis Little Rock Thrush R: records from Wamba-Maralal road (DEW), Meru town (DKR) and near Mweiga (DAT). ! Turdus fischeri Spotted Ground Thrush R: 2 Jadini Forest 10 Jul (LDCR) 1 Gede 14 Apr (CR). Sylviidae: warblers 2 ee Chloropeta gracilirostris Papyrus Yellow Warbler R: 1 Kendu “Bay end Dec (DAT). Eremomela scotops Green-capped Eremomela R: 1 Sokoke Forest 18 Aug (DAT). Heliolais erythroptera Red-winged Warbler R: in Tanzania: singles Madaba 10 Mar and Apr (PS); a pair feeding fledged young N of Chilinze 12 Jan (NEB). Hyliota flavigaster Yellow-bellied Hyliota R: 2 Kongalai escapment Apr (CR); recorded Madaba, Tanzania, Mar—Apr (PS). Phylloscopus laurae Laura’s Warbler S(A): ‘a male iesnd Apr, Kitungulu, Tanzania (DCM, RS). First record for Tanzania and East Africa, see Scopus 10: 99-102. Phylloscopus’ ruficapilla Yellow-throated Woodland Warbler’ E: party of c. 10 Kikoneni, near Mrima Hill, south coast, 28 Mar (MACC). Sylvietta isabellina Somali Long-billed Crombec R: 2-3 near Mutha, S Kitui, Mar; several NE of Keuso, N Kitui, mid Mar (DJP); 2 Meru NP Jul (DAT); a few Lokitaung mid Dec (DJP, DAT). Muscicapidae: flycatchers Muscicapa caerulescens Ashy Flycatcher E: an adult with juv near Mbiuni (Machakos District) 15 Oct; also at same site Nov (DIP, AEB). Muscicapa gambagae Gambaga Flycatcher R: 2 near Wamba end Dec (DAT). Myioparus plumbeus Lead-coloured Flycatcher R: 1 in riverine Acacia few km N of Kongolai 22 Feb (DJP, MACC); 1 base Marich Pass 12 Oct (ADL); 2 Sokoke Forest late Dec (DAT). Myopornis boehmi Bohm’s Flycatcher R: a few in miombo woodland Madaba—Mahenge, Tanzania, mid Sep (AJB). Bias musicus Black and White Flycatcher RE: 3 (2 fenvales and 1 male) in forest edge near Meru town 29 Jul (DAT). Motacillidae: pipits, wagtails Anthus vaalensis Buffy Pipit R: recorded Madaba, Tanzania, May @S). Tmetothylacus tenellus Golden Pipit E: 1 Olorgessaillie 11 May (LDCF). East African Bird Report 1985 153 Malaconotidae: bush shrikes Dryoscopus pringlii Pringle’s Puffback R: several seen E of Cheuso, N Kit- ui mid Mar (DJP); recorded Meru NP Jul and Nov (DAT). Laniarius ruficeps Red-naped Bush Shrike R: very common E of Mutha, S Kitui, and E of Cheuso, N Kitui, mid Mar (DJP). Laniidae: shrikes Lanius souzae Souza’s Shrike R: 1 Madaba, Tanzania, 15 Mar (EC). Prionopidae: helmet shrikes Prionops retzii Retz’s Helmet Shrike E: party Athi River E of Mbiuni (Machakos District) 15 Oct and same area end Nov (DJP, AEB). Sturnidae: starlings Cinnyricinclus sharpii Sharpe’s Starling R: 1 near Kongolai Apr (CR); 2 forest edge near Meru town 1 Aug (DAT). Spreo shellyi Shelley’s Starling RE: a few Mackinnon Road Aug—Nov (GCB, CR, DAT). Ploceidae: weavers Anomalospiza imberbis Parasitic Weaver R: 1 Nairobi NP 20 Mar (DKR). Euplectes diadematus Fire-fronted Bishop EN: 1 Kamburu 24 Mar (BB); flocks in Tsavo West NP at Lake Jipe and in Samburu GR Apr (MS). Ploceus golandi Clarke’s Weaver R: c. 10 Sokoke Forest 4 Aug (LDCF). Ploceus heuglini WHeuglin’s Masked Weaver RE: 2 Lokitaung 16 Dec (DJP, DAT). Ploceus oliveiceps Olive-headed Golden Weaver R: 1 (nominate) Mad- aba, Tanzania, 24 Mar (EC); 2 Magambo Forest, Lushoto, Tanzania, 22 Dec of the distinctive race nicolli (the Usambara Weaver) (NEB). Passer domesticus House Sparrow R: 2 S shore of Kilifi Creek, 30 Aug—1 Sep (GCB). Vidua hypocherina Steel-blue Whydah R: 2 30 km §S of Kitui Mar; 1 Mutha (S Kitui) Mar; 1 40 km E of Cheusi (N Kitui) Mar (DJP). Vidua obtusa Broad-tailed Paradise Whydah R: common Madaba, Tanzania, May-Jun (EC). Estrildidae: waxbills Estrilda perreini Lavendar Wakxbill R: several Madaba, Tanzania, 26 Jan; 3 Mikumi NP, Tanzania, Jul (NEB). Estrilda troglodytes Black-rumped Wakxbill R: small party Ahero rice sckeme Feb (DJP, MACC). Pyrenestes minor Lesser Seed-cracker R: up to 5 Mufindi, Tanzania, Aug—Dec (AJB); several Luhoto, Tanzania, Feb (EMB); 1 Lilando Quarry near Madaba, Tanzania, Feb (EL). Pytilia afra Orange-winged Pytilia R: 1 near Songea, Tanzania, Apr (PS); 1 Poroto Mts, Tanzania, Aug (ES). Lonchura_ fringilloides Magpie Mannikin R: singles Madaba, Tanzania, Apr 154 East African Bird Report 1985 (PS); flock 200+ Lake Dhambwe, Poroto Mts, Tanzania, Oct (ES). Fringillidae: finches, buntings Serinus koliensis Papyrus Canary R: several Kendu Bay end Dec (DAT). Serinus mennelli Black-eared Seed-eater R: small groups in miombo wood- land, Madaba—Mahenge, Tanzania, Feb, and May—Oct (AJB, EL). Serinus reichardi Stripe-breasted Seed-eater R: small groups in miombo woodland Madaba—Mahenge, Tanzania, Feb, May, Aug and Sep (AJB). Palaearctic Species | Ciconia ciconia White Stork EDN: up to 1000 Timau 26 Jan; 1 Kibimba, Uganda 8 Dec (MJC); >200 Mara GR 14 Nov (DAT). Ciconia nigra Black Stork RM: recorded to 5 Apr and from 25 Sep, with records of 1-2 birds Nairobi, Ruiru, Aberdares, Timboroa, Samburu GR, Rum- uruti, Mara GR, Meru NP and Mtito Andei (ADC, MACC, DAT, DEW). One fly- ing at 2290 m above Kiambu 12 Nov (FA). Anas acuta Pintail N: c. 1000 Makuyu 2 Feb and c. 3000 there 10 Feb (DJP). Anas clypeata Shoveler N: c. 5000 Ferguson’s Gulf 17 Dec (DJP, DAT). Anas crecca Teal R: up to 11 Thika OPs Jan-Feb; 1-2 Dandora OPs late Jan—early Feb; >4 Naivasha 3 Feb; 2 Thika OPs early Dec (DJP, DAT). Anas penelope Wigeon R: 12 Laikipia Ranch 17 Jan; up to 3 Naivasha, last seen 25 Mar (DJP); 1 Makutano (Machakos) on small dam 1 Dec (DJP). Anas querquedula Garganey N: c. 5000 Makuyu 10 Feb (DJP); c. 3000 Ferguson’s Gulf 17 Dec (DJP, DAT). Aythya fuligula Tufted Duck R: c. 20 Naivasha 20 Mar, and 5 there 25 Mar | (DJP). Aythya nyroca Ferruginous Duck S: a male Thika OPs 26 Jan and 2 Mar (DJP); a female/immature Dandora OPs 7 Feb (DJP). Circaetus gallicus gallicus Short-toed Snake Eagle S: 1 L Nakuru 6 Feb (JF-L, NC, DCB). Full details received. Accipiter nisus Eurasian Sparrowhawk S: a female Ngulia 15-16 Nov | (DJP, GR, FR, DEGB). Aquila pomarina Lesser Spotted Eagle R: 3 Rongai and 3 Menengai 19 Feb | (MACC, DJP); 4 Naivasha 19 Feb (DKR); several Mara GR 18 Mar (DKR). Up | to 12 Mufindi grasslands, Tanzania 16 Feb-21 Mar (AJB). Recorded 3 Nov on- wards Mara GR, the Rift, Nairobi, Isiolo and Tsavo, with c. 20 Isiolo 9 Nov and | c. 40 Mtito Andei and Ngulia 23 Nov (DEGB, AP, DJP, DKR, DAT). Buteo buteo Common Buzzard ND: up to 150+ Mufindi grasslands, Tanzania to 21 Mar and from 17 Oct (AJB); 1 Sokoke Forest 2 and 4 Apr (MACC, PP); 10+ Mara GR 13-14 Nov (DAT). Hieraaetus pennatus Booted Eagle R: recorded Nairobi, Meru, Tsavo and Gar- sen during Feb (MACC, DJP, DKR); 1 Dar es Salaam 6 Jul (NEB). Seen Rumuruti, Kakamega and Voi mid—Nov, and Nakuru and Tsavo West NPs Dec East African Bird Report 1985 155 (GCB, MACC, DJP, DKR, DEW). Pernis apivorus Honey Buzzard R: 1 Tsavo West 16 Feb (DKR); 1 robbing hornets’ nest Langata 20 Apr (PF); 1 Sokoke Forest 2 Apr (MACC, PP) and 1 there on 28 Dec (DAT). Falco amurensis Eastern Red-footed Falcon R: up to 5 at termite hatches Mufindi, Tanzania 27 Jan—10 Apr (AJB); 2 Karawa, 70 km N of Malindi, 1 Apr and 2 Kalalu Ranch, E of Tsavo East NP, 3 Apr (MACC, PP); 1 Nairobi NP 20 Jan (JSA, CJF, DJP) and 3 on 14 Mar (LDCF); c. 500 Mtito Andei/Kamboyo area, Tsavo West NP, 20 Nov, with c. 200 remaining on 21 Nov, but only 15 on 24 Nov (DJP, DEGB, AP, DAT); 100s 5 km SE of Simba, moving E, 24 Nov (RJT); 2 Kibimba, Uganda 7-8 Dec (MJC). Falco cherrug Saker Falcon S(B): 1 Nairobi NP 17 Feb (JF-L, NB, DCB et al.). Full details received. Falco concolor Sooty Falcon R: an adult Tiwi (south coast) 14 Apr (DJP). Falco subbuteo Hobby N: commonly overwintering Mufindi grasslands, Tan- zania up to 10 Apr and from 18 Oct, max 80+ in Mar (AJB). Porzana porzana Spotted Crake S(B): 1 Ngulia 16 Dec (GCB). Haematopus ostralegus Oystercatcher R: 1 Malindi 6 Oct (LLD), 10 Dec and 19-20 Dec (BB, DAT). On the last occasion the bird was recognized as a juv of the race longipes. | Charadrius asiaticus Caspian Plover DM: an early bird Minjila, near Garsen, 5 Aug (LDCF); first seen Mara plains 10 Aug (DAT); first seen Rumur- uti/Laikipia area 11 Nov (MACC); c. 25 Lake Bilisa 16 Feb (MACC, DJP)—small numbers appear to be regular here. Charadrius alexandrinus Kentish Plover S(B): 6+ Ferguson’s Gulf 17 Dec (DJP, DAT). Charadrius dubius Little Ringed Plover R: recorded to 24 Mar and from 25 Oct, max 10+. New sites: Suam River, Athi River along Kitui-Machakos road, and Kindaruma, where regularly up to 10 (BB, DJP, DAT). Charadrius leschenaulti Great Sandplover E: inland (apart from Lake Turkana): 1 Kindaruma 25 Oct (BB). Charadrius mongolus Mongolian Sandplover E: inland: recorded only at Ferguson’s Gulf, where it is regular. Pluvialis dominica Lesser Golden Plover S(B): 1 Naivasha 13 Aug (PGA); 1 Ferguson’s Gulf 17 Dec (DJP, DAT); at Sherekiko, 25 km S of Kipini, lower Tana River, 7 on 29 Dec and 57 on 31 Dec (ALA), see Scopus 10: 107-108. Pluvialis squatarola Grey Plover E inland: 1 Kindaruma 2-9 Nov (BB) and 1 Lake Baringo 11 Nov (DEW); at Ferguson’s Gulf, where probably regular, 10+ on 17 Dec (DJP, DAT); 2 Lutembe, Uganda 24 Nov and 1 Kibimba, Uganda 7-8 Dec (MIC). Numenius arquata Curlew M: 1 flying S 22 Jul and 6 on 25 Jul at Diani (MACC). Small numbers have been noted coasting south at this time in previous years. 156 East African Bird Report 1985 Tringa erythropus Spotted Redshank RD: recorded to 19 Apr and from 17 Nov, max c. 25 Dandora OPs 7 Feb; new sites: Saguta Mugie and Naro Moru; 1, presumably oversummering, Naivasha 1 Jun (LDCF). In Uganda, 2 Kibimba 7-8 Dec (MJC). Tringa totanus Redshank R: 1 Galu (MACC) and 1 Mida 20 Nov (DAT) were the only records received. Xenus cinereus Terek Sandpiper NE: max coast count 250+ Mida 20 Nov (DAT). Inland: singles Naivasha 17 and 31 Mar (LDCF), 2 Kindaruma 15 Sep and 3 on 21 Sep (BB), 1 Oloiden, Naivasha, 1 Nov SB, AMP) and 3+ Ferguson’s Gulf 17 Dec (DJP, DAT). Gallinago gallinago Common Snipe D: 3+ Naivasha 1 May (DJP). Calidris alba Sanderling E inland: 1 Kindaruma 6 Oct, 1 on 9 Nov and 2 on 12 Dec (BB); 2 Nakuru 12 Nov (DEW); 30 Ferguson’s Gulf 17 Dec (DJP, DAT). Calidris subminuta Long-toed Stint S(B): 1 Naivasha 3 and 20 Mar; 1 in breeding plumage there 1 May (DJP). See Scopus 10: 41-42. Calidris temminckii Temminck’s Stint R: recorded Lakes Baringo, Nakuru and Naivasha up to Mar and from Nov. Also singles Kindaruma 31 Jan, 24 and 31 Mar and 15 Nov (BB); 14+ L Bilisa 16 Feb and 6 there 1 Apr (MACC, DJP, PP); 5 Ahero 25 Feb (DJP, MACC). Limosa limosa Black-tailed Godwit R: recorded Naivasha 3 Feb-18 May, max c. 30 (DJP, LDCF); 6 Mara GR 4 Jan (DKR); 6+ L Bilisa 16 Feb and 3 there 1 Apr (MACC, DJP, PP); 1 Baringo 6 and 9 Nov and c. 50 Ferguson’s Gulf 17-18 Dec (DJP, DAT). In Uganda, 1 Kibimba 8 Dec (MJC). Arenaria interpres Turnstone E inland: singles Dandora OPs 13 Oct, Lake Magadi 30 Oct and Lake Jipe 17 Nov (DJP, DKR, DAT). Phalaropus lobatus Red-necked Phalarope R: a few off Shimoni mid—Mar and scores 20 Oct (PH, MH); 75+ Watamu 27—28 Dec (DAT). Burhinus oedicnemus Stone Curlew R: 2 Mara GR 12 Nov (DAT). Larus argentatus Herring Gull N: c. 30 Malindi 29 Aug and 20+ there 19-20 Nov (GCB, DAT). A few at Ferguson’s Gulf Dec where the species now appears to be regular in small numbers (DAT). Larus genei Slender-billed Gull R: 5—6 Ferguson’s Gulf 17 Dec (DJP, DAT). Larus ichthyaetus Great Black-headed Gull S(B): 1 Malindi 31 Dec (DAT). Larus ridibundus Black-headed Gull N: >S00 Ferguson’s Gulf mid—Dec (DAT). Sterna hirundo Common Tern N: >500 Malindi 31 Dec was an interesting date for such a large number (DAT). Cuculus canorus Eurasian Cuckoo NDM: very many Sokoke 14 Apr; 1 taken by genet Genetta sp. inside Ngulia Lodge at night on 19 Dec (GCB). ; Cuculus poliocephalus Lesser Cuckoo R: 1 Sokoke Forest 31 Mar | (MACC, PP) was the only record received. 1 Otus scops Scops Owl R: 1 Lavington, Nairobi, 26 Mar was presumed to have | East African Bird Report 1985 157 been Palaearctic (DAT). Singles caught and ringed Ngulia 17, 18 and 19 Dec were all Palaearctic (GCB). Caprimulgus europaeus Eurasian Nightjar R: 3 Sokoke Forest 28 Mar and 1 Diani 6 Apr (MACC, PP). A few recorded (including 3 ringed) Ngulia 2 Nov —-9 Dec and 1 Kilaguni 6 Nov (GCB, DJP, DKR). Apus apus Eurasian Swift N: many 100s Voi—Kibwezi in unusually green conditions 28 Jan and 27 Feb (DJP). Upupa epops epops Hoopoe R: recorded Kongolai 22 Feb and N of Rumuruti 26 Nov (MACC, DJP). In Uganda, 1 Mburu NP 3 Feb and 1 Lutembe 3 Nov (MIC). Trania gutturalis lrania R: 3 in song 40 km E of Mutomo (Kitui) 10 Mar and 1 in song 70 km NE of Mwingi Market 16 Mar; 1 Masinga 24 Mar (DJP); 114 ringed Ngulia 21 Nov—19 Dec; 3+ Meru NP 10 Nov; singles Lake Jipe 24 Nov, Taveta 25 Nov and Lake Nakuru NP 7 Dec (GCB, BB, DJP, ADL). Luscinia luscinia Sprosser D: wintering and spring birds as follows: recorded 2 sites 30-40 km S of Kitui 9 Mar; c. 30 km E of Mutomo (Kitui) 10 Mar; 2+ Mtito Andei 8 Apr (DJP). Monticola saxatilis Rock Thrush E: 1 Mufindi, Tanzania 11 Jan (AJB). Oenanthe oenanthe Northern Wheatear D: 1 Tsavo East NP 20 Jun (DKR). Phoenicurus phoenicurus Redstart R: singles Kipsain and Kongolai 22 Feb (DJP, MACC). Saxicola rubetra Whinchat E: recorded Mufindi, Tanzania 27 Feb and 7 Apr (AJB). Acrocephalus griseldis Basra Reed Warbler R: 1 in song Dar es Salaam, Tanzania 5 Jan (NEB); several singing birds Lake Shakababo 15 Feb (DIP, MACC); 108 ringed Ngulia 22 Nov-19 Dec, max 30 (ringed) on 14 Dec (GCB, DJP); 1 in song Mackinnon Road 24 Dec (DJP). Acrocephalus palustris Marsh Warbler DE: several (5+ in one _ site) wintering 30-50 km S of Kitui and also 20-30 km E of Mutomo (Kitui) 9-10 Mar (DJP). On northward passage, recorded Tiwi 9 and 14 Apr, near Mtito Andei 8 Apr, Athi River 16 Apr (DJP). From usual areas of Kenya on southward passage, and also 1 Mara GR 14-15 Nov (DAT), and 1 Naivasha 4 Dec (DJP, DAT). Hippolais olivetorum Olive-tree Warbler R: 1 Vanga 13 Apr (DIP, MACC); singles Meru NP (in song) 10 Nov, Maktau 15 Nov and Taveta 25 Nov (DJP); 6 ringed Ngulia 22 Nov—10 Dec (GCB, DJP). Hippolais pallida Olivaceous Warbler D: late bird singing Nairobi 14 May (GCB). Locustella fluviatilis River Warbler R: 1, 40 km S of Kitui 9 Mar was presumed to be overwintering (DJP); 202 ringed Ngulia 21 Nov—19 Dec (GCB, DJP); the only other passage record was one in song at Mackinnon Road 24 Dec (DJP). 158 East African Bird Report 1985 Sylvia nisoria Barred Warbler R: common Commiphora woodland E of Mutomo and NE of Mwingi Market, Kitui District, mid—Mar (DJP); 1 Kiambere 14 Apr (BB); 1 Narok 15 Nov (DAT); 2 Lokitaung 16 Dec (DJP, DAT). Otherwise from usual areas in SE Kenya. Ficedula albicollis semitorquata Collared Flycatcher S(B): a male of this race Kakamega 24 Mar (DJP, PP); an accompanying female Ficedula was likely to have been of this race and species. Anthus cervinus Red-throated Pipit E: c. 20 Kibimba, Uganda 7 Dec and c. 300 8 Dec (MIC). Back Records (Palaearctic species) Charadrius dubius Little Ringed Plover: 5, 10 km NNW of Mombasa 4 Nov 1984 and 1 on 24 Nov 1984 (CR); 1 Kindaruma 15 Dec 1984 (BB). Tringa erythropus Spotted Redshank: 1 in grassland near Naro Moru 29 Dec 1984 (CR). Calidris alba Sanderling: 1 Kindaruma 6 Oct and 12 Dec 1984 (BB). Sterna hirundo Common Tern inland: a Polish-ringed bird caught ana released 21 Oct 1984, found dead there next day (Dr William H. Buskirk per GCB). Hippolais icterina \cterine Warbler: 1 stunned by window at Bamburi, Mom- basa, Apr 1984 (CR). EAST AFRICAN RARE BIRDS COMMITTEE During 1985 the newly formed East African Rare Birds Committee was asked to ad- judicate on a number of records. The following three records were accepted: Larus dominicanus Kelp Gull 1 Malindi Fish Harbour 2 January 1984 (J. Mulder, J. de Ridder). First record for Kenya and East Africa. Oenanthe deserti Desert Wheatear 2 Kiunga 17 February 1984 (G.C. Backhurst). First record for Kenya and East Africa. The following record was not accepted: Tringa Solitaria Solitary Sandpiper 1 Lake Baringo 23 October 1984. The following are members of the Rarities Committee: J.S. Ash DJ. Pearson D. Fisher A.J. Prater G. Nikolaus J.C. Sinclair S.C. Madge T. Stevenson R.J. Dowsett D.A. Turner East African Bird Report 1985 159 First and last dates of some Palaearctic migrant landbirds Species Cuculus canorus Caprimulgus europaeus Merops apiaster M. persicus Coracias garrulus Riparia riparia Delichon urbica Cercotrichas galactotes Trania gutturalis Luscinia luscinia L. megarhynchos Monticola saxatilis Oenanthe isabellina O. oenanthe O. pleschanka Acrocephalus arundinaceus A. griseldis A. palustris A. scirpaceus A. schoenobaenus Hippolais languida H. olivetorum H. pallida Locustella fluviatilis Phylloscopus trochilus Sylvia atricapilla S. borin S. communis S. nisoria Muscicapa Striata Anthus cervinus A. trivialis Motacilla cinerea M. flava Lanius collurio L. isabellinus L. minor Last date 14 Apr Tiwi 06 Apr Diani 19 Apr Naivasha 14 Apr Tiwi 15 Apr Tsavo 01 May Naivasha 19 Apr Naivasha 08 Apr Mtto Andei 14 Apr Tiwi 10 Apr Tiwi 06 Apr Ngong 30 Mar Nairobi 22 Apr Kariobangi 16 Apr Athi River 27 Apr Athi River 05 May Athi River 13 Apr Vanga 14 May Nairobi 01 May Nairobi 25 Mar Kakamega 16 Apr Athi River 14 Apr Kiambere 14 Apr Kiambere 17 Apr Nairobi 01 May Naivasha 22 Apr Kariobangi 15 Apr Mackinnon Rd 19 May Kijabe First date 04 Nov Mt Kenya 21 Nov Ngulia 15 Sep Nairobi 06 Nov Baringo 18 Oct Meru NP 17 Nov Bura (Taita) 10 Nov Meru NP 02 Nov Kangundo 03 Nov Meru NP 13 Oct Athi Plains 14 Sep Samburu 21 Oct Machakos 21 Nov Ngulia 14 Nov Mtito/Mara 17 Nov Lake Jipe 10 Nov Meru NP 02 Nov Meru and Kangundo 21 Nov Ngulia 30 Oct Nairobi 07 Nov Muhoroni 03 Nov Meru NP 06 Nov Baringo 23 Oct Nairobi 06 Nov Baringo 11 Oct Cheranganis 01 Nov Timau 03 Nov Meru NP 02 Nov Naivasha Records refer to central and eastern Kenya except where otherwise stated. 160 East African Bird Report 1985 RINGING AND MIGRATION AT NGULIA, TSAVO, AUTUMN 1985 G.C. Backhurst and D.J. Pearson Ringers spent nineteen nights at Ngulia Safari Lodge studying migration from 15 November to 19 December, and catching was possible on all but four of them. The frequent misty conditions and good supply of helpers on some nights accounted for the high total of 6253 Palaearctic migrants ringed—the fourth highest total in the 17 years the site has been worked. In recent years most of the quartz-halogen lights at the Lodge (which, with mist, are responsible for attracting migrating birds) have been reduced in power to 500 W. In addition, when lights fail, they are often not replaced for several nights. Thus there have been nights with peak numbers of birds but small catches due to the in- adequate attracting power of the lights. This year, from the early December period, we avoided this frustrating situation by bringing our own 1 kW light which we erected on a stout Linhof tripod immediately to the north of the Lodge. There were seven nights with little or no mist, but on the other twelve conditions were excellent. During the November visit, the nights of 22nd and 23rd saw except- ionally large numbers of birds grounded in the bush near the Lodge (bush catches of 322 and 448 respectively) with catching continuing till 18:00 on 23rd. Marsh Warblers (scientific names are given in Table 1), Sprossers and Whitethroats predom- inated (ratio 3.3:2:1) and there were 43 Iranias and 16 Basra Reed Warblers, but numbers of other migrants were low. A Nicator Nicator chloris caught in the bush on 23rd was new for the area. Eurasian Rollers were common in the Park on 7 December at the beginning of the second visit, but few other migrants were in evidence. All but two of the nights from 8 to 19 December were more or less ideal and the numbers of birds caught was limited only by the number of ringers present (never more than two together). Marsh Warblers predominated with 601 on 13th and 481 next day and Sprossers were also Tabie 1 continued Totals of Palaearctic species ringed in previous autumn seasons but not in this year are as follows: Little Bittern Ixobrychus m. minutus 4, Eleonora’s Falcon Falco eleonorae 1, Corncrake Crex crex 7, Spotted Crake Porzana porzana 1, Great Snipe Gallinago media 1, Eurasian Cuckoo Cuculus canorus 2, Lesser Cuckoo C. polio- cephalus 1, Sand Martin Riparia riparia 6, Golden Oriole Oriolus oriolus 13, Redstart Phoenicurus phoenicurus 3, Whinchat Saxicola rubetra 2, Icterine Warbler Hippolais icterina 3, Savi’s Warbler Locustella luscinioides 1, Wood Warbler Phylloscopus sibilatrix 2, Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla 48, Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava 3, hybrid Red-backed/Red-tailed Shrike Lanius collurio~isabellinus 9. From December 1969 a total of 74066 Palaearctic night-migrating birds of 45 species has been ringed at Ngulia during southward passage between October and February. East African Bird Report 1985 161 Table 1 Numbers of Palaearctic night migrants ringed at Ngulia Safari Lodge between October and February in the years 1969-1986* Species i 1985/6* %* Total 1969— total 1986* Scops Owl Otus scops 3 - 5 Eurasian Nightjar Caprimulgus europaeus 3 16 244 Eurasian Roller Coracias garrulus 1 36 38 Eurasian Swallow Hirundo rustica 4 40 135 Rufous Bush Chat Cercotrichas galactotes 10 17 7710 Irania [rania gutturalis 114 119 1370 Sprosser Luscinia luscinia 1369 138 14501 Nightingale L. megarhynchos 17 45 504 Rock Thrush Monticola saxatilis 5 60 114 Isabelline Wheatear Oenantie isabellina a 73 1B) Northern Wheatear O. oenanthe 6 81 102 Pied Wheatear O. pleschanka 1 - 37 Great Reed Warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus 2 - 31 Basra Reed Warbler A. griseldis 108 260 652 Marsh Warbler A. palustris 3185 178 26595 Sedge Warbler A. schoenobaenus 1 ~ 79 Reed Warbler A. scirpaceus 3 61 68 Upcher’s Warbler Hippolais languida 16 77 288 Olive-tree Warbler H. olivetorum 6 26 S12 Olivaceous Warbler H. pallida 16 63 347 River Warbler Locustella fluviatilis 202 105 2719 Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus 41 42 1312 Garden Warbler Sylvia borin 28 80 490 Whitethroat S. communis 1047 70 20499 Barred Warbler S. nisoria 26 69 523 Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa striata 12 24 655 Tree Pipit Anthus trivialis 1 ~ 20 Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio A 12 788 Red-tailed Shrike L. isabellinus 15 31 657 Number of species 29 - 29 Total ringed 6253 73959 * 1985/86 season—but no ringing done in January or February 1986 ** The autumn 1985 total expressed as a percentage of the mean of the 13 years 1972/73 to 1985/86 for each species. Footnote to Table 1 continued opposite on p. 160 162 East African Bird Report 1985 caught in good numbers. Whitethroats were well down but Basra Reed and River Warblers were more plentiful than average. Numbers of ‘minor’ species were general- ly low, as can be seen from the percentages in Table 1. Two exceptions: were the Irania (114 ringed) and the Palaearctic Scops Owl. One Scops Owl was caught on each of the last three nights, all three being in identical net positions; there are only two previous ringing records for the Lodge. We have remarked before on the minute numbers of Afrotropical ‘species encountered at Ngulia at night (Backhurst & Pearson 1977); only the Harlequin Quail Coturnix delegourguei and some nightjars Caprimulgus spp. being regular in any numbers. This year three interesting Afrotropical birds were caught on a single night, 9/10 December. An African Water Rail Rallus caerulescens and a Violet- tipped Courser Rhinoptilus chalcopterus, both new records for Ngulia, were picked up unharmed inside the Lodge by nightwatchman Darius, and the second Yellowbill Ceuthmochares aereus ever was netted just after midnight. A Marsh Warbler ringed as an adult on the bush just south of the Lodge on°21 December 1984 was retrapped at night on 12 December and a female Red-tailed Shrike, originally ringed as a first-winter bird on 4 December 1983, was caught in the bush again on 12th this year. Acknowledgements We thank the Warden of Tsavo National Park (West) for permission to ring birds in the Park, the management of Ngulia Safari Lodge and African Tours and Hotels Ltd for assistance with accomodation and help in other ways. For help during catching and ringing we are most grateful to Anna Forbes-Watson and to the following: Daphne Backhurst, Andil and Bernard Boothroyd, Jo Darlington, Cecilia Gichuki, Ken and Lynn Kaufman, Kurt Leuschner, Claire and Maggie Pearson, Tony Potterton and Don Turner. Thanks go to the Bird Migration Fund of the EANHS for some financial assistance, including for the purchase of the 1 kW light. Reference BACKHURST, G.C. & PEARSON, D.J. 1977. Ethiopian region birds attracted to the lights of Ngulia Safari Lodge, Kenya. Scopus 1: 98-103. G.C. Backhurst, Box 24702, Nairobi and D.J. Pearson, Department of wade University of Nairobi, Box 30197, Nairobi, Kenya Scopus 9 (5): 159-162, June 1987 East African Bird Report 1985 163 Individual Subscribers to Scopus All subscribers are in Kenya unless otherwise stated Alexander, F. P.O. Box 46427, Nairobi. Allan, R.G. P.O. Box 24607, Nairobi. Allen, P.M. P.O. Box 14166, Nairobi. Archer, A.L. P.O. Box 44209, Nairobi. Ash, J.S. Godshill Wood, near Fordingbridge, Hampshire SP6 2LR, England. Aspinwall, D. P.O. Box 50653, Lusaka, Zambia. Backhurst, D. P.O. Box 24734, Nairobi. Backhurst, G.C. P.O. Box 24702, Nairobi. Baker, N.E. P.O. Box 5272, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Bartlett, K. P.O. Box 2561, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Beakbane, J. P.O. Box 4955, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Beesley, J.S. 3 Stafford Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN2 4RB, pnelane: Bennun, L. P.O. Box 21149, Nairobi. Bhatia, Z. Ivy Cottage, Insh, Kingussie, Inverness-shire PH21 INT, Scotland. Blaber, S.J. - 12 South Arm Road, Sandford, Tasmania 7020, Australia. Boothroyd, B. 2 Bryn Teg, Llanfairfechan, Gwynedd LL33 OUB, North Wales. Boswell, C. P.O. Box 40 Mufindi, Tanzania. Braund, R. P.O. Box 3587, Ruwi, Sultanate of Oman. Brothers, B.J. P.O. Box 30280, Nairobi. Britton, P.L. All Souls Schooi,, P.O. Box 235, Charters Towers, Queensland, Australia. Burfitt, E. P.O. Box 5102, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Bumnier, E. P.O. Box 53, Ifakara, Tanzania. Butynski, T.M. P.O. Box 44, Kabale, Uganda. Caffyn, DJ. 48 Summerdown Road, Eastbourne, East Sussex BN20 8DQ, England. Carswell, M. 38 Park Avenue, Orpington, Kent, England. Carter, A.T.G. UNICEF, Kavindra Mansion, D. Vacha Road, Bombay 400 020, India. Carter, C. P.O. Box 71793, Ndola, Zambia. Carthy, D.P. Data Processing Unit, Prince ea Dental Hospital, 34 Hospital — Road, Hong Kong. Casalis de Pury, R.J. P.O. Box 90456, Luanshya, Zambia. Chapman-Purchas, R.P. P.O. Box 1029, Nakuru. Cheeseman, D.T. 20800 Kittredge Road, Saratoga, CA 95070, U.S.A. Clarke, G. Juniper House, 2 Bellingham Road, Kendal, Cumbria LA9 S5JW, England. Colebrook-Robjent, J.F.R. P.O. Box 630303,.Choma, Zambia. Collias, N.E. Department of Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90024, U.S.A. Cooper, W. P.O. Box 30196, Nairobi. 164 East African Bird Report 1985 Coverdale, M.A.C. Soy Sambu, Private Bag, Nakuru. Cumberlege, J.R.P. P.O. Box 30465, Nairobi. Curry-Lindahl, K. c/o UNEP, P.O. Box 30552, Nairobi. Daniell,V. P.O. Box 24904, Nairobi. Day, D. P.O. Box 84367, Greenside, Johannesburg 2190, South Africa. Diamond, A.W. 1376 Wesmar Drive, Ottawa, Canada K1H 7TS. Dillingham, I.H. Grove Farm House, Melbourne, York YO4 4SX, England. Dirks, J. P.O. Box 30357, Nairobi. Dittami, J. Max Planck Institut, D-8138 Andechs, West Germany. Dowsett, R.J. Dahlia Laan 37, B-8458 Oostduinkerke, Belgium. Dunlop, W. P.O. Box 60053, Livingstone, Zambia. Elliott, H. 173 Woodstock Road, Oxford OX2 7NB, England. Elliott, C.C.H. P.O. Box 30470, Nairobi. Fanshawe, J. c/o S.R.I., Private Bag, Arusha, Tanzania. Figenschou, B. P.O. Box 1182, Arusha, Tanzania. Finch, B. P.O. Box 59749, Nairobi. Fisher, D. 56 Western Way, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 1DU, England. Fishpool, L. c/o ORSTOM, B-P. V51, Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Fison, T. P.O. Box 608, Mtwara, Tanzania. Frere, P.J. P.O. Box 14490, Nairobi. Fry, C.H. Department of Biology, Sultan Qaboos University, P.O. Box 6281, Ruwi, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. Fuggles-Couchman, R. Post House, High Street, Broughton, Stockbridge, Hampshire $O20 8AA, England. Gallagher, K. P.O. Box 2555, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Gallagher, M. Natural History Museum, P.O. Box 668, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. Gerhart, J.D. c/o Ford Foundation, P.O. Box 2344 Garden City, Cairo, Egypt. Gilston, H. Chemin des Mouettes 16, CH-1007 Lausanne, Switzerland. Grant, L. El Karama Ranch, P.O. Box 172, Nanyuki. Gregory, P. P.O. Box 23484, Kitwe, Zambia. Gregory, R. P.O. Box 24884, Nairobi. Grosman, H. Wietreie 78, D-2000 Hamburg 67, West Germany. Grumbley, L.A.S. P.O. Box 200, Kiambu. Gwilliams, T. P.O. Box 2555, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Gwynne, M.D. c/o GEMS-UNEP, P.O. Box 30552, Nairobi. Haas, V. Zollstockweg 35, D-7118 Kunzelsan, West Germany. Hamel, P. 220 Evelyn Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M6P 2Z9, Canada. Hamilton, W. University of Dar es Salaam, P.O. Box 35131, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Hanmer, D. Sucoma, Private Bag 50, Blantyre, Malawi. Harjula, J. Sepankylantie 34 A 16, SF-65610 Mustasaari, Finland. East African Bird Report 1985 165 Harpum, J. St Paul’s College, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL50 2RH, England. Hartley, J. P.O. Box 14098, Nairobi. Hayes, J. P.O. Box 670, Naivasha. Hedlund, K.O. Zoology Department, Uppsala University, P.O. Box 561, S-751 22 Uppsala, Sweden. Hemphill, M. Pemba Channel Fishing Club, P.O. Box 44, Msambweni, via Mombasa. Hitchcock, J. P.O. Box 1288, Nevada City, CA 95959, U.S.A. Hodgson, S. P.O. Box 2900, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Holmgren, V. UNICEF, P.O. Box 44145, Nairobi. Holzinger, J. Okologie der Végel, Rotelbuhlstrabe 84/i, D-7000 Stuttgart, West Germany. Hombegh, J. Turiani Hospital, Private Bag, Morogoro, Tanzania. Horne, J.F.M. P.O. Box 24622, Nairobi. Howell, K. Department of Zoology, University of Dar es Salaam, P.O. Box 35064, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Huels, T. Department of Ecology, University of Arizona, Tuscon, AZ 85721, U.S.A. Hunter, N. Private Bag 006, Gaborone, Botswana. Irvine, G.C. P.O. Box 42220, Nairobi. Jensen, F.P. Snehvidevej 14, DK-2730 Herlev, Denmark. Jensen, J.V. Skolebakken 5, 4 tv, DK-8000 Arhus C, Denmark. Johnston, A. P.O. Box 30005, Nairobi. Karmali, J.S. P.O. Box 14993, Nairobi. Keith, G.S. Department of Omithology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024, U.S.A. Kiff, L.F. Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology, 1100 Glendon Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90024, U.S.A. Kreulen, D. P.O. Box 128, 9750 AC Haren, Netherlands. La Cour, E. P.O. Box 46505, Nairobi. Lack, P. c/o BTO, Beech Grove, Station Road, Tring, Hertfordshire HP23 SNR, England. Lamm, D. 6772 East Nasumpta Drive, Tuscon, AZ 85715, U.S.A. Lamprey, H. P.O. Box 21472, Nairobi. Lapham, H. 241 Drake Road, Lansing, NY 14882, U.S.A. Leckie, P. P.O. Box 24407, Nairobi. Lewis, A.D. P.O. Box 25296, Nairobi. Lewis, G. P.O. Box 180, Arusha, Tanzania. Leveque, R. Station Omithologique Suisse, CH-6204 Sempach, Switzerland. Leyser, E. de P.O. Box 2555, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Lock, J.M. Pembroke House, 30 High Street, Milton, Cambridge CB4 4DF, England. 166 East African Bird Report 1985 Loetscher, F. 2064 Cardinal Drive, Danville, KY 40422, U.S.A. Longrigg, T.D. 12 Almond Street, Newlands, Cape Town 7700, South Africa. McVicker, R. P.O. Box 90664, Mombasa. Maas, Bro. M. Cardinal Otunga High School, Private Bag, Kisii. Madge, S.G. Firway End, Crediton, Devon, England. Mann, C.F. P.O. Box 2359, Bandar Seri Begawan, Sultanate of Brunei. Marshall, I. P.O. Box 180, Nakuru. Mascher, J.W. Rontgenavd, Lasarettet, S-891 02 Ornskoldsvik, Sweden. Masterson, B. P.O. Box 2093, Harare, Zimbabwe. Meadows, B.S. Amartech Ltd., P.O. Box 30227, Yanbu Al-Sinaiyah, Saudi Arabia. Mercer, G. P.O. Box 2651, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Meyburg, B.U. HerberstraBe 14, D-1000 Berlin 33, West Germany. Miersch, U. P.O. Box 46855, Nairobi. Miskell, J. CARE, c/o UNHCR, P.O. Box 2925, Mogadishu, Somalia. Mordue, T. P.O. Box 43233, Nairobi. Morel, G.J. ORSTOM, B.P. 24, Richard Toll, Senegal. Moyer, D. P.O. Box 77, Sumbawanga, Tanzania. Mulder, J. Verlengde Koepellaan 9a Boven, 2061 VD Bloemendaal, Netherlands. Ng’weno, F. P.O. Box 42271, Nairobi. Nikolaus, G. Bosenbiittel 4, D-2859 Spieka, West Germany. Oelke, H. Department of Zoology, University of Gottingen, BerlinerstraBe 28, D-3400 Géttingen, West Germany. Oliver, P.J. The Briar Patch, Limpsfield Chart, Oxted, Surrey RH8 OTL, England. Oosten, van, J.R. 8023 17th NE., Seattle, WA 98115, U.S.A. Oreel, G. P.O. Box 51273, 1007 EG Amsterdam, Netherlands. Osbom, R. P.O. Box 40241, Nairobi. Pearson, DJ. Department of Biochemistry, University of Nairobi, P.O. Box 30197, Nairobi. Pelchen, H. Hiltensperger StraSe 55, D-8000 Minchen 40, West Germany. Pettersson, C.G. Svetsarvagen 19, Str, s-175 73 Jarfalla, Sweden. Pettet, A. 11 Wilton Close, Deal, Kent, England. Pomeroy, D.E. Department of Zoology, Makerere University, P.O. Box 7062 Kampala, Uganda. Raynor, E.M. Nash Meadow, South Wamborough, Basingstoke, Hampshire, England. Redman, N. 1 Westfields, Saffron Walden, Essex CB11 3DZ, England. Reid, G. P.O. Box 24481, Nairobi. Reynolds, J.F. 35 Foxcroft Drive, Rastrick, Brighouse, West Yorkshire HD6 3PQ, England. Richards, D.K. P.O. Box 24545, Nairobi. Roberston, I. Easthouse, S. Whiteness, Shetland ZE2 9LL, U.K. Russell, W. P.O. Box 31930, Tuscon, AZ 85751, U.S.A. East African Bird Report 1985 167 Ryall, C. P.O. Box 88692, Mombasa. Sayer, P. P.O. Box 14660, Nairobi. Schifter, H. Natural History Museum, Postfach 417, A-1014 Wien, Austria. Schulze-Hagen, K. BleidegrabenstraBe 3, D-4050 Monchengladbach, West Germany. Schwab, L.T.- P.O. Box 2273, Blantyre, Malawi. Short, L.L. Department of Ormithology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024, U.S.A. Silvester, J.D.M. P.O. Box 30333, Nairobi. Sinclair, M. P.O. Box 30158, Nairobi. Sion, E. P.O. Box 179, Mbeya, Tanzania. Skinner, N.J. Department of Physics, University College, Private Bag 002, - Gaborone, Botswana. Skorupa, J.P. Department of Anthropology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, U.S.A. Smalley, M. P.O. Box 30772, Nairobi. Smeenk, C. Roodborststraat 16, 2333 VP Leiden, Netherlands. Smith, D.W. P.T. Tatar Anyar, Jalan Hang Jebat viii/87, Jakarta Selatan, Indonesia. Spoerry, A. P.O. Box 30125, Nairobi. Squelch, P. P.O. Box 24220, Nairobi. Stanfield, J.P. P.O. Box 30125, Nairobi. Steinbacher, J. KinzigstraBe 47, D-6380 Bad Homberg, West Germany. Stevenson, T. c/o Lake Baringo Club, P.O. Box 47557, Nairobi. Stretton, S. Buffels Fontein, P.O. Box 53, Molteno 5500, South Africa. Stuart, S.N. SSC-TUCN, Avenue du Mont Blanc, CH-1196 Gland, Switzerland. Tanner, R.F. P.O. Box 50381, Nairobi. Tarboton, W. P.O. Box 327, Nylstroom, Transvaal 0510, South Africa. Taylor, P.B. c/o 33 Boniface Gardens, Harrow, Middlesex HA3 6PH, England. Thiede, W. Ander Ronne 184, D-5000 K6lIn, West Germany. Thiollay, JM. Laboratoire Zoologie, Ecole Normale Supérieure, 46 Rue d’Ulm, 75230 Paris Cedex, France. Traylor, M. Field Museum of Natural History, Roosevelt Road at Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605, U.S.A. Tucker, E. 5 Deal Castle Road, Deal, Kent CT14 7BB, England. Turner, D.A. P.O. Box 48019, Nairobi. Tyler, S. Yew Tree Cottage, Lone Lane, Penallt, Gwent, Wales. Urban, E.K. Department of Biology, Augusta College, Augusta, GA 30910, U.S.A. Vande wegh, J-P. P.O. Box 931, Kigali, Rwanda. Verweil, M. P.O. Box 15, Thika. Visagie, L. P.O. Box 24578, Nairobi. Wallace, S. 1088 El Solyo Avenue, Campbell CA 95008, U.S.A. 168 East African Bird Report 1985 Walton, R.K. 30 Field’s Court, Warwick CV34 SHP, England. Walker, J.B. 53 Buffels Road, Pretoria 0110, South Africa. Watson, R. P.O. Box 24251, Nairobi. Weenen, H. Department of Chemistry, University of Dar es Salaam, P.O. Box 35061, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Weinberger, M. New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY 10595, U.S.A. Widstrand, S. Doppingvagen 6c, 2tr s-222 35 Lund, Sweden. Wilkinson, R. 2 Weston Grove, Upton-by-Chester, Chester CH2 1QJ, England. Wolf, D. P.O. Box 2314, Nacogdoches, TX 75963, U.S.A. Woodcock, M. The Fives, Elderden Farm, near Staplehurst, Tonbridge, Kent, England. Wooton, R.C. P.O. Box 46143, Nairobi. Zibbarras, G. P.O. Box 21231, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Zimmerman, D. 1011 West Florence Street, Silver City, NM 88061, U.S.A. Zink, G. Vogelwarte Radolfzell, D-7760 Schlo8 Méggignen, West Germany. Institutional Subscribers Alexander Koenig Zoological Museum, Adenauerallee 150-164, D-5300 Bonn 1, West Germany. American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024, U.S.A. Biomedical Library, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90024, U.S.A. British Trust for Ornithology, Beech Grove, Station Road, Tring, Hertfordshire HP23 SNR, England. California Academy of Sciences, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA 94118, U.S.A. Comell Laboratory of Omithology, 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca, NY 14850, U.S.A. C.S.LR.O. Division of Wildlife, P.O. Box 84, Lyneham, Canberra, Australia. Department of Zoology, Makerere University, P.O. Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda. Department of Zoology, University of Lund, $-223 62 Lund, Sweden. D.S.LR. Ecology Division, Private Bag, Lower Hutt, New Zealand. Durban Museum, P.O. Box 4085, Durban 4000, South Africa. Edward Grey Institute of Field Omithology, Department of Zoology, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, England. Field Museum of Natural History, Roosevelt Road at Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605, U.S.A. General Library, British Museum (Nat. Hist.), Cromwell Road, London SW7 SBD, Engiand. Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique, Rue Vautier 31, B-1040 Bruxelles, Belgium. East African Bird Report 1985 169 Instituto National Para la Conservacion de la Naturaleza, Gran Via de San Francisco 35-41, Madrid 5, Spain. Koninklijk Museum voor Midden Africa, Steenweg op Leuven 13, B-1980 Tervuren, Belgium. ; Laboratoire de Zoologie, 46 Rue d’Ulm, 75230 Paris Cedex 05, France. Library of Congress, P.O. Box 30598, Nairobi. Louisiana State Univesity, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, U.S.A. Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824-1048, U.S.A. Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A. Museums of Malawi, P.O. Box 30360, Blantyre, Malawi. Natural History Museum, Postfach 417, A-1014 Wien 1, Austria. National Museum, P.O. Box 240, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. National Museum, P.O. Box 266, Bloemfontein 9300, South Africa. National Museums of Kenya, P.O. Box 40658, Nairobi. Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University, P.O. Box 6666, New Haven, CT 06511, U.S.A. Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie, Postbus 9517, 2300 RA Leiden, Netherlands. Royal Australian Ornithologists’ Union, 21 Gladstone Street, Moonee Ponds, Victoria 3039, Australia. Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire, England. Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC 20560, U.S.A. Société Ornithologique de France, 55 Rue de Buffon, 75005 Paris, France. Southern African Omithological Society, Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town, P.O. Rondebosch, Cape Town, South Africa. Staatliches Museum fiir Naturkunde, SchloB Rosenstein, Postfach 142, D-7000 Stuttgart 1, West Germany. Stavanger Museum, N-4000 Stavanger, Norway. Transvaal Museum, P.O. Box 413, Pretoria 0001, South Africa. University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, U.S.A. University of East Africa, P.O. Box 2500, Eldoret. Vogelwarte Radolfzell, D-7760 SchloB Méggingen, West Germany. VSO Office Tanzania, P.O. Box 9200, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Zoological State Museum, MiinchhausenstraBe 21, D-8000 Miinchen 60, West Germany. Exchanges with Scopus Alauda, Anzeiger der Ornithologischen Gesellschaft in Bayern, Ardea, Arnoldia, Auk, Babbler, Birds, Dutch Birding, Ecologia, Emu, Honeyguide, Irish Birds, Journal fiir Ornithologie, Le Gerfaut, L’ Oiseau, Living Bird, Malimbus, Okologie der Végel, Sandgrouse, The Ring, and Wildlife Review. 170 East African Bird Report 1985 List of observers contributing to the systematic list and the first and last dates section F. Alexander P.G. Appleton A.L. Archer J.S. Ash D.E.G. Backhurst G.C. Backhurst N.E. Baker J.S. Barclay A.J. Beakbane B. Boothroyd N. Bowman D.C. Brougham A.E. Butterworth M.J. Carswell A.D. Clifford M.A.C. Coverdale L.L. Didham L.D.C. Fishpool C.J. Frere I.J. Ferguson-Lees M. Hemphill P, Hemphill A.D. Lewis E. Leyser B. Monroe D.C. Moyer F, Ng’ weno D.J. Pearson A. Petersen P. Peterson | A. Potterton A.M. Pratt N. Redman F.Reid G. Reid D.K. Richards I. Robertson W. Russell C. Ryall E. Sion P. Squelch R. Stjernstedt R.J. Tatchell D.A. Turner D.E. Wolf P. Wootton Index to authors Archer, A.L. Protective behaviour in a nestling Red-chested Cuckoo Cuculus solitarius 52 Ash, J.S. Midwinter observations from Djibouti 43 Ash, J.S. Two additions to the Somali list: Great Frigatebird Fregata minor and Indian House Crow Corvus splendens 108 Ash, J.S. Birds, including a hybrid, new to Uganda 133 [Backhurst, G.C.] Editorial 1g Backhurst, G.C. Desert Wheatear Oenanthe deserti in Kenya 140 Backhurst, G.C. Reviews: Southern birds; Proceedings of the Second Symposium on African Predatory birds; Birds of Chembe 55 Backhurst, G.C. Reviews: Threatened birds of Africa and related islands; Proceedings of the Fifth Pan African Ornithological Congress 115 9 Backhurst, G.C. & Pearson, D.J. Ringing and migration at Ngulia, Tsavo, autumn 1985 160 East African Bird Report 1985 171 Baker, N.E. Ground nesting of Emerald-spotted Wood Dove Turtur chalcospilos 50 Bennun, L.A. The Spotted Ground Thrush Turdus fischeri fischeri at Gede in coastal Kenya 97 Bennun, L.A. Notes on behaviour and plumage dimorphisim in Lagden’s Bush Shrike Malaconotus lagdeni 111 Britton, P. & Britton, H. Shoebill Balaeniceps rex: a deletion from the Kenya avifauna 50 Clarke, G. Bird observations from northwest Somalia . 24 Clarke, G. Leucistic Somali birds 54 Fuggles-Couchman, N.R. Addenda to The distribution of, and other notes on, some birds of Tanzania—Part II (continued) 49 Grant, L. A record of the Lesser Frigatebird Fregata ariel from Kenya 110 Jensen, F.P., Brogger-Jensen, S. & Petersen, G. The White-chested Alethe Alethe fuelleborni in Tanzania 127 Lack, P. The ecology of the land-birds of Tsavo East National Park, Kenya De ST Miskell, J.E. & Ash, J.S. Gillett’s Lark Mirafra gilletti new to Kenya a8) Pearson, DJ. General Review 145 Short, L.L. Obituary: Jean Delacour 143 Short, L.L. & Home, J.F.M. Notes on some birds of the Arabuko-Sokoke Forest 117 Short, L.L. & Horne, J.F.M. Notes on some birds of Ol Ari Nyiro, Laikipia plateau 137 Turner, D.A. Letter: On the claimed occurrence of the Spike-heeled Lark Chersomanes albofasciata in Kenya 142 172 East African Bird Report 1985 INDEX of scientific names, Vol. 9, 1-5 Accipiter badius 27, 46 Apus aequatorialis 89 minullus 148 affinis 32, 46, 88 nisus 46, 145, 154 apus 89, 157 ovampensis 148 berliozi 151 Actitis hypoleucos 30, 44 caffer 89 Acrocephalus arundinaceus 47, 76, 159, horus 151 161 melba 32, 89 baeticatus 35, 36 nianzae 89 gracilirostris 76 pallidus 46 griseldis 75, 157, 159-162 Aquila heliaca 46 palustris 11, 73-75, 145, 156, nipalensis 27, 46 159-162 pomarina 145, 154 schoenobaenus 75, 159, 161 rapax 28, 44 scirpaceus 76, 159, 161 verreauxi 46 stentoreus 36 Ardea cinerea 26, 43 Acrylium vulturinum 9 goliath 43 Alaemon alaudipes 47 Ardeola idae 147 Alethe fuelleborni 127-131 rufiventris 147 Amadina fasciata 13, 19, 40, 87 Arenaria interpres 30, 44, 156 Ammomanes deserti 47 Athene noctua 31, 32 Anaplectes rubriceps 13, 18, 85 Aviceda cuculoides 148 Anas acuta 154 Aythya fuligula 154 clypeata 27, 154 nyroca 154 crecca 27, 154 Balaeniceps rex 50 penelope 154 Batis minor 12, 17, 76, 77 querquedula 27, 154 molitor 12, 17, 76, 77 sparsa 148 orientalis 37, 47 Andropadus importunus 11, 16, 69, 70 perkeo 12, 17, 76, 77 Anomalospiza imberbis 87, 153 Bias musicus 145, 152 Anthreptes collaris 13, 18, 83, 84, 140 Bradornis microrhynchus 12, 17, 37, 76 orientalis 13, 18, 39, 83, 84 pallidus 77 platurus 47 Bubalomis niger 13, 40, 85 Anthus campestris 37, 47 Bubo africanus 32, 89 cervinus 37, 47, 77, 158, 159 lacteus 32, 89 leucophrys 77 Bubulcus ibis 26, 46 novaeseelandiae 47, 77 Bucorvus abyssinicus 33 similis 47 cafer 64 trivialis 47, 77, 159, 161 Bulweria fallax 145, 147 vaalensis 152 Buphagus africanus 83 Apalis flavida 12, 16, 36, 73-75 erythrorhynchus 13, 18, 39, 47, 82, thoracica 49 83 Apaloderma narina 32 Burhinus capensis 9, 10, 14, 30, 46 oedicnemus 156 Butastur rufipennis 28, 148 Buteo augur 28 buteo 46, 154 tufinus 46 tachardus 148 Butorides striatus 26, 46 Bycanistes brevis 64, 138 Calidris alba 44, 156, 158 alpina 30, 46 ferruginea 44 minuta 44 subminuta 145, 156 temminckii 156 Camaroptera brachyura 36, 47, 49, 76 simplex 12, 16, 36, 72-75 Campephaga flava 11, 16, 69, 140 Campethera nubica 11, 15, 33, 47, 65, 66 Caprimulgus spp. 162 clarus 89, 135 donaldsoni 89, 150 europaeus 89, 157, 159, 161 fossii 89 fraenatus 89, 135, 150 inomatus 46, 89, 135 nubicus 32, 46, 89, 150 tristiigma 89 Centropus grillii 150 superciliosus 10, 14, 22, 31 Cercomela familiaris 72 melanura 47 Cercotrichas galactotes 11, 16, 34, 35, 47, 70, 71, 159, 161 hartlaubi 152 leucophrys 11, 16, 70 podobe 47 quadrivirgata 72, 100_102, 123, 124 Ceryle rudis 32 Ceuthmochares aereus 22, 150, 162 Charadrius alexandrinus 44, 155 asiaticus 10, 14, 19, 29, 155 dubius 29, 46, 155, 158 hiaticula 44 leschenaultii 44, 155 East African Bird Report 1985 173 mongolus 44, 155 tricollaris 29 Chelictinia riocourii 28, 148 Chersomanes albofasciata 142 Chlidonias hybridus 150 leucopterus 30, 46, 133 Chlorocichla flaviventris 70 Chloropeta gracilirostris 152 Chrysococcyx caprius 10, 14, 22, 23, S137 cupreus 22, 137 klaas 22, 137 Cichladusa guttata 70, 71 Ciconia abdimii 26, 46, 80 ciconia 80, 154 episcopus. 147 nigra 154 Cinnyricinclus leucogaster 12, 17, 39, 47, 80, 139 sharpii 153 Circaetus fasciolatus 117 gallicus 27, 46, 154 Circus spp. 27 aeruginosus 46 macrourus 27, 46 pygargus 27, 46 Cisticola aridula 12, 17, 73 chiniana 76 cinereola 12, 17, 73 galactotes 76 nana 42°17 -73; 75 Clamator glandarius 10, 14, 22, 31, 150 jacobinus 10, 14 22, 23, 137, 150 levaillantii 137, 150 Colius leucocephalus 23 striatus 10, 14, 23 Columba arquatrix 46 guinea 21, 31, 46 livia 31 Coracias spp. 71 abyssinicus 151 caudatus 10, 15, 33, 60, 61 garrulus 10, 15, 33, 60, 61, 145, 159-161 naevia 10, 15, 60, 61 174 East African Bird Report 1985 Corvus alba 34, 69 albicollis 69 capensis 34 rhipidurus 34, 47 tuficollis 34, 47 splendens 69, 108, 109, 123 Corythaixoides leucogaster 10, 14, 22, 31 Cosmosparus regius 12, 18, 39, 83 Cossypha caffra 52, 53 heuglini 72, 140 natalensis 29, 100-102 Coturnix chinensis 148 cotumix 29 delegourguei 9, 10, 14, 162 Creatophora cinerea 12, 17, 39, 82 Crex crex 160 egregia 149 Cuculus canorus 23, 31, 156, 159, 160 canorus/gularis 10, 14 clamosus 22, 31, 137 gularis 23, 31, 150 poliocephalus 156, 160 solitarius 22, 52, 53, 137, 150 Cursorius cursor 19, 30 temminckii 9 Cypsiurus parvus 46, 89, 119 Delichon urbica 159 D. urbica x Hirundo rustica 135, 136 Dendrocygna viduata 148 Dendropicos fuscescens 11, 15, 33, 47, 65, 66, 140 stierlingi 151 Dicrurus adsimilis 11, 16, 34, 47, 68, 123, 125 Dinemellia dinemelli 13, 40, 85 Diomedea melanophrys 147 Dromas ardeola 46 Dryocichloides poliopterus 152 Dryoscopus cubla 12, 17, 78 gambensis 38 pringlii 78, 153 Egretta alba 26 ardesiaca 147 garzetta 26, 46 gularis 26, 43, 147 Elanus caeruleus 28 Emberiza hortulana 41 poliopleura 13, 19, 41, 88, 140 striolata 41, 47 tahapisi 47, -88 Eremomela flavicrissalis 12, 17, 73 scotops 152 Eremopterix spp. 66 leucopareia 68 leucotis 11, 15, 67, 68 nigriceps 33, 47 signata 11, 15, 33, 67, 68 Erythrocercus holochlorus 125 Euplectes albonotatus 13, 18, 86 diadematus 13, 18, 86, 153 franciscanus 40 hordeaceus 87 nigroventris 86 Eupodotis hartlaubi 9 humilis 29 ruficrista 9, 10, 14 senegalensis 9, 10, 14 Eurocephalus rueppelli 12, 39, 79-81 Eurystomus glaucurus 10, 14, 60 Falco amurensis 145, 155 ardosiaceus 148 biarmicus 28, 44 cherrug 155 concolor 28, 46, 155 cuvieri 148 dickinsoni 145, 148 eleonorae 160 naumanni 28, 46 peregrinus 28 tupicoloides 28, 148 subbuteo tinnunculus 28, 29, 46, 80 Ficedula albicollis 158 Francolinus hildebrandti 9 leucoscepus 8, 10, 14 levaillantii 148 ochropectus 46 sephaena 8, 10, 14, 29 Fregata sp. 147 ariel 109, 110 minor 108, 109 Galerida cristata 33, 47 fremantlii 33 malabarica 33 Gallinago gallinago 30, 156 media 160 Gallinula chloropus 29 Gelochelidon nilotica 45 Glareola nuchalis 145, 149 ocularis 149, 150 pratincola 30 Glaucidium perlatum 32, 89 Guttera pucherani 9 Gypaetus barbatus 148 ‘Gypohierax angolensis 148 Gyps rueppellii 27 Haematopus ostralegus 29, 44, 155 Halcyon albiventris 58, 120 chelicuti 10, 14, 57, 120 leucocephala 10, 14, 32, 57 Heliolais erythroptera 152 Hieraaetus pennatus 46, 154 spilogaster 28, 46 Himantopus himantopus 30, 146, 149 Hippolais icterina 158, 160 languida 11, 16, 36, 73-75, 159, 161 olivetorum 76, 157, 159, 161 pallida 11, 16, 45, 73-75, 157, 159, 161 Hirundo abyssinica 89 aethiopica 34 atrocaerulea 151 daurica 89 fuligula 34, 47, 89 rustica 34, 47, 88, 89, 135, 161 rustica X Delichon urbica 135-136 Hyliota flavigaster 152 Hypargos niveoguttatus 87 Indicator indicator 11, 15, 33, 65, 138 meliphilus 138 minor 11, 15, 65, 138 variegatus 65, 138 Irania gutturalis 11, 16, 35, 47, 70, 71, 157, 159, 161, 162 East African Bird Report 1985 175 Ispidina picta 58 Ixobrychus minutus 26, 147, 160 sturmii 147 Lagonosticta sp. 87 senegala 47 Lamprotornis chalybaeus 12, 17, 39, 82, 124, 125 morio 12, 18 purpuropterus 12, 18, 80 Laniarius ferrugineus 38, 47, 78 funebris 12, 17, 38, 78 mufumbiri 50 Tuficeps 79, 153 Lanius cabanisi 12, 17, 80, 81 collurio 12, 17, 38, 79-81, 145, 159, 161 collurio x isabellinus 160 dorsalis 12, 17, 80, 81 excubitor 38, 47 , isabellinus 12, 17, 38, 47, 79-81, 159, 161, 162 minor 12, 17, 38, 79-81, 159 nubicus 38 somalicus 39, 47 souzae 153 Larus argentatus 30, 45, 156 dominicanus 158 fuscus 45 genei 156 hemprichii 45 ichthyaetus 156 leucophthalmus 45 ridibundus 30, 45, 156 Leptoptlos crumeniferus 26, 69 Limicola falcinellus 44 Limosa lapponica 44 limosa 156 Locustella fluviatilis 76, 145, 157, 159, 161, 162 luscinioides 160 Lonchura cucullata 87 fringilloides 153, 154 griseicapilla 13, 19, 87 malabarica 40, 47, 87 Luscinia luscinia 11, 16, 70, 71, 145, 176 East African Bird Report 1985 157, 159-161 megarhynchos 72, 159, 161 Lybius lacrymosus 11, 15, 65 leucocephalus 65 leucomelas 65 melanocephalus 11, 15, 46, 65 melanopterus 11, 15, 65 torquatus 65 Macheiramphus alcinus 148 Macrodipteryx vexillarius 135 Macronyx aurantigula 12, 17, 77 Malaconotus alius 112 blanchoti 12, 17, 78 cruentus 112 gladiator 112 lagdeni 111-113 multicolor 112 nigrifrons 112 olivaceus 112, 113 quadricolor 79 sulfureopectus 78, 112 Melaenornis pammelaina 77 Melierax gabar 28 poliopterus 28 Merops albicollis 10, 15, 46, 58, 59 apiaster 10, 15, 46, 58, 159 hirundineus 151 nubicus 32, 60, 151 persicus 46, 58, 159 pusillus 10, 15, 32, 58, 59 revoillii 10, 15, 32, 58, 59 superciliosus 10, 15, 32, 46, 58, 59 Microparra capensis 149 Milvus migrans 28, 44, 69 Mirafra africana 54, 55 cantillans 11, 15, 66, 67 degodiensis 54 gilletti 34, 53, 54 hypermetra 11, 15, 66, 67 nigricans 151 poecilosterna 11, 16, 66, 67 pulpa 11, 16, 66, 67 rufocinnamomea 68 Monticola angolensis 152 rufocinerea 35 saxatilis 11, 16, 35, 47, 70, 157, 159, 161 solitaria 47 Motacilla aguimp 77 alba 37, 45 cinerea 37, 47, 77, 159 flava 37, 38, 45, 77, 159, 160 Muscicapa caerulescens 77, 152 gambagae 152 striata 12, 37, 47, 76, 159, 161 Mycteria ibis 26 Myioparus plumbaeus 77, 152 Myopornis boehmi 152 Neafrapus boehmi 89, 119, 120 Nectarinia amethestina 13, 18, 84 bifasciata 13, 18, 84, 85 habessinica 39, 47 hunteri 13, 18, 39, 84 kilimensis 85 mariquensis 39, 84 nectarinioides 84, 85 olivacea 84 pulchella 84 venusta 84, 85 Neocossyphus rufus 72, 131 Neophron monachus 27 percnopterus 27, 44 rueppelli 46 Neotis denhami 149 heuglini 9, 29 Nettapus auritus 148 Nicator chloris 70, 102, 151, 160 Nilaus afer 12, 17, 38, 78 Numenius arquata 30, 44, 155 phaeopus 44 Numida meleagris 8, 10, 14, 29 Oceanites oceanicus 147 Oena capensis 10, 14, 20, 46 Oenanthe bottae 47 deserti 35, 140, 141, 158 hispanica 47 . isabellina 11, 16, 35, 45, 71, 72, 140, 141, 159, 161 leucopyga 47 monacha 47 oenanthe 11, 16, 35, 71, 72, 145, 157, 159, 161 phillipsi 35 pileata 11, 16, 70, 71 pleschanka 11, 16, 35, 47, 71, 72, 140, 159, 161 Onychognathus blythi 39, 47 morio 80 Oriolus auratus 69 larvatus 11, 16, 68, 69 oriolus 11, 16, 34, 47, 68, 69, 145, 160 Ortygospiza atricollis 87 Ortyxelos meiffreni 9, 10, 14 Otis arabs 29, 46 kori 9, 29, 149 Otus leucotis 89 scops 46, 89, 156, 157, 161, 162 Pachycoccyx audeberti 118, 119 Pandion haliaetus 28, 44 Parisoma boehmi 36, 75 Parus afer 11, 16, 69 albiventris 69 leucomelas 151 Passer castanopterus 40 domesticus 153 euchlorus 40, 45, 46 griseus 13, 47, 85 motitensis 40 Pelecanus onocrotalus 26 rufescens 46 : Pemis apivorus 155 ' Petronia pyrgita 13, 85, 139 Phaethon lepturus 147 Phalaropus lobatus 156 Philomachus pugnax 30 Phoeniconaias minor 26, 27, 148 Phoenicopterus ruber 26, 46, 145 Phoeniculus cyanomelas 62 granti 62 minor 10, 15, 61, 62 purpureus 10, 15, 33, 61, 62 Phoenicurus ochrurus 35, 47 phoenicurus 47, 157, 160 Phyllastrephus strepitans 11, 16, 69, 70 East African Bird Report 1985 177 Phyllolais pulchella 75 Phylloscopus spp. 36 laurae 145, 152 ruficapilla 152 sibilatrix 47, 160 trochilus 12, 16, 36, 47, 73-75, 159, 161 umbrovirens 36, 47 Picoides obsoletus 151 Pitta angolensis 104, 151 Platalea leucorodia 26, 43, 44 Plocepasser mahali 13, 18, 85 Ploceus cucullatus 13, 18, 86 galbula 40, 45, 47 golandi 125, 126, 153 heuglini 153 insignis 125 intermedius 13, 18, 40, 86 nigricollis 13, 18, 85 ocularis 87 oliveiceps 153 rubiginosus 13, 18, 86 spekei 40 subaureus 86 velatus 87 Pluvialis dominica 44, 46, 145, 155 squatarola 30, 44, 155 Podica senegalensis 149 Podiceps nigricollis 146 Pogoniulus bilineatus 65 chrysoconus 151 pusillus 11, 15, 33, 65 Poicephalus rufiventris 10, 14, 21, 22, 31 Polemaetus bellicosus 28 Polihierax semitorquatus 29, 90 Porphryio porphryio 149 Porzana parva 29 porzana 155, 160 Prinia gracilis 36, 45 somalica 76 subflava 76 Prionops plumata 12, 17, 39, 80, 82 retzii2, I, 805 82, 122,123,125; 153 178 East African Bird Report 1985 scopifrons 119-122, 125 Prodotiscus regulus 138 zambesiae 138 Psalidoprocne pristoptera 139 Pseudonigrita arnaudi 87 cabanisi 13, 18, 87 Psittacula kramen 45 Pterocles decoratus 10, 14, 19 exustus 10, 14, 21, 31 lichtensteini 46 namaqua 20 quadricinctus 137 senegallus 31, 46 Ptilopachus petrosus 149 Puffinus lherminieri 147 Pycnonotus barbatus 11, 16, 34, 45, 54, 55;169570; 125 Pyrenestes minor 153 Pytilia afra 87, 153 melba Quelea quelea 13, 18, 86 Rallus caerulescens 149, 162 Recurvirostra avosetta 149 Remiz musculus 34, 69 Rhinoptilus africanus 19, 30 chalcopterus 19, 149, 162 cinctus 9, 10, 14 Rhodophoneus cruentus 12, 17, 47, 49, 78 Riparia cincta 89 riparia 89, 159, 160 Rynchops fiavirostis 150 Sagittartius serpentarius 27 Sarkidiornis melanotos 144 Sarothrura boehmi 149 rufa 149 Saxicola rubetra 35, 72, 157, 160 torquata 47 Scotopelia peli 150 Serinus atrogularis 13, 19, 47, 88 donaldsoni 41, 88 dorsostriatus 41, 88 koliensis 154 mennelli 154 mozambicus 88 reichardi 139, 140, 154 Speculipastor bicolor 12, 18, 80 Spiloptera rufifrons 12, 17, 36, 47, 73, 1S . Spreo albicapillus 39 fischeri 12, 18, 83 hildebrandti 12, 18, 80 shelleyi 13, 18, 39, 82, 153 superbus 13, 18, 39, 83 Stercorarius pomarinus 46 Sterna albifrons 45, 150 anaethetus 150 bengalensis 31, 44, 150 bergii 45 7 caspia 45 fuscata 46 hirundo 133, 156, 158 repressa 45, 150 sandvicensis 45 Streptopelia capicola 10, 14, 20, 21, 118 decipiens 21, 31 roseogrisea 46 semitorquata 10, 14, 20, 31 senegalensis 10, 14, 20, 21, 31, 46 turtur 133-135 Struthio camelus 8, 26 Sula dactylatra 147 leucogaster 46, 147 Sylvia atricapilla 36, 37, 47, 159, 160 borin 12, 16, 47, 75, 159, 161 communis 12, 16, 37, 47, 73-75, 145, 159-162 curruca 37 mystacea 37 nana 37 nisoria 12, 16, 47, 73, 157, 159, 161 rueppelli 47 Sylvietta brachyura 12, 17, 37, 47, 72, 1S isabellinus 37, 75, 152 Tachybaptus ruficollis 26 Tauraco porphyreolophus 22 Tchagra australis 78 jamesi 12, 17, 38, 78 senegala 12, 17, 47, 78 Telacanthura ussheri 89, 119 Terathopius ecaudatus 27, 117, 118 Terpsiphone viridis 12, 17, 37, 47, 76 Thamnolaea cinnamomeiventris 72 Threskiornis aethiopica 26, 46 Thripias namaquus 11, 15, 65, 66 Tmetothylacus tenellus 12, 17, 77, 152 Tockus spp. 90 alboterminatus 64 deckeni 11, 15, 63, 64 erythrorhynchus 11, 15, 33, 62-64 flavirostris 11, 15, 33, 46, 62, 64 ~ hemprichii 46, 138, 151 nasutus 10, 15, 62, 64 Trachyphonus spp. 64 darnaudii 11, 15, 65 erythrocephalus 11, 15, 33, 65 margaritatus 33, 46 Treron australis 21 waalia 31, 46 Trigonoceps occipitalis 27 Tringa erythropus 156, 158 glareola 30, 46 ochropus 46 nebularia 44, 56 solitaria 158 stagnatilis 30 totanus 44, 156 Turdoides aylmeri 11, 16, 34, 69 Index compiled by Graeme Backhurst Notes East African Bird Report 1985 179 hindei 151 rubiginosus 11, 16, 34, 69 Turdus spp. 35 abyssinicus 35 fischeri 97-107, 152 philomelos 47 tephronotus 11, 16, 70 Tumix sylvatica 9, 149 Turtur chalcospilos 10, 14, 20, 50, 51 tympanistria 21 Tyto alba 89 Upupa epops 10, 15, 33, 46, 61, 157 Uraeginthus bengalus 13, 19, 87 cyanocephalus 87 ianthinogaster 13, 19, 87 Urocolius macrourus 10, 14, 23 Vanellus coronatus 10, 13, 14, 19, 30 lugubris 19 tectus 10, 13, 14, 19 Vidua fischeri 87 hypocherina 40, 87, 153 macrourus 13, 18, 86 obtusa 153 paradisaea 13, 18, 40, 87 Xenus cinereus 46, 156 Zosterops spp. 140 abyssinicus 13, 18, 40, 47, 85 180 East African Bird Report 1985 Notes form used in this issue. Names of periodicals must be given in full and, in the case of books, the town of publication and the publisher should be given. A number of works which are cited frequently should not be listed under ‘References’; the name(s) of the author(s) and date(s) of the publication should be given in the text in the normal way. Authors of “papers’ receive five copies of their contribution free of charge. Extra copies, which will be supplied at cost, must be ordered when the MS is submitted. All contributrons should be sent to the Editor, G.C. Backhurst, Box 24702, Nairobi, Kenya, and they will be acknowledged. Works which should not be listed under ‘References’ BACKHURS?T, G.C., BRITTON, P.L. & MANN, C.F. 1973. The less common Palaearctic migrant birds of Kenya and Tanzania. Journal of the East Africa Natural History Society and National Museum. 140: 1-38, = Backhurst et al. 1973. BENSON, C.W., BROOKE, R.K., DOWSETT, RJ., & IRWIN, M.P.S. 1971. The birds of Zambia. London: Collins, = Benson et al. 1971. BRITTON, P.L. (ed.) 1980. Birds of East Africa. Nairobi: EANHS, = Britton 1980. BROWN, L.H. & BRITTON, P.L. 1980. The breeding seasons of East African birds. Nairobi: EANHS, = Brown & Britton 1980. BROWN, L.H., URBAN, E.K. & NEWMAN, K. 1982. The birds of Africa, Vol. I. London and New York: Academic Press, = Brown et al. 1982. HALL, B.P. & MOREAU, R.E. 1970. An atlas of speciation in African passerine birds. London: British Museum (Nat. Hist.), = Hall & Moreau 1970. JACKSON, F.J. 1938. The birds of Kenya Colony and the Uganda Protectorate, 3 vols. London: Gurney & Jackson, = Jackson 1938. MACKWORTH-PRAED, C.W. & GRANT, C.H.B. 1957 and 1960. African handbook of birds. Series 1, vols 1 and 2; Birds of eastern and north eastern Africa, 2nd edition. London: Longmans Green & Co., = Mackworth-Praed & Grant 1957 and/or 1960. MOREAU, R.E. 1966. The bird faunas of Africa and its islands. London: Academic Press, = Moreau 1966. MOREAU, R.E. 1972. The Palaearctic-African bird migration systems. London: Academic Press, = Moreau 19772. SNOW, D.W. (ed.) 1978. An atlas of speciation in African non-passerine birds. London: British Museum (Nat. Hist.), = Snow 1978. URBAN, E.K., FRY, C.H. & KEITH, S. 1986. The birds of Africa, Vol. I. London: Academic Press, = Urban et al. 1986. East African Bird Report This normally forms the fifth issue of Scopus and each report covers one calendar year and relates just to the birds of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Records of Afro- tropical and Oceanic birds should be sent to D.A. Turner, Box 48019, Nairobi; Palaearctic bird records should be sent to Dr D.J. Pearson, Department of Bio- chemistry, University of Nairobi, Box 30197, Nairobi. Records should be sent in early in the new year to ensure the speedy production of the Report. Sightings of rare birds may be telephoned through to any OSC member (numbers inside the front cover) in the hope that the bird(s) may be seen by others. Criteria covering the sub- mission of Bird Report records are given in Scopus Supplement, June 1982, and copies may be obtained from D.A. Turmer. Records of rare birds are vetted by the independent and internationally-based East African Rarities Committee. IC12 AMREF Scopus 9 (5), 1987 Contents D.J. Pearson. General Review | 3 145 Species Report Afrotropical and Oceanic Species 146 Palaearctic Species 154 East African Rare Birds Committee 158 First and last dates of some Palaearctic migrant landbirds 159 G.C. Backhurst & D.J. Pearson. Ringing and migration at Ngulia, Tsavo, autumn 1985 160 Individual subscribers to Scopus 163 Institutional subscribers 168 Exchanges with Scopus 169 List of observers 170 Index to authors 170 Index of scientific names 172 Published by the Ornithological Sub-Committee of the EANHS and printed in Kenya by AMREF, Wilson Airport, Box 30125, Nairobi a | ISISNMOZS0—4 162 ~ SCOPUS A quarterly publication of the Ornithological Sub-Committee East African Natural History Society Edited by Graeme Backhurst Volume 10 (1) March 1986 SCOPUS Scopus is normally published five times a year (although issues may be combined to allow for long papers) by the Ornithological Sub-Committee of the East African Natural History Society. Subscriptions are payable to the OS-C Hon Treasurer (and Secretary), D.A. Turner [tel. 48772], Scopus a/c, Box 48019, Nairobi, Kenya, at the following rates: East African residents: KShs 100.00 (KShs 107.50 up-country). Overseas, surface mail: Stg£6.00, US$12.00 or equivalent in convertible currency. Drafts in Kenya currency cannot be accepted. Overseas, air mail: Stg£7.50, US$15.00 or equivalent in convertible currency. Drafts in Kenya currency cannot be accepted. Overseas rates apply to all countries other than Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Those wishing to remit by bank transfer should do so to D.A. Turner, Scopus a/c No. 2852601, Barclays Bank of Kenya Ltd., Market Branch, Box 30018, Nairobi. Other members of the Ornithological Sub-Committee Dr D.J. Pearson (Chairman), Department of Biochemistry, University of Nairobi, Box 30197, Nairobi; house tel. 47041 G.C. Backhurst (Editor of Scopus and Ringing Organizer, Box 24702, Nairobi; house tel. 891419, office tel. 500508, 501301 N.E. Baker, Dar es Salaam; Dr Margaret Carswell, Kampala; M.A.C. Coverdale, Nakuru; J.H. Fanshawe, U.K.; Mrs Cecilia Gichuki, Nairobi; Dr K.M. Howell, Dar es Salaam; Dr W. | Karanja, Nairobi; Dr A.D. Lewis, Nairobi; B.S. Meadows, U.K.;Dr D.E. Pomeroy, Kampala; J.F. Reynolds, U.K.; D.K. Richards, Nairobi; T. Stevenson, Baringo and Nairobi. NOTES FOR CONTRIBUTORS Scopus welcomes original contributions in English on all aspects of the ornithology of eastern Africa. Contributions will be assessed by the members of the OS-C and/or by independent referees. The material published in Scopus is divided into ‘papers’ and ‘short communications’, the latter will usually be less than two pages in length. Authors of ‘papers’ are entitled to five copies of their contribution gratis. Extra copies, which will be supplied at cost, must be ordered when the MS is submitted. Contributions should be typed in 1% or double spacing on one side of the paper only, with wide margins all round, and should be submitted in duplicate. Exceptionally clear hand-written MSS will be considered but these too should be sent in duplicate. Both English} and scientific names of birds should be given when the species is first mentioned, thereafter only one should be used; they should be those of Birds of East Africa unless the Ta does not occur in that work. Tables, which should be numbered, should appear in the typescript, NOT grouped on | separate sheets at the end. Metric units should be used. Illustrations should be on good quality white paper, bristol board or tracing material, in| line, and should not be larger than 19 x 23 cm. Lettering (in black) will be the responsibility]| of the author and should be done neatly in Letraset (or similar), no larger than 14 point) (3.9 mm). Each illustration should be numbered (Fig. 1, etc.) and be provided with a legend); typed on a separate sheet of paper. Photographs will also be considered. Scopus 10 (1), March 1986 SCOPUS THE MARABOU IN KENYA Dea POMETOV It is hard to believe that Jackson (1938) could write, when he recorded Marabous Leptoptilos crumeniferus from the Lower Tana River, that this was the '... only instance of its ranging east of the Rift Valley". And that Marabous were "... not often seen on the ground.." The comment by Brown et al. (1982): "Frequent to common in most of range, locally abundant ..."" seems more familiar. There is no doubt that the species has increased greatly during the present century, and by 1984 had been widely recorded in Kenya, except for the arid north and east where it is still very uncommon (Lewis & Pomeroy in press). The main purpose of this paper is to review the species' present status in Kenya, and particularly its breeding. Following studies of Marabous in Uganda (e.g. Pomeroy 1973), I was interested to compare the situations in the two countries. There are striking differences. The Marabou, despite being widespread in Kenya, is much less numerous than in Uganda, where very large cong- regations may occur (that is to say, several hundred birds together). In Uganda, there are some 15-20 breeding colonies (Pomeroy 1977a), compared to only 5 or 6 in Kenya. SOURCES OF DATA Between 1974 and 1982 I followed up all reports of Marabou breeding colonies in Kenya, through the literature and by requests for infor- mation. The results were rather disappointing. There could still be undiscovered colonies but they are likely to be small, since most of Kenya is crossed quite frequently by light aircraft and colonies are conspicuous from the air. Further, pilots are likely to report them }since the Marabou, like vultures, is a recognized hazard to light Saarcratt. In addition, I made observations annually from 1977 to 1982 on the colonies at Kiboko and Kibwezi, and in several years at Kitale. Marabou colonies take 6-8 months from nest-building to fledging, and jas nest-building is mainly between June and October, fledging is in }Scopus 10: 1-9, March 1986 2 The Marabou in Kenya the next calendar year. Unless otherwise indicated, years refer to nest building and egg laying. Records of Marabous away from breeding colonies were not made systematically. BREEDING COLONIES Of the ten colonies which have been reported for Kenya, two are in urban areas and three others adjacent to a town or village; in Uganda, six out of the 27 recorded are in or near a town or village (Pomeroy 1977a). The numbers of nests recorded at nine of the colonies are given in Table 1. The main features of each colony are as follows; they are numbered in the Table. 1. Kitale. The colony is scattered in acacia trees (probably Acacia abyssinica) on the north-western outskirts of the town. Some of the trees are also used by Black-headed Herons Ardea melanocephala. Most of the trees are in or adjacent to the municipal rubbish dump, a regular feeding place for Marabous. The colony was studied in detail by Kahl (1966). 2..Garissa. Of the two records in Table 1, North's) (1939) s1smes birds nesting in Sterculia sp., some 40km south of the town, at Kumide. However, in 1983-4, they were nesting in tall trees near to the town, with nests at least 15m from the ground. The two records could be considered as separate colonies. 3. Habaswein. At least 100 nests were being used in 1939-40 at Arop Dima (1:00N, 39:30E) and some 30 nests, 50km to the west, at Goni (1:00N, 30:00E). The second of these is probably the same site as a colony reported from the Lorian Swamp by the Game Department (quoted by Cullen 1955), since when there has been no record. The area is one of the remotest in Kenya, and despite earlier comments on pilots reporting colonies it is quite possible that this one does exist Stage 4, 5 and 6. The 'Makindu' group. Kahl (1968) reported a colony of 15 nests, 7km SW of the town of Makindu, which had grown to some 45- 55 nests by 1974 (W.L.N. Tickell, pers. comm., Pomeroy 1979), in two extremely large trees, probably Acacia gerrardii. By 1976, this colony had disappeared - possibly as a result of human disturbance - but a new colony had meanwhile appeared at Kiboko, in the grounds of Hunter's Lodge hotel. Over the years, several trees have been used at Kiboko, all A. tortilis. In at least one year, Baglafecht Weavers Ploceus baglafecht nested in one of the Marabou trees, whilst Black- headed Herons nested in an adjacent one. In 1977, another colony was discovered, at Kibwezi, between the town and the main Nairobi-Mombasa road. This is the eastern extre- mity of the Kibwezi forest, which is supported by groundwater from the Chyulu Hills. About 20 trees have been used in various years, mainly A. tortilis but also some A. xanthophloea. These trees extend over a distance of about a kilometre. 7. Central Island, Lake Turkana. Many species of water birds breed on Central Island, or have done so, but so far as is known 1970/71 is the only year when Marabous did so. Ww The Marabou in Kenya TABLE 1 Numbers of Marabou nests at all known colonies in Kenya during the present century. Sources, and the basis for tne figures in the final row,are given in the Notes. Breeding takes 6-8 months in Marabous, often extending from one year into the next. The data are given in relation to the year when eggs were laid. Colony Makindu Group 4 ————————— i) a S a & S ° ” >Y 9 o EF o 7 ue a < ey a Rog ea Re wo Bee BA 7 a? oS ‘* V" Si “lo Girne So. an % 2) 1935-6 24° 1939 1308 1954-5 —pc 2\¢ 1963 ge 1964 5° 1965 18@ 15f 1966 18° 1970 10-209 1972 65 1974 69 50h 1975 74 1976 0 5] 1977 12) w30 pk 1978 14 30 1979 87 29 70 1980 95! 19 56 1981 50! ort oats 59 1982 38! 9 56 1983 50+ 20, Ree ahleeD,, (50), 0 18) 60. £0) 20 (0) aE a RE a ETE. DIE ADEE OnE LEED POETS AEE EE aE Notes: a. North 1939; b. North 1943; c. Present: A. Cullen, quoting Kenya Game Archives for 1955; d. L.H. Brown, Nest Record Card, EANHS eo Kanlet9665 £. Kahl 1968; ¢. M.L. Modha, pers. comm.; h. W.L.N. Tickell, pers. comm.; j. Newsletter 17, August 1977, p.62, Dept. of Ornithology, National Museums of Kenya; k. Newsletter 22, January 1978, Dept. of Ornithology, National Museums of Kenya; 1. W. Mokokha and B. Tengecho, pers. comm.; m. Osborn and Alio, 1984; n. G.R. Cunningham-van Someren, pers. comm.; p. Figures for Kitale, Kiboko and Kibwezi are averages for the years shown, for Garissa and Wajir the 1983 figures. The Habaswein colony is considered likely to have 4 The Marabou in Kenya remained extant, since the environment there has not greatly changed, although subject to considerable year-to-year variations. However, a low figure (50) is taken in the absence of any recent record. Figures not credited are the author's. 8. Wajir. Marabous have been recorded here twice, in two trees in 1977-78, and in five trees in 1983-84, when about 20 nests were in use. 9. Oyugis. Leslie Brown completed a Nest Record Card on which he stated that there were "eggs chipping on 5 November", the site being a small forest patch. The number of nests is not mentioned: possibly it was only one. 10. Molo. Jackson (1938) has only one, intriguing record of Marabous breeding in Kenya: ". in a group of very tall trees on the Molo, close to the crossing on the old caravan road...". There were about 25 nests, one at least containing incubated eggs. It has proved impossible to discover the locality to which Jackson was referring. In the last row of Table 1, I have attempted to estimate the average number of nests in each colony over the five-year period 1979-1983. The overall total can be no more than a first approxi- mation: especially because the status of the once-large Habaswein colony is quite unknown. However, my estimated total is 265 nests. SEASONALITY Marabous show marked seasonal fluctuations in numbers wherever they occur (Pomeroy 1978a): they probably undertake migrations of hundreds of kilometres, or more (Pomeroy 1978b). In Kenya, peak numbers at a Site near Nairobi were in March (Pomeroy 1978a). During 1979-80, there was a major roost at Kahawa, !18km NE of Nairobi, in which numbers increased from about 100 in October to over 1000 for several weeks in January-February, before declining again to low numbers by May (Ge Oban am nee): Marabou breeding seasons vary geographically (Pomeroy 1978a). In East Africa, egg laying is progressively later in the year as one moves north-westwards. Fig. 1 shows data for the Kiboko-Kibwezi colonies, and for two years at Kitale. These sites provide an interesting contrast. Kibwezi has a mean annual rainfall of about 640 mm (Fenner 1982), whilst that at Kitale is about 1200mm (Kenya Meteorological Department, in litt.). As at most other sites in eastern Africa, breeding in Kenya begins as the wet season is ending, but at Kitale this happens when the rainfall is still about 100mm a month, whereas at Kibwezi it is practically nil. Thus it seems to be declining rainfall rather than the actual amount of rain, which stimulates breeding at these sites. Both at Kitale and Kiboko- Kibwezi, rainfall remained low for most of the five months when young are in the nest. I have argued previously (Pomeroy 1978b) that when a rainy season is prolonged, breeding is delayed. Conversely, shorter-than-average The Marabou in Kenya KIBWEZI KITALE long-term average rainfall long-term average rainfall (KTA) iw 1978-79 50 KK 0 150 KT 0G 1979-80 1 x b 9 1979-80 50 50 0 0 100 KT KZ 1980-81 wb 1980-81 50 xb 50 0 (6) 1981-82 KKKZ 50 Seed 0 100 1982-83 KKKZ 50 ~ Fig. 1. Mean egg laying dates compared to monthly rainfall. Left: Kiboko (KK) and Kibwezi (KZ) with rainfall for Kibwezi (Fenner 1982). Right: Kitale (KT) with Kitale rainfall; KTA = average egg laying date at Kitale for five previous years (Pomeroy 1978b, Fig. 4), with long-term average rain- fall data (courtesy Kenya Meteorological Department) . rains, as seen in 1979-80 and 1980-81 at Kitale, and 1978-79 at Kiboko-Kibwezi, allowed breeding to start sooner. Thus one might also have expected earlier breeding at Kibwezi in 1980-81, when in fact the timing was similar to other, wetter, years. This might suggest that the birds had come to Kibwezi from a higher rainfall area, just prior to breeding. That they do indeed come from else- 6 The Marabou in Kenya where seems certain, because there are very few if any Marabous in the Kibwezi area between January and May. e7 2.0 @ is°] a oO — Kiboko and Kibwezi ~ g Rt eth my ~ < 3 2 Se SB — 9 ~N 8 a = 9 Natete, Uganda LS = 1.3 ~N a $ ~ e Mean date of fledging => i} E >| Cc Cc is°] ao = 50 100 150 200 Time (d) from mean date of egg laying Fig. 2. Numbers of young per surviving nest at Kiboko (0) and Kibwezi (@) (on two occasions in some years) and at various stages of the nestling period: the time scale represents days after the mean date of egg laying. Two observations from Kitale (®) are also shown. The years are: 8 = 78/9, 9 = 79/80, 0 = 80/1, 2 = 81/2, 2 ="82/3e The upper calculated regression (note logarithmic scale on vertical axis) is based upon the data for Kiboko and Kibwezi, and its equation is: log y = 0.38 - 0.00132x (r = 0.586, P<0.1) The lower regression, included for comparison, is for Natete, Uganda (Pomeroy 1978c, Fig. 7). The mean date of egg laying is calculated from the appearance of the nestlings, and the average time of fledging is day 182 (Pomeroy 1978c). BREEDING SUCCESS From 1978-79 to 1982-83, I made several visits each season to the colonies at Kiboko and Kibwezi, to determine the total numbers of nests and to estimate the average numbers of young produced per nest - that is, the breeding success (Fig. 2). In general, the average numbers of young per nest decline as they get older, because some die in the nest or may even fall out. In Uganda (Pomeroy 1978c) and at The Marabou in Kenya Kitale in Kenya (Kahl 1966), the average number of eggs laid is 2.7 per nest, but as Fig. 2 shows, only about 1.4 young per nest survive to the age of fledging at the Kiboko-Kibwezi colonies; and this figure excludes nests which failed early in the season. Nevertheless one pair at Kiboko reared three young to fledging in 1978-79. Colony size (per cent maximum) Time scale (d) Fig. 3. The total number of nests in use at Kibwezi in 1980-81 (@) and 1981-82 (0) compared to the average for three years at Natete, Uganda (A: Pomeroy 1978c, Fig. 1(a)). The vertical scale shows the number of nests on a particular day compared to the total built, whilst the time scale is days from the mean egg laying date, as in Fig. 2. The overall breeding success of the Kiboko-Kibwezi colonies is less than that implied by Fig. 2. This is because some nests fail completely. The proportion that do so can only be determined by frequent visits, as was done at Natete, Uganda (Fig. 3). Here, the overall success in three consecutive years was 0.7, 1.2 and 0.9 young per nest, an average of 0.9 for the colony as a whole. At Kiboko-Kibwezi, the numbers of nestlings per surviving nest were greater than at Natete (Fig. 2), yet more nests seem to have failed (Fig. 3). It is therefore likely that an overall figure of about 0.9 young per nest could be applied to Kiboko and Kibwezi too. Breeding success at Kitale in 1979-80 and 1980-81 was significantly lower than for the other two Kenya colonies shown in Fig. 2. This may have contributed to the rapid decline in that colony in the following two years (see Table !). DISCUSSION Marabous are gregarious, but away from their few breeding colonies their numbers in Kenya are quite low, rarely exceeding 50 at any one place. This contrasts with Uganda, where several hundreds were regularly seen at some fishing villages (Pomeroy 1973, 1977b). In Kenya, the largest numbers appear at roosts, as mentioned earlier: even in July, over 200 were recorded at one roost near Athi River (Evans et al. 1973). 8 The Marabou in Kenya The total Kenya breeding population is probably less than 300 pairs, whereas in uganda more than 2000 were recorded in the 1970s (Pomeroy 1977a). Despite the very large numbers roosting at one site in Nairobi in 1979-80, the total population of this species in Kenya seems unlikely to be more than 1000-2000, with the highest numbers between December and March. If one compares the numbers of pairs breeding at the only three colonies for which there are annual records from 1979 to 1982 (Table 1), the average number of nests at these colonies in 1979 and 1980 was 178; but in 1981 and 1982 it was 84.5, a decline of more than 50 per cent. The Marabou population in Kenya is apparently not stable, and further studies are likely to prove interesting. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I thank those who were kind enough to supply data, or to assist in making counts. REFERENCES CULLEN, A. 1955. Window onto wilderness. EVANS, S.M., CANTRELL, M.A. & CRAM, A. (Eds.) 1973. Report of the University of Newcastle upon Tyne Exploration Society's Expedition to Kenya 1972. Mimeo report. FENNER, M. 1982. Features of the rainfall at Kibwezi, Kenya. East African Agriculture and Forestry Journal 45: 83-91. KAHL, M.P. 1966. A contribution to the ecology and reproductive biology of the Marabou Stork (Leptoptilos crumeniferus)in East Africa. | Journal of. Zoologu, .wonudon so 17209 —5)uin 1968. Recent breeding records of storks in Eastern Africa. Journal of the East Africa Natural History Society and National Museum 27 (116): 67-72. LEWIS, A. Di. .& POMEROY, DoE. in wpress. 6 Al bird jablass pOrelmen ga Rotterdam: Balkema. NORTH, M.E.W. 1939. Field notes on certain raptorial and water birds in Kenya Colony. TFbis 81: 487-507. 1943. The breeding of the Marabou Stork in East Africa This 85: 190-198. 3 OSBORN, R.M. & ALIO, A.M. 1984. A birdwatching safari in the North East Province, Part Il. EANHS Bulletin 1984: 88-96. ; POMEROY, D.E. 1973. The distribution and abundance of marabou storks in Uganda. East African Wildlife Journal 2: 227-240. 1977a. Marabou Stork Leptoptilos crumeniferus breeding colonies in Uganda. Journal of the East Africa Natural History Society and National Museum 31 (161): I-11. 1977b. The biology of Marabou Storks in Uganda. lI. Some general characteristics of the species, and the population structure. Ardea 65: 1-24. The Marabou in Kenya 9 POMEROY, D.E. 1978a. Counts of Marabou Storks Leptoptilos crumeni- ferus in relation to their movements in eastern Africa. Scopus 2: 92-96. 1978b. Seasonality of Marabou Storks Leptoptilos crumeniferus in eastern Africa. Ibis 120: 213-321. 1978c. The biology of Marabou Storks in Uganda. II. Breeding biology and general review. Ardea 66: 1-23. 1979. Nesting of Marabou Storks in the Makindu-Kiboko- Kibwezi area. EANHS Bulletin 1979: 114-116. D.E. Pomeroy, Department of Zoology, Makerere University, Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda. (Received 18 June 1985) REQUEST FOR INFORMATION THREATS TO THE WHITE STORK ON MIGRATION In January 1986, WWF-Germany and ICBP started a joint project to in- vestigate the threats to the White Stork Ciconia ciconia on its migra- tion routes and in its wintering areas. Major aims of the project are: @ to analyse factors threatening the White Stork directly and indirectly in the different countries on its migration routes @ to analyse the extent of application of biocides and their direct and indirect effects on migrating White Storks @ to draw together a list of areas which are of major import- ance for migrating White Storks @ to produce comprehensive documentation containing results of the project and suggestions for an international conserv- ation strategy for the species Collaborators are needed who can submit information and observations from southern Europe, the Middle East and Africa. People interested in co-operating should contact the project leader as soon as possible for further details: WWF-Germany/ICBP White Stork Project, Dr Holger Schulz, Am Lindenberg 1 D-3331 LELM, Federal Republic of Germany [tel: 05353/8005] 10 INTERACTIONS BETWEEN RESIDENT AND MIGRATORY WAGTAILS MOTACILLA SPP. IN ETHIOPIA - AN ECOLOGICAL CONUNDRUM Stephanie J. Tyler and S.J. Ormerod The co-existence of congeneric animals is frequently facilitated by factors which reduce competition for resources such as food, space or nest sites (see for example Branch 1976, Finlay & Berninger 1984, Hildrew & Edington 1979, Meserve 1976 and Schoener 1974). Lack (1971) reviewed many instances of such niche segregation between breeding birds; wherever ranges of habitats coincided, ecological isolation could occur by interspecific differences in micro-habitat occupation and/or feeding preferences (see Lack 1971, Perrins & Birkhead 1983). In some cases, direct competition results in interspecific aggression, mutual exclusion from breeding territories (e.g. Garcia 1983) and in "niche=shifts' (e.g. Davis 1973, Allerstam et al. 1974). invotner cases, breeding success may be inane by the pueHeanee of close com- petitors (Minot 1981, Hogstedt 1980). Little detailed attention has been given to interactions between Palaearctic migrants and congeneric residents in Africa (e.g. Lack 1971, Moreau 1972, Morel 1973). In Ethiopia, for example, the winter influx of Grey Wagtails Motacilla cinerea, Yellow Wagtails M. flava and White Wagtails M. alba leads to possible contacts with the resident African Pied M. aguimp and Mountain Wagtails M. clara. This paper reviews the distribution and habitat preferences shown by each species in Africa, particularly in Ethiopia. Where available, infor- mation is given on breeding biology and feeding ecology. Particular attention is given to interactions between M. cinerea and M. clara; these species show similar habitat preferences and co-occur at a time when M. clara is breeding. SPECIES DISTRIBUTIONS General distributions within Africa of resident and migrant Motacilla spp. were drawn from the literature. More specific accounts for Ethiopia were based on fieldwork between October 1973 and January 1977 mostly in the central province of Shewa. This province includes habi- tats ranging from desert at 1000m0.D., rift valley lakes with Acacia woodland and savanna, and montane forest and moorland at over 3000m. Motacilla aguimp African Pied Wagtail African distribution The commonest wagtail in Africa, M. aguimp has a similar range to M. clara (see below). It occurs throughout the continent south of the Sahara, though it is absent from the Somali Republic and from the extreme west of Cape Province (Mackworth-Praed & Grant 1957). Several authors have noted an association with dwellings and settlements (Belcher 1930, Vincent 1935, Priest 1935, Benson 1940, Mackworth-Praed & Grant 1957, Elgood & Sibley 1964). It occurs throughout an altitu- dinal range from sea level to 3000m and generally, alongside pools, ponds, swamps and particularly along larger rivers. Scopus 10: 10-19, March 1986 Wagtails in Ethiopia 1] Distribution in Ethiopia In Ethiopia, M. aguimp occurs locally everywhere except in the south- east (Urban & Brown 1971) and extreme north (Smith 1955). Most obser- vations were on large but fast-flowing rivers below 2000m (see also Cheeseman 1935, Smith 1957, Olson 1976). Breeding abundances of one pair per 1.6km (Smith 1957) and up to four pairs per kilometre (this study) have been recorded. Breeding Biology Most breeding records were between February and July prior to the rains, and most clutches were of two to three eggs (c.f. Belcher 1930 and Priest 1935 who noted clutches of four to five eggs in southern Africa). Nest sites included rock ledges, holes in walls and bridge sites. Motacilla clara Mountain Wagtail African Distribution From Liberia eastwards to Ethiopia; southwards to Cape Province M.c. torrentium and M.c. chapini have extensive ranges in Africa but the longer-winged nominate race is confined to Ethiopia. Over most of its range, M. clara favours small, often forested, fast-flowing mountain streams between 1250 and 3000m; some observations at lower altitudes may reflect seasonal movements (Belcher 1930, Benson 1940, Winterbottom 1964, Serle 1950, Elgood 1973, Britton 1980). Distribution in Ethiopia In Ethiopia, M. clara is a montane species and there is no Seidenien for any seasonal movement to lower altitudes. It occurs on small, wooded highland rivers and streams from 1500 to 3400m both north and south of the Rift Valley. In Shewa, it is found on those stretches of river favoured by the Abyssinian Black Duck Anas sparsa. In southern Tigre it was common and Olson (1976) found it frequent on the wooded streams in the Tana Basin, the Tacazze River and western escarpment of Begemder and Simien Province. In northern Tigre it was only observed twice between January and May 1976 despite searches along apparently Suitable watercourses. These two records were on a wooded stream near Samre, southwest of Makalle, and near Enticho close to the Eritrean border. K. Thorogood (pers. comm.) did not record M. clara in northern Tigre from March 1973 to September 1975, and it was not seen in Eritrea (Smith 1955, 1957, this study). Breeding Biology Breeding was recorded in January to April and from September to November (c.f. Moreau 1949: all year; Winterbottom 1964: August to December). Forty-five nest sites included cliff ledges, banks over- hanging water, bankside roots, holes in walls and recesses in bridges; generally similar to those used by M. cinerea in Britain (Tyler 1972). Six nests contained clutches of 2 eggs, although two parties of 3 fledged young were seen. Other studies elsewhere in Africa indicate a clutch size of 2-3 (occasionally 4) (Moreau 1949, Belcher 1930, Winterbottom 1936, 1964, Piper 1982). One nest which was regularly observed gave an incubation period of 13 days (c.f. Moreau 1949: 14 K2 Wagtails in Ethiopia days) and a fledging period of 15-16 days. Juvenile dependency varied from 14-30 days. Food and feeding behaviour Food items taken by M. clara included larval and adult dipterans, other winged insects such as mayflies and dragonflies and larvae or nymphs of aquatic invertebrates. Birds fed by flycatching over water, picking and run-picking from the river edge or from rocks. Birds were also observed walking in shallow water and catching tadpoles, and one pair when feeding juve- niles caught numerous large dragonfly nymphs; each was clubbed against a rock prior to being fed to the young. M. cinerea Grey Wagtail African Distribution In Africa M. cinerea breeds only in Morocco where it is abundant up to 9000 feet (2700m) (Chalworth-Muster 1939). The main wintering area is in the northeast and east, some birds crossing the equator. M. cinerea has been recorded regularly from Malawi (Benson et al. 1971, Benson & Benson 1977), occasionally from southern Zambia and Natal and recently from Zimbabwe (Williams 1984). Few occur in West Africa but some do penetrate to 2 N in northeastern Zaire and appear along streams and tracks in forests (Moreau 1972). In the Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya and northeastern Tanzania, birds are widespread in the winter on fast-flowing, wooded mountain streams from 1500 to 3000m. Further north they occur at low altitudes in oases of the Sahara and in the Arabian Gulf. Distribution in Ethiopia M. cinerea was found to be common in Ethiopia on those highland streams and rivers favoured by M. clara. It occurred also in a variety of other habitats such as around farms, sewage pits, forest tracks, moist grassland and along larger rivers. It was most frequent between 1500 and 3000m, but was observed in the Simien Mountains at almost 4000m and in Tigre province at the foot of the escarpment on a lowland river below 1000m. Friedmann (1937) recorded M. cinerea in Abyssinia only above above 4000 feet (1220m) and quoted Mearns as finding it as high as 10000 feet (3050m). In Eritrea Smith (1957) found M. cinerea to be a regular winter visitor to dams, escarpment streams and, in Dancalia (below 500m), he often observed it far from water in Combretum woodland and sometimes dry Acacia. M. cinerea was one of the earliest Palaearctic migrants to arrive in Ethiopia. Daily observations in a wadi in northeast Eritrea from June 1976 to January 1977 showed the first M. cinerea on 12 August (Tyler 1978). One to three birds were noted on most days up to 10 October, with a maximum of eight birds on an 800m stretch of a small stream flowing down the wadi. Two birds on 27 October were the last recorded. In eastern Ethiopia Dr J.S. Ash (pers. comm.) recorded an early migrant on 1 September but in the Shewan highlands birds were not seen until mid-September with the first record in Addis Ababa on Wagtails in Ethiopia 13 18 September (this study). In the spring, they left the highlands during March although some remained until early April. Smith's (1957) latest records were in Eritrea on 13 April. Food and feeding behaviour M. cinerea fed in the same manner as M. clara and appeared to be taking the same prey items - benthic invertebrates and adult winged insects. In Eritrea birds were observed feeding in a very shallow stream, pecking repeatedly at blackfly Simulium larvae which were abundant. Motacilla alba White Wagtail African Distribution The Palaearctic White Wagtail occurs across northern tropical Africa during the northern winter with a few birds reaching Zambia and Malawi (Benson et al. 1971). Numbers appear to be relatively few in West Africa (Moreau 1972). Distribution in Ethiopia Ethiopia is one of the main wintering areas; M. alba is common from the coast to over 2500m between October and March. The earliest dates of arrival are 14 October (Smith 1957) and 20 October (Tyler 1978) in Eritrea; the latest record is 8 April (Ash 1980). M. alba utilizes a greater range of habitats than other species of wagtail. It may be found around buildings in towns and villages, by lakes, streams and rivers, muddy pools, irrigation ditches, vegetable patches and farmyards, desert wells and damp grassland, either singly or in small groups. A flock of up to 19 birds wintered in a wadi in northeast Eritrea in 1976/77 (Tyler 1978). Motacilla flava Yellow Wagtail African Distribution This species winters across Africa and as far south as Zambia with different races favouring different parts of the continent (see Wood 1976). Sudan, Ethiopia and northern Kenya are the main wintering area for several races. Distribution in Ethiopia A number of races occur throughout Ethiopia between late August and June; some, such as M.f. lutea, are passage migrants. Urban & Brown (1971) accepted six races - flavissima, flava, beema, thunbergi, lutea and feldegg. Previous flavissima records may, however, have been confused with lutea (see Moreau 1972 and Pearson & Backhurst 1973). Smith (1957) determined five races in Eritrea - flava (including beema and dombrowski, lutea, thunbergi, feldegg and Superciliaris. He found the last to be fairly common on passage along the coastal plain between February and April; Pain, Tyler & Vittery (1975) recorded one bird in Addis Ababa. Mixed flocks of flava, thunbergi and feldegg occurred with feldegg often predomina- ting on the coastal plain and on the plateau in Eritrea (Smith 1957). M.f. feldegg was also common in Tigre, sometimes occurring singly 14 Wagtails in Ethiopia alongside open streams (this study) but further south M.f. flava was most abundant. Wallace (1955) noted that feldegg preferred wetter habitats than other races. Yellow Wagtails occurred in large numbers on the highland plateau feeding in flocks on open grassland, usually with herds of cattle or goats or flocks of sheep; they also accompanied domestic animals Or game in savanna and around lake shores in the Rift Valley. At the edge of Koko Reservoir in the northern Rift Valley, they fed - alongside Red-throated Pipits Anthus cervinus and Richard's Pipits A. novaeseelandiae. Associations of M. flava, A. cervinus and Ortolan Buntings Emberiza hortulana were recorded by slow-flowing highland rivers and on other muddy ground, where these species came into contact with M. alba. Wood (1976) noted that in Nigeria, A. cervinus was the only real competitor of M. flava. SPECIES INTERACTIONS WITHIN ETHIOPIA The presence in Ethiopia of five Motacilla species during the nor- thern winter provides for possible interactions. At least for M. aguimp, M. alba and M. flava, there is sufficient habitat segre- gation and plasticity to prevent inter-specific competition (Table 1). Casual observations, however, indicated that M. clara and M cinerea were less clearly segregated by habitat or feeding behaviour and a more specific study on these species was initiated. TABLE 1 Habitat preferences shown by resident and migrant Motacilla spp. in Ethiopia during the northern winter a Species Preferred habitat altitudinal distribution M. aquimp Lakes, pools, larger 50-2000 m rivers, occasionally pastures M. clara Small, wooded high- 1500-3500 m land rivers M. cinerea Small, wooded high- 1500-3000 m land rivers, occasionally other wet habitats M. alba Highly plastic; towns, 0-2500 m villages and all wet habitats M. flava Drier grassland than M. 0-3000 m alba or M. aguimp; often with domestic stock a Wagtails in Ethiopia 15 Detailed observations were made between March 1974 and March 1975 of territoriality and interactions between M. clara and M. cinerea. Most data were from three highland rivers (1750-2500m) supplemented by data from streams at Sebeta and Meta west of Addis Ababa (Table 2). TABLE 2 Territories held by M. clara and M. cinerea on some Ethiopian rivers River Length sur- M. clara M. cinerea veyed (m) Pairs Average Indivi- Average length duals length of ter- of ter- ritory ritory Akaki (Addis 1300 2 650 7 186 Ababa) Ambo (120 kmwest 1600 6-70) 228-267 6 267 of Addis) Bole valley 2500 G2 = 2062777, 12 208 Meta (west of 600 1 600 5 120 Addis) Sebeta (west of 700 1 700 4 jy) Addis) Romanat Falls 600 = = 3 200 (Tigre) There was some evidence that the two species were partly mutually exclusive, with M. cinerea occurring in greatest numbers where M. clara was relatively scarce (Fig. 1). Nevertheless, few interspecific territorial encounters were witnessed and individuals from each species frequently fed in close proximity, even on the same rock. In the Bole Valley during March 1975, mixed feeding groups consisting of four to five M. clara (fledged young plus adults) and one M. cinerea were commonly seen. Other accounts confirm the tolerance shown between these species (Winterbottom 1964, Moreau 1972, Williams 1984), although they are strongly intraspecifically aggressive. DISCUSSION At least for three of the five Motacilla spp. present in Ethiopia during the northern winter, fairly clear habitat preferences prevent any direct competition (Table 1). By contrast, the apparently close association between M. clara and M. cinerea, without obvious inter- Specific aggression, represents a subject for further research. Most breeding pairs of M. clara tolerated M. cinerea within their territo- ries. Moreover, M. clara is structurally very similar to M. cinerea 16 Wagtails in Ethiopia and its slightly larger bill is probably not sufficiently different for the two to coexist and not compete for the same food (B. Wood, pers. comm.). M.cinerea- birds km' Fig. 1. The abundances of breeding M. clara and migrant M. cinerea along five rivers in Ethiopia. The line was fitted by eye. (0) 2 4 6 M.clara—pairs km’ Moreau (1966) suggested that Palaearctic migrants might be accomo- dated within the Afrotropical region during the northern winter due to a seasonal superabundance of food. Other breeding passerines have been shown to coexist where food is abundant despite showing little ecological segregation (Blancher & Robertson 1984). Alternatively, the available food may be non-depressible (Charnov et al. 1976). Whilst few quantitative data are available on the benthic inverte- brates of highland streams in Ethiopia, those in regions with similar climate and physiography have been described (Williams & Hynes 1971, Hynes 1975). The greatest invertebrate abundances accompany the end of the rainy season and groups such as the Simuliidae predominate. Consequently, an abundant and readily available food supply is likely to occur when M. cinerea arrives in Ethiopia and when M. clara is breeding. Nevertheless, some degree of mutual exclusion (Fig. 1) seemed apparent and the breeding per- formance of M. clara should be compared between territories with and without co-occurring M. cinerea (Hogstedt 1980, Minot 1981). Additional quantitative data are also required on the food taken by each species. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS One of us (SJT) was in receipt of a grant of £50 from the British Ornithologists" Union and we are grateful for this contribution Wagtails in Ethiopia 17 towards the fieldwork. The encouragement and help from Dr John S. Ash and Mr Lindsay Tyler is also acknowledged. REFERENCES ALERSTAM, T., NILSSON, S.G. & ULFSTRAND, S. 1974. Niche differenti- ation during winter in woodland in birds in southern Sweden and the island of Gotland. Oikos 24: 321-330. ASH, J. 1980. Migrational status of Palaearctic birds in Ethiopia. Proceedings of the Fourth Pan-African Ornithological Congress held at Mahé, Seychelles 6-13 November 1976. Southern African Ornitho- logical Society. 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Downstream drift of invertebrates in a river in southern Ghana. Freshwater Biology 5: 515-532. LACK, D. 1971. Ecological isolation in Birds. Oxford: Blackwell. MESERVE, P.L. 1976. Habitat and resource utilization by rodents of a Californian coastal sage scrub community. Journal of Animal Ecology 45: 647-667. MINOT, E.O. 1981. Effects of interspecific competition for food on breeding Blue and Great Tits. Journal of Animal Ecology 50: 375- 385. MOREAU, R.E. 1949. The African Mountain Wagtail at nest. Ornitho- logie als biologische Wissenschaft (Festschrift zum 60. Geburtstag von Enwin Stresemann) pp. 183-191. Ed. E. Mayr & E. Schuz. MOREL, G. 1973. The Sahel Zone as an environment for Palaearctic imlmpeeinics, — Ios IHS Alea 7. OLSON, C. 1976. Summary of field observations of birds from Begemder and Simien province. Walia No. 7: 16-27. PAIN, H., TYLER, S.J. & VITTERY, A. 1976. A Checklist of the Birds of Addis Ababa. Ethiopian Wildlife & Natural History Society. PEARSON, D.J. & BACKHURST, G.C. 1973. The head plumage of eastern yellow-headed Yellow Wagtails wintering at Nairobi, Kenya. TIbis W15%5589=591: PERRINS, C.M. & BIRKHEAD, T.R. 1983. Avian Ecology. Glasgow & London: Blackie. PIPER, S.E. 1982. Five years of wagtailing. Safring News 11(1): 5-8 PRIEST, C.D. 1935. The Birds of Southern Rhodesia. London & Beccles: William Clowes & Sons. SCHOENER, T.W. 1974. Resource partitioning in ecological communities Science 185: 27-39. SERLE, W. 1957. A contribution to the ornithology of the eastern region of Nigeria. | Gbus 99: 371-418) 628-685. 1950. A contribution to the ornithology of the British Cameroons. ZIbis 92: 369. SMITH, KD 19552" Recent “cecords from Exitrea’. “kbis 97 Goa-o0™ 1957. An annotated check list of the birds of Eritrea. Tbis 99: 307-337. TYLER, S.J. 1972. Breeding biology of the Grey Wagtail. Bird Study NS 69=60r 1978. Some observations of birds in Fah, northeast Eritrea. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 98: 80-87. Wagtails in Ethiopia 19 URBAN, E.K. & BROWN, L.H. 1971. A Checklist of the Birds of Ethiopia. Addis Ababa: Haile Selassie I University Press. VINCENT, J. 1935. The Birds of Portugese East Africa. Ibis 13. WALLACE, D.I.M. 1955. The mixing of the races of the Yellow Wagtail in Kenya. British Birds 48: 337-340. WILLIAMS, J. 1984. Grey Wagtail at Nyanga. The Honeyguide 30(2): 77. WILLIAMS, T.R. & HYNES, H.B.N. 1971. A survey of the fauna of streams on Mount Elgon, East Africa, with special reference to the Simuliidae (Diptera). Freshwater Biology 1: 227-248. WINTERBOTTOM, J.M. 1936. Distributional and other notes on some Northern Rhodesian birds. Ibis 13: 776. 1964. Notes on the wagtails of southern Africa. mOstrrenigos 129-141. WOOD, B. 1976. The Biology of Yellow Wagtails Motacilla flava L. overwintering in Nigeria. Ph.D. Thesis. University of Aberdeen. Stephanie J. Tyler, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Wales Office, Frolic Street, Newtown, Powys SY16 1AP, Wales, and S.J. Ormerod, Department of Applied Biology, University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology, King Edward VII Avenue, Cathays Park, Cardiff, Wales. (Received 23 August 1985) REQUEST FOR INFORMATION Between 1970 and 1975 I ringed almost 2000 birds in the Kakamega Forest and adjacent parts of the South Nandi Forest. The vast majority were resident forest species and many were controlled frequently. Since leaving East Africa eleven years ago I have received almost no information on the retrapping of these birds. However, I know that a number of ornithologists have been active with mist nets in the area since that time and could not avoid capturing some of my birds. I would have expected anyone capturing a ringed bird to be curious enough to report it to the Ringing Organizer to discover the details of its original capture. This seems not to have happened. That some of the birds are almost certainly alive in the area is evidenced by the fact that in January 1985 Dr Simon Cox captured one of my birds first ringed in 1974, and one ringed by D.A. Zimmerman in 1965, in just a few hours of netting. Anyone who has information is encouraged to contact me at the address given. Any retrap details will be very gratefully received and ack- nowledged, and I will supply the original ringing details. Clive F. Mann, P.O. Box 2359, Bandar Seri Begawan, State of Brunei. 20 BREEDING RECORDS OF SOME TANZANIAN BIRDS N.R. Fuggles-Couchman In 1984 the author submitted all his breeding records of Tanzanian birds, collected between 1930 and 1962, to Mr P.B. Taylor for inclusion in the East Africa Natural History Society Nest Record Scheme. The result has been to highlight a number of important and interesting records of birds for which there are at present no cards for East Africa, or no cards for Tanzania, or only one or two in each case. They also include the first description of the nest of Moreau's Sunbird Nectarinia moreaui and the first East African breeding records of the Morning Thrush Cichladusa arguata and Crested Flycatcher Trochocercus cyanomelas. The majority of these records have not been published before, others were published some years ago in the body of papers on other subjects, or in journals not confined to matters of ornithological interest, e.g. Tanganyika Notes and Records. As some of those available do not appear to have been used by Brown & Britton (1980) when compiling The Breeding Seasons of East African Birds, it is thought worthwhile to include them here. Unfortunately, some of the records presented in this paper are based only on the state of gonads which, following the criteria of Brown & Britton (1980), can only be indicative of the breeding season of the species. For those species where records are sparse or non- existent, it has been considered worth including them here. Podiceps nigricollis Black-necked Grebe Brown & Britton (1980) list 18 records, all from Region D, covering the months May to August inclusive, suggesting a breeding season after the long rains. After the very heavy short rains of 1961, a nest with 2 eggs was found on 7 January 1962 at Eluanata Dam, Masai- land, in Region D. The dam had filled completely at a season when it was normally reduced to a small area of water immediately above the dam wall. This species and the many other species of waterfowl nesting there in January 1962 demonstrate the birds' ability to take timely advantage of suitable conditions for breeding when they occur. Oxyura maccoa Maccoa Duck There are only six records for this species in Brown & Britton (1980) all from Region D, and scattered through the months March-October. In addition to a November record from Arusha National Park (Hazel A. Britton 1981), three nests with eggs were found at Eluanata Dam on 27 February 1962, extending the breeding season to the short rains and the dry season before the long rains. Sarkidiornis melanotos Knob-billed Goose As there is only one record for Region D in Brown & Britton (1980), for the month of February, it is worth noting two nests with eggs on 27 February 1962 on Eluanata Dam, and another record of a female with Scopus 10: 20-26, March 1986 Breeding of Tanzanian birds 21 egg in shell in the oviduct on 28 February 1952, from Kilingali, Kilosa. Coturnix coturnix Quail Records of two nests from the Ardai Plains, northern Tanzania, on 28 June 1944 (Fuggles-Couchman & Elliott 1946) have provided data for the first cards from Tanzania in the Nest Record Scheme. Fulica cristata Red-knobbed Coot The numerous records available to Brown & Britton (1980) from Region D show a clear peak in May-July, with a secondary peak in September- October, with only one record for January. However, this is another species which will take advantage of suitable conditions for breeding when they occur. In January 1962 it was in full breeding activity on Eluanata Dam, northern Tanzania. Details were taken of three nests, but at least another six nests with eggs were found. Rostratula benghalensis Painted Snipe A nest with 4 eggs at Lake Manyara on 3 August 1959 has provided data for the first card for this species from Tanzania in the Nest Record Scheme. This nest is the same as that recorded by Thomas (1960). Streptopelia decipiens Mourning Dove Brown & Britton (1980) have five records for this species from Region C, all for May, in the early dry season. A nest found on 21 March 1957, SW of Dodoma in Region C, contained one almost fully fledged nestling and one addled egg, and the breeding season would have coincided with the main rains. This record provides the first card from Tanzania for this species. Oena capensis Namaqua Dove A nest with 2 eggs, found near Dar es Salaam on 2 July 1936, adds to the scanty records for this species in Brown & Britton (1980), and provides further evidence of a dry season breeding season. Tauraco porphyreolophus Violet-crested Turaco There are only two East African breeding records for this species, both from Tanzania (Taylor, pers. comm.) from near Iringa in Region C (Brown & Britton 1980). A female collected at Kidete, northern Kilosa, in Region D on 3 March 1934 contained a well-formed egg in the oviduct, and provides a first record from that Region. Merops boehmi Boehm's Bee-eater This species appears to have been overlooked by Brown & Britton (1980) and there is no card in the Nest Record Scheme from East Africa. A female collected on 17 September 1937 on the edge of the gallery forest at Mvuha, southern Morogoro, had a well-developed egg in the oviduct. The date of this record falls within the peak season for other Merops spp. in Region D, especially the Little Bee-eater M. pusillus. Merops hirundineus Swallow-tailed Bee-eater There is only one dated record in Brown & Britton (1980), which is from Region A. Although only based on the condition of the gonads, a record from Region D should be noted. A male, with enlarged gonads 22 Breeding of Tanzanian birds was collected south of Dar es Salaam on 3 October 1935, suggesting breeding towards the end of the dry season between the long and short rains; c.f. the suggestion in Brown & Britton (1980) that egg- laying in Region A may be at the end of the dry season. Tockus alboterminatus Crowned Hornbill Only four records from Region D are given by Brown & Britton (1980) in February, September (2) and November, and in Regions D and E. Together the records show a definite preference for the dry season. A record from the western foothills of the Nguru Mts, of a pair feeding young at the nest on 20 July 1931, follows the same pattern, although rather earlier in the dry season. Lybius torquatus Black-collared Barbet Up to 1982 there were only three dated East African breeding records (Brown & Britton 1980, Taylor 1983b), one of which is from Tanzania, from Tatanda in Region C. Brown & Britton (1980) refer to breeding in Eastern Tanzania, possibly in Region D, in January. This is believed to refer to a record of a pair at a nesthole presumed to contain young, as an adult was seen to leave the nest carrying a faecal sac (Fuggles-Couchman 1939). This record was from near Dar es Salaam, Region D. Dendropicos fuscescens Cardinal Woodpecker A pair feeding young at the nest on 25 December 1953, at Morningside, Morogoro, and a Nest Record card from Arusha (Taylor 1983b), both in Region D, together with a card from Mpanda, Region C (Hazel A. Britton 1981), both for December, suggest that in Tanzania this species shows a great preference for the period covering the latter part of the short rains, rather than the dry season as suggested by Brown & Britton (1980). Smithornis capensis African Broadbill Brown & Britton (1980) have only one record from Region D, for December. Records based on the condition of gonads of three males collected (a) in Dar es Salaam district, 23 January 1936, (b) Kingolwira, Morogoro, 11 February 1938 and (c) Mbulumbulu, northern Tanzania, 18 November 1943, suggest a breeding season in Region D covering the latter part of the short rains into the dry season following them. Parus rufiventris Rufous-bellied Tit The only card for this species for East Africa is from Tanzania (P.B. Taylor, pers. comm.), from Arusha National Park, Region D, for April (Hazel A. Britton 1980). A male collected at Kingolwira, Morogoro on 4 August 1938 had enlarged gonads and is worth noting. Alcippe abyssinica African Hill Babbler There were no East African breeding records of this species up to the end of 1982 (Brown & Britton 1980, Taylor 1983a, b). Breeding has been noted at the Kikuyu Escarpment Forest, Kenya (Region D), from November to January in 1984-86, in the period between the short and long rains (P.B. Taylor, in litt.). An indication of the possible breeding season in Region C is provided by a male, collected in Breeding of Tanzanian birds 23 gallery forest at 1990m on Mt Hanang on 4 February 1946, which had much enlarged gonads and was in full song. Andropadus importunus Zanzibar Sombre Greenbul A nest with 2 eggs was found in coastal scrub near Dar es Salaam on 8 January 1956. Brown & Britton (1980) list only six records from Region D, and only one falling in January. Cichladusa arguata Morning Thrush A nest containing 2 eggs, found on 20 May 1952, is the first East African record for this species. The nest was placed on the capital of a pillar in the verandah of the Old Boma, Morogoro. Turdus libonyanus Kurrichane Thrush There is no record in Brown & Britton (1980) for this species from Region D. A male in full song and with much enlarged gonads was collected at Msongozi, Morogoro district, on 12 October 1937, suggesting a breeding season similar to that for this species in Region C. Acrocephalus gracilirostris Lesser Swamp Warbler As there are no cards in the Nest Record Scheme from Tanzania, it is worth noting several new nests in scattered patches of Cyperus auratus in Eluanata Dam on 7 January 1962. No eggs were found. Apalis alticola Brown-headed Apalis There are no records for this species in Brown & Britton (1980), nor is it included in their lists of birds falling into Categories 1 and 2. It is therefore of interest to note a male, with much enlarged gonads, collected on 4 February in gallery forest on the NE slopes of Mt Hanang, at 2100m. Mackworth-Praed & Grant (1955) give the breeding season in Central Tanzania as probably October-February. Chloropeta similis Mountain Yellow Warbler Brown & Britton (1980) give only three records for this species, in July, August and November, and all from Region D. A bird seen Carrying nesting material at Mbulumbulu on 16 October 1943 is worth noting. Macrosphenus kretschmeri Kretschmer's Longbill There is only one East African record (Brown & Britton 1980) for this Species, in April in Region D. It is therefore worth noting a male in full song, and with much enlarged gonads, collected in the Pugu Hills, Dar es Salaam, on 14 April 1936. Batis mixta Forest Batis There are only four East African breeding records (P.B. Taylor pers. comm.) and none from Tanzania, although Mackworth-Praed & Grant (1955) give the recorded breeding for Tanzania as October-December. A nest found in rain forest at Bunduki, western Uluguru Mts on 23 December 1956, and containing 2 eggs, appears to be a first record for Tanzania. Trochocercus albonotatus White-tailed Crested Flycatcher Brown & Britton (1980) give only five records for this species in East Africa, all from Amani, Tanzania, and all in October. A record 24 ' Breeding of Tanzanian birds from another Tanzanian locality, in the northern Uluguru Mts near Morogoro, can be added: a pair was watched finishing building a nest on 26 December 1953. At the Kikuyu Escarpment forest, Kenya, breeding has been noted in September-October and December-March, these months representing the pre-short rains dry period and the dry spell between short and long rains; there are no records for the wet month of November (P.B. Taylor, in litt.). Trochocercus cyanomelas Crested Flycatcher There are no East African breeding records for this species (P.B. Taylor, pers. comm.). It is therefore worth noting a male, with much enlarged gonads, collected in rain forest at Mbulumbulu on 16 November 1942. The date indicates a breeding season in the short rains, c.f. Brown & Britton (1980) for T. albonotatus above. Anthus lineiventris Striped Pipit A nest and eggs found on 3 July 1958 near Bolisa, Kondoa Irangi, is of special interest, as it is only the second breeding record from East Africa, and the first record of eggs. The first published record was also from Tanzania, from the Nguru Mts, Region D, where J.S.S. Beesley recorded large young being fed in the nest in late December 1966 (P.B. Taylor, pers. comm.). There were 3 eggs, of a pale bluish-white ground colour, heavily spotted with sepia, with a distinct band near the larger end. Tchagra minuta Marsh Tchagra A male was seen feeding an immature female, later collected, on 9 May 1934, at Chonwe, Uvidunda Mts, southern Kilosa, at 1550m. This is the first breeding record from Region D in East Africa. Seven records from Regions A and B in Brown & Britton (1980) indicate breeding during the rains, as was the case with the Uvidunda record. Lanius cabanisi Long-tailed Fiscal As there is no June record in Brown & Britton (1980) for this species in Region D it is worth recording a bird incubating on 28 June 1942 at Kileo, Pare district. Nectarinia moreaui Moreau's Sunbird The nest of this species appears still to be undescribed (P.B. Taylor pers. comm.). On 26 December 1952 a nest was found on the edge of rain forest at Masenge, Ukaguru Mts, Kilosa district, at 1800m. That locality falls into Region D. The nest was a small domed purse, attached to an upright stem of a small shrub, 2m from the ground. There was an entrance hole near the top of the nest, which was built almost entirely of dry grasses, with no embellishment. The nest con- tained two half-fledged nestlings. Ploceus bicolor Dark-backed Weaver There are only two records for this species given by Brown & Britton (1980), only one of which is from Region D, for the month of August. Records of nest building on 25 May 1939, on the edge of forest in the Nguru Mts, and a pair constantly entering and leaving a nest on the edge of the Pugu Forest, Dar es Salaam, on 12 December 1953, suggest breeding towards the end of the long and short rains. Breeding of Tanzanian birds M5, Ploceus jacksoni Golden-backed Weaver While the breeding season of this species in Region D is very well documented (Brown & Britton 1980), there are no records outside the long rains. It is therefore worth noting two records from the northern province, the first of a colony at Eluanata Dam on 7 January 1962 with eggs, and the second, on 20 February 1959, of an active colony which could not be closely examined, at Lake Babati, Mbulu district, which may lie in Region C. Euplectes afer Yellow-crowned Bishop Records in Brown & Britton (1980) from Region D suggest a breeding season mainly in the long rains May-June. Only one record is given for January and it is worth noting a nest with 2 eggs found on | January 1962 at Eluanata Dam, northern Tanzania. Euplectes nigroventris Zanzibar Red Bishop The sixteen breeding season records from Region D given by Brown & Britton (1980) show no well-defined season, although attention is drawn to the fact that the months with more than one colony are all in the rains. The author, when investigating the breeding ecology of this species and the Black-winged Red Bishop E. hordeaceus, which were nesting in adjacent and intermingled territories (Fuggles-Couchman 1943), recorded 14 nests of E. nigroventris containing eggs in the period April-June, during the latter half of the long rains and into the early dry season. Monthly totals of new nests with eggs were: April 5; May 4; June 5. These observations were made in Morogoro. Three other colonies recorded elsewhere were found on 28 January at Kilingali, Kilosa and on 24 and 30 April, both at Msasani, Dar es Salaam. While £. nigroventris will use small shrubs in which to build, as in the case of the January and February records, and is therefore not entirely dependent on the growth of tall grasses to the same extent as E. hordeaceus, the breeding season of the former species does appear to peak in the long rains. Cryptospiza reichenovii Red-faced Crimson-wing There are only two East African records for this species in Brown & Britton (1980), both from Region B and both for the month of March. A pair was watched building a nest in creepers overhanging a small pool in the Lengopiron River, on the eastern edge of the Crater Highlands in Region D, on 2 February 1945. The nest was about half- completed and the dead leaves, dry grass and leaf skeletons used in its construction gave it already the appearance of an old nest. Linurgus Olivaceus Oriole Finch There still appears to be no breeding record of this species in East Africa, so that it may be worth drawing attention here to a male, collected on 4 July in forest on Monduli Mt at 1850m, which had much enlarged gonads (Fuggles-Couchman & Elliott 1946). Serinus canicollis Yellow-crowned Canary A male with much enlarged gonads was collected on 7 February 1946 on 26 Breeding of Tanzanian birds the NE slopes of MtHanang at 2100m. Judging from the description of the area covered by Region D in Tanzania (Brown & Britton 1980), Mt Hanang almost certainly lies within Region C, and this record is the first for this species from that Region. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The author is much indebted to Mr P.B. Taylor, organizer of the EANHS Nest Record Scheme, for his help in identifying the most interesting of the records submitted to him by the author, for checking the sources of some of the records in Brown & Britton (1980), and for other help in the preparation of this paper. REFERENCES BRITTON, H.A. 1981. E.A.N.H.S. Nest Record Scheme: 19805 Scopus: i ZI=NS\he FUGGLES-COUCHMAN, N.R. 1939. Notes on some birds of the eastern province of Tanganyika Territory. Ibis January 1939: 76-106. 1943. A contribution to the breeding ecology of two species of Euplectes (Bishop-birds) in Tanganyika Territory. ido Swlyye NGAGE 3) = 3264 & ELLIOTT, H.F.1. 1946. Records and Field Notes from NE Tanganyika Territory. Ibis July 1946: 327-347. TAYLOR, P.B. 1983a. E.A.N.H.S. Nest Record Scheme: 1981. Scopus 5: 154-164. 1983b. E.A.N.H.S. Nest Record Scheme: 1982. Scopus 6: W294 7s THOMAS, D.K. 1960. Birds - Notes on Breeding in Tanganyika 1958-59. Tanganyika Notes and Records 55: 225-243. N.R. Fuggles-Couchman, Post House, High Street, Broughton, Stock- bridge, Hants SO20 8AA, England. (Received 15 January 1986) ELSAMERE CONSERVATION CENTRE, NAIVASHA Delightfully situated on the lake, 20} km along Moi South Lake Road from the old Nairobi-Nakuru road, the Centre offers a splendid base for ornithologists and others interested in conservation from which to explore the area. The accommodation is extremely comfortable and full board, with excellent 'farm cooking", is a very reasonable KShs 250/- per person per night. A packed lunch can be provided for those wishing to go off for the day. Bookings by letter to The Warden, Box 4, Naivasha, or by phone: Kongoni 2Y8 or Nairobi 742121. 27 SHORT COMMUNICATIONS PALAEARCTIC MIGRANTS OBSERVED IN THE OMO RIVER VALLEY, SW EHIOPIA, DURING OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 1984 Observations of the Marsh Warbler Acrocephalus palustris, the Sprosser Luscinia luscinia and some other migrant passerines have shown that these species migrate from Europe to SE Africa from Kenya southwards, taking about 5 months for the journey. The migration route of many of these birds seems to lie across the Red Sea coast, and through Ethiopia and central and SE Kenya (see e.g. Pearson & Backhurst 1976, Nikolaus 1983). The main Sudan immigration is during August-September, but birds reach Kenya only during November and December. The routes followed by these birds through Ethiopia and their main areas of stopover during September, October and November are still poorly known. Birds moving south from the Red Sea could reach central Kenya either via the Ethiopian rift valley or through the Western Ethiopian highlands. In the case of the Marsh Warbler in particular, the importance of Western Ethiopia as an autumn stopover area has been suggested (Dowsett-Lemaire 1979, Nikolaus & Pearson 1982). Migration from W Ethiopia to central Ethiopia could involve heavy autumn movements as far west as the Omo River, and since I had the opportunity of participating in an ecological survey along this river from 5 October to 24 November 1984, I made a point of recording and searching carefully for Palaearctic migrants. The river section travelled was from Gibe Bridge (8:13 N, 37:35 E) to Carro (5:40 N, 35:50 E). The upper part of this was in the W highlands; the lower part through semi-arid grasslands to Lake Turkana. Mist nets (usually totalling about 72 m) were used on twelve of the 51 expe- dition days, usually sited along hippotamus trails within 10 km of the river. Of the 54 birds caught only three were Palaearctic migrants, a Sprosser on 6 October at 8:13 N, 37:35 E and a Nightingale Luscinia megarhynchos and a Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus on 16 November at 5:50 N, 35:38 E. No migrant warblers, shrikes, flycat- chers or nightingales were observed on walks of about 15km into the highlands to the west and east of the river, or in the riverside vegetation. Apart from Common Sandpipers Actitis hypoleucos, which were abundant along the whole river, and small numbers of Wood Sand- pipers Tringa glareola and Marsh Sandpipers T. stagnatilis, the only Palaearctic birds seen were a single Little Stint Calidris minuta, a lone Temminck's Stint C. temminckii at 6:40 N, 37:52 E, two flocks of Eurasian Bee-eaters Merups apiaster in the W highlands during the first week of October, single White Wagtail Motacilla alba and Grey Wagtail M. cinerea at about 6 degrees N, and migrating birds of prey. On 21 and 23 October, large flocks of birds of prey crossed the river at 37 N, 37:11 E. As well as 100 Tawny Eagles Aquila rapax, 50 Greater or Lesser Spotted Eagles A. clanga/pomarina and 7 possible Long-legged Buzzards Buteo rufinus were seen soaring on thermals and moving south. 28 Short Communications The seeming lack of Palaearctic migrant passerines along the Omo River would imply that the main migration route from Ethiopian stop- over areas to central Kenya must lie elsewhere, presumably further east. If heavy movement were taking place overhead, appreciable numbers of birds would be expected to come to ground in the attrac- tive cover along the river. The search for migration routes used by Palaearctic passerines across Ethiopia remains an inviting challenge. Further surveys should perhaps be conducted in Sidamo, Ilbabar and Kefa Provinces and in the rift valley. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Funds for the expedition were provided by the National Geographic Society. Rafts were donated by Achilles, while tents and other equipment were gifts of North Face Co. Special thanks to Paul Goriup at ICPB for mist nets, G.C. Backhurst in Nairobi for banding equip- ment, and David Pearson, Gerhard Nikolaus, and Don Turner for their last-minute advice. Mist netting would have been impossible without the helpVot Sz) Brttchtord. im waltcox and Mionczynski. Thanks too to David Pearson for editorial help. REFERENCES DOWSETT-LEMAIRE, F. 1979. The imitative range of the song of the Marsh Warbler Acrocephalus palustris, with special reference to imitations of African birds. Ibis 121: 453-468. NIKOLAUS, G. 1983. An important passerine ringing site near the Sudan Red Sea coast. Scopus 7: 15-18. & PEARSON, D.J. 1982. Autumn passage of Marsh Warblers Acrocephalus palustris and Sprossers Luscinia luscinia on the Sudan Red Sea coast. Scopus 6: 17-19. PEARSON, D.J. & BACKHURST, G.C. 1976. The southward migration of Palaearctic birds over Ngulia, Kenya. Ibis 118: 78-105. C. Dustin Becker, Orion Cottage, Coton Road, Grantchester, Cambridge CB3 9NX, England. Received 23 January 1985, Revised 23 January 1986 Scopus 10: 27-28, March 1986 A SECOND RECORD OF JOUANIN'S PETREL BULWERIA FALLAX FROM KENYA On 9 December 1985 my young son and friends rescued an all-dark, medium-sized petrel from the attentions of a dog on the beach fron- ting the Driftwood Club, Malindi, Kenya (3:13 S, 40:07 E). The bird, although docile in the hand, appeared reasonably lively, so measurements and photographs were taken quickly before releasing it. The usual problems associated with the identification of petrels in the field were, in this case, compounded by the close interest shown by a topless Italian woman who commanded my attention with her questions. Short Communications 29 The description taken at the time was as follows: an all-black, medium-sized petrel. The greater and median coverts appeared to have slightly greyish tips, giving the bird a possible wingbar in flight. The wings were long and narrow, the tail appeared short and wedge- shaped. Bare parts: iris dark brown, bill black and complex, feet pinkish flesh, three toes with black claws, dark sides to outer webs. Measurements: overall length 31 cm, wingspan 83 cm, maximum width of wing 8 cm, wing-length (carpal joint to tip of longest primary) 24.5 cm, length of foot 4.2 cm, tarsus 3.2 cm, projection of tail beyond toes 3.5 cm, bill 3 cm. The identification of the bird as a Jouanin's Petrel was based primarily on the measurements and feet colouration following Harrison (1983). Bulwer's Petrel Bulweria bulwerii, Wedge-tailed Shearwater Puffinus pacificus, Mascarene Petrel Pterodroma aterrima and Herald Petrel P. arminjoniana were all considered and dismissed, either because of size or feet colouration. The only query in my mind on the identification was that the tail did not appear to be as illus- trated by Harrison (1983), the sole reference available at the time. Harrison shows the tail as very long and narrow projecting well beyond the feet. Feather wear may have been partly responsible for the appearance of the Malindi bird. Jouanin's Petrel is a little-known species. It is endemic to the NW Indian Ocean but its breeding sites are unknown. Large concen- trations occur off Kuria Muria in Arabia between March and August and breeding may occur there. Dispersal areas are also unknown but Harrison (1983) gives the limits as south to the equator and east to 58 degrees E. The only previous Kenya record was also from Malindi and also in December (13th, 1953) when a female was captured alive in seaweed (Britton 1980). Unfortunately the 1985 bird could not fly off when released and died overnight. It is now lodged as a specimen in the National Museum, Nairobi. REFERENCE HARRISON, P. 1983. Seabirds an identification guide. Beckenham: Croom Helm. Bernard Boothroyd, c/o WLPU Consultants, Box 50569, Nairobi Scopus 10: 28-29, March 1986 Received 19 February 1986 NOTES ON SOME UNUSUAL BIRDS OF THE BANGANGAT AREA, SOUTH WEST SUDAN Between July 1980 and January 1983 an ecological survey was carried out in Bangangai Game Reserve, in south west Sudan, under the auspices of the New York Zoological Society (Hillman 1983). The aim of the survey was to gather as much information from the area as possible to aid in its future conservation and development. Parti- cular note was made of birds as these are the one aspect of the fauna that is always evident in the thick habitat of the area. 30 Short Communications Bangangai Game Reserve is situated on the Zaire-Sudan border, 4:52 N, 27:40 E, and is 500m above sea level. It is an area of forest/savannah mosaic, being the extreme northern border of the Zaire rain forest block. The rainfall averages 1400mm annually, falling between March and October. Bangangai is situated between east and west Africa, and between forest and savannah habitats. It lies on the watershed between the Nile and Zaire rivers. Because of its location, Bangangai has a great variety of mammals and birds that are representative of both habitats and both sides of the continent. Notes on the birds of Bangangai have previously been published by Woodman (1936, 1952a, b) and Traylor & Archer (1982). Cave & Macdonald (1955) give some birds specific to this area. G. Nikolaus (pers. comm.) produced a mimeographed list of the birds in the Bangangai area, but has not indicated how this was accumulated. A total of 274 bird species have been recorded for the Bangangai area by the authors given above and ourselves. Our own records con- sist of accumulated observations on each species seen, including habitat occupied, evidence for breeding, feeding, etc., during the above period. Long periods were spent at saltlicks in the forest waiting for Bongo Tragelaphus eurycerus during which birds were ob- served. Mist-netting was also carried out enabling identification of some species, particularly those identified otherwise only on the basis of calls. Some Palaearctic migrants were also ringed. The notes given here first relate to those species we have observed in Bangangai for which there are no previous records in Sudan to the best of our knowledge. These are followed by records of birds which are of significant interest for the area. Species new to Sudan. Previous distribution from Mackworth-Praed & Grants @952, 51955): Urotriochis macrourus Long-tailed Hawk Previously recorded from Cameroon to Zaire and west Uganda. A pair was seen entering a clearing at a saltlick in January 1982. A curious kite-like whistle was heard - pi-wiyooo. Columba albinucha White-naped Pigeon Previously recorded from the Bwamba area of west Uganda, this bird is distinct by the white nape patch. These were seen many times from March to October. They were usually seen at saltlick clearings, in the tall trees found around the edge. They were possibly roosting there as they were most often seen in the evening and early morning. They were usually in parties of 5 or more, and were seen with a group of Green Pigeons Treron australis on one occasion. They were not heard to call, but their flight was noisy. Columba iriditorques Gabon Bronze-naped Pigeon This is recorded from north and central Zaire, to Angola and Gabon. In March a young bird came to camp, entering the houses and remaining in the area for some days. Bycanistes fistulator White-tailed Hornbill Previously recorded in the Cameroon-Zaire-Uganda forest belt (Serle Short Communications Si 1982), they were seen here in March and May. On one occasion they were seen flying fast through the upper canopy of primary gallery forest, and later in the forest/savannah patches which cover a large part of the area. They were also seen in clearings in parties of 5-20). Tockus hartlaubi Black Dwarf Hornbill This is known from Zaire and Uganda, and was seen in Bangangai in March, April and December. They were usually alone, sitting in the upper canopy of tall forest trees, though one was seen in low mango scrub near the track, and another near camp. Ploceus tricolor Yellow-mantled Weaver Previously recorded from north Angola, east Zaire and west Uganda, these were seen nesting in March and May, in the top of a tree (about 10m from the ground) at the edge of the forest. On the first occasion 3 nests were used, and on the second 2 nests. Malimbus erythrogaster Red-bellied Malimbe Known previously from east Zaire and west Uganda. In October and November Northern Masked Weavers Ploceus taeniopterus were nesting in large numbers in a tree above camp. The Red-bellied Malimbe on several occasions was seen to hang on to the nests and was then mobbed by the weaver males outside and the weaver sitting in the nest. The following species are felt to be significant in that they illus- trate range extensions of birds which are already known to appear in Sudan, or are rarely seen. Previous distribution is from Cave & Macdonald (1955) | Ciconia nigra Black Stork This is an uncommon visitor to the Sudan, and was seen in Bangangai in the months of March and December. Sightings were associated with the grass burning. Columba argquatrix Olive Pigeon These are resident in the Imatongs area, and maybe in the Boma Hills, as they are fairly common in mountain forests of southern Ethiopia. They were seen at a saltlick clearing in March. Merops persicus Blue-cheeked Bee-eater This is a fairly common visitor in the north, especially between Kosti and Lake No, but less common in the south. They were seen in January and March in wooded grassland. Phoeniculus aterrimus Black Wood-hoopoe These are seen in Sudan, Zaire and Uganda, but may be overlooked as they are shy and silent. One was seen in March in the upper canopy near a saltlick. Mirafra erythropygia Red-tailed Bush-lark These appear on sporadic occasions from Darfur southwards, in dry savannah. They were.seen in Bangangail in January on recently burnt swamp, which was then very dry. They were also heard singing on the wing. 32 Short Communications Turdus piaggiae Abyssinian Ground Thrush These are common residents in the Imatong mountains and Boma Hills area. They inhabit quiet forests, undergrowth and streams. In Bangangai they were found in similar habitat around saltlicks in April. Oriolus brachyrhynchus Western Black-headed Oriole This bird does not appear in Cave & Macdonald (1955), but was re- corded for Bangangai by Woodman (1952b). It was seen in December in camp, where it was feeding from a hornet's nest. Euplectes gierowii Black Bishop This 1s an uncommon resident from Torit to Tambura, in grass along rivers and elephant grass. In July a party was seen which included females, in tall grass near a saltlick. Euplectes ardens Red-collared Widowbird This is common locally in wooded savannah near Torit, Yei and Boma. In August a group were seen in which some males exhibited the red collar while others lacked it. Mandingoa nitidula Green-backed Twinspot Cave & Macdonald (1955) report these from the forests of the Dongo- tona Mts only. They were seen in Bangangai, in August, on a track through the forest, near a group of redtail monkeys Cercopithecus ascanius. Vidua interjecta Northern Paradise Whydah This species is known from the Aloma Plateau (Hall & Moreau 1970). Bangangai, in December, a male was seen in breeding plumage. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT We gratefully acknowledge considerable help and advice from Gerhard Nikolaus. REFERENCES CAVE, F.A. & MACDONALD, J.D. 1955. Birds of the Sudan. Edinburgh: Oliver and Boyd. HILLMAN, J.C. 1983. An ecological survey and management recommenda- tions for Bangangai Game Reserve, south west Sudan, with special reference to the Bongo Antelope. New York: New York Zoological Society. MACKWORTH-PRAED, C.W. & GRANT, C.H.B. 1970. Birds of West Central and Western Africa. Vol. 1. London: Longmans. SERLE, W. 1982. Field Guide to the Birds of West Africa. London: Collans: TRAYLOR, M.A. & ARCHER, A.L. 1982. Some results of the Field Museum 1977 Expedition: £0) South Sudan) sSeopuss62 5-12. WOODMAN, H.M. 1936. Rare birds of the Zande district. Sudan Notes and Records 19: 184-188. 1952a, b. Some birds of the Zande district border forest forests Parts I and Il. Sudan Wildlife and Sport 2: 23-272 Jesse C. and Sheila M. Hillman, Box 386, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Scopus 103) 29-32. March) 19/86 Final revision 20 February 1986 | ; Any reference cited should be listed at the end of the contribution following the form used in this issue. Names of periodicals must be given in full and, in the case of books, the town of publication and the publisher should be given. A number of works, which are cited frequently, should not be listed under ‘References’; the name(s) of the author(s) and date(s) of publication should be given in the text in the normal way. All contributions, which will be acknowledged, should be sent to the Editor, G.C. Backhurst, Box 24702, Nairobi. WORKS WHICH SHOULD NOT BE LISTED UNDER ‘REFERENCES’ BACKHURST, G.C., BRITTON, P.L. & MANN, C.F. 1973. The less common Palaearctic migrant birds of Kenya and Tanzania. Journal of the East Africa Natural History Society and } National Museum 140: 1-38, = Backhurst et al, 1973. BENSON, C.W., BROOKE, R.K., DOWSETT, R.J., IRWIN, M.P.S. 1971. The birds of Zambia. London: Collins, = Benson et al, 1971. BRITTON, P.L.(ed.) 1980. Birds of East Africa, their habitat, status and distribution. Nairobi: EANHS, = Britton 1980. BROWN, L.H. & BRITTON, P.L. 1980. The breeding seasons of East African birds. Nairobi: -EANHS, = Brown & Britton 1980. BROWN, L.H., URBAN, E.K. & NEWMAN, K. 1982. The birds of Africa, Vol. 1. London and New York: Academic Press, = Brown et al. 1982. HALL, B.P. & MOREAU, R.E. 1970. An atlas of speciation in African Passerine birds. London: _ British Museum (Nat. Hist.), = Hall & Moreau 1970. JACKSON, F.J. 1938. The birds of Kenya Colony and the Uganda Protectorate. 3 vols. _ London: Gurney & Jackson, = Jackson 1938. MACKWORTH-PRAED, C.W. & GRANT, C.H.B. 1957 & 1960. African handbook of birds. Series I, Vols. 1 & 2; Birds of eastern and north eastern Africa. 2nd edition. London: Longmans Green & Co., = Mackworth-Praed & Grant 1957 and/or 1960. MOREAU, R.E. 1966. The bird faunas of Africa and its islands, London: Academic Press, _ = Moreau 1966. — — 1972. The Palaearctic-African bird migration systems, London: Academic _ Press, = Moreau 1972. SNow, D.W. (ed.) 1978. An atlas of speciation in African Non-Passerine birds. London: _ British Museum (Nat. Hist.), = Snow 1978. EAST AFRICAN BIRD REPORT This forms the fifth issue of Scopus and each report covers one calendar year. Records of Afrotropical Region and Oceanic birds should be sent ot D.A. Turner, Box 48019, Nairobi; ‘records of Palaearctic Region birds to Dr D.J. Pearson, Department of Biochemistry, University of Nairobi, Box 30197, Nairobi. Records should be sent in early in the new year to ensure the speedy production of the Bird Report. Reports of rare birds may be telephoned through to any OS-C member (numbers inside front cover) in the hope that the bird(s) may be seen by others. | Criteria covering the submission of Bird Report records are given in Scopus Supplement, June 1982, copies of which are available from D.A. Turner. CONTENTS D.E. POMEROY. The Marabou in Kenya STEPHANIE J. TYLER and S.J. ORMEROD. Interactions between resident and migratory wagtails Motacilla spp. in Ethiopia - an ecological conundrum N.R. FUGGLES-COUCHMAN. Breeding records of some Tanzanian birds Short Communications C. DUSTIN BECKER. Palaearctic migrants observed in the Omo River valley, SW Ethiopia, during October- November !984 BERNARD BOOTHROYD. A second record of Jouanin's Petrel Bulweria fallax from Kenya JESSE C. and SHEILA M. HILLMAN. Notes on some unusual birds of the Bangangai area, south west Sudan . Requests for information Threats to the White Stork on migration . Ringed birds in Kakamega Forest Notice Elsamere Conservation Centre, Naivasha This issue contains a brochure and order form for Volume II of The Birds of Africa edited by Emil K. Urban, C. Hilary Fry and Stuart Keith, to be published by Academic Press. ISSN 0250-4162 O58 SCOPUS A quarterly publication of the Ornithological Sub-Committee East African Natural History Society Edited by Graeme Backhurst Volume 10 (2) June 1986 SCOPUS Scopus is normally published five times a year (although issues may be combined to allow for long papers) by the Ornithological Sub-Committee of the East African Natural History Society. Subscriptions are payable to the OS-C Hon Treasurer (and Secretary), D.A. Turner [tel. 48772] , Scopus a/c, Box 48019, Nairobi, Kenya, at the following rates: East African residents: KShs 100.00 (KShs 107.50 up-country). Overseas, surface mail: Stg£6.00, US$12.00 or equivalent in convertible currency. Drafts in Kenya currency cannot be accepted. Overseas, air mail: Stg£7.50, US$15.00 or equivalent in convertible currency. Drafts in Kenya currency cannot be accepted. Overseas rates apply to all countries other than Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Those » wishing to remit by bank transfer should do so to D.A. Turner, Scopus a/c No. 2852601, Barclays Bank of Kenya Ltd., Market Branch, Box 30018, Nairobi. Other members of the Ornithological Sub-Committee Dr D.J. Pearson (Chairman), Department of Biochemistry, University of Nairobi, Box 30197, Nairobi; house tel. 47041 G.C. Backhurst (Editor of Scopus and Ringing Organizer, Box 24702, Nairobi; house tel. 891419, office tel. 500508, 501301 N.E. Baker, Dar es Salaam; Dr Margaret Carswell, Kampala; M.A.C. Coverdale, Nakuru; J.H. Fanshawe, U.K.;Mrs Cecilia Gichuki, Nairobi; Dr K.M. Howell, Dar es Salaam; Dr W. Karanja, Nairobi; Dr A.D. Lewis, Nairobi; B.S. Meadows, U.K.; Dr D.E. Pomeroy, Kampala; | J.F. Reynolds, U.K.; D.K. Richards, Nairobi; T. Stevenson, Baringo and Nairobi. | NOTES FOR CONTRIBUTORS Scopus welcomes original contributions in English on all aspects of the ornithology of | eastern Africa. Contributions will be assessed by the members of the OS-C and/or by | independent referees. The material published in Scopus is divided into ‘papers’ and ‘short | communications’, the latter will usually be less than two pages in length. Authors of ‘papers’ | are entitled to five copies of their contribution gratis. Extra copies, which will be supplied | at cost, must be ordered when the MS is submitted. | Contributions should be typed in 1% or double spacing on one side of the paper only, | with wide margins all round, and should be submitted in duplicate. Exceptionally clear hand-written MSS will be considered but these too should be sent in duplicate. Both English and scientific names of birds should be given when the species is first mentioned, thereafter only one should be used; they should be those of Birds of East Africa unless the speci does not occur in that work. Tables, which should be numbered, should appear in the typescript, NOT saves on | separate sheets at the end. Metric units should be used. [llustrations should be on good quality white paper, bristol board or tracing material, i line, and should not be larger than 19 x 23 cm. Lettering (in black) will be the responsibilit of the author and should be done neatly in Letraset (or similar), no larger than 14 point (3.9 mm). Each illustration should be numbered (Fig. 1, etc.) and be provided with a legen | typed on a separate sheet of paper. Photographs will also be considered. | Scopus 10 (2), June 1986 4 wn AS (S28 133 TAXONOMIC NOTES ON SOME BIRDS FROM EAST AFRICA ~ PRAH) (EClaneey During the course of a research visit to the Sub-department of Orni- thology, British Museum (Nat. Hist.), Tring, in September/October 1985, the cpportunity was. taken to study the subspecific taxonomy of a wide range of Afrotropical bird species. Findings on some of the species studied are now seen as being at variance with those adopted and taken into the standard check-list for East Africa (Birds of East Africa (Britton (Ed.) 1980) some years ago. In order to make these new findings available to students, the following comments are sub- mitted. While the bulk of the work was carried out at Tring, some of the studies were pursued further in subsequent visits to the Musée Royal de 1'Afrique Centrale, Tervuren, the Museum Alexander Koenig, Bonn, and the Durban Natural History Museum. Buccanodon whytii (Shelley) Whyte's Barbet In the arrangement adopted in Birds of East Africa, nominate B. whytii (Shelley, 1893): Zomba, southern Malawi, is listed as occurring at localities in the Songea district of southeastern Tanzania. The series at Tring, while not as replete as one would wish, indicate that B. w. whytii is confined to southern Malawi, perhaps extending marginally into adjacent Mozambique territory. North of its range to the west of Lake Malawi it is replaced by B. w. angoniensis Benson, 1964, which differs in having the ground colour of the breast, belly and lateral surfaces saturated reddish olive- brown, the feather tipping buffy. In B. w. whytii such parts are pale buffish brown, the feathers fringed off-white. The Songea population is referable to neither of the foregoing sub- species. It lies closest to angoniensis but displays more extensive metallic blue-black over the lower fore-throat, and the ventral ground colour is dark earthen brown, lacking the reddish nuance present in angoniensis, the feathers tipped white rather than buff. The tail also ranges shorter in length: 46.5-51 (49.1), versus 52.5-54 mm in B.w. whytii, in the three paratypes available, these collected by I.H. Dillingham in July 1955. The population was named B. w. euroum Clancey, 1956: Songea, southeastern Tanzania, and in East Africa both this race and B. w. stresemanni Grote, 1935, and B. w. terminatum Clancey, 1956, should be admitted. Nominate B. whytii requires to be seen as extra-limital. Pogoniulus chrysoconus (Temminck) Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird In the SAOS Checklist of Southern African Birds (Clancy (Ed.) 1980), the range of P. c. extoni (Layard,1871): Kanye, southeastern Botswana, is restricted to the northwestern Orange Free State, the northeastern Cape, southeastern Botswana and the Transvaal (on the plateau). The population of southeastern Tanzania placed as extoni in Birds of East Africa, with a range from Songea and Liwale north to the Mikumi Scopus 10: 33-40, June 1986 34 Taxonomic notes on some birds from East Africa NP requires to be referred to P. c. dryas Clancey & Lawson, 1961: Panda, Inhambane district, southern Mozambique. This taxon differs from extoni, in being smaller in size (wings of males and females 55.5-60, versus 60-65 mm). Over the dorsal surface the streaked pileum lacks the heavy obfuscation of black present in extoni, and has the light streaks over the back markedly whiter. Ventrally, the fore-throat is paler yellow-green, and the rest of the underside is whiter. In the high west of Tanzania to the south of the nominate race, the population is again not attributable to extoni but to P. c. rhodesiae Grant, 1915: Chambezi Valley, northeastern Zambia. This taxon again lacks the blackish clouding over the streaked crown. In the main it resembles dryas but is longer-winged and has the ventral surface generally tinged with greenish buff or light citrine. The material in the collection at Tring supports the arrangement of the subspecies as outlined in the SAOS Checklist. The races occurring in East Africa should be as follows: P. c. chrysoconus, P. c. rhodesiae and P. c. dryas. Cercotrichas barbata (Hartlaub & Finsch) Bearded Scrub Robin Over ten years ago the present writer (Clancey 1974) demonstrated the presence of geographical variation in C. barbata warranting the arrangement of the populations into two subspecies in north/south groupings. In the collection of the British Museum (Nat. Hist.), Tring, are several specimens taken at the corrected type-locality Caconda, Huila, Angola, by J. de Anchieta, who also shot the original material on which Hartlaub & Finsch based their description in 1870. This sample and the balance of the material at Tring comports with earlier findings that the northern populations ranging from northern Angola (in Cuanza Norte, Malange, Lunda, etc.), southern Zaire, adjacent Zambia and western Tanzania (Tukuyu northwest to Kigoma (at Busondo and Nzilandagaza), vide Birds of East Africa p. 135), are separable from the southern, more mesic, ones. They average browner, less grey, above, and over the fore- throat the grey lateral surfaces are more broadly darker greyish. Ventrally, the breast, sides and flanks are darker and redder, the white over the belly constricted, and that present tinged buff. The under tail coverts are also buffy. These more saturated elements were characterized as C. b. thamnodytes Clancey, 1974: Bitale, 29 km north of Kigoma, Western Province, Tanzania, the range of which taxon is centred on the southern sector of the drainage fan of the Zaire River, ranging marginally into East Africa. Cercotrichas quadrivirgata (Reichenow) Eastern Bearded Scrub Robin Clancey (1960) showed that the subspecies C. g. rovumae (Grote, 1921): described from the headwaters of the Rovuma River, southeastern Tanzania, was separable from nominate C. quadrivirgata (Reichenow, 1879): Kipini, lower Tana River, Kenya, on both colour and mensural grounds. Later, Benson & White (1962) contested these findings, using material in the collection at Tring and from other centres. During a visit to the Los Angeles County Museum in May 1979, I Taxonomic notes on some birds from East Africa 35 examined, albeit briefly, the large East African series of this scrub robin housed in that centre, while in September 1985, I examined the series in the British Museum (Nat. Hist.) at Tring. In their 1962 contribution, Benson & White failed to heed the caveat that in assessing size variation in the present scrub robin, care should be exercised in seeing that only correctly sexed and fully adult specimens are used. In my 1960 paper I resuscitated C. gq. rovumae, differentiating it from the nominate race on the basis of great size, rather darker (actually warmer brown) upper-parts and redder, more saturated, buff lower fore-throat and breast. A re-examination of the size parameter results in the following: C. q. quadrivirgata wing-lengths (mm) Coastal Kenya 9 males 1.6281; C2881) 5-SD 2214 2 females TAB T75 Somalia 1 male 79 C. gq. rovumae wing-lengths (mm) Easterm Zimbabwe 7 males 82-88 (84.7), SD 1.88 5 females 46=824(7922)..5Di. 2538 Malawi 11 males 81-59 (8329) -4SDe 254 6 females £6=80 (C1825). 2S) _1 274 Mozambique 5 males Sl Soe wGo4ans) 45D e 3-20 4 females $6=79 C78 .1) 24S). 1.43 Eastern Tanzania 5 males 86—83.252 082.0). 0SDs hia I 4 females h=IIRCTT 58). -SD 40484 In the case of tail-length (mm): males of C. gq. quadrivirgata ranged 6/-/2, while females were 64-67. males of C. gq. rovumae ranged 72-84, females 68-74. Specimens with tails shorter than the minima given have been assessed as retaining juvenile rectrices. The extensive material in the Los Angeles County Museum collection showed that the population of coastal Kenya differed from birds occurring further south in East Africa not only in being smaller but also in having the dorsal colouration more earthen and less warm brown. Below, the medio-ventral plane was more extensively white and the breast band paler buff. While material in fresh condition from Somalia has been extremely limited, that seen suggests that there is no valid difference between the population of the coastal regions of the southwest (C. g. erlangeri (Reichenow, 1905): lower Juba River, between Bardera and Umfudu, southwestern Somalia), and that of the Lower Tana River (topotypical of C. q. quadrivirgata), and the indications are that erlangeri should be merged into the nominate race, the southern limits of range of which lie in the low- lands of northeastern Tanzania. Populations occurring south of this and also in the interior of East Africa as far north as Voi in Kenya will now become C. gq. rovumae. 36 Taxonomic notes on some birds from East Africa In the first of their important contributions to the ornithology of Tanzania, Ripley & Heinrich (1966) described C. gq. brunnea from west of Lake Manyara, at 03:35S5, 35:50E, on two specimens. While I am unable to comment constructively on the validity of brunnea, the pattern of variation now determined for the species in East Africa presupposes that this taxon may be part of C. q. rovumae. The well- differentiated C. q. greenwayi (Moreau, 1938): Mafia Island, Tanzania with much of the rufous in the ventral and facial surfaces replaced by white and with greyer upper surfaces, is confined to its type- locality island and Zanzibar. Clytospiza monteiri (Hartlaub) Brown Twinspot This attractive species is currently treated as monotypic, C. m. ugandensis (van Someren, 1921): Masindi, Uganda, being considered a synonym of C. monteiri (Hartlaub, 1860): Bembe, Congo district, northern Angola (cf. Traylor (1968)). Material studied in 1985 in the centres at Tring, Tervuren and Bonn indicates that the species is divisible into northern and southern races, the long series in the Musée Royal de l'Afrique Centrale, Tervuren, showing this variation more clearly than that in the other two museums. In the population present in the savanna regions lying immediately to the north of the Lower Guinea Forest to reach the southern Sudan, Uganda and Kenya, the grey of the entire head in males is paler than in the populations present south of the forest. In addition, the gular streak is a brighter rose-red, while the ground colour to the breast is lighter red-brown (about Antique Brown (Ridgway (1912)) and rather more amply mottled with white spots. The female of the northern elements is also paler, lighter grey over the head and with the fore-throat more extensively white. There is no difference in size. While the original description of ugandensis (van Someren (1921)) is not in accord with the true nature of the geographical variation, being simply descriptive of individual variation, the name requires to be adopted for the northern subspecies, the range of which extends in the east to East Africa in Uganda and western Kenya. Cryptospiza reichenovii (Hartlaub) Red-faced Crimson-wing In Birds of East Africa only the race C. r. australis Shelley, 1896: Mt Chiradzulu, southern Malawi, is admitted for East Africa, the form Cryptospiza ocularis Sharpe, 1902: Rwenzori Range, Uganda, being tacitly treated as synonymous, as in Traylor (1968). A critical study of the material of this crimson-wing in the collection at Tring suggests that there was a measure of justification for Sharpe's naming of the Rwenzori population in the first place, but that if ocularis is not now to be recognized, the western Ugandan and adjacent Zairean birds must be placed in nominate C. reichenovii (Hartlaub, 1874): Bondongo, Cameroun, rather than with australis. A note made at the time the comparisons were effected reads: "A little paler below than most Cameroun C. r. reichenovii, but the range of individual variation in the two populations is such as to unite them taxonomically." Taxonomic notes on some birds from East Africa 37. Measurements of wing-lengths (mm) are as follows: 6 males from Uganda 52—57..054.7)5, SD. 1.78 2 females from Uganda 5254 56 10 males from Cameroun 53-56 (53.6), SD 0.94 4 temales from Cameroun 52-56 (53.5), SD 1.77 Arising from this study, nominate C. reichenovii requires to have its range greatly extended east to East Africa to include the western Ugandan and adjacent Zairean population. All other East African representatives of the species remain as of the race C. r. australis. C. ocularis Sharpe is now, accordingly, lodged in the synonymy of C. r. reichenovii. Hypargos niveoguttatus (Peters) Peters’ Twinspot The subspecies H. n. macrospilotus Mearns, 1913: Meru Forest, Kenya (Meru NP), is the only one admitted in Birds of East Africa, yet, as shown by Clancey (1961), the variation of subspecific relevance in central and eastern Africa is infinitely more complex. Study of material at Tring from eastern aspects of the range in East Africa reveals that two races occur in this region. A neatly prepared fearese com ME Endau, Kitui, at 01:16S, 38:35E, which lies immediately south of the type-locality of macrospilotus, highlights the fact that coastal females from Kenya and Tanzania differ from the said race in having a darker, more crimson, less orange-red wash to the entire plastron, the rest of the venter much darker, more blackish, grey, with little or no buffish tinge, and with the white spotting heavier. Differences exhibited by males were considered of small taxonomic significance. H. n. macrospilotus requires to be considered an interior race, ecologically xeric, and probably restricted to the region of lower Mt Kilimanjaro to Voi, locally north to Kibwezi, Mt Endau and Meru in Kenya (vide Birds of East Africa, p. 223). The birds from the more humid coastal areas are referable to H. n. baddeleyi Wolters, 19/72: Nacala, northern Mozambique, which has a range from coastal Kenya and eastern Tanzania south to northern Mozambique to the north of Zambezia. It was named on 4 skins from Nacala and 6 from Mikindani, in Tanzania (Wolters £1972) The population of the interior savanna regions of Tanzania is the race H. n. idius Clancey, 1961: Kihambwe R., Kibondo, northwestern Tanzania, in which the female resembles that of macrospilotus but differs in having the red over the lateral head extending up to the temporal regions to form post-ocular streaks. This taxon is recog- nized by Traylor in Peters' Checklist (1968), but Wolters felt it was based on individual variation, which is not so. In the country to the east of Lake Tanganyika from Mahari Mt to Ufipa in southwestern Tanzania idius is replaced by H. n. centralis Clancey, 1961: Baraka, Shaba, Zaire, in which race females do not have a red post-ocular streak, but males show a major extension of red to the hind neck, and over the venter the red of the plastron is bled into the black and white dotted surface. In the continuation of Peters' Check-list Traylor (1968) merged centralis with macrospilotus, which move, I 38 Taxonomic notes on some birds from East Africa believe, was incorrect in face of the good characters exhibited by the population. Furthermore, idius separates centralis from both macrospilotus and baddeleyi, so that merging the two taxa is highly undesirable. Four races of the present twinspot require to be admitted for East Africa: H. i. baddeleyi, H. n. macrospilotus, Ho nee adrus and Hens jeentralasr: Plocepasser mahali Smith White-browed Sparrow Weaver In Birds of Fast Africa the race P. m. stridens Clancey, 1968: Kilosa, eastern Tanzania, was not accepted because of a paucity of comparative material. While limited, the series of specimens in the collection of the British Museum (Nat. Hist.), Tring, of both P. m. pectoralis (Peters, 1868): Inhambane = Tete district, southern Mozambique, and P. m. stridens supports recognition of the latter. As seen on the specimens at Tring, stridens is darker and more earthen, less sandy or buffish, brown over the dorsum. Ventrally it is clearer white, lacking the subtle buff tinge of pectoralis, while the breast spotting is both blacker and heavier. The size is also greater; all these factors are in line with:the findings of Clancey (1968) reached years ago on other material. P. m. stridens ranges from eastern Tanzania, where uncommon, south to the interior of Mozambique north of the Zambezi River, and southern Malawi to the east of the rift. P.m. pectoralis replaces it in the dry Tete district of Mozambique, extending to the southern and southeastern aspects of Zambia and northern and northeastern Zimbabwe. Further west in south-central Africa, pectoralis is replaced by P. m. terricolor Clancey, 1968, described from the mid- Okavango River. Emberiza flaviventris Stephens Golden-breasted Bunting In Britton (1980) the race of the present bunting occurring in East Africa is given as E. f. kalaharica Roberts, 1932: Tsotsoroga Pan, northern Botswana - a locality in the northeastern periphery of the South West Arid Zone visited during the Vernay-Lang Kalahari Expedition of 1930. As shown in the SAOS Checklist (Clancey Ed. (1980)), p. 295, kalaharica ranges from northeastern South West Africa (including the Caprivi Strip), southern Angola and Botswana to Zimbabwe, the Transvaal and the northern Cape to northeastern Swaziland and Mozambique between the Limpopo and Zambezi Rivers. East African populations of £. flaviventris are referable to E. f. carychroa Clancey, 1968: Langata Forest, Nairobi, Kenya, differenti- ated initially in Clancey (1967). In freshly assumed dress, E. f. carychroa differs from kalaharica in the adult male having the back more saturated red-brown, the feather-fringes dull buffish olive rather than light greyish. On the ventral surface, the breast—band is as dark as in nominate £. flaviventris Stephens, 1815: Cape of Good Hope, but the major criterion is that carychroa has the white flanks washed with rust-colour, which overlay is lacking in kalaharica. In size carychroa and kalaharica are alike. Examination of such material as exists in the collection of the British Museum (Nat. Hist.), Tring, confirms the differences outlined Taxonomic notes on some birds from East Africa 39 above for the East African race, which has a wide range in the equa- torial belt of the Afrotropics, extending from southern Sudan and East Africa, south to northern Mozambique and Malawi, and west, south of the Lower Guinea Forest to southern Zaire, much of Zambia and central and northern Angola. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thanks are extended to the following colleagues for the provision of facilities and access to collections: P.R. Colston (British Museum (Nat. Hist.), Tring), Dr A. Prigogine (Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique, Brussels), Dr. M. Louette (Musée Royal de l'Afrique Centrale, Tervuren), Dr H.E. Wolters (Museum Alexander Koenig, Bonn), Dr R.W. Schreiber (Los Angeles County Museum), and Dr J.M. Mendelsohn (Durban Natural History Museum). I am also grateful to Dr D.J. Pearson for joining me in looking at some of the issues discussed above during the course of meetings at the British Museum at Tring. REFERENCES BENSON, C.W. & WHITE, C.M.N. 1962. Erythropygia quadrivirgata and allied species, Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club 82: aah Se fePrron- Pon. (Fd.) 1980. Birds of East Africa. Nairobi: East Africa Natural History Society. CLANCEY, P.A. 1956. On the races of Buccanodon whytii (Shelley), in Misc. Tax. Notes on African Birds VI, Durban Museum Novitates 4: 245-251. 1960. Notes on geographical variation in the South African Sub-continental Erythropygia quadrivirgata (Reichenow) popu- lations, in Misc. Tax. Notes on African Birds XV, Durban Museum Novitates 6: 36-38. 1961. The races of Peters' Twinspot Hypargos niveoguttatus (Peters), in Misc. Tax. Notes on African Birds XVI, Durban Museum Novitates 6: 97-103. 1967. Formal descriptions of four new races of African birds, in Misc. Tax. Notes on African Birds XXV, Durban Museum Novitates 8: 113-114. 1968. On geographical variation in the White-browed Sparrow-weaver Plocepasser mahali Smith of Africa, Bonner Zoologi- sche Beitrage 19: 257-268. 1974. Variation in the Bearded Scrub Robin Erythropygia barbata (Hartlaub & Finsch), 1870, in Misc. Tax. Notes on African Birds XXXIX, Durban Museum Novitates 10: 95-98. (Ed.) 1980. SAOS Checklist of Southern African Birds. Johannesburg: Southern African Ornithological Society. RIPLEY, S.D. & HEINRICH, G. 1966. Comments on the avifauna of Tanzania, 1, Postilla 96: 1-45. 40 Taxonomic notes on some birds from East Africa, New Publications RIDGWAY, R. 1912. Color standards and color nomenclature. Washington DEG Se iclae eitliclayone - TRAYLOR, M.A. 1968 in Peters' Checklist of birds of the world 14. Cambridge, Mass.: Museum of Comparative Zoology. VAN SOMEREN, V.G.L. 1921. Hypargus monteiri ugandensis, subsp. nov., Bulletin Of Che British Ornienolloguses, eLabe 4 ello. WOLTERS, H.E. 1972. Aus der ornithologischen Sammlung des Museums Alexander Koenig. II. Bonner Zoologische Beitraége 23: 87-94. P.A. Clancey, Fernleigh Gardens, 8 Lambert Road, Morningside, Durban 4001, South Africa (Received 27 November 1985) NEW OSC PUBLICATIONS Check-list of the birds of Kenya. Second Edition, May 1986. An up-to-date and improved version of the best-selling list which was first produced in 1981 based on Birds of East Africa. In this new typeset edition seven 'boxes' are provided for each species for re- cording 'ticks'; species added or removed since Birds of East Africa are fully referenced in foot-notes. Cost (surface mail included): to Kenya: KShs.20/-; rest (of tEhe worlid fe lomullo pease Airmail rates on application. Birds of the Kampala area - Scopus Special Supplement No. 2, by Dr Margaret Carswell. Uniform with the first Special Supplement (Birds of Somalia by Ash and Miskell) this book appears at an opportune time now that Uganda is be- ginning to get back on its feet after years of unrest. The wonderful birds are still there just waiting to be observed, all the better with the aid of this book! Cost (surface mail included): to Scopus subscribers: in Kenya: KShs. 85/-; elsewhere: £4 or US$6 for non-subscribers: KShs. 100/- (in Kenya), £5 or US$7.50 in the rest of the world Airmail rates on application. Check-list of the birds of Tanzania. A straight reprint (but on better quality paper) of this 34 pp. list. The first printing of February 1982 has sold out completely. Cost (surface mail included): to Kenya: KShs. 20/-; rest of the world £1 or US$1.50 Airmail rates on application. Tanzanian residents contact Neil Baker, Box 5272, Dar es Salaam, or phone 23268, 32059 All the above titles are obtainable from D.A. Turner, Box 48019, Nairobi, Kenya as is information on airmail charges. Short Communications 4] SHORT COMMUNICATIONS SIGHTINGS OF LONG-TOED STINTS CALIDRIS SUBMINUTA AT NAIVASHA Long-toed Stints Calidris subminuta were netted on three occasions in the rift valley (at Naivasha and Nakuru) between 1969 and 1974 PSaeknurse ¢ britcon 1969, EANHS OS-C 1977, Britton 1980). During the past two years there have been further sight records from Dandora, Malindi and Naivasha (East African Bird Reports for 1984 and 1985 in press). Since no local account of the field characters of this rare but apparently regular visitor to Kenya has appeared, it seems worth giving details of birds which I found at Naivasha early in 1985. Late on 2 March 1985 I flushed a stint from drying soft mud on the SE shore of Lake Naivasha about | km north of Safariland Club. It was dark brown above with a noticeable broad blackish rump centre, ania dtkew attention with a short but rather loud call, a single churrp not unlike that of a Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea but more abrupt. It disappeared behind a bank of papyrus with a curious wavering flight, and could not be found again. About midday on 20 March, at precisely the same place, I noted a browner stint associa- Eempeloosely wath a party of feeding Little Stints C. minuta. I ob- served it through binoculars in good light at 15-20 m and was able to see details of plumage, head and bill shape, and leg colour. Although fairly tame, it twice took to the wing, but was easily relocated. When flushed it gave the same short call and showed the Same erratic flight and prominent dark rump as the bird seen three weeks earlier, which I presumed to have been the same individual. An inconspicuous short wingbar and pale (but not white) outer tail were noted. On one occasion it rose quite high before flying about and eventually landing only 100 m away. I identified the bird as a Long-toed Stint in winter plumage. Details noted whilst it was feeding were as follows: slightly smaller than accompanying winter plumage Little Stints, head apparently smaller, neck relatively longer and general build less compact; upperparts darker and browner than Little Stint, these and wing coverts more heavily mottled; top of head dark from forehead to nape; dark mark through eye, contrasting with quite prominent pale supercilium, which extended well back (Little Stints had paler, less distinct head marking and were broadly whitish on forehead); bill appeared marginally finer and longer than in Little Stint, with a suggestion of a downward droop at the tip; fine streaking was quite noticeable across the breast; the legs were pale brownish, and long toes were in fact obvious when the bird lifted its feet; feeding action was similar to that of Little Stint, but carriage more crouched-looking, legs rather more flexed. I found another unusual stint on the northern shore of Lake Naivasha on | May. With the lake level rising fast and sedge growth beginning, a few hundred migrant waders (mainly Ruffs Philomachus Ppugnax, Curlew Sandpipers and Little Stints) were concentrated in a Single marshy area. The bird was flushed at a few metres range showing rich dark brown mottled upperparts, a broad dark rump and a 42 Short Communications short wingbar. It gave the distinctive churrp call familiar from experience with the March bird. It was flushed three more times from low marshy vegetation, but could not be seen on the ground. Each time it called and towered, then flew around high and rather errati- cally for a minute or two before landing. It did not associate at all with the other waders in the area. Although head details and leg colour were not seen I have no doubt that this was also a Long- toed Stint. At the time concerned, the March site some 10 km away was flooded and devoid of waders. This later sighting could easily therefore have involved the original bird. REFERENCES BACKHURST, G.C. & BRITTON; P.L. 1969. A record of Caizdersesubminaed from Kenya. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club 89: 121. EANHS OS-C 1977. Some recent records of Palaearctic Birds in Kenya and Tanzania. Seopus ls 3945), D.J. Pearson, Department of Biochemistry, P.O. Box 30197, Nairobi. Scopus 10: 41=42, June 1986 Received 6 March 1986 RED-NECKED PHALAROPES PHALAROPUS LOBATUS OFF THE COAST OF SOMALIA AND KENYA This communication reports sightings of Red-necked Phalaropes made by my friend Nautical Officer F. Scharffetter during voyages along the Somali and Kenyan coasts in 1983 and 1985. Mr Scharffetter was a member of the crew during these voyages and is an experienced bird- watcher. His observations of phalaropes are listed below: the first number given refers to the location of the sighting(s) as shown on the map (Fig. 1); the numbers after the date are the numbers of phalaropes. Southbound | =o NOVe NI OSe Gas aoe 2.6" Nov? 19832 2062008 Y5e+" 2 NOSE ONT 2e+ a0 3. 6 Nov 1983: 08:00: few hundred on current edge 4a: 6 Nov 19832262005" 10 5. OP Now 1983s Ply 2002" S0 6. SeNow 1983 2e45 eset iG 7.°9 Nove 19832925) 492 4 2) + 28 \@ater: depth’ 240m) 8. 10 Nov 1983: 4 (depth 80 m) G2 1O0eNoy 198s 35 Northbound 10. 15 Nowal9s3e 12955 18 (depen 100) m) 1S te Novellas 12. V6yNov 193833 9 13.2916" Nove 19835 112002" (depehe 1s0%m) 4. 16 Nov 198327 16:00: 3000-5000 15. 17 Nov 1983: 16:00-17:00: about 3000 mostly in flocks of up to 300 Short Communications 1 Cape =e : GrUCE a (Our AD ESN - Guardafui DJIBOUTI : 14,15 ee ‘ Nig | Ras Hafun aay : y) 30 ull. ETHIOPIA INDIAN Mogadishu ONCE AN: 9 + Malindi Fig. 1. Map showing sites of sightings of Red-necked Phalaropes 4a Short Communications Southbound 16. This is a seismically active area, 48 km NE/SW by 15 km NW/SE, which was surveyed between 4 and 29 January 1985. Bird obser- vations were helped by the vessel's slow speed of only 5 knots (c. 9 km/h) but hampered by very rough weather with continuous winds of force 5-6 (c. 30-50 km/h). The phalaropes often appeared to be flying from south to north, and this direction was also noted during the night observations with the aid of the ship's searchlights. Numbers of phalaropes seen were as follows: p & Neng Heli, Cas iene Z ies Celis @) Ofelys I] Lilizing 3) 12th: 1+6+8+4 Ache lochs) 6 (Ons at. Mogadishu) NWOeng Wise Ye ste 5 l7th:).25 + 1434 7 + 8 + 5°94 20; at night: 5) +:3906) ono + | liSithyo Set alo Omch eomct cet il NVQs ale wareaies O a 5 a | 20 hee 2st 3s at night: \l 7 + let Sie 1 2eon ees 22nd: at night: | +y le +9254 Os) H6n 42 Sie 23rd 30 24th: 1 +.125 at nights: 3 + 8 + 20 + 9 4°12 4) 72a opie +18 +8 +11+7+ 6+ 11 + 3 Moye yO Wo) ae Ss ene Gqutees Sce Boar GC arog ap Siar 2 Z26the Weck Sera tena oh 27th, 28th: (0 - in Mogadishu) AEN (3 se il se. ihe Northbound 17. 2 Feb, 1985: 13 + 44+ 7 4+ 6 + 21 +.2 + 34+ 14 4 (325 ee + 6 +3 + 9+ 16 +°8 + 6) +535 -eGn eee 18. 2 Feb 1985: some flocks. During 3 and 4 February in the Gulf of Aden no phalaropes were seen. Most phalaropes were seen near the coast or at the edge of the coastal shelf and the deep sea where the water is turbulent (caused by the meeting of the East African Coast Current and the Equatorial Current). Heinrich Schiemann, D- 7988 Wangen im Alg&éu, Kirchstr. 15, West Germany Received 20 August 1985 Scopus 10: 42-44, June 1986 Short Communications 45 THE ROSEATE TERN STERNA DOUGALLII ARIDEENSIS ON ARIDE ISLAND SEYCHELLES: NOTES ON THE 1984 SEASON The Aride population of Roseate Terns was first monitored for the whole of its breeding cycle in 1978 (Warman 1979). Observations have Since been made by 0. Volcere who came to the island in 1979 as Assistant Manager, but there has been no written report. The following qualitative observations represent only the second record of the breeding cycle. Colonies On Aride, Roseate Terns breed in separate sub-colonies around which they are based until shortly before they leave the island, when they congregate on rocks near the sea. These colonies do not overlap with the colonies of any other species. In 1984, nine distinct sub- colonies were distinguished, which were roughly in the same sites as recorded by Warman (1979). However, it appears that the boundaries of the sites have been extended considerably, so that some sites are almost adjacent. Seven of the sub-colonies occupied sites under a canopy of Pisonia woodland. Shaded, woodland sites seem to be preferred, and it was these which had increased most in area and were first to be occupied. Only two of the sites were on 'grassland' and account for, at most, one quarter of the total Roseate Tern popula- tion. Positions of sub-colonies vary slightly from year to year. Breeding plumage One major discrepancy was found between the observations made by Warman and our own. Warman comments that at the time of courtship, Bileberds bavesblack bills; the first traces of red on the bill only appearing after the eggs had been laid and incubation was proceeding; by the time the chicks were fledged and adults preparing for depar- ture, the bills were completely red. According to observations made in 1984 it appears that the red colouration only occurs when the birds are in breeding condition. This is an important distingui- shing feature of the sub-species arideensis. Gaeaeeival at Aride, the birds had black legs and bills. Both legs and bill had turned completely red by the time egg-laying Started. Red legs, feet and bills persisted throughout the incuba- tion period and for a considerable time after hatching. Only when the young are nearly fledged do the bills and legs of adult birds start to turn black. By the time of departure from Aride, bills and legs had reverted to all-black, contrary to the statement made by Warman. In addition, the breast feathers have a pink colouration during breeding, which also disappeared by the time the birds left the island. Breeding cycle 24 April Very large numbers of birds arrived during the night and were heard calling at dawn. Some days previously, groups of birds had started to congregate on rocks. 8 May By this time colonies were occupied and the birds were very excitable and easily disturbed by observers. 46 Short Communications 19 May Considerable numbers of eggs had been laid at woodland sites, fewer at grassland sites which were occupied last. 13 June First eggs hatched at woodland sites in the west of the island. 21 June First eggs hatched at grassland sites. 7 July Many chicks starting to fly, but still within the con- fines of the colony. Parents sometimes took a while to find their chick on return to the colony. Many disputes were observed between adults returning with fish and those remaining in the colony. Birds seemed almost oblivious to the presence of observers, but both adults and young were very argumentative amongst themselves. 227 Sealy; Nearly all chicks flying but still remaining near nest sites. By the end of July, some birds began to congre- gate on rocks in preparation for departure. 3 August A few birds remained at nest sites, but the colonies were much diminished, more than half the birds having already Veter 15 August No adult birds seen. Four young birds remained at one site, in poor condition, apparently having been aban- doned, and they died shortly after. Mortality Variation between sites Very few dead young were found at sites under the Pisonia canopy. The number of dead chicks was much greater at the largest grassland site, where there was no shade. This could partly be due to desertion by parents, as adults leave roughly at the same time, regardless of whether chicks are ready to go. As these chicks were the last’to hatch, death as a result of desertion would be expected to be higher. However, Sooty Terns Sterna fuscata nesting nearby also suffered higher chick mortality, so it seems more likely that death was due to over-exposure to the sun. Predation Human activity now has a minimal effect in that no eggs are collected; disturbance by island staff is kept to a minimum, to allow for the particular sensitivity of Roseate Terns, so that chances of egg- predation by skinks is also reduced. Aride has a small resident population of Barn Owls Tyto alba, and whilst no definite information has been obtained as to the number of Roseates taken, this is probably not significant. Accidental deaths A small number of adult birds were found hanging between forks of Pisonia branches. Some deaths occurred early in the season due to immobility resulting from sticking to Pisonia fruits; two birds were found affected in the central part of the island, but none at sites in the west where the canopy is high and birds can fly in and out without danger of entanglement. No chicks were affected in this way. Short Communications 47 Ticks A number of chicks were infested with ticks within a week of hatching and later some deformation of feet was observed. Tick infestation was lower in 1984 than in previous years and only a small proportion of the population was affected. Conservation and management It seems certain that the Aride population of Roseate Terns has increased from 1978 to 1984, and as long as the future of the island reserve remains secure, the outlook is favourable. Annual monitoring is extremely important for this species, as numbers and breeding success vary considerably from year to year. The birds are renowned for their sensitivity, and have been known to desert eggs and chicks for no apparent reason. It is vital that disturbance is kept to a minimum. The most suitable habitat for the species appears to be mature woodland, the shade afforded compensates for deaths caused by Pisonia fruit entanglement or hanging. This also will vary from year to year, so further study is needed. Pineapples, which at one time threatened to take over nest sites, are now being shaded out by woodland, so this is no longer a danger to the habitat. The accidental import of rats must at all costs be prevented, and all incoming goods carefully scrutinized. Disturbance by low-flying aircraft is rare. No quantitative observations have been made, neither have any ringing operations been carried out, and it is doubtful whether the disturbance involved is merited. REFERENCE WARMAN, S.R. 1979. The Roseate Tern Sterna dougallii arideensis on Aride Island, Seychelles. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Ginp-99- 124-128. Susan M. Tyzack and O. Volcere, Aride Island, via Praslin, Seychelles Scopus 10: 45-47, June 1986 Received 4 February 1986 NOTES ON THE SPECKLED PIGEON COLUMBA GUINEA IN NW SOMALIA Ash & Miskell (1983) have drawn attention to the recent spread of the Speckled Pigeon Columba guinea in Somalia, and the purpose of this note is to record its status in NW Somalia in 1958, and attempt to explain various flock movements which were noted. Distribution By 1958 this bird was quite common in the townships as far east as Sheikh and Burao, breeding freely in unused house chimney pots in Hargeisa during April, October and November (i.e. during the rains); Archer & Godman (1937) describe the bird as being "confined to one area, Gebileh - El Birdaleh - Birdah - Buramo (= Borama) on the Somali-Abyssinian border". They also remark that at Gebileh it 48 Short Communications inhabited the sandstone cliffs of the tugs (= wadis), feeding out in the nearby jowari (millet) fields during the day and returning to drink in the tug pools at 15:30. Elsewhere this bird is well-known as a commensal of man, almost domesticated in its use of man's buildings (Britton 1980, Goodwin 1967); and it has also acquired this trait in Somalia, enabling it to exploit an otherwise unused niche aided by a new food supply, and so expand its range. Local movements/Roosting Two types of local movement were recognized at Hargeisa, the first of which was ascribed to a winter feeding movement in which the birds were noted flying eastwards to Hargeisa at about 16:00, and continuing for about an hour. They flew at tree-top height, fast, direct and close to the tug, with small flocks of about a dozen birds passing every few minutes, increasing to flocks of 25-30 birds in February. This movement continued until 12 April at least. It is Suggested that these birds had spent the day feeding in the grain- fields to the west of Hargeisa, the creation of which, on a large scale prior to 1958, had almost certainly influenced the spread of this species as it also did Ploceine weavers (Clarke 1986). The outward flighting movement in the morning - if any - was not located. The second movement discerned was undertaken by a few pairs, or small parties not exceeding ten in number, which flighted up the hillside to the north of Hargeisa to feed and possibly roost on open sandy patches near the summits of the hills. This movement took place at dusk with the birds apparently returning next morning, as observation periods from dusk to almost dark failed to reveal any birds moving downwards again, the birds always being left on the ground. On 23 February, the site was visited at 05:55 when half light and during a thick mist. Two birds were flushed, settling again a few metres further on. In view of the half light and heavy Mist 1t seems unlikely - though not impossible - that the birds had just arrived from the safety of the town below; and, coupled with the evening observations, strongly suggest that the birds had in fact roosted there. McLachlan & Liversidge (1978) record the sub- species phaeonota and/or bradfieldi in South Africa roosting on newly ploughed fields, having taken to more open country where grain is grown. At this site the tallest shrubs were scattered acacias, approximately 3 m high, and most unsuitable for accommodating a large pigeon, together with patches of aloe scrub interspersed with open sandy ground. This species was also noted roosting in August on a south-facing, split-level, corrugated iron roof; where the upper level overhung the lower so providing overhead shelter, but leaving the pair exposed to the prevailing winds. REFERENCES ARCHER, G.F. & GODMAN, E.M. 1937. The Birds of British Somaliland and the Gulf of Aden. Vol. 2. London: Gurney & Jackson. Short Communications 49 Aeposos ae MESKELL, J.E. 1983. . Birds of Somalia:.their habitat, status and distribution. Scopus Special Supplement No. 1. CLARKE, G. A Weaver roost at Hargeisa, Somalia. Scopus 10: 51-54. GOODWIN, D. 1967. Pigeons and Doves of the World. London: British Museum (Nat. Hist.). McLACHLAN, G.R. & LIVERSIDGE, R. 1978. Roberts Birds of South Africa. Cape Town: Trustees, J. Voelcker Bird Book Fund. G. Clarke, Juniper House, 2 Bellingham Road, Kendal LAY 5JW, U.K. Scopus 10: 47-49, June 1986 Received 13 January 1986 MACKINDER'S EAGLE OWL FEEDING ON BATS An early morning visit to the Kitum cave on Mt Elgon, Kenya, resulted in a fascinating observation. At approximately 08:30 on 30 August 1983 Glen and Richard Matthews, Craig Sholley and I approached this famed elephant cave. When within about 100 m of the mouth of the cave we sighted a Mackinder's Eagle Owl Bubo capensis mackinderi perched on the large boulders at the mouth of the cave. While we stood observing the bird through binoculars, it flew into the cave. We assumed it was seeking shelter for the daylight hours. We proceeded towards and then into the cave. Immediately upon entering the cave, an eagle owl flew out of the cave past us.- As the bird passed within a metre or so of us it was easily observed to be carrying a bat, apparently taken in the depths of the cave. We then sought out the point of rock on which it had been resting upon our sighting it. On top of this rock we found five bat wings, of between 15 and 20 cm in length. Upon examining the cave, we found it to contain a large population of bats of what appeared to be at least two Species. We were, however, unable to identify these without closer inspection. These observations suggest diurnal hunting and feeding by the Mackinder's Eagle Owl in the daytime darkness of the cave, preying on the roosting bats. Brian A. Rutledge, Baltimore Zoo, Baltimore, MD 21217, U.S.A. Scopus 10: 49, June 1986 ; Received 20 February 1986 ROOSTING BEHAVIOUR OF RED-FACED CROMBEC One facet of bird behaviour that is very little known is the roosting behaviour of many birds. For example, we have found only one reference to roosting in honeyguides, that being a honeybird juvenile roosting between two foster parents. 50 Short Communications On the evening of 13 November 1985 at our camp on O1 Ari Nyiro Ranch, Laikipia plateau, Kenya, our attention was focussed on several interacting Common Bulbuls Pycnonotus barbatus calling loudly. While watching them we noted a Red-faced Crombec Sylvietta whytii feeding in the gathering darkness (time 18:38). We watched the crombec move along several branches, then to a little olive branchlet over our car's track, at 2.5 m above ground. There it darted about, catching insects among the petioles of leaves. Suddenly, at 18:40 it ceased moving and simply perched. We checked it quietly by torchlight at 19:00, 20:00 and 21:00 and indeed found it roosting there. It was in its roosting position fully by 19:00 and did not shift from this all night. Facing east, its head appeared to be tucked under its left wing, and its feathers erected to form almost a round fluffy ball (especially with the tiny tail virtually covered by the projecting feathers). Even its feet were covered completely. Presumably the down feathers were adjusted to hold the inner air layer tightly, with the contour feathers erected (which would allow greater penetration of air toward the body, but the contour feathers may trap the upper air layer to act as outer insulation). The erected feathers usually allow air to reach the body, cooling the bird, but presumably the down feathers beneath are then erected also. In any case this posture and erect plumage were maintained through the night and from 05:00 to 06:00 on 14 November. The bird moved and depressed its feathers, raising its head at 06:00; it sat for nearly two minutes, then at 06:02 it flew down to a bush and began gleaning insects. Gradually it worked about, feeding voraciously, reaching the top of an Acacia gerrardi at 06:25; from there it sang five renditions of its primary song, thus presumably it was a male. The primary song is a melodic, whistling warbled witch-eee, witch-eee witch-eee-eeee, sometimes longer, recalling closely the buzzier song of the North American wood warbler, the Common Yellowthroat Geothlypis trichas (the alternate, or secondary song, possibly restricted to females, is a more melodic, complex warble; occasionally there 15.4 sthord “sone, 1a uted) To our surprise, what was presumably the same bird came to exactly the same spot to roost on 14 November at 18:41, and it did not raise its head out of the ball of fluffy feathers until 06:07 on 15th. It peered around sleepily for 7 minutes before ‘unfluffing" and darting off east to a bush. Its roosting posture and direction were identical to those of the night before. It did not appear there on the (windy) night of 16 November, but it occupied exactly the same roosting site on 17, 18 and 19 November, raising its head at about 06:03-06:08, looking about a minute or two later, and flying off, usually after stretching (one wing and leg), at 06:05-06:15. It also roosted there 17-19 and 21 December. One wonders at a bird returning to precisely the same roosting site, even to the same place on a given perch, so regularly. Especially favoured sites proven satisfactory by frequent use must afford certain advantages, otherwise it is difficult to explain repetitive Short Communications 51 use of a site. However, we need far more data on solitary-roosting avian species that do not roost in holes, or colonially. Jennifer F.M. Horne, National Museums of Kenya, P.O. Box 40658, Nairobi and Lester L. Short, American Museum of Natural History, New York, N.Y. 10024-5192, U.S.A. Scopus 10: 49-51, June 1986 Received 31 December 1985 STING-REMOVAL FROM BEES BY WHITE-EYED SLATY FLYCATCHERS MELAENORNIS CHOCOLATINA Many bird species feed regularly or occasionally on stinging hymenop- tera (see McAtee 1932, Birkhead 1974 and Fry 1984 for reviews) but only a few species, notably bee-eaters (Fry 1969) and shrikes (Gwinner -1961) are known to use specific behaviour patterns to remove or destroy the stinging apparatus before swallowing the insect. During three visits to the Lake Nakuru area, Kenya, in December 1981, April 1983 and April 1985 I repeatedly observed White-eyed Slaty Flycatchers catching honey bees Apis sp. and removing their stings in a rather sophisticated manner. Most of these observations were made in the garden of Lake Nakuru Lodge, where bees were common in flowering pepper trees. Typically, a foraging flycatcher caught a bee in the air and quickly flew with it to an appropriate, usually rather thick, horizontal branch. Holding the beak with the insect just above the perch, the bird then repeatedly squeezed the tip of the abdomen with the beak until the stinging apparatus emerged. Occasionally the stinging apparatus got stuck to the branch and was pulled out as the bird continued moving the insect. More frequently the stinging apparatus was squeezed out of the abdomen but remained attached to it. The bird then laid down the bee, grasped the stinging apparatus with the bill and flung it away with a sudden movement of the head. Immediately afterwards, the flycatcher swallowed the bee and then vigorously wiped its beak, as if to remove a distasteful or unpleasant substance. The behaviour shown during sting removal was very swift and its individual components were hard to separate. Therefore, many observations were necessary to eventually gain the general picture described above. Still, I may have overlooked some features and time-lapse photography may be required to analyze the behaviour in detail. In 1981 two immature birds with spotted upperparts showed the same behaviour as the adults, but their movements were generally a bit slower and the entire pattern appeared more clumsy. Sting removal may not be uncommon among birds that regularly feed on stinging hymenoptera, although it has as yet been described only from a limited number of species. Detailed observations of the feeding behaviour of insectivorous birds may reveal other techniques for sting-removal in other species. D2 Short Communications REFERENCES BIRKHEAD, T.R. 1974. Predation by birds on social wasps. British Birds 67: 221-229. FRY, C.H. 1969. The recognition and treatment of venomous and non- venomous insects by small bee-eaters. THORS INNA 2S aDS) FRY, C.H. 1984. The Bee-eaters. Caldon: Poyser. GWINNER, E. 1961. Uber die Entstachelungshandlung des Neuntéters (Lanius collurio). Vogelwarte 21: 36-47. McATEE, W.L. 1932. Effectiveness in nature of so-called protective adaptations in the animal kingdom, chiefly as illustrated by the food habits of Nearctic birds. Smithsonian Miscellaneous Colveceionsnin) Zoology) 8a- Ui) s1—20 le E. Gwinner, Max-Planck-Institut fiir Verhaltensphysiologie, Vogelwarte Radolfzell, Radolfzell and Andechs, D-8138 Andechs, FRG Seojous NOS -Siles2~ dine Ose Received 20 January 1986 A WEAVER ROOST AT HARGEISA, SOMALIA Sir Geoffrey Archer (Archer & Godman 1961), when writing of the Red- billed Quelea Quelea quelea in NW Somalia over the period 1917-1922, stated that he had collected only seven specimens out of the few quite small parties seen, and considered it to be a rare bird. He also thought that as the cultivation of millet increased, so would the number of weavers occurring. In direct contrast however, Ash & Miskell (1983) were able by 1981 to describe it as an abundant non- breeding visitor to NW Somalia. This note attempts to bridge the gap between these statements by describing very briefly the agricultural changes which took place in the 1940s and 1950s, and to record the discovery of a temporary mixed roost of weavers found at Hargeisa in late July 1958, together with some information on their habits. Finally, a general comment follows on the distribution and numbers of each species compared with the data of Archer & Godman (1961). To set the occurrence of the weavers into perspective, a note on the agricultural scene is necessary. R.T. Shepherd kindly supplied data showing that 6000 ha were under cultivation, mainly to millet and maize, in ex-British Somaliland in 1947. During 1948-1953 the area was increased to 21000 ha, after which no figures are available to 1958 (cultivation also increased in ex-Italian Somaliland over the same period from 56000 ha to 300000 ha) (data from FAO Production Year Books). In addition to the above large areas of the Hargeisa valley - to name but one locality - were also converted to fields during the years 1954-1958, supplying the habitat for the birds mentioned in this note. The roost was located on the hillside to the NW of the town on Short Communications 53 30 July 1958, when large numbers of weavers were passing eastwards along Hargeisa valley. It was at the site of an underground water reservoir, below which a small fan of comparatively level ground fell away down the hillside, and which was guarded to the west by a small spur.. Here grew several patches of scrub, mainly Acacia etbaica, 2-3 m in height, together with a clump of acacia saplings some 5-6 m high which formed the principal roosting site. Large flocks of birds had been seen in the area over the previous few days. The species concerned, and their numbers, are summarized in Table 1 which also shows that the occupation of the roost was terminated within a month. However, some 150-200 Chestnut Weaver Ploceus rubiginosus and 200-250 Red-billed Quelea were still in the neigh- bourhood after 25 August, having moved to an un-located roost to the east. Table 1. Summary of occupation of a weaver roost at Hargeisa in 1958 Species Date 30 tinal: 56, Aue hZrAue 14 Aucy o25eAue 929° Aug. 590 Ploceus galbula Ruppell's Weaver few ee 591 Ploceus intermedius Masked Weaver 250-300 100 100 none 593 Ploceus rubiginosus Ghasmnit dleaver 750-1000 500-600 300-400 few none 595 Ploceus velatus Vitelline Masked Weaver 22S UU 100 100 none 597 Quelea quelea Red-billed Quelea 1500-2000 200-250 100 none Note: The species are keyed to and follow the nomenclature of Ash & Miskell (1983). During the day the weavers roamed the grainfields to the west, out to approximately 30 km, returning from 17:30 onwards in noisy, weaving, streaming flights of 20-50 birds, continuing to arrive at the roost until well after 18:00. Once in the roost they kept up a continuous efatter, Often moving from tree to tree, until it was too dark to see them. The quelea, on the other hand, moved into the roost in Parties of 50 or more; the flight being quiet, direct, fast, slightly undulating and at bush-top height. When an obstacle such as a house was encountered, the flock rose high, and was then subject to sudden changes of direction. Once in the roost they quickly and quietly settled down in direct contrast to the Ploceus spp. 54 Short Communications Contrary to their protracted arrival, the quelea burst out of the roost to the west in three or four large flocks, completely vacating the roost before the sun rose; whereas the weavers, also leaving in three or four large flocks in a matter of minutes, left as the sun rose. Only a few of these lingered on, noisily squabb- ling as they moved slowly down the hillside towards the town. By 06:10 virtually all had gone. Predators were observed at the roost on three occasions. On | August a Peregrine Falco peregrinus burst down between the trees in unsuccessful pursuit of a small flock of Superb Starlings Spreo superbus which also used the roost. On 3rd a probable Lanner Falco biarmicus flew over at 05:50, and then made off westwards. Finally on the evening of 5th an immature Gabar Goshawk Melierax gabar made several attempts to secure a bird from the arriving flocks, but was apparently unsuccessful. It appeared to be baffled by the number O£ prey, availabille tomas. Species notes 590. Ploceus galbula Riippell's Weaver. This species was commonly seen at Hargeisa, though the coast about Berbera appears to be its stronghold. Also at Medishe near Erigavo. This distribution and frequency generally agrees with that of Archer & Godman (1961), but they do not mention the northeast. 591. Ploceus intermedius Masked Weaver. Noted in 1958 from 18 May when 12-15 were seen, the last record being of two on 26 November. In the Forest Reserve at Borama on 20 September, A.R. Tribe and myself found 8-10 nests in various stages of construction suspended above a pool (Clarke 1985). Archer & Godman (1961) considered it "a very rare bird in British Somaliland", there being only three records of which he provided the third - a pair with eggs at Megagwein overlooking the Hargeisa valley. 593. Ploc¢eus rubiginosus Chestnut Weaver. First noted in small numbers - maximum 20 - in 1956 when they moved eastwards through Hargeisa between 5-11 May, returning in August and September. Next recorded forming part of a mixed flock of weavers, sparrows and waxbills feeding in fields at Arabsiyo on 23 February 1958. On 23 May in the Forest Reserve at Borama, a flock of 150-200 was feeding on the ground at 07:15 after which the next note concerns the roosting flocks. Many of the males seen in August 1958 were in heavy body moult, suggesting that they had just finished breeding. Archer & Godman (1961) record the collection of one male only, at Hargeisa on 27 August 1920. 595. Ploceus velatus Vitelline Masked Weaver. Noted only at Hargeisa where a few were seen on | August 1956 feeding in Acacia etbaica. Next noted in late July 1958. Archer & Godman (1961) record eight specimens taken from small breeding colonies in mid-June to the end of July, all from east of the Mt Wogr-Odweina line. 597. Quelea quelea Red-billed Quelea. First seen at Dabolagq on 29 December 1957; also at Arabsiyo on 23 February 1958, after which the comparatively large flocks of the roost were seen. Archer & Godman Short Communications 55 (1961) record the collection of seven specimens from small flocks, all from Hargeisa westwards, and considered the species to be rare. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I should like to thank Mr R.T. Shepherd for very kindly supplying the agricultural data, and Mr A.R. Tribe, Government Forestry Officer for allowing me access to the Borama Forestry Reserve and for his companionship in the field. REFERENCES ARCHER, G.F. & GODMAN, E.M. 1961. The Birds of British Somaliland and the Gulf of Aden. Vol. 4. Edinburgh and London: Oliver & Boyd. Bones & MEOKELL, J.E. 1983. ° Birds of Somalia, their habitat, status and distribution. Scopus Special Supplement No. 1. CLARKE, G. 1985. Bird observations from NW Somalia. Scopus 9: 24-42. GAZETTEER Arabsiyo 9:41N 43:46E Hargeisa 9:33N 44:04E Berbera 10:26N 45:02E Medishe 10:45N 47:35E Borama 9:56N 43: 11E Megagwein 9:30N 44:10E approx. Dabolaq BSN 2432 52E Odweina 9:24N 45:04E Erigavo 10:37N 47:22E Wogr, Mt 10:01N 45:26E G. Clarke, Juniper House, 2 Bellingham Road, Kendal LA9 5JW, U.K. seopus, 102 51-54, June 1986 Received 13 January 1986 BIRDS VISITING A RECENTLY FILLED DAM IN TANZANIA In 1944 a small catchment area on the Ardai Plains, 32 km SW of Arusha, Northern Tanzania, was dammed with an earth dam. The reser- voir behind the dam did not flood until March 1946, after heavy rain on the night 18/19 March, when, by the next morning, the dam was more than half full. The main rains which followed were very poor, only another 100 mm being recorded, and while the dam filled almost to the spillway, the water level gradually fell through May, and receded rapidly in June. It was estimated that, when the dam was at its fullest, the water area was approximately | ha. The nearest perma- nent water to the Ardai dam was the large Meserani dam, 14 km to the SE. The Eluanata dam, 4.5 km to the NW was almost dry at the time. At 10:00 on the next morning, 19 March, there were already three species of waterfowl and two species of wader at the dam. Four other visits were made to the dam in March, April, May and June and the species present on all occasions are shown in Table |. Unfortunately no visits were possible after June, but the dam would have been dry by the end of July, if not earlier. 56 Short Communications The first, and possibly most striking feature, is the speed with which the new water was found by those five species. Three of them were Palaearctic migrants which might already have been moving northwards. The Red-billed Teal (scientific names are given in Table 1) is a great wanderer and during the rains appears on many casual waters, but the Egyptian Goose is more sedentary and its early presence more unexpected. Three days later there were two Palaearctic migrants, Garganey in slightly larger numbers, and a single Marsh Sandpiper. The only other wildfowl were a small flock of Spur-winged Geese, a species prone to local movements. The Crowned Cranes were probably the local resident birds, but the appearance of a Kittlitz's Sandplover, a rather sedentary species, was unexpected. By 11 April the number of species had increased to eight, one of which was a rather unexpected Little Grebe, largely resident on permanent waters although individuals do wander occasionally to casual water in the rains (Britton 1980). This was the last occasion on which Palaearctic migrants were recorded, but they may well have continued to make some use of the dam after that date. It would have been of interest to know whether the Marsh Sandpiper had remained at the dam from 22 March. The only Black-winged Stilt seen at the dam was recorded on the April visit, and the bird could have been a Palaearctic migrant. There were only three records of visits by egrets or herons, the first on 11] April by a Little Egret. By 23 May the Little Grebes had increased to three and a Black- headed Heron was present. Waterfowl were in larger numbers, with a return of Red-billed Teal and the appearance of four Hottentot Teal and two Southern Pochard, some of which possibly became temporarily resident for there were still five Red-billed Teal, two Hottentot Teal and three Southern Pochard present on 20 June. Another unexpected species, a single Black Crake, was found at the dam in May. This species is mainly sedentary, although individuals do wander, but with the absence of aquatic vegetation and good cover round the dam, it is difficult to see what could have been attractive to this bird. It was not there at the last visit in June. The only Passerine recorded at the dam was the Quail Finch. On 23 May this frequenter of muddy shores of lakes and dams was numerous round the edges of the dam. The species was a local breeding resident. After 23 May the water level receded rapidly and by 20 June the dam was barely a quarter full. However, it was still very attractive to waterfowl, with a flock of 100 Knob-billed Ducks present, and four other species of duck (see Table 1). New visitors were a single Great White Egret, 10 Blacksmith Plovers, and a single Three-banded Plover, the last mainly a sedentary bird, but liable to local seasonal movements. ; On the June visit flocks of all three species of resident sandgrouse were watering at the dam at 08:45, the Yellow-throated Sandgrouse Short Communications Di Table 1. The number of each species present at the dam at each visit Se Mar 220 Mar sil Apr 23) May 7720) Jun Little Grebe Tachybaptes ruficollis Black-headed Heron Ardea melanocephala Great White Egret Egretta alba Little Egret E. garzetta Egyptian Goose Alopochen aegyptiaca Red-billed Teal Anas erythrorhynchos Hottentot Teal A. hottentota Garganey A. querquedula Southern Pochard Netta erythrophthalma Spur-winged Goose Plectropterus gambensis Knob-billed Duck Sarkidiornis melanotis Crowned Crane Balearica pavonina Black Crake Limnocorax flavirostris Kittlitz's Sandplover Charadrius pecuarius Three-banded Plover Cn tricollaris Blacksmith Plover Vanellus armatus Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos Wood Sandpiper Tringa glarola - Marsh Sandpiper T. stagnatalis Reds hank T. totanus Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus Black-faced Sandgrouse Pterocles decoratus 100 Continued overleaf 58 Short Communications Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse x Pee xuUseEus Yellow-throated Sandgrouse P. gutturalis Quail Finch re Ortygospiza atricollis * All three species of sandgrouse coming to water at 08:45 ** Many round the shore greatly outnumbering the Black-faced and the Chestnut-bellied. For sandgrouse from the Ardai the Meserani Dam was the main watering place, where they were regularly shot. The new dam would have been of greater convenience and undisturbed as hunters had not been attracted to 1t. DISCUSSION In the first four days after the dam held water it had been visited by nine species, four of which were Palaearctic migrants, and five residents. The presence of two resident species at the dam only a few hours after it had partially filled suggests a rapid response to the arrival of the first heavy rains, and a search for new feeding sites. Over the three months of observation 20 resident species visited the dam, but of those only three species of duck may have become resident for the last few weeks, when the water level was falling. Of the others, only Spurwing Goose and Crowned Crane were recorded on more than one occasion. But the fact that a new sheet of water was visited by such diverse species as Little Grebe, Black Crake and Kittlitz's Sandplover suggests that casual movements by some species of generally more sedentary habits are more frequent than might be expected. One can only conjecture what the attraction of this small dam was to the species visiting it. There would have been no truly aquatic flora or fauna when the dam first held water. It could have offered a resting place for long-distance migrants, and the waders might have been able to find invertebrates with the moistening of otherwise very hard ground at the edge of the water. Others, such as the three solitary members of the heron family, which were each recorded only once, having been attracted by a sheet of water expecting to find food, could have been disappointed and moved on. For the Black Crake the habitat would have been even less inviting, lacking dense cover round the water's edge. N.R. Fuggles-Couchman, Post House, High Street, Broughton, Stock- bridge, Hants SO20 8AA, England Scopus 10: 54-57, June 1986 Received 30 April 1986 Contents of Malimbus 7(2) October 1985 59 MALIMBUS 7(2) OCTOBER 1985 [The contents of the latest issue of our sister journal] A new Subspecies of the Rufous Swamp Warbler Acrocephalus rufescens from Senegal. P.R. Colston and G.J. Morel 61 Birds in Falgore Game Reserve, Nigeria. R. Wilkinson and R. Beecroft 63 Bird Records from the Republic of Niger. R.A. Cheke, See watch and J.)-.C. Fishpool 73 Sedentarisation de Monticola solitarius au Cap de Naze, Sénégal. C. Rouchouse 91 Preuss's Cliff Swallow Hirundo preussi breeding in Sierra Leone. Alan Tye 95 Progressive improvement in foraging efficiency of juvenile European Bee-eaters Merops apiaster in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. W.C. Marais and B. Every 97 Birds of Outamba Area, Northwest Sierra Leone. Ruth E. Heppel 101 The species of parasitic finches in West Africa. R.B. Payne 103 Devouverte d'un nouvel Aigle forestier au Sénégal 1'Aigle d'Ayres Hieraaetus dubius. A.R. Dupuy 114 Western Reef Heron Egretta gularis inland in Ivory Coast ane Nteeria. S.). Eccles 114 Les Oiseaux des Milieux Rocheux au Sénégal. G.J. Morel bis Parasites and diseases of Abdim's Stork Ciconia abdimii A.U. Ezealor 120 Some changes in the bird fauna of Lagos, Nigeria. P.D. Alexander-—Marrack, M.J. Aaronson, R. Farmer, W.H. Houston and T.R. Mills 2 Some Egyptian Plover nests in Senegal. M.W. Richards and J. Boswall 128 Plain Nightjar at sea off Ivory Coast, C.H. Fry 29 Song and courtship of the Wattled Starling Creatophora cinerea. W.A. Sontag jr. ' 129 Large-scale movements of Common Pratincole Glareola pratincola at Juba. F.R. Lambert 136 A new Northern Carmine Bee-eater colony. J. Boswall and M.W. Richards 136 Notes complémentaires sur 1'Avifaune des Parcs Nationaux de 1'Arli (Burkina) et de la Pendjari (Benin). Yves Thonnerieux 137 Reichenbach's Sunbird Nectarinia reichenbachii new to ivery. Coast. S.D). Eccles 140 Oriole babbler Hypergerus atriceps near coast of Ivory Cease. SD: ‘Eccles 140 Ringing in Nigeria 1984. R.E. Sharland 140 Observations of Allen's Gallinule Porphyrio alleni at Mombasa, Kenya. P.B. Taylor 14] Reviews 150 Notices 154 60 Letter, Review LETTER Sir, The mention of the Brown-capped Weaver Ploceus insignis in Scopus 9: 125 is surely erroneous; Ploceus insignis is a highland forest species and no doubt P. bicolor was intended in this Sokoke Forest observation. Another erroneous statement occurs in the same issue (Scopus 9: 138) where a record of the Silvery-cheeked Hornbill Bycanistes brevis at 0:36N 36:22E is claimed to be the most northerly in Kenya. Britton (1980) records the species from the Ndoto Mts at 1:45N 37:07E, and Lewis & Pomeroy (in press A bird atlas of Kenya, Rotterdam: Balkema) will include a record of Y. Malcolm Coe's from near Maralal at 1:06N 36:42E. Adrian D. Lewis, Box 25296, Nairobi Scopus 10: 59, June 1985 Received 10 April 1986 REVIEW Conservation of tropical forest birds edited by A.W. Diamond and T.E. Lovejoy, 1985. ICBP Technical Publication No. 4, ISBNEO94esecnoame Pp. xvi + 318, ¢. A5, softback, price, £18.50 (post sinee)) saqammeme International Council for Bird Preservation, 219c Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 ODL, U.K. This is a very well produced book containing 15 papers which were pre- sented at.a Workshop and Symposium on Tropical Forest Bird Conserya- tion organized by the ICBP at Cambridge in August 1982. After the in- troductory matter there are three papers under the heading 'Global Perspectives', then six on New World forest birds and six covering birds of Old World forests - unfortunately only three of them Afro- tropical (Thiollay: The West African forest avifauna; a review; Stuart Stuart: Rare forest birds and their conservation in eastern Africa; and Dowsett: The conservation of tropical forest birds in central and southern Africa). It should be noted that this ICBP meeting clashed with the 6th Pan-African Ornithological Congress held in Malawi, which was a great pity. The final section of the book is on the Workshop Proceedings and it contains a paper by Prigogine on the conservation of the avifauna of the forests of the Albertine rift. The main value of the book is that it gives an up-to-date review of the subject, with the unfortunate omission of Madagascar but this will be covered in the forthcoming Red Data Book on Madagascar birds. G.C. Backhurst Any reference cited should be listed at the end of the contribution following the form used in this issue. Names of periodicals must be given in full and, in the case of books, the town of publication and the publisher should be given. A number of works, which are cited frequently, should not be listed under ‘References’; the name(s) of the author(s) and date(s) of publication should be given in the text in the normal way. All contributions, which will be acknowledged, should be sent to the Editor, G.C. Backhurst, Box 24702, Nairobi. WORKS WHICH SHOULD NOT BE LISTED UNDER ‘REFERENCES’ BACKHURST, G.C., BRITTON, P.L. & MANN, C.F. 1973. The less common Palaearctic migrant birds of Kenya and Tanzania. Journal of the East Africa Natural History Society and National Museum 140: 1-38, = Backhurst et al, 1973. BENSON, C.W., BROOKE, R.K., DOWSETT, R.J., IRWIN, M.P.S. 1971. The birds of Zambia. London: Collins, = Benson et al, 1971. BRITTON, P.L.(ed.) 1980. Birds of East Africa, their habitat, status and distribution. Nairobi: EANHS, = Britton 1980. BROWN, L.H. & BRITTON, P.L. 1980. The breeding seasons of East African birds, Nairobi: EANHS, = Brown & Britton 1980, BROWN, L.H., URBAN, E.K. & NEWMAN, K. 1982. The birds of Africa. Vol. 1. London and New York: Academic Press, = Brown et al, 1982. HALL, B.P. & MOREAU, R.E. 1970. An atlas of speciation in African Passerine birds. London: British Museum (Nat. Hist.), = Hall & Moreau 1970. JACKSON, F.J. 1938. The birds of Kenya Colony and the Uganda Protectorate. 3 vols. London: Gurney & Jackson, = Jackson 1938. MACKWORTH-PRAED, C.W. & GRANT, C.H.B. 1957 & 1960. African handbook of birds. Series I, Vols. 1 & 2; Birds of eastern and north eastern Africa. 2nd edition. London: Longmans Green & Co., = Mackworth-Praed & Grant 1957 and/or 1960. MOREAU, R.E. 1966. The bird faunas of Africa and its islands, London: Academic Press, = Moreau 1966. 1972. The Palaearctic-African bird migration systems, London: Academic Press, = Moreau 1972. SNOW, D.W. (ed.) 1978. An atlas of speciation in African Non-Passerine birds. London: British Museum (Nat. Hist.), = Snow 1978. EAST AFRICAN BIRD REPORT This forms the fifth issue of Scopus and each report covers one calendar year. Records of Afrotropical Region and Oceanic birds should be sent ot D.A. Turner, Box 48019, Nairobi; records of Palaearctic Region birds to Dr D.J. Pearson, Department of Biochemistry, University of Nairobi, Box 30197, Nairobi. Records should be sent in early in the new year to ensure the speedy production of the Bird Report. Reports of rare birds may be telephoned through to any OS-C member (numbers inside front cover) in the hope that the bird(s) may be seen by others. Criteria covering the submission of Bird Report records are given in Scopus Supplement, June 1982, copies of which are available from D.A. Turner. IC11 AMREF CONTENTS P.A. CLANCEY. Taxonomic notes on some birds from East Africa... 33 Short Communications D.J. PEARSON. Sightings of Long-toed Stints Calidris sub- minuta at Naivasha .. . . « . « « » « 0) eee HEINRICH SCHIEMANN. Red-necked Phalaropes Phalaropus lob- atus off the coast of Somalia and Kenya ...... 42 SUSAN M. TYZACK and O. VOLCERE. The Roseate Tern Sterna dougallii arideensis on Aride Island Seychelles: notes on the 1984 season . . . °. « @ oo sneer ECIS G. CLARKE. Notes on the Speckled Pigeon Columba guinea in NW Somalia . . 2.06 2s « © s @ (scp mmecnncnmennnC mney BRIAN A. RUTLEDGE. Mackinder's Eagle Owl feeding on bats . 49 JENNIFER F.M. HORNE and LESTER L. SHORT. Roosting behav- our of Red=faced Crombec 5. = 1) scmcmcnmcune nn ennCnn IEEE E. GWINNER. Sting-removal from bees by White-eyed Slaty Flycatchers Melaenornis chocolatina ..... 51 G. CLARKE. A weaver roost at Haxgeisa, Somalitaniu:-memn ee N.R. FUGGLES-COUCHMAN. Birds visiting a recently filled dam in Tanzania . . i's 6 <°s © © s 6 Suey! New OSC Publications . « . . « 2 «© « © «© «© 6 ow 0 6) en CnmsinntCHnNCnmCCmmEECHO Contents of Malimbus 7(2)) October 1985). 2 se) cree ncn ment Letter (from Dr Adrian D. Lewis)! 2 5 5 os) cnc ne mtn nC EO) RevieW . < 6 6 © © 6 @ @ © 8 & wee eee 4 we) ve el Senn arene nn Printed in Kenya by AMREF, Box 30125, Nairobi 2) fon Ay en ee LON 0250-4162 3343 “SANTHSON icds A quarterly publication of the Ornithological Sub-Committee East African Natural History Society Edited by Graeme Backhurst Volume 10(3/4) December 1986 SCOPUS | Scopus is normally published five times a year (although issues may be combined to alloy for long papers) by the Ornithological Sub-Committee of the East African Natural Histor Society. Subscriptions are payable to the OS-C Hon Treasurer (and Secretary), D.A. Turne / [tel, 48772] , Scopus a/c, Box 48019, Nairobi, Kenya, at the following rates: c East African residents: KShs 100.00 (KShs 107.50 up-country). Overseas, surface mail: Stg£6.00, US$12.00 or equivalent in convertible currency. . Drafts in Kenya currency cannot be accepted. Overseas, air mail: Stg£7.50, US$15.00 or equivalent in convertible currency. {t Drafts in Kenya currency cannot be accepted. c Overseas rates apply to all countries other than Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Thos ; wishing to remit by bank transfer should do so to D.A. Turner, Scopus a/c No. 285260: 5 Barclays Bank of Kenya Ltd., Market Branch, Box 30018, Nairobi. é Other members of the Ornithological Sub-Committee u Dr D.J. Pearson (Chairman), Department of Biochemistry, University of Nairobi, Bo. E 30197, Nairobi; bouse tel, 47041 a G.C. Backhurst (Editor of Scopus and Ringing Organizer, Box 24702, Nairobi; house tei c 891419, office tel, 500508, 501301 U N.E. Baker, Dar es Salaam; Dr Margaret Carswell, Kampala; M.A.C. Coverdale, Nakuru J.H. Fanshawe, U.K.; Mrs Cecilia Gichuki, Nairobi; Dr K.M. Howell, Dar es Salaam; Dr W Karanja, Nairobi; Dr A.D. Lewis, Nairobi; B.S. Meadows, U.K.; Dr D.E. Pomeroy, Kampala J.F. Reynolds, U.K.; D.K. Richards, Nairobi; T. Stevenson, Baringo and Nairobi. NOTES FOR CONTRIBUTORS Scopus welcomes original contributions in English on all aspects of the ornithology o . eastern Africa. Contributions will be assessed by the members of the OS-C and/or b' 1, independent referees. The material published in Scopus is divided into ‘papers’ and ‘shor a communications’, the latter will usually be less than two pages in length, Authors of ‘paper; a are entitled to five copies of their contribution gratis. Extra copies, which will be supplie £ at cost, must be ordered when the MS is submitted. y Contributions should be typed in 1% or double spacing on one side of the paper only $ with wide margins all round, and should be submitted in duplicate. Exceptionally cles , hand-written MSS will be considered but these too should be sent in duplicate. Both Englis 7 and scientific names of birds should be given when the species is first mentioned, thereafti s only one should be used; they should be those of Birds of East Africa unless the speciN does not occur in that work. ; Tables, which should be numbered, should appear in the typescript, NOT grouped « a separate een at the end. Metric units should be used. Illustrations should be on good quality white paper, bristol board or tracing material, line, and should not be larger than 19 x 23 cm. Lettering (in black) will be the reopened s of the author and should be done neatly in Letraset (or similar), no larger than 14 pot! (3.9 mm). Each illustration should be numbered (Fig. 1, etc.) and be provided with a leger) nr ra et ae te he | ton be Concdered Scopus 10 (3/4), December 1986 61 THE LESS COMMON PALAEARCTIC MIGRANT BIRDS OF UGANDA Dewey Vaan son wands DLA. Tu rime r ( ‘Although Britton (1980) mentions the status of species known to have occurred in Uganda up to 1978, there has been no full review of Palaearctic migrant visitors to that country since Jackson (1938). Modern occurrences of interest have been documented in publications ‘such as Mann (1971, 1973, 1976), Pearson (1972ab), Rolfe & Pearson (1973) and Carswell (1986) and Uganda has been covered since 1977 by ‘the East African Bird Report. However, there are still many records of the less common migrants, notably for the period 1963-1973 (when the country had a number of active resident ornithologists), which have never been properly published. This review, a complement to the work of Backhurst, Britton & Mann (1973) on Kenya and Tanzania, is intended to rectify the situation. We deal fully here with any Palaearctic species whose status is uncertain, or uncommon to vagrant, in Uganda as a whole or ina substantial part of it. These are all species which we feel that an active observer would be unlikely to encounter in the areas concerned more than a few times a year. We accept 78 species in this ‘less ‘common’ category. Forty-five more migrants are known to occur in Uganda more commonly, and for completeness these are listed in the Appendix together with brief details of their occurrence and distri- bution. For many sight records, it has not proved possible after the elapse of fifteen years or more to obtain full substantiating details. In assessing such records we have often therefore had to rely heavily on our own knowledge or on independent reports concerning the reliability of the observer. The great majority of post-1960 records we have traced do in fact come from observers well known to one or other of us. Unless there is mention of a specimen or of capture for ringing it can be assumed that records given are sight records. We have been cautious, however, in admitting species to the Uganda list on the basis of unsubstantiated sight records alone. Mention is included of a number of interesting wader observations from Entebbe reported anonymously in the Annual Report of the Game and Fisheries Department for 1950, and apparently due to W.J. Eggeling. Mention of 'Jackson' refers to his three-volumed work of 1938. SYSTEMATIC LIST Ixobrychus minutus minutus Little Bittern It is surprising that a Palaearetic bird known to occur widely in southern Africa (Clancey 1980) and to be common on passage along the Nile in Sudan (Chapin 1932) has been practically unrecorded in Uganda. A number were found in swamps on the Ibanda road, near Mbarara, during Jan-Feb 1970 (G.N. Harrington et al.). In addition Mann (1976) considered that 30+ in a small area in Teso district on 6 Nov 1966 Scopus 10: 61-82, December 1986 | 62 The less common Palaearctic migrant birds of Uganda were probably of this race. Ciconia nigra Black Stork There have been few records of this bird from Uganda, and it appears to be less regular than in Kenya. One ringed as a nestling at Krone, W Prussia (now Poland) 4 June 1934 was recovered at Pader Gem (E Acholi) on 28 Dec 1935 (Eggeling 1951). One was seen at Katwe on 15 Mar 1937 (anon 1937), one in Kidepo NP in Feb 1966 (A.P. Ziegler), one at Kajansi, near Kampala, from 24 Oct to 2 Nov 1969 (G. Low) and one at Namulonge, near Kampala, on 13 Dec 1971 (R.G. Passmore). Platalea leucorodia Eurasian Spoonbill Although common and regular in the Sudan to about 12 N (G. Nikolaus pers. comm.), this species appears to be no more than a vagrant visitor to Uganda, for which we have the following records: one on the Nile at Pakwach 15 Mar 1964 (Keith 1968); one near Mbarara 4 and 7 Jan 1970 (G.R. Harrington); a single at Kajansi 4 Jul, 31 Oct and 13 Nov-4 Dec 1982, and 18 Jan and 13 and 18 Mar 1983 (J.S. Ash, M.J. Carswell, A.B. Sheldon). Anas acuta Pintail Generally uncommon except in southwestern areas, where it regularly visits Rwenzori NP, and in Karamoja. Jackson mentions records from L. Ruakatenge (Ankole/Kigezi border) and L. Wamala (Mubende). Annual Reports of the Game and Fisheries Department for the period 1937-60 mention birds in Ankole and Kigezi, and also Karamoja, where hundreds occurred at times at Longorokipi during the 1950s. Parties were recorded annually in the Rwenzori NP from 1964-72 (max. count c250 on 10 Jan 1972; extremes Nov and early Apr) (Eltringham 1973, J.M. Lock et al.). Large flocks also occurred in Kabalega Falls NP in late Nov 1968 (A.P. Ziegler), and a few were wintering on dams near Moroto early in 1967 (per J.M. Lock). More recently, 70+ were present at Mabamba swamp, Entebbe, on 31 Jan 1982 (M.J. Carswell) and there are Jan-Feb records for 1982-83 of singles at Kajansi and Kampala, and up to six at Kibimba Rice Scheme (M.J. Carswell, J.S. Ash). Anas clypeata Shoveler An uncommon and irregular visitor, occurring in small numbers, mainly in the southwest and the northeast. The only locality given by Jackson is L. Wamala. Annual Reports of the Game and Fisheries Department for the period 1937-60 mention occasional birds in Ankole, Kigezi and Karamoja. Occurred most years from 1964-72 in the Rwenzori NP (max. count 20) between late Oct and Feb (Eltringham 1973, J.M. Lock, DAT, DJP). Otherwise, the only records we have are of one near Moroto early Mar 1967 (per J.M. Lock), a few Kabalega Falls NP on 9 Feb 1970 (DAT) and nine at Kibimba Rice Scheme on 10 Oct 1982 (M.J. Carswell). Anas crecca Teal A rare and irregular visitor. Jackson refers to records from the Toro Crater Lakes. Up to four were present on the hippo wallows, Rwenzori NP, from 16 Dec 1969 to 27 Feb 1970, with one on 14 Nov 1970, up to eight from 10 Dec 1970 to Feb 1971, and 1 on 16 Oct 1971 The less common Palaearctic migrant birds of Uganda 63 (Eltringham 1973, J.M. Lock, M.P-L. Fogden, DAT). In Kabalega Falls NP A.P. Ziegler recorded one at Buligi on 2 Jan 1970 and eight at Pamdero during Feb 1970. Anas penelope Wigeon A rare visitor known from two records in Rwenzori NP: a full plumaged male on 21 Feb 1967 (J.W. Mascher) and another on 5 Dec 1970 (M.P.L. Fogden). There are however older references to occurrences in Karamoja (anon. 1955). Aythya ferina Pochard A rare visitor, but perhaps more common formerly. There are speci- mens bearing Pitman's label in the Uganda Museum, taken at L. Nakivali (Ankole) on 13 Nov 1925 (a male and a female) and at L. Mugisha (= Kayumba) (Kigezi) on 27 Dec 1938 (two females) (M.J. Carswell in litt.). There are two recent records, both from the hippo wallows, Rwenzori NP: a female during Dec 1969 and up to four birds from 4 Dec 1970 to 25 Jan 1971 (Eltringham 1973, M.P.L. Fogden). Aythya fuligula Tufted Duck A rare to uncommon visitor. Jackson refers to birds at L. N'kungula (W Ankole) and a few at L. Kikorongo (Toro) in Feb, while Chapin (1932) mentions records about 1925 from Butiaba, L. Albert, and L. Chahafi (Kigezi/Rwanda border); Mann (1976) mentions a male collected at L. Bisina (Teso) on 29 Dec 1912. The only recent records are from Rwenzori NP: one on 1 Jan 1966, two in Dec 1969, one on 10 Feb 1970, up to five in Jan 1971! and four on 10 Jan 1972 Piste eroce. M-PE. Fogden, DJP, DAT). Aythya nyroca White-eyed Pochard Rare or vagrant. The only record is from Butiaba, L. Albert, where G.F. Archer shot one on 13 Nov 1901 (Jackson 1938). Accipiter brevipes Levant Sparrowhawk One was collected near the Achwa River, Parango, Lango, on 18 Mar 1929; specimen now in the British Museum (Pearson 1986). [Accipiter nisus Eurasian Sparrowhawk Listed for Kidepo Valley NP by Elliot (1972) but not discussed. This is perhaps an error. [Aquila clanga Greater Spotted Eagle Included for Uganda by Britton (1980) but we have been unable to obtain satisfactory substantiation from the observer. Aquila nipalensis Steppe Eagle Far scarcer than in Kenya, and the few records are all from the north and northeast. A.P. Ziegler (in litt.) observed Steppe Eagles in the Kabalega Falls NP, near Chobe, between late Dec and mid Mar 1969/70. DAT observed one in Kidepo Valley NP on 24-25 Mar 1970, and a few there on 13-14 Jan 1971 and 24-25 Mar 1972, while Mann (1971) records one near Mt Kadam (South Karamoja) in March 1967. Aquila pomarina Lesser Spotted Eagle First recorded only in 1969 but probably regular in small numbers, at least on passage. M.P.L. Fogden (in litt.) noted small groups of 64 The less common Palaearctic migrant birds of Uganda 4-12 on northward migration in Rwenzori NP during late Mar-early Apr in 1969, 1970 and 1971. Singles were recorded at Namulonge, near Kampala, on 19 Jan and 8 Oct 1971 (R.G. Passmore); a number were reported in the northern parks in early Feb 1976 (J.M. Thiollay); and recently, during 1983, J.S. Ash observed birds moving south with buzzards Buteo buteo at Entebbe on 9 Oct, and at Lwampanga SW of L. Kyoga on 11 Oct with two more on 13 Oct. Buteo rufinus Long-legged Buzzard This species apparently reaches Uganda in very small numbers. We have just four records: one picked up exhausted at Gulu on 2 Oct 1967 (J. Lindley); one Rwenzori NP 30 Dec 1968 (M.P.L. Fogden); two to three Kidepo Valley NP 24-25 Mar 1970 (DAT); and one Mt Kadam (South Karamoja) on 29 Dec 1971 (Rolfe & Pearson 1973). Circaaetus gallicus gallicus Short-toed Eagle White (1965) mentions its occurrence at Mt Elgon, but we are unable to trace this record. Our only records of Palaearctic Short-toed Eagles are of birds seen at very close range in Kidepo Valley NP, one on 11 Jan 1971 (DAT) and the other on 24 Dec 1971 (Rolfe & Pearson 1973). Hieraaetus pennatus Booted Eagle Apparently regular, but uncommon; a few winter but most records are of southward passage migrants. Jackson mentions only a single bird, at Mityana in Feb 1902. C.F. Mann (in litt.) recorded one at Tororo in Nov 1964, and J.G. Williams (pers. comm.) saw a few there in mid- Oct 1968. Rolfe & Pearson (1973) summarized a number of observations of up to three birds on the forested lower slopes of Elgon between 16 Oct 1971 and 3 Apr 1972. There are single records from Kabalega Falls NP late Dec 1969, 28 Nov 1971 and 21 Mar 1972 (A.P. Ziegler, DAT, G.S. Keith); Rwenzori NP early Apr 1970 (M.P.L. Fogden); Namulonge, near Kampala 8 Oct 1971 (R.G. Passmore); Gaba, near Kampala 17 Jan 1982 (M.J. Carswell); Nabiswera, W of L. Kyoga 11 Oct 1983 (J.S. Ash); Lwampanga, SW of Kyoga 13 Oct 1983 (J.S. Ash); and Entebbe 17 Oct 1983 (M.J. Carswell). A few were moving south with buzzards B. buteo on the northern slopes of Elgon on 9 Oct 1983 Cisse Ash) Pernis apivorus Honey Buzzard Probably a regular visitor, but generally uncommon and seldom recorded. Jackson mentions specimens taken in October and February and a bird which remained at Entebbe for two months early in 1901. We have the following recent records: one Soroti 21 Nov 1966 (Mann 1973); three flying NW over Budongo forest Apr 1967 (Mann 1973); one Entebbe 13 Dec 1969 (R. Frankum); one Kampala 22 Aug 1970 (R. Frankum) one Mukono 10 Mar 1971 (P. Hamel); and one Nabugabo, Masaka, 25 Oct 1983 iGesag Ash). Falco amurensis Eastern Red-footed Falcon Known from only three records: a female Kampala Apr 1965 (Mann 1973); a group of three Rwenzori NP Apr 1970 (M.P.L. Fogden); and two Kibimba 7-8 Dec 1985 (M.J. Carswell). The less common Palaearctic migrant birds of Uganda 65 Falco concolor Sooty Falcon Widespread in small parties in Kabalega Falls NP and the Masindi area during Apr 1967 (Mann 1973). Reported also from Madi Apr 1969 (J. Mackenzie-Grieve). [Falco eleonorae Eleonora's Falcon Recorded from Kidepo Valley NP by Britton (1980), but in the absence of sufficient substantiating detail we prefer not to include the Species on the Uganda list. [Falco vespertinus Red-footed Falcon Recorded from Moroto by Mann (1971) but until details are available we prefer not to include the species for Uganda. Falco naumanni Lesser Kestrel Jackson does not record this species for Uganda, and it certainly occurs much less commonly and in smaller numbers than in Kenya, mainly in the drier north and east. It is everywhere greatly out- numbered by migrant Common Kestrels Falco tinnunculus. We have records from the north and east of up to 10 together, mid Oct to early Apr, localities including Kabalega Falls NP, Gulu, Kidepo Valley NP, South Karamoja, Teso District, Tororo and Kibimba (Busoga). Elsewhere, three were seen near Mbarara in Feb 1967 (DJP), and a few in Rwenzori NP Oct 1969 (M.P.L. Fogden) and near Kampala during early-mid Mar 1971 (R.G. Passmore). Coturnix coturnix coturnix Common Quail Stoneham (1926) stated that this was a common migrant at Kitgum in the winter months. We have examined a British Museum specimen collected at Entebbe on 2 Feb 1902, and confirm that this is of the nominate race. Crex crex Corncrake Jackson knew this species as a passage bird at Entebbe in Nov and Feb-Mar. There are also specimens in the British Museum from Ankole in Nov 1903 and Mubende in May 1908. First arrival in the Entebbe area in 1950 was reported as 18 Nov (anon 1950). We know of no recent Ugandan records. Porzana parva Little Crake G.F. Archer "collected four, lost one and saw two others" in a small group at Kitiaba, L. Albert, in early Dec 1901 (Jackson). There also exists in the British Museum an old undated specimen collected by R.B. Sharpe, and simply labelled ‘Uganda’. There have been no recent records. Porzana porzana Spotted Crake There are but three Uganda records, all of single birds: from Kampala (the Kabaka's lake) 8 Dec 1899 (specimen in Nairobi Museum); from Karamoja (site unknown) 14 May 1931 (also in Nairobi Museum); and a Sight record from Awoja (Teso) late Nov 1967 (Mann 1976). Burhinus oe€dicnemus Stone Curlew This species was not recorded for Uganda by Jackson, but there are several recent records from the north: one West Nile Feb 1969 66 The less common Palaearctic migrant birds of Uganda (J. Mackenzie-Grieve); three or four near Moroto 21 Mar 1969 (DAT); and a flock of about 30 Kidepo Valley NP, 6-9 Jan 1970 (A.P. Zeigler). Zeigler (in litt.) also comments that R. Wheater (then Warden) reported that it occurred in small numbers in most years in the Kabalega Falls NP in the mid-1960s. Haematopus ostralegus Oystercatcher One reported from Entebbe on 21 Mar 1915 (Meinertzhagen 1922) appears to be the sole acceptable record. The species is also listed for ~Rwenzond NEAbya Mas Locks Gimme ea) mancieMeypralee en (Gian tisicie’.)) but no details of this record can be ‘traced. [Charadrius alexandrinus Kentish Plover One was claimed at Entebbe on 16 Mar 1950 (anon 1950), but in the absence of full details this cannot be included on the Uganda list. Charadrius dubius Little Ringed Plover Now an uncommon to rare visitor. Jackson mentions records from L. Albert in Nov and Dec, Entebbe in Dec and the Agua (= Agogo) River (Acholi) in Feb. Recorded in Entebbe in 1950 up to Mar and from mid Nov with six caught and ringed and a maximum of 35 present in Dec (anon 1950). More recently, only single birds have been seen, all in the Kabalega Falls NP, on 18 Nov 1965, 21 Sep 1970, 15 Jan 1972 and 2)lMar i972 iGieMes lock eDAm) Charadrius leschenaultii Great Sandplover There is a single record of a bird at Entebbe airport on 25 Sep 1966 (Pearson 1972a). Charadrius mongolus Mongolian Sandplover There is a single record of two birds in Rwenzori NP on 16 Jan 1969 (M.P.L. Fogden). Pluvialis squatarola Grey Plover Jackson mentions one collected at Butiaba in Nov. There are recent sightings from Entebbe: one on 16-17 Apr 1966 (DJP), one 12 Mar 1983 and 24 July 1983 (M.J. Carswell, J.S. Ash) and two jon) Z20;Auegigoe (Is So Asin)). Numenius phaeopus Whimbrel Small numbers occur regularly at L. Victoria, and perhaps L. Albert, with most records during southward migration. Jackson states that it regularly visits the Entebbe area in Sep and Feb. In 1950 it was recorded here each month, with up to 6-8 in Aug (anon 1950), while during 1966-68 DJP saw single birds here in all months Sep-Mar, and during 1983-84 J.-S: Ash found up to ‘three during Jan, Mar. peem ea and Oct. R. Wheater (in litt.) listed Whimbrel as a rare visitor to Kabalega Falls NP in Sep, Oct and Jan, and DAT saw one in Butiaba, L. Albert, on 8 Sep 1964. Finally, one was seen at Kibimba Rice Scheme (Busoga) on 18 Oct 1983, and a party of six at Katwe, Rwenzori NP on 11 Nov 1983 (D.E. Pomeroy). Numenius arquata Curlew Jackson mentions a Nov sighting at Butiaba by G.F. Archer. One was reported at Entebbe on 2 Aug 1935 (anon 1935), and one present there 17 July to 6 Aug 1950 was caught and ringed, as was one of two The less common Palaearctic migrant birds of Uganda 67 present 27-28 Aug the same year (anon 1950). More recently, A.P. Zeigler (in litt.) and R. Wheater (in litt.) recorded it in the mid 1960s as a rare visitor to Kabalega Falls NP in Oct and Apr, and DAT saw one there on 7 Aug 19/70. Tringa totanus Redshank The only satisfactory records are from Rwenzori NP. It was seen there regularly in small numbers (max. 3), especially in Katwe Bay, during 1964-71, with extreme dates 29 Aug-25 Mar (J.M. Lock, M.P.L. Fogden, DJP). Tringa erythropus Spotted Redshank Now an uncommon but regular visitor to some localities in the south. The first records were from Rwenzori NP, where it occurred annually during Nov-Apr from 1964-72 (max. 12)(J.M. Lock, M.P.L. Fogden, DJP). Since 1966 there have been eight records of up to four birds near Kampala dated 16 Jan to 12 Mar (DJP, M.J. Carswell, Mann 1971), and single birds in northern Mengo district on 3 Feb and in Kabalega Falls NP on 10 Jan (DAT). Up to eight were recorded at Kibimba Rice Scheme between 5 Dec 1982 and 20 Feb 1983 (M.J. Carswell). Xenus cinereus Terek Sandpiper We have several records, mostly of single autumn birds: one Damba Is, L. Victoria, 26 Jan 1937 (anon 1937); 1-2 Entebbe 14 Aug to 4 Oct 1950 (1 ringed) and 1-2 28 Oct to 4 Dec of the same year (anon 1950); 1 Kabalega Falls NP 27 Nov 1966 (J.H. Phillips); and another 14 Sep 1971 (DAT); one Entebbe 30 Sep to 7 Oct 1967 (DJP, J.M. Lock); one Rwenzori NP 9-12 Oct 1970 (M.P.L. Fogden); and one Kibimba Rice Scheme 18-19 Oct-1983 (J.S. Ash). Gallinago media Great Snipe Formerly well-known on southward passage, and apparently still locally common and regular in autumn in the southwest. Jackson refers to Nov-Dec records from Entebbe, Basujju (Mubende), Bukakata (Masaka), Butiaba on L. Albert and L. Ruaketenge (Ankole/Kigezi border). Mann (1976) mentions a bird taken at Kumi (Teso) on 10 Nov 1913. More recently A.P. Zeigler (in litt.) found parties in early Nov 1967 in Kabalega Falls NP (one was collected to confirm identification), and the species was found commonly at Mbarara during Nov in 1969, 1970 and 1971, with no less than 44 caught and ringed in 1970 (G.N. Harrington et al.). It is clearly scarce in autumn in Rwenzori NP, for M.P.L. Fogden (in litt.) recorded only a single bird in three years, and there are but two reports from Kampala, singles on 12 Dec 1966 (DJP) and in Jan 1970 (S & H Tompkins). A bird at Kabalega Falls NP on 1-2 Feb 1970 (Zeigler) was presumably wintering. The only spring records are from Entebbe, where DJP saw parties totalling 17+ flying north in rainy conditions on 23 Apr 1967, and from Kabalega Falls NP where Zeigler found one on 22 Apr 1968. Lymnocryptes minimus Jack Snipe G.F. Archer found considerable numbers and shot at least ten in a small marsh at Butiaba between 6 and 10 Dec 1901, and T.V. Fox collected one at Kumi (Teso) on 24 Nov 1913 (Jackson 1938). One was also reported shot in Ankole on 18 Nov 1949 (anon 1949). More 68 The less common Palaearctic migrant birds of Uganda recently, C.F. Mann (in litt.) saw one at Tororo on 9 Oct 1967, and M.P.L. Fogden (in litt.) encountered the species on some fifteen to twenty occasions in Rwenzori NP during 1969-71 (dates not available). Calidris alpina Dunlin The only acceptable record is of a bird in breeding plumage in Rwenzori NP in Apr 1971 (M.P.L. Fogden, D.A. Scott). Calidris temminckii Temminck's Stint Jackson gives only two records, from Butiaba on 3 Nov and from L. Karenga (Ankole) on 12 Dec 1910, but up to eleven were reported at Entebbe between 16 Nov and 4 Dec 1950 when four were caught and ringed (anon 1950). This species now appears to occur regularly in small numbers. Up to five were seen annually in Rwenzori NP between 1964 and 1971, extreme dates 29 Aug and 13 Mar (J.N. Lock, M.P.L. Fogden), and DAT found singles in Kabalega Falls NP on 10 Jan and 29 Nov 1971. In the Kampala/Entebbe area single birds were seen at Kajansi on 29 Jan 1968 (DJP) and on 31 Jan and 18 Feb 1971 (R. Frankum, R.G. Passmore, P. Hamel), and at Namulonge on 29 Nov 1970 (R. Frankum, R.G. Passmore). Recently, small numbers have again been recorded at Kajansi from 23 Jan to 8 May 1982 (max. 10) and from 13 Nov 1982 to 16 Apr 1983 (max. 8), with three also at Entebbe on 31 Jan 1982 and two on 9 May 1982 and 19 Feb 1983 (M.J. Carswell SiGe Ash Calidris alba Sanderling An uncommon visitor which has occurred only during the southward passage period. G.F. Archer collected two, at Butiaba, on 10 and 15 Nov 1901 (Jackson). We have the following recent records: two Entebbe 7 Sep and one 14 Sep 1967 (DJP); one Kabalega Falls NP 10 Sep 1968 (DAT); one Kaazi, near Kampala, 26 Oct 1970 (R. Frankum); . one Entebbe 4 and 6 Oct 1983 (J.S. Ash). Limicola falcinellus Broad-billed Sandpiper One collected in Rwenzori NP by J.M. Lock on 28 Feb 1964 is now in Nairobi Museum. Another was seen at the same site on 12-13 Oct 1970 (MBs Hogden) Limosa limosa Black-tailed Godwit The Annual Report of the Game and Fisheries Department for 1949 mentions a bird on the L. Albert shore at Butiaba on 14 Dec (anon 1949). The species was also listed as having occurred in both the Rwenzori NP and the Kabalega Falls NP in the early 1960s, but we cannot trace the details. One was seen in Rwenzori NP on 2 Oct 19/0 (M.P.L. Fogden), while a party of 15-20 occurred in Kabalega Falls NP on 15 Jan 1972 (DAT), and one at Mabamba swamp, Entebbe, on 2/7 Nov 1975 (Carswell 1977). Recent records of up to six at Mabamba 19 Sep- 15 Nov 1982, six there on 18 Oct 1983 and 21 on 8 Nov 1983 (M.J. Carswell), eight in Rwenzori NP on 30 Dec 1982 (A.B. Sheldon) and one at Entebbe on 5 Jan 1984 (J.S. Ash) would suggest that this is now a more regular visitor. [Limosa lapponica Bar-tailed Godwit There is a report of one at Entebbe on 29 Oct 1950, but no substan- tiating details are available (anon 1950). The less common Palaearctic migrant birds of Uganda 69 Arenaria interpres Turnstone An uncommon visitor, recorded only during the southward passage period. Jackson mentions an Oct bird on Sagitu Is., L. Victoria, and two at Entebbe on 29 Sep. R. Wheater (in litt.) saw birds at Kabalega Falls NP during the 1960s in Sep, Nov and Dec, and singles were present at Entebbe on 18 Sep 1966 (DJP), in Rwenzori NP in Dec 1969 (M.P.L. Fogden), and on Mayinja Is., L. Victoria, on 24 Oct 1982 (M.J. Carswell). During 1983, two were seen at Entebbe Oneo Octeand another on 14 Oct, and one at Butiaba on 12 Oct (J.S. Ash). Phalaropus lobatus Red-necked Phalarope One collected in Rwenzori NP by J.M. Lock on 14 Sep 1964 is in the Nairobi Museum. Four more were at the same site from 7 to 21 Jan 1971 (M.P.L. Fogden). Glareola nordmanni Black-winged Pratincole _ Although Jackson had no records for Uganda, the following recent records suggest that this species may occur regularly on spring passage in the west: c200 by the White Nile, Kabalega Falls NP, 10 Apr 1966 (DJP); c500 heading northwest over Chobe, Kabalega Falls NP, 2 Apr 1968 (A.P. Zeigler); a few Chobe 20 Apr 1969 (Zeigler); ct0OO Rwenzori NP 12 Apr 1970 (Zeigler). One (perhaps more) was also present in Kabalega Falls NP on 5 Oct 1970 (DAT). The Black-winged Pratincole crosses the Sudan and eastern Zaire en route to and from the main winter quarters in southwestern Africa (Chapin 1939, Cramp & Simmons 1983). Seth-Smith's specimens. and records of large numbers in mid-Apr in northern Uganda (van Someren 1922) were from Gondokoro, a place now in the Sudan. From Kenya there are only a few passage records, all of single birds or small groups. Larus argentatus Herring Gull Reported at Entebbe, but without details, in 1950, with two (adult and immature) on 6-8 Aug and singles occasionally up to 28 Oct (anon 1950). An adult was seen at Entebbe on 5 Mar 1972 (Frankum 1972) and a party of five on 21 Oct 1984 (M.J. Carswell). These were all grey-backed birds. Larus ichthyaetus Great Black-headed Gull The only record remains that of a first summer bird, which remained around Entebbe airport from 16 Apr to 25 Sep 1966 (Pearson 1971, Mann 1971). Larus ridibundus Black-headed Gull During 1971-72, at the time of the first major influx into Kenya and Tanzania, the species was recorded in Uganda as follows: one in breeding plumage near Kampala on 28 Mar 1971 (R. Frankum); an immature Kabalega Falls NP on 29 Nov 1971 (DAT, G.S. Keith); and two second-year birds L. Bisina (Teso) 31 Dec 1971-1 Jan 1972 (Rolfe & Pearson 1973). More recently, singles have been reported at Jinja on 20 Feb 1983 and at Entebbe on 10 and 12 Dec 1983 (J.S. Ash); also at Katwe, Rwenzori NP, on 13 Nov 1984 (D.E. Pomeroy). 70 The less common Palaearctic migrant birds of Uganda Sterna hirundo Common Tern First recorded in 1983, when Ash (1985) found an adult at Entebbe on 25 Apr and a first year bird there on 13 Jun. Otus scops Scops Owl Jackson refers to Palaearctic birds collected at Mpumu on 20 Mar 1911 and at Kyetema, L. Victoria, in Jan. The former specimen is in the British Museum (Nat. Hist.). We know of no satisfactory recent records. Caprimulgus europaeus Eurasian Nightjar Jackson mentions specimens from Entebbe, Butiaba and Ruchiga (Kigezi), all during Oct-Dec. The first arrival at Entebbe in 1950 is given as 2 Oct and said to be "early" (anon 1950). Again, we know of no recent records, and this species must be far scarcer than in neighbouring Kenya. Streptopelia turtur Turtle Dove First recorded in 1983, when J.S. Ash (1985) saw groups of up to five at Entebbe between 9 Oct and 6 Nov, with a minimum of seven indivi- duals involved, and also found another bird at Kibimba (Busoga) on 8 Nov. Apus melba melba Alpine Swift The wintering range of the Palaearctic race should taclde much of western Uganda, but the only specimen assignable to this form is a bird collected in the Rwenzoris in Feb (Lack 1956). A.P. Zeigler (in litt.) recorded hundreds and occasionally thousands of Alpine Swifts travelling north with Eurasian Swifts A. apus in Kabalega Falls NP between 28 Jan and 2 Apr in 1968 and 1969, and these could well have included Palaearctic birds. Apus pallidus Pallid Swift A bird collected at Moroto in Jan was assigned to the race brehmorum (Lack 1956). This represents the only Uganda and East African record. Coracias garrulus Eurasian Roller Far less common than in neighbouring Kenya, and occurring mainly as a southward passage bird, it occurs regularly in the Kabalega Falls NP, extreme dates 22 Oct and 15 Jan, and in the Kampala/Entebbe area 10 Oct to 26 Dec (max. 10). There are also Oct-Dec records from West Nile, Rwenzori NP, Kigezi, Teso, Kibimba (Busoga), Mpumu and Nkosi Is, L. Victoria. The only spring records are from Entebbe on 31 Mar 1968 and 9 Apr 1983 (J.S. Ash, M.J. Carswell, DJP; DAT, A.P. Zeigler). Upopa epops epops Hoopoe Jackson regarded the Palaearctic race as regular but rare. It occurs mainly in dry country in the north. A.P. Zeigler (in litt.) found it not uncommon in the northern parks from Jan to Apr. Stoneham (1928) collected a bird of this race at Kitgum in Jan and believed that he saw others. Jynx torquilla Wryneck There are five substantiated records of the Wryneck from Uganda: one collected by W. Lowe at Palabek (Acholi) 24 Feb 1913, now in the The less common Palaearctic migrant birds of Uganda 71 British Museum; one collected by R. Meinertzhagen at Entebbe 21 Oct 1915, also in the British Museum; one seen Kidepo Valley NP 11 Jan 1967 (A.P. Zeigler); one to two present Soroti Feb-Mar 1967 (Mann 1976); and one caught and ringed Kachong'a (Bukedi) 3 Mar 1971 and there retrapped three days later (Rolfe & Pearson 1973). The Entebbe bird shows the characters of the Corsican race tchusii. Oriolus oriolus Golden Oriole Apparently much less common than in Kenya, and recorded mainly on passage during Oct-Nov and Mar-Apr. Jackson gave Teso District, Mpumu and Entebbe as localities, while van Someren (1922) mentions Elgon, and Chapin adds Kigezi. Stoneham (1931) collected it at Kitgum in Nov and Apr. Recent recurds are of single birds and small parties in the Kampala/Entebbe area, mid Oct-mid Nov and Mar; in the Mbarara area mid Nov-Apr with some overwintering in 1969-70; in the Rwenzori NP on both southward (mainly mid Nov) and northward passages; in “\ahalega Falls NP in late Oct, Jan and early Apr; around L. Kyoga in Oct; in Acholi in late Mar; and in Kidepo Valley NP in Apr (M.J. Carswell, G.R. Harrington, M.P.L. Fogden, A.P. Zeteler. J.5. Ash, DAT, DJP). Cercotrichas galactotes Rufous Bush Chat The only record is of a bird seen by A.P. Zeigler in Kidepo Valley NP on the early date of 16 Oct 1969. This sighting was supported by a full description (see Rolfe & Pearson 1973) and undoubtedly refers to the Palaearctic race. [Luscinia luscinia Sprosser Although Vaurie (1959) mentions this species as occurring in Uganda, we have not been able to trace the record. We know of no recent occurrence. Luscinia megarhynchos Nightingale An uncommon visitor, but found in some numbers at L. Kyoga where it is probably regular. There are specimens from Mpumu in the British Museum dated 3 Dec 1914 and 3 Jan 1915, both nominate birds. Jackson also mentions recording it at Butiaba in Nov. More recently, Rolfe & Pearson (1973) found this species wintering commonly on the eastern shore of L. Kyoga, and also recorded it in Nov 1971 and Jan 1972 at L. Bisina (Teso). DJP had five records from the Kampala/Entebbe area during 1966-68, dated Nov-Jan; of three netted, two were nominate birds, but one at Kaazi on 9 Nov 1967 was of the eastern race hafizi (Pearson 1972a). The only other records we have are of Singles along the Nile during Feb and Mar, in Kabalega Falls NP and West Nile. Monticola saxatilis Rock Thrush A locally common and regular visitor between Nov and Mar to Karamoja, Teso and Bukedi. Further west, Jackson gives West Nile, Nakasongola (northern Mengo), Entebbe and Mbarara as localities. We have recent records from Arua in Jan 1968 (J. Mackenzie-Grieve); the Gulu area 16 Jan to 26 Mar and 29 Nov 1967 (J. Lindley); and Kabalega Falls NP where A.P. Zeigler (in litt.) and R. Wheater (in litt.) saw a few each year 1967-69, extreme dates 3 Dec and 14 Mar. Single birds U7 The less common Palaearctic migrant birds of Uganda were also seen in the Kampala/Entebbe area 18-28 Dec 1970, 10-17 Jan 1971, 8 Dec 1983 and 7 Jan 1984 (R.G. Passmore, J.S. Ash), and in Rwenzori NP around 1970 (M.P.L. Fogden). Phoenicurus phoenicurus Redstart A locally common and regular visitor between Nov and Mar south to Kabalega Falls NP, L. Kyoga and Tororo. Further south, Jackson lists Mbarara and Entebbe as localities. More recently, one was seen at Kaazi on 29 Jan 1967 (DJP) and one at Rwenzori NP on 3 Dec 1969 (M.P.L. Fogden), while several were present near Mbarara from 7 Nov to 21 Mar 1969/70 and from 14 Nov to 4 Apr 1970/71 (G.R. Harrington et al.). Oenanthe pleschanka Pied Wheatear A locally common to abundant visitor to Karamoja and Teso, with small numbers south to Mbale and Tororo. It was seen occasionally in the late 1960s around Gulu and in the Kabalega Falls NP between Dec and Feb (J. Lindley, A.P. Zeigler, DAT). Recorded in the south and south- west at Bugiri (Busoga) on 5 Mar 1968 (DJP, J.H. Phillips), at Kampala on 13 Dec 1971 (R.G. Passmore), three or four times in Rwenzori NP in 1969-71 (M.P.L. Fogden) and near Layontonde (Masaka) on 12 Dec 1983 (J.S. Ash). Acrocephalus griseldis Basra Reed Warbler Known in Uganda from three records: one caught and ringed at Gaba, near Kampala on 13 Nov 1966, and another on 25 Nov 1967 (Pearson 1972b)3; one seen about 30km E of Serere (Teso) on 20 Nov 1983 (J.S. Ash). Acrocephalus palustris Marsh Warbler Jackson mentions birds collected at Masindi in Nov and at Mbarara in Feb. However, unless specimens can be located and examined, these records need to be regarded with caution. Reed Warblers A. scirpaceus occur quite commonly in Uganda, and specimens of this species have frequently been misidentified in the past as Marsh Warblers. Five Marsh Warblers were caught at Gaba, near Kampala, between 19 Nov and 2 Dec 1967 (Pearson 1972a), one of which is now in Nairobi Museum. Despite extensive netting over three seasons, M.P.L. Fogden did not detect this species in Rwenzori NP. Hippolais icterina Icterine Warbler Probably a regular passage bird in small numbers, but there are rather few records. Jackson mentions a bird at Entebbe on 29 Sep 1916, and there are specimens in the British Museum from 'Kibusi' (Lango) 31 Mar 1910 and Nyakabande (Kigezi) 26 Oct 1933. More recently, during 1969-71, M.P.L. Fogden (in litt.) found small numbers regularly on Oct-Nov and Apr passage in Acacias in the crater area of Rwenzori NP. Other records are: one wintering and singing in a Kampala garden Dec 1965 to Mar 1966, and again Nov 1966 to Feb 1967 and Dec 1967 to Mar 1968 (DJP); another bird Kampala 18 Mar 1966 and one to two more 1-5 Apr 1966 (DJP); one Awoja (Teso) 6 Nov 1966 (Mann 1976); one Entebbe 7 Oct 1967 (DJP); one Kabalega Falls NP 27 Oct 1968 (A.P. Zeigler); one Kachong'a (Bukedi) 30 Mar 1971 (J.G. Rolfe, DJP); one singing Kampala 30 Nov 1971 (R. Frankum); and one Mukono 26 Mar 1972 (per M.J. Carswell). The less common Palaearctic migrant birds of Uganda 73 Hippolais languida Upcher's Warbler The only satisfactory records are from the southeast: one caught and ringed Kachong'a (Bukedi) 20 Mar 1971 and another seen at the same site 30 Mar 1971 (J.G. Rolfe); one caught and ringed L. Bisina (Teso) MuMaeoy eCleGe Rolfe); another seen L. Bisina 2 Apr 1972 (J.G. Rolfe, DJP). Locustella fluviatilis River Warbler The only record is of a bird netted and collected at Mweya, Rwenzori NP on 24 Nov 1970 (M.P.L. Fogden). Sylvia nisoria Barred Warbler . Jackson mentions only a single occurrence in Uganda, a bird recorded by G.F. Archer at Butiaba on 30 Nov 1901. Recent records are as follows: up to three Gaba, near Kampala, 11 Dec 1966 to 15 Jan 1967, and up to three again 23 Nov to 3 Dec 1967 (DJP); singles Entebbe 26 Mar and 9 Apr 1967, and up to three there 19-24 Dec 1967 (DJP); one Kabalega Falls NP 21 Dec 1968 (A.P. Zeigler); singles Tororo 20 Mar and 5 Nov 1971, Kachong'a (Bukedi) 29 Mar 1971 and L. Bisina (Teso) 28 Nov 1971, and at least four L. Bisina 30 Mar 1971 (Rolfe & Pearson 1973); one Entebbe 6 Nov 1983 (J.S. Ash). Sylvia communis Whitethroat A regular and locally common winter visitor to south Karamoja, Teso and Bukedi from Nov to early Apr. Elsewhere there are only a few records, as follows: one collected at Parosa (Lango) 16 Feb 1910; eight birds (six caught and ringed) in the Kampala/Entebbe area 1966- 68 between 19 Nov and 9 Feb (DJP); another at Entebbe 25 Dec 1971 (R. Frankum); one Gaba 21 Apr 1978 and one Entebbe 4 Dec 1982 (M.J. Carswell). There are no records from the west. The great majority of Uganda birds are referable to the eastern race icterops or volgensis. Phylloscopus collybita Chiffchaff Jackson gives possible records from Mubende on 30 Mar and Entebbe on 2 Oct; the latter would represent a very early date for this species in tropical Africa. Sight records from Kampala are also listed for 13 Feb and 23 Feb 1970 (Uganda Journal Bird Newsletter) but without supporting details, and in view of the variety of plumage and leg colours encountered in Willow Warblers P. trochilus in East Africa, it seems best to treat these with caution. Rolfe & Pearson (1973) netted two Chiffchaffs (race abietinus and observed another in bush on the southern shore of L. Bisina (Teso), alt. 1000m, on 19 Dec 1971. These were presumably on passage to wintering grounds on Mt Elgon or Mt Kadam. Between 20 Dec 1971 and mid Mar 197] the species was found to be fairly common in the Cheptui and Chebonnet valleys of NW Elgon, mainly at 2500- 3000m, and one was seen on NE Elgon in the heath zone at 4000m near the Kenya border. There appear to be no records from the Rwenzoris. Phylloscopus sibilatrix Wood Warbler Jackson refers to records from Mpumu on 26 Feb 1912 and from Nkosi Is., L. Victoria, 12 Dec 1929. Both specimens are in the British Museum. The latter was collected by C.R.S. Pitman who recorded others present at the time. Recent records are as follows: one Gulu 74 The less common Palaearctic migrant birds of Uganda 12 Nov 1967 (J. Lindley); birds collected Impenetrable Forest 2 and 4 Apr 1967 (Keith et al. 1968); one collected Malabigambo Forest (Masaka) 13 Feb 1968 (Friedmann & Williams 1969); one Mukono 29 Dec 1970 (P. Hamel); one netted Maramagambo Forest, Rwenzori NP, about 1969 (M.P.L. Fogden); singles Entebbe 27 Mar and 5 Apr 1983 (J.S. Ash); singles in Teso, 14km wesrt of Serere 16 Nov, and 10km west of Magoro 19 Nov 1983 (J.S. Ash); one near Mbarara 13 Dec 1983 (J.S. Ash). Motacilla cinerea Grey Wagtail Quite frequent between Oct and Mar on streams above 2000m on the northern side of Elgon (J.G. Rolfe), and wintering regularly in ones and twos at about 2400m on Rwenzori above Kilembe (M.P.L. Fogden). Jackson mentions occurrences at Kampala and Katonga River (Ankole), while Stoneham (1929) records it from Acholi on the Pagea and Achwaa Rivers. Other recent records from the west are of single birds in the Impenetrable Forest on 9 Feb 1968 (DAT), from Kalinzu Forest on 16 Nov 1969 (Friedmann & Williams 1970), and from Kibale Forest on Lie tane S725 AL, . Motacilla alba White Wagtail Jackson describes it as widely distributed in Uganda but nowhere plentiful. Its numbers may have declined in Uganda, where it now seems to be considerably scarcer than in Kenya. We have the following recent records: a few each year in the late 1960s and early 1970s in Kabalega Falls NP from mid Nov to Feb (A.P. Zeigler); recorded as uncommon in Teso in the 1960s (C.F. Mann); a single, Rwenzori NP, 1 Jan 1966 (DJP, J.M. Lock) which seems to be the only park record; singles in the Kampala area Dec 1969 to Jan 1970 and 26 Jan 1972 (per M.J. Carswell). Anthus campestris Tawny Pipit The only record is of one at Entebbe airport on 4 Dec 1966 (Pearson 1972a). Anthus cervinus Red-throated Pipit Not recorded for Uganda by Jackson, aithough Stoneham (1929) gives it as not uncommon on migration in Lango. It seems to be much scarcer than in neighbouring Kenya. We have occasional records of up to 10 birds from Kabalega Falls NP 1965-72, dated 18 Dec to 22 Mar (DAT, DJP, R. Wheater, A.P. Zeigler), and two were seen in Kidepo Valley NP on 26 Dec 1971 (DJP, J.G. Rolfe). M.P.L. Fogden (in litt.) frequently recorded wintering birds in Rwenzori NP in 1969-71. Decidedly uncommon at L. Victoria: DJP saw singles near Kampala 22 Jan 1967 and two Entebbe 24 Mar 1967, while J.S. Ash (in litt.) saw singles Entebbe 6 Mar and | Apr 1983 and up to 12 there on several dates between 9 Dec 1983 and 7 Jan 1984. Recent records from Kibimba Rice Scheme (Busoga), 1981-83, dated 8 Nov to Feb, have involved larger numbers (max. 40)(M.J. Carswell, J.S. Ash). Ficedula albicollis Collared Flycatcher Although the nominate race passes through Rwanda (Van de weghe 1979) we can trace no definite record or specimen from Uganda. The race semitorquata (common on passage Rwanda) appears to be an uncommon The less common Palaearctic migrant birds of Uganda US) and unobtrusive passage migrant in Uganda during Sep-Oct and Feb-Mar. There has been confusion in the past, and a number of birds which were probably semitorquata were identified in the field as Pied Flycatchers F. hypoleuca. The following records of semitorquata can be considered reliable: males collected by Seth-Smith at Budongo on 22 Feb 1907 and at Butiaba on 15 Mar 1907 (Chapin 1953); females collected by G.F. Archer in the Rwenzori foothills (Toro) on 2 Feb and 3 Mar 1902 (specimens in the British Museum); a female ringed by M.P.L. Fogden in Rwenzori NP on 5 Mar 1971. In addition, one ringed by R. Frankum at Kampala on 7 Sep 1970 had a wing-length which would virtually exclude hypoleuca; hypoleuca would be extremely unlikely anyway on such an early date. The following sight records are indeterminate on the evidence available: | Kaazi 29 Sep 1966; a male Kampala 26 Feb 1968; one ‘Kampala 24 Sep 1968; a male Paraa Feb 1970 and another male Chobe Mar 1970, both in Kabalega Falls NP; a female Mbarara 17 Mar 1970; two birds Entebbe 8 Oct 1983. There seem to be no satisfactory records of hypoleuca from the Sudan (G. Nikolaus, pers. comm.) or indeed anywhere east of the northern fringes of the Congo forests. The above birds are probably therefore all F. albicollis, the three males at least of the race semitorquata since they lacked the full neck collar (see Britton 1980b, also Pearson 1981). Lanius senator Woodchat Shrike Although rarely seen in Kenya, this species is a regular visitor in small numbers to northern Uganda, south to Butiaba (Bunyoro), Acholi and southern Karamoja, recorded between late October and mid Apr, but mainly from Dec to early Apr. Further south there are records from Mabira (Jackson), from Soroti on 20 Feb 1969 (DAT), from Rwenzori NP on | Jan 1966 (DJP, J.M. Lock), from Kampala on 10 Mar and 5 Apr 1970 (M.J. Carswell), and from Entebbe where two indivi- duals were involved between | and 29 Mar 1983 (J.S. Ash). APPENDIX: COMMONER PALAEARCTIC VISITORS TO UGANDA Ciconia ciconia White Stork. Mainly a passage migrant, more common in spring (late Feb-Apr) than in autumn (Nov); largest spring flocks - up to thousands - have been seen in the east and northeast. Anas querquedula Garganey. Locally abundant in the southwest, especially in the Rwenzori NP, mainly Nov-Mar; also at times in Karamoja and some central areas, and recently at the Kibimba Rice Scheme in the southeast. Decidedly uncommon at L. Victoria. Circus aeruginosus Marsh Harrier. Frequent to common in small mumbers, late Oct-Mar, in the western rift; scarcer at Lakes Kyoga and Victoria. Circus macrourus Montagu's Harrier. Locally common to abundant in the western rift, late Oct-Mar, and locally common in short grass- land areas elsewhere in the north and east; scarce near L. Victoria. 76 The less common Palaearctic migrant birds of Uganda Circus pygargus Pallid Harrier. Locally frequent to common in the rift, and in the north and east, mainly Dec-Mar. | Buteo buteo Common Buzzard. Mainly a passage migrant, with flocks of up to many hundreds moving south at eastern, central and southern localities early-mid Oct, and a few moving north in Mar. Small numbers overwinter. Falco tinnunculus Common Kestrel. Widespread and frequent to common in many areas, Nov-Mar, especially in the north. Falco subbuteo Hobby. A widespread and frequent passage migrant, Oct-Nov and Mar-Apr, with occasional records Dec-Feb. Charadrius hiaticula Ringed Plover. Locally frequent to common at lakes, rivers and dams, late Sep-early May. Charadrius asiaticus Caspian Plover. Recorded Sep-Apr, mainly from the north and west. Common to abundant in short open grassland in the northwest. Tringa nebularia Greenshank. Widespread and locally common in small numbers, Aug-Apr; a few oversummer. Tringa stagnatilis Marsh Sandpiper. Locally common to abundant near L. Edward, Sep-Mar, but scarce to uncommon in most other areas. Tringa ochropus Green Sandpiper. Widespread but rather solitary and generally uncommon, Sep-Mar. Tringa glareola Wood Sandpiper. Widespread and common to very abundant on lake edges and swampland, Aug-Apr, with a marked passage Aug-Oct. Actitis hypoleucos Common Sandpiper. Widespread and generally common to abundant, late Jul-Apr, with apparent passage Aug-Oct. Gallinago gallinago Common Snipe. Locally common on swampy lake margins Nov—-Mar. Philomachus pugnax Ruff. Common to very abundant on the rift valley lakes, especially L. Edward, late Aug-early May. Generally less regular and in small numbers elsewhere. Calidris minuta Little Stint. Widespread and locally common to abundant, Aug-May, especially at L. Edward. Calidris ferruginea Curlew Sandpiper. Common to abundant at L.Edward mainly Aug-May, but little recorded elsewhere and scarce at L. Victoria. Larus fuscus Lesser Black-backed Gull. A regular and common visitor to the major lakes, mainly Sep-May. Gelochelidon nilotica Gull-billed Tern. Abundant on Lakes Edward and George, mainly’ Sep-Apr; generally uncommon on lakes and rivers elsewhere. Chlidonias leucopterus White-winged Black Tern. Common to very abundant, especially at the larger lakes, with many remaining through- out the year. The less common Palaearctic migrant birds of Uganda 77 Cuculus canorus Eurasian Cuckoo. A passage migrant, regular in small numbers in the west, late Mar-Apr, but only occasionally recorded Oct-Nov. Apus apus Eurasian Swift. Mainly a passage migrant mid Aug-Oct, especially in the south, but heavy northward migration has been noted in the northwest during late Feb-Apr. Merops apiaster Eurasian Bee-eater. A widespread, often abundant passage migrant, Sep-early Nov and late Mar-Apr. There are few Dec- Feb records. Merops persicus Blue-cheeked Bee-eater. A common to abundant visitor to lake edges and swampland, mainly Nov-Mar. Delichon urbica House Martin. Locally abundant above 2000m on Mt Elgon, Oct-Apr, and locally common at or near higher ground in Karamoja. Scarce to uncommon elsewhere, with most records of presumed passage birds Sep-Oct and Mar-May. There seem to be few records from the southwestern highlands. Hirundo rustica Eurasian Swallow. A very widespread and abundant visitor, mainly late Aug-Apr, but with records in all months. Riparia riparia Sand Martin. An abundant to very abundant visitor to the larger lakes from Sep to early May. Oenanthe isabellina Isabelline Wheatear. Common to abundant Nov- Mar, in the north and east, especially in Karamoja, but there are few records from the south or southwest. Oenanthe oenanthe Northern Wheatear. Common to abundant in the north and east Oct-Mar. Generally uncommon in the south and southwest where it occurs mainly during Oct-Dec. Saxicola rubetra Whinchat. Common to abundant, especially in tall grasslands in the west, mainly Oct-early Apr. Acrocephalus arundinaceus Great Reed Warbler. Locally frequent to common on the northern shores of L. Victoria Dec-Mar, but otherwise recorded only from Lakes Kyoga and Albert, the Victoria Nile and Rwenzori NP. Acrocephalus schoenobaenus Sedge Warbler. Common to abundant, mainly Dec-Apr, along the shores of lakes and larger rivers. Marked passage is evident mid-late Apr. Acrocephalus scirpaceus Reed Warbler. Common to abundant in moist thicket, mainly late Oct-early Apr, in the western rift valley, near Lakes Victoria, Kyoga and Bisina, and along the Victoria Nile. Hippolais pallida Olivaceous Warbler. Widespread and common to abun- dant in eastern and northern Acacia areas, late Oct-early Apr. Occurs in small numbers in the rift valley in the southwest, but is almost unrecorded near L. Victoria. Sylvia atricapilla Blackcap. Common to abundant above 2000m on the Rwenzoris and on Mt Elgon, late Oct-Mar. There are occasional winter records from elsewhere, e.g. from West Nile, Kabalega Falls NP, the Kampala area, Teso and the Impenetrable Forest. 78 The less common Palaearctic migrant birds of Uganda Sylvia borin Garden Warbler. Common to abundant near L. Victoria mid Oct-Apr, with a marked passage late Oct-Dec. In the west and south- west, in Teso and on Mt Elgon it is common to abundant on passage, especially Nov-Dec, but few overwinter. Phylloscopus trochilus Willow Warbler. Widespread and common to abundant late Sep-Apr, except in the dry north and northeast. Marked passage Oct-early Nov and late Mar-Apr. Muscicapa striata Spotted Flycatcher. Mainly a passage migrant, common and widespread Oct-early Dec and Mar-early Apr; decidedly scarce in winter. Anthus trivialis Tree Pipit. A widespread but generally rather un- common visitor to open woodland and wooded grassland habitats, Oct- Mar; locally abundant at higher altitudes. Motacilla flava Yellow Wagtail. Widespread and common to very abundant in open habitats in the more humid areas, mainly Oct to mid Apr, with passage indicated by augmented numbers late Oct-Nov and late Mar to early Apr. Most birds can be racially assigned to thunbergi or flava/thunbergi intergrades. Lanius collurio Red-backed Shrike. Common to abundant on southward passage mid Oct to early Dec, especially in the western half of the country; frequent late Mar-Apr. There is a single Feb record from Entebbe. Lanius isabellinus Red-tailed Shrike. Locally common in Teso and Bukedi, and near Lakes Albert and Victoria, Nov to early Apr, but few records from elsewhere. Evidence of passage Kabalega Falls NP Nov and Mar to early Apr. Lanius minor Lesser Grey Shrike. Widespread and common to abundant on northward passage during Apr; uncommon Oct-Nov. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The writing of this paper would not have been possible without the assistance of Dr M.J. Carswell, Dr J.M. Lock and A.P. Zeigler. We are very grateful also to the following who have supplied us with unpublished observations: J.S. Ash, M.P.L. Fogden, R. Frankun, P. Hamel, G.R. Harrington, J. Lindley, J. Mackenzie-Grieve, C.F. Mann, J.W. Mascher, R.G. Passmore, J.H. Phillips, J.G. Rolfe and R. Wheater. REFERENCES ANON. 1935, 1937, 1949, 1950, 1955. Uganda Game and Fisheries Depar- tment Annual Reports. Entebbe: Government Printer. ASH, J.S. 1985. Birds, including a hybrid, new to Uganda. Scopus 9: 133-136. BACKHURST, G.C., BRITTON, P.L. & MANN, C.F. 1973. The less common Palaearctic migrant birds of Kenya and Tanzania. Journal of the East Africa Natural History Society and National Museum 140: 1-38. The less common Palaearctic migrant birds of Uganda 79 ERittONe Pete 1980b. Ficedula flycatchers in East Africa. Scopus 4:21. CARSWELL, M.J. 1977. The Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa in Uganda. Scopus 1:49. hOSoe= Birds, oF, thesKampala area. (SCopus Special Suppl. No. 2. CHAPIN, J.P. 1932-54. The Birds of the Belgian Congo. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 65, 75, 75A, 75B. GrANGHYene.A.(ed.) 1980. S.A.O.S. Checklist of Southern African Birds. Pretoria: Southern African Ornithological Society. CRAMP, S. & SIMMONS, K.E.L. (eds.) 1983. Birds of the Western Palearctic. Vol.III. Oxford, London and New York: Oxford University Press. -EGGELING, W.G. 1951. Ringed birds recovered in Uganda. The Uganda Journal, bj: (17=25:. ELLIOTT, C.C.H. 1972. An ornithological survey of the Kidepo Valley National Park, northern Uganda. Journal of the East Africa Natural History Society and National Museum 129: 1-31. ELTRINGHAM, S.K. 1973. Fluctuations in the numbers of wildfowl on an equatorial hippo wallow. Wildfowl 24: 81-87. FRANKUM, R. 1972. Herring Gull in Uganda. EANHS Bulletin 1972:81-82. FRIEDMANN, H. & WILLIAMS, J.G. 1969. The birds of Sango Bay forests, Buddu County, Masaka District, Uganda. Contributions in Science, Los Angeles 162: 1-48. NO7Oe athe binds of Kalinzln tonest, southwestern Ankole, Uganda. ibidem 195: 1-27. HOPKINS, G.H.E. 1946. Some recent Uganda bird records. Journal of the East Africa Natural History Society 19: 103-106. KEITH, G.S. 1968. Notes on birds of East Africa, including additions to the Avifauna. American Museum Novitates 2321. » LWOMEY, A., FRIEDMANN, H. & WILLIAMS, J.G. 1968. The avifauna of the Impenetrable Forest, Uganda. ibidem: 2389. Pitt 5o. . the species of Apus. Tbis 98: 34-62. MANN, C.F. 1971. Distributional notes of some Uganda birds. Bulletin Seeeneenritish Ornithologists’ Club 91: 111-113. 1973. Some recent raptor records from East Africa. FEANHS Bulletin 1973: 96-98. ieoaethe birds of “eso Dastrict, Uganda. Journal of ‘the East Africa Natural History Society and National Museum 156: 1-16. MEINERTZHAGEN, R. 1922. Notes on some birds from the Near East and PempGropieal East Africa. Ibis 64: 1-74. 80 PE The less common Palaearctic migrant birds of Uganda ARSON, D.J. 1971. The occurrence of the Great Black-headed Gull Larus ichthyaetus in Uganda. Bulletin of the British Ornithologises: (‘Club Oly Wie. 1972a. Some migrant bird records from the Kampala area, Uganda. EANHS Bulletin 1972: 27-29. 197 2b). + The wintering and migration of Palaearctic passerines at Kampala, southern Uganda. This 114: 43-60. 1981. The identity of two Ficedula flycatchers collected recently in Kenya. Scopus 4: 21. 1986. A Levant Sparrowhawk Accipiter brevipes specimen from Uganda. Scopus 10: 107. ROLFE, J.G. & PEARSON, D.J. 1973. Some recent records of Palaearc- tic migrants from eastern Uganda. EANHS Bulletin 1973: 62-66. STONEHAM, H.F. Field notes on a collection of birds from Uganda. 1926 Pt. I this W2(2)2 26-913 1928 Pt. 2 ibis 12a ean 1929 Pt. 3. Ibis 12(5): 267=292: 1931 Pe. 4 This 13 eneer VAN SOMEREN, V.G.L. 1922. Notes on the birds of East Africa. Novitates Zoologicae 29: 1-246. VANDE WEGHE, J-P 1979. The wintering and migration of Palaearctic passerines in Rwanda. Le Gerfaut 69: 29-43. VAURIE, C. 1959. The birds of the Palearctic fauna. Passeriformes. London: Witherby. WHITE, C.M.N. 1965. A revised Checklist of African non-passerine birds. Lusaka: Government Printer. GAZETTEER Achwa (= Aswa) River Sh5 (f/f Ie) 31. SOE Agua (= Agogo) River 2.54 N 3225 Arua 3.01 N 30.5508 Awoja 1.40 N 33.44 E Bisina (= Salisbury) Lake 1.38 N 33.5628 Budongo Forest 1.45 N 3135 0E Bugiri 0735) N 33.42) E Bukakata 0.18 N 32.02 E Buligi 2.19 N 3223 Busujju County 0.20 N BARE 0) 5 Butiaba 1.49 N 30.19 E Chahafi, Lake 2 ees 29.47 E Chebonnet Valley 1.18 N 34.31 E Cheptui Valley 1.17 N 34529 E Chobe 2 ON 32. ie Damba Island 0.00 32. Aie re Edward, Lake O57 25'S 29.30 E Elgon, Mount AOS aN 34.33 E Entebbe 0.04 N 32028) 6 Gaba 0.15 N 32.3875 The less common Palaearctic migrant birds of Uganda Gondokoro (SUDAN) 4.47 N SYN cipal Gulu 247 N S21St Ibanda 0.08 S 30.28 E Impenetrable Forest 1.00 S$ 29.40 E Jinja 0.26 N BFE Kaazi 0.14 N 323 & Kabalega (= Murchison) Falls NP Bee SN Sin Oak: Kachong'a 0.58 N 34.03 E Kadam, Mount 1.45 N 34.42 E Kajansi 0.13 N SBE Kalinzu Forest G.25.S $0):05°E Kampala 0.19 N 32534 £ Karenga (= Karengye), Lake 0.54 § 30.07 E Katonga River 0.05 S 3 1R5&: Katwe 0.08 S 7a ies gaa i Kibanga Port 0.12 N BP i Kibale Forest 0.30 N 30.25 E Kibimba 0.42 N 33o 17 E Kibusi Unlocated: Lango Kidepo Valley NP 3.50 N S35 4o0 8: Kikorongo, Lake O201"S 30.01 E Kilembe O22) N 30.01 E Kitgum 3.18 N 527535 Kumi 1.29 N 33.56 E Kyetema Unlocated: on Murchison Gulf, Ly Victoria . Kyoga, Lake 1.30 N 33.00 E Layontonde 022375 31.09 E Longorokipi 2.24 N 33.54 E Lwampanga 1.30 N 322530) E Mabamba Swamp Mabira 0.30 N 32555 E Magoro 1.44 N 34.06 E Malabigambo Forest 0-575 3133508 Maramagambo Forest 0.33.8 29S Masindi 1.41 N 31.43 E Mayinja Island 0.09 N 32.36 E Mbale 1.05 N 34.10 £ Mbarara Os37+S 40539. E Mityana 0.24 N 32,03. E Moroto Dade N 34.40 E Mpumu 0.14 N 32.49 Mubende 0.34 N BY veo Migisha (= Kayumba), Lake 2 20.'S 29.48 E Mukono 0.22 N 32 4545 Mweya O71 Ss ZO Sane Nabiswera 1.28 N 32 ah Nabugabo, Lake O.22) 5 S\ IS Zan Nakasongola i. 19 N 32.28 E Nakivali, Lake 0.47 S 30 530e. Namulonge 0.32 N 32.57. 2 82 The less common Palaearctic migrant birds of Uganda Nkosi Island OF445S 32.20 E N'kungula (? = Nkugute) Lake 0.20 S 30.06 E Nyakabande Oe iiaS 29.44 E Pader Gem 2.48 N 33.03 E Pagea (= Pager) River 3.09 N 32.531 1E Pakwach 2.28 N 31 S0RE Palabek 3.26 N 32.341 5 Pamdero 2 24 IN 3154 ae Paraa 218) N 31.35 E Parango 23 Tia 32.56 E Parosa Unlocated: Lango Ruakatenge, Lake 0.53 S$ 30.05 E Ruchiga County 1205, S 30.00 E Rwenzoris (Mts) 0.20 N 30.00 E Rwenzori (= Q.Elizabeth) NP O- 15eS 30.00 E Sagitu Island 0.01 S 33.40 E Serere 31 N 32). 204s Soroti 1.43 N B\SI S/o Toro crater lakes 0.05 §S 29. ne Tororo 0.42 N S44 al ae Wamala, Lake 0.22 N 28.58 E D.J. Pearson, Department of Biochemistry, University of Nairobi, Box 30197, Nairobi and D.A. Turner, Box 48019, Nairobi (Received 20 August 1986) 83 THE AVIFAUNA OF OL DOINYO OROK, A FOREST ISLAND: INITIAL FINDINGS men enennun, C..Glchuki, J. Darlington and F. Ng" weno 01 Doinyo Orok is an isolated hill just north of Namanga, Kajiado District, some 150km south of Nairobi. It is composed of folded Precambrian metamorphic rocks of the basement system, mostly micaceous schists (Joubert 1957). The hill rises to a maximum height of 2548m froma peneplain at 1300m; it extends for 15km from north to south and 10km from west to east. The Namanga Forest Reserve, gazetted in 1979, incorporates the entire hill. The vegetation on the lower slopes is predominantly woodland with areas of bushed grassland. The southern half of the hill, however, forms a basin of internal drainage 18km in area with a single outlet on the south, the Namanga River; this basin is clothed in evergreen forest with a closed canopy and generally sparse ground cover, interspersed with clearings densely overgrown with shrubs, grass and herbs. The slopes are very steep and soils appear to be unstable; the valley bottoms are often swampy. The forest is separated by 22km froma small forest tract on Mt Longido to the south. The extensive highland forest of Mt Kilimanjaro is some 65km away. Forest 'islands' such as 01 Doinyo Orok are often of great biological interest, yet the hill appears to have been largely neglected by naturalists, possibly deterred by the precipitous slopes and numerous buffalo Syncerus caffer. We camped in the forest from 21 to 24 March 1986, following an initial visit by CG from 14 to 17 February. Our base was in the river valley at 1780m, at the point where the river leaves the swamps over a rock barrier, before it plunges steeply down towards Namanga town. The surrounding area was dry at the time of our visit, we experienced no rain and early morning dew was light. THE AVIFAUNA Birds were trapped during the morning and evening of 22 and 23 March and the morning of 24 March. Four pairs of 12m mist nets were set on the western slope of the valley, well inside the forest but within 150m of the river. The following species were caught (numbers in brackets): Lemon Dove Aplopelia larvata (6), Pale-breasted Illadopsis Trichastoma rufipennis (2), Yellow-whiskered Greenbul Andropadus latirostris (2), Stripe-cheeked Greenbul Andropadus milanjensis (1), Placid Greenbul Phyllastrephus placidus (3), Ruppell's Robin Chat Cossypha semirufa (4), White-starred Forest Robin Pogonocichla stellata (5), Olive Sunbird Nectarinia olivacea (2), Abyssinian Crimson-wing Cryptospiza salvadorii: (3). Other species were recorded in or over the forest, or along the river, as follows: Scopus 10: 83-86, December 1986 84 The avifauna of Ol Doinyo Orok: a forest island Black Stork Ciconia nigra, African Black Duck Anas sparsa, Rufous Sparrowhawk Accipiter rufiventris, Mountain Buzzard Buteo tachardus, Bronze-naped Pigeon Columba delegorguei, Tambourine Dove Turtur tympanistra, Olive Pigeon Columba arquatrix, Hartlaub's Turaco Tauraco hartlaubi, Black Cuckoo Cuculus clamosus, Red-chested Cuckoo Cuculus solitarius, African Wood Owl Ciccaba woodfordi, Montane Nightjar Caprimulgus poliocephalus, Silvery-cheeked Hornbill Bycanistes brevis, African Rock Martin Hirundo fuligula, White-headed Roughwing Psalidoprocne albiceps, Black Roughwing P. pristoptera, Drongo Dicrurus adsimilis, White-necked Raven Corvus albicollis, Northern Olive Thrush Turdus abyssinicus, Grey- backed Camaroptera Camaroptera brachyura, Willow Warbler Phyllo- scopus trochilus, Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla, Garden Warbler S. borin, White-eyed Slaty Flycatcher Melaenornis chocolatina, Dusky Flycatcher Muscicapa adusta, Paradise Flycatcher Tersiphone viridis, African Pied Wagtail Motacilla aguimp, Mountain Wagtail M. clara, Black-backed Puffback Dryoscopus cubla, Tropical Boubou Laniarius barbatus, Sharpe's Starling Cinnyricinclus sharpii, Collared Sunbird Anthreptes collaris, Variable Sunbird Nectarinia venusta, Montane White-eye Zosterops poliogastra, Baglafecht Weaver Ploceus baglafecht, Spectacled Weaver P. ocularis and Oriole Finch Linurgus olivaceus. Although conditions were dry, there was evidence that several species were breeding or had recently bred. Two White-starred Forest Robins caught were in fresh juvenile plumage, while a juvenile Olive Sunbird was just initiating primary and body moult. A pair of Northern Olive Thrushes was followed by a dependent juvenile. One each of the Rtippell's Robin Chats and Placid Greenbuls captured had a well-developed brood patch, and a pair of Yellow-whiskered Greenbuls was incubating eggs. A male Baglafecht Weaver was building on a half-completed nest over the river, and Lemon Dove and Bronze-naped Pigeon males were displaying vigorously to attendant females. Most of the species recorded range widely in the highlands of central Kenya and northern Tanzania. The Tawny Eagle (seen perched on large trees along the river) and Drongo (seen flying from the river into the forest) were presumably intruders from the surrounding woodland. Certain other records are noteworthy: Rufous Sparrowhawk. One immature bird near the river, 24 March. This is an extension of its Kenyan range, but it is recorded from Arusha, northern Tanzania (Britton 1980). White-headed Roughwing. This record adds another site to its fragmented eastern range. Pale-breasted Illadopsis. Two illadopses, apparently adults, were captured together at dusk on 22 March. Their specific identify was determined by use of the key in Mackworth-Praed & Grant (1960), and confirmed from examination of specimens in the National Museum, Nairobi. They were separated from the Mountain Illadopsis Trichastoma pyrrhopterum by the generally paler underparts and the The avifauna of Ol Doinyo Orok: a forest island 85 absence of olive-brown on the belly. There was, however, a considerable amount of olive-brown on the flanks, suggesting that these birds might be closer to distans, the eastern Tanzanian race, than the nominate western race (rufipennis). This record constitutes a remarkable extension of range; the nearest known population is in the East Usambaras, more than 280km away. Stripe-cheeked Greenbul. This extends the species’ range north- westwards; it is known from Mts Meru and Kilimanjaro. White-starred Forest Robin. The race of these birds is uncertain, although the proximity of Mts Meru and Kilimanjaro would suggest guttifer (Britton 1980). The two young birds captured were in standard yellow and black juvenile plumage. However, another bird, otherwise in full adult plumage, had several head feathers clearly tipped with green (above and behind the eye, and on the forehead). This suggests it might have moulted from the green immature stage, absent in guttifer (Mackworth-Praed & Grant 1960). Specimens are needed. Montane White-eye. The race mbuluensis is already recorded from 01 Doinyo Orok, and from the nearby Longido (Britton 1980). Oriole Finch. At least two pairs, one accompanied by an immature male, frequented the riverbank near the campsite. They waded in the shallow water passing over the rocks and appeared to feed there, perhaps on algae. The very green upperparts and flanks, contrasting with brighter yellow bordering the black of the neck and chest, indicated that they were of the race kilimensis rather than the yellower, western elgonensis. This is the first Kenyan record of kilimensis, which is known from the northern and eastern Tanzanian highlands (Britton 1980). DISCUSSION Some avifaunal impoverishment is expected in a small forest island such as Ol Doinyo Orok, and this was reflected in the small number of species recorded - 47 in all. Of course, this number would rise with more time spent in the forest. The presence of Stripe-cheeked Greenbul and Oriole Finch of the race kilimensis indicates a stronger affinity with the forests of northern Tanzania than with the more distant highland block of central Kenya. The discovery of Pale-breasted Illadopsis at O01 Doinyo Orok is most surprising; it is noteworthy, however, that this is the only member of the genus to extend east of the central Kenya highlands. Its present-day distribution is disjunct, with nominate rufipennis not recorded east of Kakamega Forest, and distans hitherto unknown west of the Ngurus. Presumably its distribution was once more extensive; the O01 Doinyo Orok population might be a relict of a larger range. Alternatively it might have been established by wanderers from the East Usambaras. In either case, its apparent absence from Mts Meru and Kilimanjaro and the Pares is odd. 86 The avifauna of Ol Doinyo Orok: a forest island This interesting forest requires more study, in particular the judicious collection of specimens. Its condition should also be monitored. Although we saw few signs of serious disturbance, its small size, apparent fragility, and proximity to Namanga township must cause some anxiety. Destruction on a large scale would be of more than scientific importance, as Namanga depends for its water supply on the preservation of this catchment area. L.A. Bennun, Box 21149 Nairobi, C. Gichuki and J. Darlington, National Museums of Kenya, Box 40658 Nairobi, F. Ng'weno, Box 42271 Nairobi. (Received 14 July i986) Montane birds of the Bwindi Forest 87 MONTANE BIRDS OF THE BWINDI (IMPENETRABLE) FOREST L.A. Bennun The Bwindi (formerly Impenetrable) Forest in Kigezi, southwest Uganda, is notable both for its rich avifauna, including many of the East Zaire montane endemics, and its great altitudinal span (Keith et al. 1969, Prigogine 1985). However, the forest has been relatively little studied by ornithologists, possibly owing to its rugged topography (particularly severe in the higher southern section). An account of the avifauna based on the results of several collecting expeditions is given in Keith et al. (1969), with some additional records in Friedmann & Williams (1970) and Britton (1980). In August-September 1984 I spent four weeks observing and mist~- netting birds in a section of the forest as a member of the Cambridge Bwindi Forest Study Group. The more interesting altitudinal records are presented and discussed here, and notes are given on the behaviour of some little-known species. Details of procedures and other findings of the study may be found elsewhere (Clarke & Bennun, in prep.) as may descriptions of topography and vegetation (Hamilton 1969, Keith et al. 1969). Observations were made at altitudes between 2100m and 2440m, and in all forest types described by Hamilton (1969); however, his ridgetop, hillslope, hilltop and gulley forest are referred to collectively as 'hillside forest" here. Poicephalus gulielmi Red-fronted Parrot Recorded at 2200m. Keith et al. (1969) do not list this species; Britton (1980) records it "at 2500-2700m in the Impenetrable Forest", surely an error as the forest barely reaches 2500m. Apaloderma narina brachyurum Narina's Trogon Britton (1980) gives 2150m as the maximum altitude for brachyurum. Here it was recorded to 2420m, indicating a substantial altitudinal overlap with the Bar-tailed Trogon A. vittatum (known from 1550-2500m in Bwindi). This is surprising as the two species are usually altitudinally segregated, with vittatum at higher levels. In another Albertine Rift forest, the Itombwe Mts, brachyurum is confined to the lowlands (under 1500m); nominate narina occurs above 2300m and vittatum at altitudes in between (Prigogine 1980). Mesopicos elliotii Elliot's Woodpecker This uncommon woodpecker was recorded at 2320m (Britton (1980) records it at "medium elevations"). The Olive Woodpecker M. griseo- cephalus occurs at the same altitude in Bwindi, while in Itombwe the two are completely separated altitudinally, elliotii being found only below 2000m (Prigogine 1980). Dicrurus adsimilis coracina Drongo Several records from tall valley forest at 2130m, considerably higher than the 1700m maximum recorded by Britton (1980) for this race. Parus funereus Dusky Tit Single birds recorded twice in valley forest at 2130m; Britton (1980) records this species up to 1700m. Scopus 10: 87-91, December 1986 88 Montane birds of the Bwindi Forest Dryocichloides poliopterus Grey-winged Ground Robin A pair with dependent juvenile were resident in vartey forest at 2130 ms) Bev tton C980), cecordsert touZ2000im- Apalis binotata, A. jacksoni, A. porphyrolaema, A. ruwenzori Masked, Black-throated, Chestnut-throated and Collared Apalises. The ecological relationship between these species deserves study. All four were common, up to three being seen in the same bird party. Superficial observation suggests that they are ecologically separated by feeding habits and habitat preferences. A. ruwenzori fed only low in the undergrowth, binotata usually in the upper undergrowth, the lower canopy or dense hanging vines, while jacksoni was virtually always in the canopy. A. porphyrolaema was most flexible in feeding position, descending even to the ground, but most often foraging in the canopy. It and jacksoni appeared to feed mainly by sally-gleaning, the other two mainly by perch- gleaning. Ail but one record of porphyrolaema were from hillside forest; jacksoni showed an equally strong preference for valley forest, and these two species were never seen together. Bathmocercus cerviniventris Black-faced Rufous Warbler Recorded in valley forest to 2130m. Britton (1980) gives 1800m as the maximum altitude reached in Uganda. Bradypterus graueri Grauer's Rush Warbler Some behavioural observations of this threatened species supplement those given by Vande weghe (1983). The birds were abundant in parts: of Mubwindi Swamp. They appeared only briefly above the sedge, dropping suddenly after a low fluttering flight of a few metres during which a short rapid rattling trill was often uttered. The "soft, melodious and unobtrusive" song described by Vande weghe was not heard; calls consisted of the same rattling trill, about 1s in duration, preceded or followed by loud kwik or chup notes, e.g. kwik-kwik-trrr, kwik-kwik-trrr ... Birds were also heard to duet, one calling quickly kwik-kwik-kwik ... while the other gave excited chattering cries. A bird displaying near the top of a sedge stem fluttered its wings above its back very fast, calling rapidly and without pause chup-chup- chup-trrr, chup-chup-chup-trrr ... The display ceased abruptly after 90s as another bird flew in to the sedge some 2m away; the displaying warbler flew towards it at once and both vanished from view. Melaenornis ardesiaca Yellow-eyed Black Flycatcher The commonest call of this East Zaire montane endemic was a high thin sree-sree, often followed by a harsh tjak-tjak. A pair moving together high in the trees made a variety of squeaky sounds, including a loud rising skwee-SKWEE. A displaying bird made repeated short stuttering flights at about 3m from the ground, waving its tail from side to side and calling sharply tchut-tchut- €chue (52) aS alee Lew. Montane birds of the Bwindi Forest 89 Batis diops Rwenzori Batis The most frequent and distinctive call of these batises is not described by Mackworth-Praed & Grant (1973) or Lippens & Wille (1976); it was a low ventriloqual whistle, theeoooo...theeoooo..., a series of long monotonous eerie notes reminiscent of the call of the Grey- headed Bush Shrike Malaconotus blanchoti. Trochocercus albiventris White-bellied Crested Flycatcher One captured at 2440m, considerably above the 2150m given in Britton (1980). The sympatry of this species with the White-tailed Crested Flycatcher T. albonotatus and the Dusky Crested Flycatcher T,. nigromitratus is notable. In this study albonotatus was found only above 2380m, but it has been recorded down to 2150m; nigromitratus was seen at 2130m and is known to 2150m (Britton 1980). While nigromitratus and albonotatus may be altitudinally segregated, albiventris appears to overlap altitudinally with the entire range of both. In Itombwe the three are much better separated; albiventris occurs at intermediate altitudes, showing some vertical but no horizontal overlap with nigromitratus (occurring below 1500m) and albonotatus (occurring above 1800m: Prigogine 1980). Dryoscopus gambensis Northern Puffback Recorded to 2380m; Britton (1980) limits it to 2200m. Nectarinia ludovicensis Montane Double-collared Sunbird A number of sightings confirm the supposition of Britton (1980) that this species might be commoner than the few previous records (at 2500m) suggested. Although in Zaire and Rwanda it is usually found above 2500m (Britton 1980) it was recorded here at 2170m, 2200n, 2230m, 2290m, 2300m (twice), and 2440m, at the edge of hillside forest and in clearings. The Northern Double-collared Sunbird N. preussi appeared to be rarer at these altitudes, only once being seen above 2100m; it is known, though, from 1200-2400m (Keith et al. 1969) indicating a substantial altitudinal overlap with the closely related ludovicensis. Nectarinia verticalis Green-headed Sunbird Only one record, at 2230m; its apparent scarcity in the montane forest may be due to the presence of the very similar Blue-headed Sunbird N. alinae, which is abundant. In Itombwe the two have a little vertical overlap below 1500m (Prigogine 1980). Malimbus rubricollis Red-headed Malimbe Regularly seen in valley forest at 2130m, a considerable altitudi- nal extension from the 1700m limit given in Britton (1980). Ploceus alienus Strange Weaver Lippens & Wille (1976) describe the voice as an occasional low twittering; in Bwindi, however, these birds were quite vocal. The contact call was an intermittent chak...chak,chak, given faster when the birds were alarmed. The song was a sweet, slurry little sisisi-sweesi-si, sisweesi-si or a shorter light see-swoo-see-see. They also often gave a plaintive descending whistle tweetweetweetoooo. 90 Montane birds of the Bwindi Forest New Species Records for the Montane Forest Keith et al. (1969) and Keith (1980) listed those forest birds in Bwindi known both from lowland forest (1200m and under) and montane forest (2100m and above). However, the two lists are not identical. Three species from the 23 listed in 1969 are omitted from the later list: these are the Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater Merops oreobates, Apalis jacksoni and Nectarinia preussi. All fulfil the require- ments for inclusion according to Table 1 in Keith et al. (1969). Four extra species are added to the list in Keith (1980), presumably on the basis of additional records although this is not stated. Thus 27 species should have been listed in all. To these may be added five more from records above 2100m obtained in this study, namely the Black-and-White Casqued Hornbill Bycanistes subcylindricus, Cameroon Sombre Greenbul Andropadus curvirostris, Dryocichloides poliopterus, Parus funereus and Malimbus rubricollis. The total list thus includes 32 (18 per cent) of the 175 forest birds recognized by Keith (1980). Four species previously known only at ‘intermediate’ levels in Bwindi (1500-1800m) were recorded here in montane forest. These are Shelley's Greenbul Andropadus masukuensis, Placid Greenbul Phyllastrephus placidus, Dicrurus adsimilis and Bathmocercus cerviniventris. All but A. masukuensis would also be expected to occur in lowland forest (Britton 1980) and their apparent absence from these altitudes in Bwindi is probably due merely to incomplete knowledge of the avifauna. DISCUSSION Bwindi is remarkable for the presence of forest extending in a continuum from lowland to montane regions. A sizeable proportion of the forest birds (at least 18 per cent, and probably more) appear to exploit this entire range. This study has also shown that, for a number of species or races, the altitudes attained in Bwindi are higher than those achieved elsewhere in East Africa. Some birds which are known elsewhere only from ‘transition' forest, up to 1700-1800m, are recorded in Bwindi from montane forest above 2100m. These records suggest that, contrary to the view of Keith (1980), certain species have taken advantage of the continuous forest to penetrate to altitudes where they do not usually occur. Altitudinal distribution in the forests of the Itombwe Mts, which have an even greater vertical span than Bwindi, has been documented by Prigogine (1980). There, a number of lowland species are considered to be limited to forest under 1500m by the presence at that altitude of one of a series of floristic discontinuities; these species include Malimbus rubricollis and Dicrurus adsimilis coracinus. In Bwindi the forest shows a floristic continuum (Hamilton 1969, 1975) and both these species reach the montane area. It is notable, too, that pairs or triplets of species in the genera Apaloderma, Mesopicos, Trochocercus and Nectarinia show much more extensive altitudinal overlap in Bwindi than they do in Itombwe, where they are presumed to be separated largely through competition. The Montane birds of the Bwindi Forest 91 factors determining vertical distribution are complex and varied (Prigogine 1980) and much further study will be required to establish the reasons for these interesting differences. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My thanks to all the sponsors of the Cambridge Bwindi Forest Study Group, who made it possible for us to visit Uganda, and to the Ugandan Forest Department and National Research Council for research permission. Longmans U.K. Ltd. kindly donated field guides; G.C. Backhurst loaned mist-nets; and James Clarke, Vicky Charles-Jones, Hazel Smith and Andrew Polkey helped with trapping. Sincere thanks to the many other people who assisted in various ways, and in particular to D.E. Pomeroy and D. Tukahabwa. REFERENCES CLARKE, J. & BENNUN, L.A. (in prep.). Report of the Cambridge Bwindi Forest Study Group, 1984. FRIEDMANN, H. & WILLIAMS, J.G. 1970. Additions to the known avifauna of the Bugoma, Kibale and Impenetrable Forests, West Uganda. Los Angeles County Museum Contributions to Science 198: 1-20. HAMILTON, A.C. 1969. The vegetation of southwest Kigezi. Uganda Journal 32: 157-164. 1975. A quantitative analysis of altitudinal zonation in Uganda forests. Vegetatio 30: 99-106. KEITH, S. 1980. The avifauna of the Impenetrable Forest, Kigezi, Uganda with special reference to altitudinal distribution. Proceedings of the Fourth Pan-African Ornithological Congress 1976: 159-167. TWOMEY, A., FRIEDMANN, H. & WILLIAMS, J. 1969. The avifauna of the Impenetrable Forest, Uganda. American Museum Novitates 2389: 1-41. : LIPPENS, L. & WILLE, H. 1976. Les Oiseaux du Zaire. Tielt: Lannoo. MACKWORTH-PRAED, C.W. & GRANT, C.H.B. 1973. African Handbook of Birds. Series III, Vol. 2. Birds of west central and western Africa. London: Longman. PRIGOGINE, A. 1980. The altitudinal distribution of the avifauna in the Itombwe forest, Zaire. Proceedings of the Fourth Pan- African Ornithological Congress 1976: 169-184. 1985. Conservation of the avifauna of the forests of the Albertine Rift. pp 277-295 in Diamond, A.W. & Lovejoy, T.E. (eds) Conservation of Tropical Forest Birds. ICBP Technical Publication no. 4. Cambridge: ICBP. VANDE WEGHE, J.P. 1983. Sympatric occurrence of the White-winged Warbler Bradypterus carpalis and Grauer's Rush Warbler B. graueri in Rwanda. Scopus 7: 85-88. L.A. Bennun, Box 21149, Nairobi. (Received 30 September 1986) o2 VOCAL VARIATIONS IN TWO FOREST APALISES OF EASTERN AFRICA, APALIS (PORPHYROLAEMA) CHAPINI AND A. MELANOCEPHALA Frangoise Dowsett-Lemaire Apalis is an important genus of forest warblers in Africa whose species limits are often uncertain (Hall & Moreau 1970). The study of vocalizations may help to clarify relationships which are unclear from morphology alone (e.g. Chappuis 1980, Dowsett & Dowsett-Lemaire 1980). For example it was shown that the two forms alticola and cinerea of the Grey Apalis Apalis cinerea - given specific status by Hall & Moreau (1970) - had similar voices and reacted strongly to playback of each other's song in Kenya and Zambia. These were therefore considered conspecific, a move which also made morpholo- gical sense as a race with intermediate plumage characters was discovered in Zaire (Dowsett & Dowsett-Lemaire 1980). On the other hand, where songs are found to differ, care needs to be taken to distinguish dialectal variants - which can be clinal over a large area. In the two species examined here, patterns of vocal variation appear to be of taxonomic relevance in one (Chestnut-headed Apalis A. chapini), but not in the other (Black- headed Apalis A. melanocephala) where they are probably clinal. This paper describes the voice of these warblers from the material available so far, and stresses the need for further research and tape recordings, particularly from south-central Tanzania. TAPE RECORDINGS AND ANALYSIS My tape recordings in Malawi were obtained with a Sony TC-150 cassette recorder, modified by Mineroff Electronics Inc. (e.g. with increased sensitivity to high frequencies), and a Beyer M69 dynamic microphone fitted into a Sony parabolic reflector. R. Stjernstedt recorded in Tanzania with a Uher 4000-L and sent me copies on Uher tape or cassette (which made no difference for the spectrographic analysis). T. Harris's material from eastern Zimbabwe was a copy- cassette. I have also used recordings published by G.S. Keith (in Keith & Gunn 1971). All material was analysed with a Kay Electric Sonagraph 7029A at Liege University, using the wide-band setting. RESULTS The voice and status of the Chestnut-headed Apalis A. chapini (including strausae) . Dowsett & Dowsett-Lemaire (1980) separated the races chapini and strausae of the Chestnut-throated Apalis A. porphyrolaema as a species, A. chapini, distinct in its voice as well as facial colouration from nominate porphyrolaema. The distribution of these three forms in East Africa is given by Britton (1980); strausae is Scopus 10: 92-98, December 1986 Vocal variations in two forest apalises the most southerly and extends from SW Tanzania to the highlands of northern and central Malawi and adjacent NE Zambia. The races strausae and chapini are much closer to each other morphologically than to porphyrolaema (both having a rufous face, whereas it is grey in the latter); they were also allied on voice, as R. Stjernstedt (in litt) considered the song of chapini from the Uluguru Mountains to be identical to that of strausae from Rungwe. I have recently analysed a tape from the Ulugurus which shows that there are in fact some differences in voice; on the other hand, more material from SW Tanzania and Malawi demonstrates a consistency of pattern in the songs of strausae, with some dialectal variations. Jkt Ak M i i 4 i i | | a Frequency (kHz) 1s Fig. 1. Sonagrams illustrating the songs of: (A) Apalis c. chapini (Ulugurus, Tanzania, R. Stjernstedt); (B) and (C) Apalis chapini strausae (both from Rungwe Distr., R. Stjernstedt) The typical song of male A. chapini strausae is a monotonous tje-tje, tje-tje... consisting of two descending strokes (or double strokes) repeated at regular intervals for, usually 1-3s (Figs. 1B-C and 2A, C-F). Females join in with a few weak, high-pitched pee-pee towards the beginning of a male phrase (notes of females are shown in Fig. 2B). Songs have been heard in all months of the year in Malawi, but are more frequent in August-January. Study of territorial birds on the Nyika showed that individual males had at least two song-types: 94 Vocal variations in two forest apalises one with two single strokes repeated as a unit (e.g. Fig. 2A, C and E), the other - which sounded faster-delivered - consisting of strokes doubled in a 'W' and repeated in units of twos (Fig. 2D and F). The two song-types illustrated in Fig. 2E and D come from the same individual bird. Frequency (kHz) Fig. 2. Sonagrams illustrating the songs of Apalis chapini strausae from localities in Malawi: (A) and (B) Wilindi and Mugesse Forests, Misuku Hills; (C) to (E) Nyika Plateau; (F) South Viphya Plateau. All show male songs, except (B) where the part of the sexes is illustrated by m (male) and f (female) Except for an unusual variant in the Misuku Hills (in the extreme north of Malawi), this pattern of single or double descending strokes was found throughout the range of strausae. Thus one song- type from Rungwe Mt (Fig. 1C) is close to one from the Nyika (Fig. 2C), and the other (Fig. 1B) approaches one from the intervening Wilindi Forest, Misuku Hills (Fig. 2A). Curiously, one population confined to Mugesse Forest (8km from Wilindi Forest in the Misukus) was never heard to produce the typical song, but only a repetition of a descending note broken into two elements, which sounded like Eje=u,seje=ais... she: 2B). R. Stjernstedt recorded two song-types of nominate chapini in the Ulugurus, one of which is shown in Fig. IA: this sounds like a rapid, high-pitched kif-kif-kif-kif-kif... and cannot be matched by any song-type of strausae. However, there are similarities in structure, as each stroke is prolonged by a 'W' that recalls the notes in Fig. 2D. But the 'W' is restricted to very high frequencies in the Uluguru bird, hence the special timbre. Another song (not Vocal variations in two forest apalises 95 reproduced here as much echo obliterates the details of structure) appears lower-pitched (puipuipuipuipui...) with a main element at 4 kHz flanked with ascending and descending strokes. Frequency (kHz) 1s Fig. 3. Sonagrams illustrating the songs of Apalis melanocephala from: (A) Sokoke, Kenya (G.S. Keith in Keith & Gunn 1971); (B) and (C) Amani, Tanzania (R. Stjernstedt) The voice of the Black-headed Apalis A. melanocephala The song of the nominate melanocephala from coastal Kenya (in Keith & Gunn 1971) is a monotonous repetition of loud wiu-wiu-wiu-wiu (Fig. 3A: a faint harmonic overtone appears in the sonagrams and may not be real). The bird answering with the same song in the background may be the mate, or just as likely a countersinging territorial neighbour. According to S.N. Stuart (in litt), the birds from the Pugu Hills and the Usambara Mts (where two races are involved, nominate and moschi) sound similar. Tapes provided by R. Stjernstedt from Amani, East Usambaras, confirm this (Fig. 3B, C); but sometimes the monotony of the repetitive phrase is broken up by one or two introductory notes on a different pitch. One such song is illustra- ted in Fig. 3C and can be rendered as ti-hue, wie-wie-wie-wie. Moreover, the main notes differ slightly in structure, being broken up into two elements. In southern Malawi, A. melanocephala is common in the understorey and canopy of a wide range of evergreen forest, from lowland at 96 Vocal variations in two forest apalises 600-700m to submontane forest up to 1800-1900m. White (1962) supported the recognition of two races (lightoni and fuliginosa) on neighbouring hills in this area, and Benson & Benson (1977) similarly accept two (adjacens and fuliginosa), although geographical considerations might suggest there is unlikely to be more than one. Frequency (kHz) Fig. 4. Sonagrams illustrating the songs of Apalis melanocephala from: (A) and (B) Mulanje and Mangochi Mts, Malawi; (C) eastern Zimbabwe (T. Harris) The birds are noisy all year round with full songs commonest in August-November. Stereotyped songs were heard only in isolated individuals and there was no indication of a female participation. The most frequent motifs consist of three clear, piping notes repeated in series of a few seconds without a break. An example from Mulanje Mt is shown in Fig. 4A (ti-ti-pu, ti-ti-pu...) and another song-type from Mangochi Mt in Fig. 4B (pi-ti-ti, pi-ti-ti...) with the accent on the first note. Motifs of four notes were also heard (rarely) but not recorded; and I twice heard a song based on the repetition of a single piping note (once on Zomba Mt, once on Mulanje). Malawi birds were strongly attracted to the playback of tapes of local songs (often both members of a pair, or a small party came towards the recorder, calling and hopping about) but never showed an interest in the repetitive song from coastal Kenya Vocal variations in two forest apalises 97 (tried on Thyolo and Soche Mts). The calls are varied and include series of piping pee-pee-pee-pee or soft trills (often preceding a bout of singing), a rolled prru and alarm notes puit. These vocalizations are uttered by two or more birds in a territory, i.e. presumably by both sexes. From Mwanihana Forest in the Uzungwa Mts of Tanzania, S.N. Stuart (in litt) described the song as quite different and more variable than the monotonous wiu-wiu-wiu-wiu series uttered by coastal birds: songs were either di- or trisyllabic, some markedly accentuated on the first note. These seem likely to approach the song-types from Malawi. The southernmost population of A. melanocephala occurs in lowland forest in Mozambique and eastern Zimbabwe, south of the Zambezi River. On morphological characters these birds (lightoni) have been allied to those of southern Malawi except from Thyolo and -Mulanje (White 1962). The song has recently been recorded in Zimbabwe by T. Harris and is a striking, loud repetition of metallic piupiupiupiu notes (Fig. 4C). This rather unmusical timbre, produced by the high frequency range of each note, was never heard in Malawi. On the other hand, the monotonous repetitions recall the song-types of the nominate race in coastal East Africa; moreover, the peaked notes can be seen as extensions into higher frequencies (4-7 kHz) of the equivalent notes in Fig. 3A-C. (Incidentally, the sonagram published by Maclean (1985) is taken from the Sokoke tape of G.S. Keith and not from southern African birds.) DISCUSSION In the A. porphyrolaema superspecies, marked vocal differences appear to match morphological variations (at species or subspecies level). The more extensive material obtained in recent years confirms that the voice of A. chapini (including strausae) has nothing in common with the loud, ringing trills of A. porphyrolaema (recordings from the Kenya highlands are illustrated in Dowsett & Dowsett-Lemaire 1980, p.173). However, more material is needed particularly from the Uzungwa Mts in Tanzania (at the western limit of nominate chapini), to compare the song repertoires of strausae and chapini sensu strictu. Given the amount of intra- and inter- population variation found in strausae songs. and some similarities of structure with the chapini songs recorded so far, I would for the moment keep them in the same species. Similar investigation of vocalizations will be needed before the contentious status of A. kaboboensis (sometimes allied to porphyrolaema) can be settled (Collar & Stuart 1985). Playback experiments are often useful in this sort of study, but must be tried with caution in this group. Although I found that A. porphyrolaema in Kenya reacted strongly to playback of local tapes - by moving towards the source of sound and answering back - Similar experiments rarely worked in Malawi with strausae. Indeed, 98 Vocal variations in two forest apalises the situation is further complicated by the fact that Chestnut—-headed Apalises interact aggressively and vocally with sympatric Bar- throated Apalises A. thoracica and A. cinerea, whose voices are very different (Dowsett-Lemaire 1983: 362-3, 371). In A. melanocephala, tape-recorded material from coastal Kenya, eastern Tanzania, southern Malawi and eastern Zimbabwe show a remarkable range of vocalizations, with geographical variations which do not fit the subspecific divisions of White (1962). Rather, this material, added to S.N. Stuart's description of the complex songs of the Uzungwa birds from central Tanzania, suggests there is a clinal increase in song complexity from coastal to inland popula- tions. More recordings from most of Tanzania are needed to confirm (ElNILS c ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My research on forest birds in Malawi was supported financially by a grant from the Belgian National” Fund (F2NoR Ss.) anelo7 9-5 lectureship from Liége University in 1981-83, and the National Geographic Society, for which I am grateful. 1 thank Prot. J-6 Ruwet for the use of Sonagraph facilities at the Laboratory of Ethology, University of Liége. R. Stjernstedt and T. Harris kindly provided copies of their tape recordings for analysis. REFERENCES BENSON, C.W. & BENSON, F.M. 1977. The Birds of Malawi. Limbe: Montfort Press. CHAPPUIS, C. 1980. Study and analysis of certain vocalizations as an aid in classifying African Sylviidae. Proceedings of the Fourth Pan-African Ornithological Congress: 5/-63. COLLAR, N.J. & STUART, S.N. 1985. Threatened birds of Africa and related islands. Cambridge: ICBP and IUCN. DOWSETT, R.J. & DOWSETT-LEMAIRE, F. 1980. The systematic status of some Zambian birds. Le Gerfaut 70: 151-199. DOWSETT-LEMAIRE, F. 1983. Ecological and territorial requirements of montane forest birds on the Nyika Plateau, south-central Africa. Le Gerfaut 73: 345-378. KEITH, G.S.°& GUNN, W.W.H. 1971. Birds of the African) rain phomesince Two discs with text. Ontario and New York: Federation of Ontario Naturalists and American Museum of Natural History. MACLEAN, G.L. 1985. Roberts' birds of southern Africa. Cape Town: J. Voelcker Bird Book Fund. WHITE, C.M.N. 1962. A check list of the Ethiopian Muscicapidae (Sylviinae) Part II. Occasional Papers of the National Museum of Southern Rhodesia No. 26B: 653-738. Frangoise Dowsett-Lemaire, Rue de Bois-de-Breux 194, B-4500 Jupille, Liége, Belgium (Received 29 September 1986) 99 A NEW BIRD FOR EAST AFRICA AND EXTENSIONS OF RANGE OF SOME SPECIES FOR SOUTHWEST TANZANIA DC eMOuUeT wand OR... Stjernsted These records are from a visit to the Tatanda one-degree square (8-9 S, 31-32 E) in southwestern Tanzania made between 15 April and 1 May 1985. During this time trips were made to Mumba, Kitungulu, Nkutwe and Nsangu from our base at Tatanda. This area of Tanzania has been poorly covered by ornithologists in the past and in recent years a number of species new to East Africa and extensions of range have been recorded here (see Stjernstedt & Moyer 1982). DCM visited Mumba from 15-18 April and both of us visited Kitungulu from 25-28 April, Nkutwe on 29 April and Nsangu from 30 April to 1 May. Mumba is located about 40km southeast of Sumbawanga on the road to Tunduma, the habitat there is montane grassland and the elevation is about 2100m. Kitungulu lies at an elevation of about 1400m and is located 25km west of Tatanda. This locality was visited by Fromm in 1909 and by Loveridge in 1930 (see Kothe 1911 and Bangs & Loveridge 1933). Near where the village of Kitungulu once stood, two streams, the Kitungulu and the Kamukolwe, join to form the Kawa. Lining the banks of these streams is riverine forest of a type commonly encountered in Zambia where it is known as mushitu. At one point the forest widens out to about 100m to form a small patch. We put up several mist-nets in this spot during our stay. The area surrounding Kitungulu is miombo woodland in very good condition. Nkutwe is a small patch of mushitu growing around a hot spring. It is located 2km east of Tatanda and has an elevation of about 1500m. About 15km north of Mumba on the lip of the Rukwa escarpment is a small patch of montane forest called Nsangu, which lies at about 2200m. This forest is being cut down by the people from the nearby village of Msanda for lumber, char- coal and firewood which they sell in Sumbawanga. Nsangu is similar to Mbisi forest which is located 20km to the northwest and many of the same bird species are found here. Also worthy of note is a troop of Western Red Colobus Colobus badius tephrosceles living in the forest. This subspecies is in increasing danger on the Ufipa Plateau as the remaining patches of forest are cut down (see Rodgers 1981). Mist-nets were put up in all of the localities visited during our stay and data were kept from all birds examined. We collected one species new to East Africa (e); we identified a second new species, and probably also a third, on the basis of voice and these are marked 'o' in the list below. Caprimulgus poliocephalus guttifer Montane Nightjar This species was heard and tape recorded on the grassland surrounding Nsangu Forest. It was quite common and up to four birds were heard calling at one time. These records are a considerable westward extension of the range of this species as given in Britton (1980). Scopus 10: 99-102, December 1986 100 A new bird for East Africa © Mirafra angolensis Angola Lark DCM saw and heard a lark, probably of this species, on two occasions at Mumba. Both times a bird was seen at a distance of about 150m performing a distinctive song-flight. All efforts to locate the bird after it had settled into the tall grass failed and a good view was not obtained. The song-flight began with a short, steep flight to a height of about 20m then, with wings held overhead, the bird glided back to the ground, all the while giving a continuous liquid buzzing call. This call was very similar to the description by Aspinwall (1979) of the call of M. angolensis in the northwestern province of Zambia. It also sounded almost exactly like a recording made by RS of this species in western Zambia. The inclusion of this Species in the East African avifauna must await full substantiation. Alcippe abyssinica abyssinica African Hill Babbler One bird was caught at Nsangu and it was heard calling quite paren in the forest undergrowth. Andropadus latirostris australis Yellow-whiskered Greenbul A common and noisy bird at Nsangu where two were caught. Andropadus virens zombensis Little Greenbul This was a very common species at Kitungulu in the mushitu, eleven being caught; it was not found at Nkutwe. Britton (1980) records this species from no closer than Tukuyu; it is, however, quite common in mushitu around Mbala in northern Zambia. Chlorocichla flavicollis flavigula Yellow-throated Leaflove Two birds were caught at Kitungulu where it did not appear to be very common. Phyllastrephus cabanisi Cabanis' Greenbul A common species at Kitungulu and Nkutwe. Nine were caught at Kitungulu. Phyllastrephus flavostriatus alfredi Yellow-streaked Greenbul This species is common at Nsangu where three were caught. Cercotrichas barbata barbata Bearded Scrub Robin Heard on several occasions in rich miombo near Kitungulu. This species was found by Moreau's collector near this area (Moreau 1943). Alethe poliocephala ufipae Brown-chested Alethe Three birds were caught at Nsangu, in each case they were the sole bird in the net on the first visit at early dawn. The birds were silent in the hand but snapped their bills. The gape was pinkish grey, bill black, eyes chestnut-brown and feet pale pink. Dryocichloides bocagei chapini Bocage's Ground Robin This species was heard calling several times at Kitungulu and a female was collected. This is the first specimen of this race from Tanzania. Pogonocichla stellata orientalis White-starred Forest Robin A common bird at Nsangu, where one was caught. A new bird for East Africa 101 Apalis alticola Brown-headed Apalis Recorded from Nsangu, Kitungulu and Nkutwe. Britton (1980) gives its habitat as highland forest but at Kitungulu and Nkutwe it occurs in mushitu. Bradypterus barratti ufipae Evergreen Forest Warbler Common at Kitungulu and Nkutwe in mushitu and in montane forest at Nsangu. Cisticola fulvicapilla angusticauda Tabora Cisticola This species was seen in tall miombo at Kitungulu. The closest it had previously been recorded was from Katavi Plain. 0 Cisticola pipiens congo Chirping Cisticola This species was heard calling in the reeds along the Mumba River by DCM who is familiar with it from Mbala, 70km to the south in Zambia. One bird was caught but escaped before being measured and photo- graphed. The addition of this species to the East African list must - await full substantiation. e Phylloscopus laurae eustacei Laura's Warbler A male of this species was caught in the forest at Kitungulu and a specimen was made. The occurrence of P. laurae here is not surprising as it is quite common near Mbala, 70km to the southeast, in similar habitat. Muscicapa adusta fuelleborni Dusky Flycatcher A very common bird at Nsangu in forest clearings where three were caught. Macronyx ameliae altanus Rosy-breasted Longclaw Two birds were seen at Mumba on montane grassland and one at Lake Sundu on a wet dambo. Britton (1980) records this species from no nearer than the Malawi border some 150-200km southeast of Mumba; however, its occurrence here was predicted. Malaconotus multicolor nigrifrons Many-coloured Bush Shrike This species was seen once and heard calling at Nsangu. A recording was made of its call. Anomalospiza imberbis Parasitic Weaver One was seen at Tatanda by RS, this is only the second record from this area. Britton (1980) records it from no closer than Iringa. Mandingoa nitidula chubbi Green-backed Twinspot One bird, a male, was caught on the forest edge at Kitungulu. Serinus mennelli Black-eared Seed-eater A very common bird in miombo woodland around Kitungulu and elsewhere in the square. Britton (1980) records it from no nearer than Songea so these records represent a considerable extension of known range. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT We are grateful to Dr Simon Stuart for commenting on a first draft of this note. 102 A new bird for East Africa REFERENCES ASPINWALL, D.R. 1979. Bird notes from the Zambesi District, North- western Province. Occasional Papers of the Zambian Ornithological Society No. 2. BANGS, O. & LOVERIDGE, A. 1973. Reports on the scientific results of an expedition to the southwestern highlands of Tanganyika Territory. Part 3. Birds. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard 75(/): 143-221. KOTHE, K. 1911. Zoologische Ergebnisse der Expedition des Herrn Hauptmann a. D. Fromm 1908/09 nach Deutsch-Ostafrika. 2. Aves. Mitteilungen aus dem Zoologischen Museum in Berlin 5: 311-382. MOREAU, R.E. 1943. A contribution to the ornithology of the east side of Lake Tanganyika. Ibis 85: 377-412. RODGERS, W.A. 1981. The distribution and conservation status of colobus monkeys in Tanzania. Primates 22(1): 33-45. STJERNSTEDT, R. & MOYER, D.C. 1982. Some new birds and extensions of range for southwest Tanzania. Scopus 6: 36-37. GAZETTEER Katavi Plain 06.45 S 31.05 E Msanda 0804 SS» Sie Siigr Kitungulu 08529"S SIs Ey Mumba 08.06 S~ 3125095 Sundu, Lake 08.30 S 31.40 E Nkutwe 08°29 -S=e3 13s Mbala 08.50 S 31.42 E Nsangu 08.03 S35 315388 Mbisi 07.54 S 31.42 E Sumbawanga 07-58 S)saie37ee Tatanda 529 8 SUSSO 13 D.C. Moyer, 325 East Walnut Street, Perkasie, PA 18944, U.S.A. and R. Stjernstedt, Box 36673, Lusaka, Zambia (Received 10 January 1986) 103 MOULT SCHEDULES OF SOME PYCNONOTIDS AND PLOCEIDS IN COASTAL KENYA Pai IB bie EON sana) oH. A. BriEton There are few published accounts of moult schedules of Afrotropical birds in East Africa, though the stage of moult of many thousands has been noted as a routine feature of ringing studies (Backhurst 1974). Moult data are included by Okia (1976) and Stuart & Hutton (1977), for forest birds in Uganda and Tanzania, and many more are available from various sites in Kenya. Few have been published (Britton 1972, 1978), but anticipated papers will include data from several forests (A.W. Diamond, R.J. Dowsett, M. Kelsey and C.F. Mann in prep.). Both pycnonotids in this paper featured prominently in a recent study in Mozambique and Malawi (Hanmer 1978), while Okia (1976) included data on other pycnonotids. Published data from Kenya include the Common Bulbul Pycnonotus barbatus (Britton 1972) and various ploceids (Britton 1978). Data from higher latitudes are often very synchronized (Hanmer 1978), while those for papyrus birds on the equator in western Kenya (Britton 1978) exhibit clear patterns. Britton (1972) concluded that the timing and duration of moult of the Common Bulbul conform to no obvious pattern in western Kenya, nor do available data for other pycnonotids from the same climatic zone in Uganda (Okia 1976). The data presented here lack obvious patterns, and a substantial analysis of seasonality, interrupted moult or other features is inappropriate. Interested readers are referred to the extensive bibliography and discussion in Britton (1978). During 1974-78, whilst resident in Mombasa, we netted birds regularly in modified and degraded thicket on coral rag at Bamburi (4.00 S, 39.43 E). Introduced Lantana camara was dominant except in natural glades where grasses and palms featured prominently. Nets were usually set for 3 or 4 hours from dawn, using the same Sites on each visit. The primary moult of each bird handled was recorded using the methods of Evans (1966). Birds with active or interrupted moult were given a score from 1 to 49. All such data for the Common Bulbul, Zanzibar Sombre Greenbul Andropadus importunus, Golden Palm Weaver Ploceus bojeri, Spectacled Weaver P. ocularis, Black-necked Weaver P. nigricollis and Zanzibar Red Bishop Euplectes nigroventris are summarized in Figs. 1-3. Data for other species netted involve still smaller samples and are excluded. Recaptured birds in moult on one or more occasions have moult scores joined in the figures. Birds exhibiting active moult only once, or with interrupted moult each time, are shown with broken lines. The gradient of these is likely to be artificially low, though several such lines are at least as steep as many continuous lines. This, together with the lengthy (mean 326 days) duration of primary moult derived from all thirty recaptures, suggests that many in active moult had in fact interrupted their moult for part of the period between captures. Most pycnonotid data from Africa indicate that active primary moult lasts for 3-5 months and follows breeding (Hanmer 1978). Scopus 10: 103-106, December 1986 104 Moult of some Kenya coastal birds Seasonality is very apparent in coastal Kenya, with most rain during April-June, sometimes protracted into July, August or November (Brown & Britton 1979). Rainfall is rather erratic and variable, and such differences from year to year are likely to obscure patterns when data from five years are combined (see Britton 1978). Breeding season data from coastal Kenya for these six species in Brown & Britton (1979) show that most laying is during and immediately after the wet April-June period, with 97 per cent of clutches in April-October. Ignoring atypical August data for the Zanzibar Red Bishop, there is a peak in May (27 per cent of clutches). The purpose of this paper is to place these data on record for future analysis or comparison by other workers. In particular, a forthcoming review of moult patterns in forest birds by R.J. Dowsett will include miscellaneous data from forests in coastal Kenya (M. Kelsey in litt.). @ 30 re) 3 3 re) =) 20 > « E a e a? ’ one e ae 4 —-? - A S O N D Fig. 1. Primary moult scores of Andropadus importunus by months. Birds exhibiting interrupted moult (-) and birds aged as immature (1) are distinguished. Joined lines link recaptured birds (see text) ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We are very grateful to Bamburi Cement Company and their farm manager, René Haller, for permission to net birds on their land. Moult of some Kenya coastal birds 105 Primary moult score Fig. 2. Primary moult scores of Pycnonotus barbatus by months. Conventions as in Fig. l 50 2 (] Q e A < & 40 A ‘ ® @e A ‘. ‘ ee ° A ® 30 e ° © @ ~ ce 3 ee uf r a Z 2 20 ie: = a ® aN ° 6 / £ / ° © 5 7 2 10 he 4 / a ® ) / 9 ee J F M A J J 8 34 8656 9 6 10>" 10 9 17 9 Fig. 3. Primary moult scores of Ploceus bojeri @, P.ocularisoO , P. nigricolliso and Euplectes nigriventris A. Conventions as in Fig l 106 Moult of some Kenya coastal birds REFERENCES BACKHURST, G.C. 1974. East African bird ringing report 1972-73, 1973-74. Journal of the East Africa Natural History Society and National Museum 146: 1-9. BRITTON, P.L. 1972. Weights of African bulbuls (Pycnonotidae) Ostrich) 4920 23-42. 1978. Seasonality, density and diversity of birds of a papyrus swamp in western Kenya. TIbis 120: 450-466. BROWN, L.H. & BRITTON, P.L. 1979. The breeding seasons of East African birds. Nairobi: East Africa Natural History Society. EVANS, P.R. 1966. Autumn movements, moult and measurements of the Lesser Redpoll Carduelis flammea cabaret. Ibis 108: 183-216. HANMER, D. 1978. Measurements and moult of five species of bulbul from Mocambique and Malawi. Ostrich 49: 116-131. OKIA, N.O. 1976. Birds of the understorey of lake-shore forests on Entebbe peninsula, Uganda. Ibis 118: 1-13. STUART, S.N. & HUTTON, J.M. (eds) 1977. The avifauna of the East Usambara Mountains, Tanzania. Cambridge, cyclostyled. P.L. & H.A. Britton, All Souls' School, Charters Towers, O 4820, Australia (Received 14 June 1986) Short communications 107 SHORT COMMUNICATIONS A LEVANT SPARROWHAWK SPECIMEN FROM UGANDA Whilst examining Accipiter skins at the British Museum (Natural History) at Tring, England, I recently came across an example of a Levant Sparrowhawk A. brevipes among East African specimens of Shikra A. badius sphenurus. The bird was collected by C.R.S. Pitman near the Aswa (Achwa) River, east of Paranga, Lango, Uganda on 18 March 1929. It is an adult male, showing dark slaty upperparts and chestnut barring below (adult A.b. sphenurus are paler grey above with paler pinkish-brown barring below). The wing measures 218mm and the tail 155mm. The second primary is only 1mm shorter than the fifth, and the latter 14mm shorter than the third and fourth, these being about equal. The inscription on the collector's label includes the following comment: "Evidently on passage to morth. Exceedingly fat. One of several skulking in trees by water ‘holes. Feeding on flying termites". The specimen was also examined by P.R. Colston and M.W. Woodcock who agreed with the identification. There are very few reports of the Levant Sparrowhawk from the Afrotropical region, and only two previous records from East Africa, a bird collected at Busenga, NW Tanzania on |! December 1921 (Morrison 1955) and one seen in Meru NP, Kenya on 8 November 1983 (EANHS O S-C 1984). The Tring specimen thus provides an addition to the Uganda list. REFERENCES E.A.N.H.S. 0.S-C 1984. East African Bird Report 1983. Scopus 7: 124. MORRISON, A.F. 1955. Occurrence of the Levant Sparrowhawk in Tanganyika. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club 75: 6. D.J. Pearson, Department of Biochemistry, University of Nairobi, Box 30197, Nairobi (Received 19 September 1986) Scopus 10: 107, December 1986. SOUTHERN TANA RIVER OBSERVATIONS Between 28-31 December 1985 I had occasion to visit a relatively unknown sector of Kenya. Through the good organization of Rinaldo and Jill Retief, combined with Terry O'Meara's expertise, a group of us were able to explore the southern Tana River delta area some 25km south of Kipini at Sherekiko. This short note is written to record two unusual sightings of birds among the 79 species noted during the four days. The trip started upstream at Semikaro by boat, taking some 2} hours to negotiate the 40km odd to the river's southern mouth. The first 12-15km took us through riverine cultivation, mainly mango trees and bananas, before entering generally uninhabited country. The slow flowing, winding river then progresses bordered by seasonally 108 Short communications high grasses, various palms and some woodland, before emerging into mixed mangrove tidal vegetation. At this time of year mudbanks, exposed by the tide, are frequented by many Palaearctic waders besides large numbers of herons, storks, ibis, stone curlews, plovers and various water fowl. The boat trip on the lower reaches is enhanced by frequent sightings of crocodiles and the occasional hippo. The two observations of particular interest were of the following species: Ixobrychus sturmii Dwarf Bittern I made 12-15 sightings, all of only single birds, flushed from dense riverine vegetation by the motor-powered boat. Pluvialis dominica Lesser Golden Plover On 29 December seven birds of this species were observed at ranges up to 40m with 10 x 40 binoculars. The birds were situated on the sea shore exposed by the receding tide north of the estuary. On 31 December a flock of 57 Lesser Golden Plovers were observed in the same general area at ranges up to 30m using identical binocu- lars. Identification was established by the more slender, longer- legged appearance than Grey Plovers P. squatarola which were also present. Combined with a pale eye-stripe, mottled deep golden brown and black upperparts and pale grey-brown axillaries and underwing, this bird cannot be confused with any other species. Of interest is the apparent habit of 'freezing' in any stance when under close pre-flight observation, thus enabling me to accurately count 5/7 birds within 35m range. A.L. Archer, Wildlife Services Ltd., Box 30678, Nairobi. Scopus 10: 107-108, December 1986 Received 20 January 1986 THE COMPOSITION OF BWINDI FOREST BIRD PARTIES Bird parties or mixed-species flocks are a conspicuous feature of tropical woodland and forest. They consist of a mobile feeding association of a number of different species, usually insectivorous (see Winterbottom 1943, Vernon 1980, Pomeroy & Tengecho 1982 and references therein). Between 21 August and 12 September 1984 I recorded the composition of 18 mixed-species flocks in the Bwindi (formerly Impenetrable) Forest, southwest Uganda. Flocks were seen in hillside and valley forest at altitudes between 2130m and 2440m. In all, 4/7 species joined flocks, the vast majority being entirely or predominantly insectivorous. Birds feeding mainly on fruit or seeds (e.g. the Speckled Mousebird Colius striatus, Slender-billed Greenbul Andropadus gracilirostris, Thick-billed and Streaky Seed-eaters Serinus_burtoni and S. striolatus) occurred in a few parties. The number of species per party ranged from 3 to 12, with a mean of 6.9. Short communications 109 Most parties moved mainly through the canopy, but three were confined to the undergrowth. Three ‘nuclear species' (as in Winterbottom 1943, Start 1971) were clearly identifiable: they were the White-headed Wood Hoopoe Phoeniculus bollei, Chestnut-throated Apalis Apalis porphyrolaema and Yellow White-eye Zosterops senegalensis, all noisy species occurring in small to medium sized groups. At least one nuclear species was present in 14 out of 15 canopy parties; in 9 cases there were two nuclear species but no party had all three. The three undergrowth parties seemed to lack nuclear species. Other species regularly joining parties (recorded in five or more) included the Stripe-breasted Tit Parus fasciiventer, African Hill Babbler Alcippe abyssinica, Yellow-streaked Greenbul Phylla- strephus flavostriatus, Masked Apalis Apalis binotata, Rwenzori Batis Batis diops and Strange Weaver Ploceus alienus. DISCUSSION In Table | Bwindi bird parties are compared with some of those studied elsewhere in Africa. The number of species joining is well within the range represented, being close to the mean of 49 species for the other nine localities. The maximum and mean number of species per party cannot be calculated for some studies, but the values for Bwindi are slightly lower than those others which are obtainable. (The latter measure will in any case be affected by differing criteria for the minimum number of species constituting a party.) The identity of the nuclear species varies interestingly. Z. senegalensis is a nuclear species in Zambian woodland (Winterbottom 1943) as well as in Bwindi, but not elsewhere, although it joins bird parties in a number of places. The other studies show no equivalents to P. bollei and A. porphyrolaema in Bwindi. Two drongo Dicrurus species are essential to the formation of bird parties in the east Usambaras (Stuart & Hutton 1977), but although D. adsimilis joins parties in Bwindi and six of the other localities, it usually does so briefly or rarely, and is nowhere else regarded as a nuclear species. Greig-Smith (1978) and Start (1971) stress the importance of tits Parus spp. as the sole nuclear species in their studies, and the Southern Black Tit P. niger is one of the four nuclear species recorded by Winterbottom (1943). However, while both P. fasciiventer and the Dusky Tit P. funereus joined parties in Bwindi, the former regularly, neither could be considered a nuclear species, nor was the White-bellied Tit P. albiventris at Masalani (Pomeroy & Tengecho 1982). ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS These observations were made during the Cambridge Bwindi Forest Study Group's expedition to the forest in 1984. My thanks to all the individuals and organizations who made this visit possible, and to the Ugandan Forest Department and National Research Council for permission to work in Bwindi. Short communications 110 I “EL ee Ajaed aed satoeds Jo Jequnu uesow = 94 ‘432ed e ut satoeds Jo Jequnu wunutxem = g ‘setzied 3ututol pepiodei satoeds jo azequmu = Wy :sezo0N ER eee ence eee eee nS SS a I TT I LE a I TE ET I snezeungz *d TEeTTOq snTnotusocyd Jse10F epuesy JaRUPATTOSePF snreg eulsaeTozAydizod stTedy ouequoU 4set0F STTTUTSpe -d sTsueTebouss °*Z O°/ ZI Ly emo, ISTOW Tputmg Apnis styy pue[poom eAusy Z7Z86[ OYdesuey, STTTUTSpe °d auou [°/ GI 9€ uedg Tasuetas y AorsUOg STIRZUPATCTE “d pue [poom eAuoy Z86l OYdesuaT STTTWITspe °C suou ¢°g |Z G9 peysng Tue lesen y AOL BUOY sTsueTebhoues °7 pure [poom eMqequtz ST[TTWUTspe ‘a gqououUs OrCle z I¢ Prbezshyorzg aTAy e4eT O86, Uours, (suozfIdoos -d e kusy 6261 pue [TIZ}2ezZ sdouorig qSo10F *jsai10j UCWASUMITZ ST[TWITSpe :q A{qeqoid) pessnostp Jou 7°g 4] 1€ pure [MoT ayoYos R uojzTIg pue[ssei3 9/61 STTTWTspe -q seTowoonetT snieg i 2 9S pepoom eueuy yi tWs—31915 STTTUTSpe “d(q 7°6 €72(4 JS910F JOM BerTuezuey, LL61 sTsuaeTeboues °Z TrS5TMpn~T snanzora(e 6°S {[2(e L9 PIeTpewlzeqUT SeAequiesn*| UOJ ANY yY 3AeNIAS POTUTSSAGe °Z sTsueTeboauss °7 . 3Se10J e Auay PeTeuTO sTrTedy STIUPATQTe snieg 3 ji ¢Z oeuejuom A1Iq TqO1TeN (LLG iL Bsh2aAe ZebtTu sniedg sTsuaTebouas sdozra7soz TOASCHTAPTF PAIOTTAH 6°6 Z 19 pure [poom eTquez*M Cv6I ST[TUWTSpe snznzoTG sdoj02s efowouezy /°/ i SG PpueTpooM eLquez *y W107 0q19qUTM VIsyMesTe AeeTonu Ssetoeds avetonyn 9 G. AAV, qe Tqey AUT TL eI07T Apnas oie jeu} JUueseid setoeds itPva[Tonu—uou POTIJY UT eTEeYMEeSTe pue TpuTMg UT SaTIZTed PIT| FO SOTASTIAROPITEYD “| PTQPL Short communications eld REFERENCES BRITTON, P.L. & ZIMMERMAN, D.A. 1979. The avifauna of Sokoke Forest, Kenya. Journal of the East Africa Natural History Society and National Museum 169: 1-15. GREIG-SMITH, P.W. 1978. The formation, structure and function of mixed-species insectivorous bird flocks in West African savanna woodland. fbis 120: 284-297. POMEROY, D.E. & TENGECHO, B. 1982. Studies of birds in a semi-arid area of Kenya II. Bird parties in two woodland areas. Scopus 6: BE Se START, A.N. 1971. A study of mixed species bird flocks in a highland forest area in Kenya, East Africa. Unpubl. report, Dept. Zoology, University of Aberdeen. StLUARtsonN. & HUMEON, J.M. (eds) 1977. The avifauna of the East Usambara Mountains, Tanzania. Cambridge: cyclostyled report. VERNON, C.J. 1980. Bird parties in central and south Africa. Proceedings of the Fourth Pan-African Ornithological Congress UST Or S32 5\ WINTERBOTTOM, J.M. 1943. On woodland bird parties in Northern Rhodesia. Ibis 85: 437-442. L.A. Bennun, Box 21149, Nairobi Received 30 September 1986 Scopus 10: 108-111, December 1986 A TWENTY-YEAR-OLD GREENBUL FROM WESTERN KENYA On 6 January 1985, in my former study area in the Kakamega Forest (Zimmerman, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 129, 1972), Dr Simon Cox mist-netted a female Cameroon Sombre Greenbul Andropadus curvirostris which I had ringed there on 22 June 1965. According to information kindly supplied by Dr Cox, this remarkable bird was captured within 30 to 50m of the ringing site. She was a a breeding adult when I first captured her in 1965, making her age at least twenty years - one of the oldest recorded passerines and apparently a record for any tropical species. Longevity records of wild birds cited by Campbell & Lack (A Dierianary OF Birds, Calton: Poyser, 1985, p./) include only three passerines in the twenty-year range: a Blackbird Turdus merula, 20.3 years; a Starling Sturnus vulgaris, 20.0 years; and a Rook Corvus frugilegus 19.9 years of age). The only pycnonotid cited by Campbell & Lack is Pycnonotus plumosus, an individual of which was recorded as 11.7 years. These data represent 'maximum recorded elapsed time between ringing and recovery." FIZ Short communications My thanks to Graeme Backhurst for notifying me of the Kakamega bird's recapture, and to Dr Cox for providing confirmation and various additional details. Dale A. Zimmerman, 1011 W. Florence St, Silver City, New Mexico 88061 U.S.A. Scopus 10: 111-112, December 1986 - Received 2 December 1986 [The above-mentioned record was included by C.F. Mann in his paper 'An avifaunal study in Kakamega Forest, Kenya, with particular reference to species diversity, weight and moult', Ostrich 56: 236-262, December IGS elo) THE YELLOW-STREAKED GREENBUL IN KENYA Britton (1980) attributes Phyllastrephus flavostriatus tenuirostris to Kenya solely on the basis of the specimen collected on Mt Kasigau, southwest of Voi on 18 November 1938 (Rand, Fieldiana, Zoology 35, 1958: p.203). Overlooked in their account was the first Kenyan Specimen secured by Blaney Percival at or near Fort Hall on 4 April 1917. This record was originally mentioned as "probably tenuirostris" by Meyer de Schauensee in a paper on Northern Rhodesian birds (Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 103, 1951: p.48). It was also referred to by Rand (loc. cit.). Perhaps this early specimen was the basis for V.G.L. van Someren's statement ; (Novitates Zoologicae 29, 1922: p.185), ''According to Oberholser, this species ranges into British East Africa." I recently had opportunity to examine this specimen (ANSP 95955) in the collection of the Academy of Natural Sciences. It is an unsexed adult. There are no data relative to habitat or precise locality where it was collected; the label merely reads "Fort Hall". Turner & Zimmerman (Scopus 3, 1979: 41), also unaware of this specimen, reported that the species' current status in Kenya was unknown, and that there were no recent records. This remains true. Two early records of this species, one as far north as Murang'a, suggest that this bird probably has been overlooked in subsequent years. However, the extensive deforestation in recent decades casts some doubt on its continued existence in this country. Observers in montane forest should be on the alert for it. Dale A. Zimmerman, Department of Biological Science, Western New Mexico University, Silver City, New Mexico 88061, U.S.A. Scopus 10: 112, December 1986 Received 2 December 1986 Short communications 113 A NEST RECORD FOR PHYLLOSCOPUS LAETUS THE RED-FACED WOODLAND WARBLER Phylloscopus laetus, endemic to the montane forests of the Albertine Rift (Prigogine 1985), is a common bird where it occurs, but little known. Mackworth-Praed & Grant (1973) found only one record of its nest, which they describe as a domed structure of moss and dry leaves placed a few feet from the ground between two branches, with a side entrance about a third of the length from the top. Lippens & Wille (1976) give a nearly identical description, and record breeding in Kivu, East Zaire, between January and August, i.e. in the last part of the rains and in the dry season. (It is not clear whether these dates derive from observation or from examination of the gonadal condition of the specimens.) The species seems to have entirely escaped the attention of Brown & Britton (1980). On 4 September 1984 in the Bwindi (formerly Impenetrable) Forest, SW Uganda, I watched a single P. laetus nest-building very actively in valley forest at 2100m. The nest site was quite different from that described by Mackworth-Praed & Grant (1973). About 10m up in a large, straight-boled tree a nearly vertical branch emerged. From it projected horizontally a dark mass of tangled epiphyte roots, moss-—covered, approximately 50cm high and 20cm across. In the very centre of this mass was a small round hole into which the bird regularly disappeared with nesting material, emerging after a short time. The bundles of material it carried were often almost as large as itself; they appeared to consist of lichen mixed with other debris, probably scraps of dead leaves. In 1984 the rainy season in Bwindi had begun in the last week of August after an unusually severe dry period; this record is thus for the early rains. Although nest-building does not necessarily imply breeding activity, the two are likely to be connected in a phylloscopine warbler, indicating that the species may breed at a different season in Bwindi than in Kivu. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This observation was made during the Cambridge Bwindi Forest Study Group's expedition to the forest in 1984. I thank all those individuals and organizations who made this visit possible, and the Ugandan Forest Department and National Research Council for permission to work in Bwindi. REFERENCES ETPPENS, L. & WILLE, H. 1976. Les oiseaux du Zaire. Tielt: Lannoo. MACKWORTH-PRAED, C.W. & GRANT, C.H.B. 1973. African handbook of birds. Series III. vol. 2. Birds of west central and western Africa. London: Longman. bya Short communications, Letter to the Editor PRIGOGINE, A. 1985. Conservation of the avifauna of the forests of the Albertine rift, pp! 277-295 in Diamond, A.W. & Lovejoy mane (eds) Conservation of tropical forest birds. ICBP technical publication No. 4. Cambridge: ICBP. L.A. Bennun, Box 21149, Nairobi Received 30 September 1986 Scopus 10: 113-114, December 1986 LETTER TO THE EDITOR Siistay Clancey's recent paper ‘Taxonomic notes on some birds from East Africa’ (Scopus 10: 33-40) drew attention to some apparent lapses and inconsistencies in the nomenclature which we followed in Birds of East Africa (Britton 1980). None of the ten authors is a museum specialist, and we appreciate that Clancey's appraisal is far more proper and thorough than was our cursory review of relevant literature. Nevertheless, subjective analysis is inevitable when variation is examined at the subspecies level. Further debate is perhaps unreasonable, but I think it necessary to identify six species in his paper which were given correct treatment in terms of the procedures outlined in the text itself. Buccanodon whytii White (1965, A revised check list of African non-passerine birds, Lusaka: Government Printer) includes euroum in the synonymy of nominate whytii, and we followed this opinion. Pogoniulus chrysoconus White (1965) includes dryas and rhodesiae in the synonymy of extoni, and we followed this opinion. Cercotrichas quadrivirgata White (1962, A revised check list of African shrikes, etc. Lusaka: Government Printer) includes rovumae and erlangeri in the synonymy of the nominate form. Clancey argues that the pattern of variation now determined presupposes that brunnea (which we referred to as being described and perhaps valid) may be part of rovumae. Clytospiza monteiri Clancey resurrects ugandensis (van Someren 1921) though White (1963, A revised check list of African flycatchers, etc. Lusaka: Government Printer) regarded the species as monotypic, and we followed this opinion. Cryptospiza reichenovii Clancey places ocularis in the synonymy of the nominate form. We followed White (1963) who included ocularis in the synonymy of australis. Letter to the Editor, Notices LS Plocepasser mahali We referred to the discussion in Benson et al. (1970, Arnoldia (Rhodesia) 4(40): 1-59) wkich resulted from a thorough appraisal of relevant specimens. Clancey's conclusions might result from a more detailed investigation using some more recent material, though the late C.W. Benson examined all British Museum (Nat. Hist.) material then available. Peter L. Britton, All Souls' School, Charters Towers, 04820, Australia Scopus 10: 114-115, December 1986 Received 20 July 198€ NOTICES SYMPOSIUM: BIRDS OF EVERGREEN FOREST. 8-10 September 1987 at the Wilderness, Cape Province, South Africa. Papers and posters on the following topics: forest bird communities, biogeography of forest birds, population biology of forest birds, conservation of forest avifaunas. Prospective participants should contact the Symposium Organising Pommm@eteen t.GeW.Beo., 2.0. Box 1305, Port Elizabeth 6000, S. Africa. GABAR - A new journal covering African raptors GABAR (Growth and Biology of African Raptors) is a new journal publishing material on African raptors, here defined as eagles, hawks, harriers, buzzards, falcons and owls, i.e. excluding vultures, seabirds and other predatory birds already covered by specialist publications in the region. Contents will include: short papers on completed studies, progress reports on ongoing research, short notes, unusual sightings, conservation problems and a Forum in which opinions, continuing controversies, constructive criticisms and new ideas are aired and challenged. The first edition has been printed and copies can be obtained free of charge from the address below. Subsequent editions will be distributed on receipt of a subscription fee. Robert Simmons, Editor - GABAR, Dept. of Zoology, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2001, Republic of South Africa. 116 Notices, Short Reviews MALIMBUS 8(2) DECEMBER 1986 [The contents of the latest issue of our sister journal] Editorial 49 Hilary Fry: A Tribute by John Elgood and Bob Sharland 49 Records of birds seen in the Republic of Togo during 1984- [9860 Rea acheken be) Walch &ujseA a Sowal ai The Red-capped Robin-chat Cossypha natalensis in West Africa. S.N. Stuart & M.E. Gartshore 73 Observations of birds and other frugivores feeding at Tetrorchidium didymostemon. R.E. Happel 77 Revised list of sound-recorded Afrotropical birds. C. Chappuis (Continued from Malimbus 8(1): 25-39) 19 Notes on the birds of the Ivory Coast. J.F. Walsh 89 Review, Notices. 93-98 SCOPUS SUBSCRIPTIONS AND 1986 BIRD RECORDS Subscriptions for 1987 are due. Full details are inside the front cover of this issue. The fifth issue of Scopus volume 9, the East African Bird Report 1985 is currently in preparation and records for Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda for 1986 (as well as any outstanding rec- ords for earlier years) should be sent in as soon as possible please. Afrotropical records to D.A. Turner, Box 48019, Nairobi, Palaearctic ones to Dr D.J. Pearson, Department of Biochemistry, University of Nairobi, Box 30197, Nairobi. SHORT REVIEWS Proceedings of the Birds and Man Symposium (Johannesburg 10-15 April 1983). Edited by L. John Bunning, Witwatersrand Bird Club, Johannes- burg, December 1985. 361 pp., soft covers, US$32.00 including post- age and packing. An excellently produced document on the contributions given at this important meeting. Most papers are on southern African topics but there are some from the UK, USA and Australia as well. The book is available from the WBC, Box 72091, Parkview 2122, Johannesburg. Proceedings of the International Conference on the Quela: ecology, management, policy (Kenya 13-23 January 1985). Edited by C.C.H. El- liott and M.M. Jaeger. 132 pp., soft covers. Available from the FAO Representative in Kenya, Box 30470, Nairobi. A very useful summary of this conference which also touched on other pest birds. Papers are presented in summary, followed by a selection of questions and answers and comments. The whole text is given first in English and then in French. Any reference cited should be listed at the end of the contribution following the form used in this issue. Names of periodicals must be given in full and, in the case of books, the town of publication and the publisher should be given. A number of works, which are cited frequently, should not be listed under ‘References’; the name(s) of the author(s) and date(s) of publication should be given in the text in the normal way. All contributions, which will be acknowledged, should be sent to the Editor, G.C. Backhurst, Box 24702, Nairobi. WORKS WHICH SHOULD NOT BE LISTED UNDER ‘REFERENCES’ BACKHURST,G.C., BRITTON, P.L. & MANN, C.F. 1973. The less common Palaearctic migrant birds of Kenya and Tanzania. Journal of the East Africa Natural History Society and National Museum 140: 1-38, = Backhurst et al, 1973. BENSON, C.W., BROOKE, R.K., DOWSETT, R.J., IRWIN, M.P.S. 1971. The birds of Zambia. London: Collins, = Benson et al, 1971. BRITTON, P.L.(ed.) 1980. Birds of East Africa, their habitat, status and distribution. Nairobi: EANHS, = Britton 1980. BROWN, L.H. & BRITTON, P.L. 1980. The breeding seasons of East African birds. Nairobi: EANHS, = Brown & Britton 1980. BROWN, L.H., URBAN, E.K. & NEWMAN, K. 1982. The birds of Africa. Vol. 1. London and New York: Academic Press, = Brown et al, 1982. HALL, B.P. & MOREAU, R.E. 1970. An atlas of speciation in African Passerine birds. London: British Museum (Nat. Hist.), = Hall & Moreau 1970. JACKSON, F.J. 1938. The birds of Kenya Colony and the Uganda Protectorate. 3 vols. London: Gurney & Jackson, = Jackson 1938. MACKWORTH-PRAED, C.W. & GRANT, C.H.B. 1957 & 1960. African handbook of birds. Series I, Vols. 1 & 2; Birds of eastern and north eastern Africa. 2nd edition. London: Longmans Green & Co., = Mackworth-Praed & Grant 1957 and/or 1960. MOREAU, R.E. 1966. The bird faunas of Africa and its islands, London: Academic Press, = Moreau 1966. 1972. The Palaearctic-African bird migration systems, London: Academic Press, = Moreau 1972. SNOW, D.W. (ed.) 1978. An atlas of speciation in African Non-Passerine birds. London: British Museum (Nat. Hist.), = Snow 1978. EAST AFRICAN BIRD REPORT This forms the fifth issue of Scopus and each report covers one calendar year. Records of Afrotropical Region and Oceanic birds should be sent ot D.A. Turner, Box 48019, Nairobi; records of Palaearctic Region birds to Dr D.J. Pearson, Department of Biochemistry, University of Nairobi, Box 30197, Nairobi. Records should be sent in early in the new year to ensure the speedy production of the Bird Report. Reports of rare birds may be telephoned through to any OS-C member (numbers inside front cover) in the hope that the bird(s) may be seen by others. Criteria covering the submission of Bird Report records are given in Scopus Supplement, June 1982, copies of which are available from D.A. Turner. CONTENTS D.J. PEARSON and D.A. TURNER. The less common Palaearctic migrant birds of Uganda , .) « « e's 2 5 6 © © jo) See COE L.A. BENNUN, C. GICHUKI, J. DARLINGTON and F. NG'WENO. The avi- fauna of Ol Doinyo Orok, a forest island: initial findings . 83 L.A. BENNUN. Montane birds of the Bwindi (Impenetrable) Forest . 8/7 FRANCOISE DOWSETT-LEMAIRE. Vocal variations in two forest apalises of eastern Africa, Apalis (porphyrolaema) chapini and A. melanocephala .. « «= « 6 © «© «© «© «© “© © © 6) eit) MiensscReC ummm) D.C. MOYER and R. STJERNSTEDT. A new bird for East Africa and extensions of range of some species for southwest Tanzania . 99 P.L. BRITTON and H.A. BRITTON. Moult schedules of some pycnonotids and ploceids. in ‘coastal Kenya . ... . «°. « .-. % eee Short communications D.J. PEARSON. A Levant Sparrowhawk specimen from Uganda .. 10/7 A.L. ARCHER. Southern Tana River observations ....... 107 L.A. BENNUN. The composition of Bwindi Forest bird parties . 108 DALE A. ZIMMERMAN. A twenty-year-old greenbul from western Kenya . ss « © «© © fe «6: © © ls © ie) ws ve NomrcnmMCnCmmC mmm mmnIMeD DALE A. ZIMMERMAN. The Yellow-streaked Greenbul in Kenya. . 112 L.A. BENNUN. A nest record for Phylloscopus laetus the Red- faced Woodland Warbler . . « . « «© i6/ « « ©) spmemecuacnmcnmrCmmnin ie lettemsto the Editor P.L. BRITTON on ‘Taxonomic notes on some birds from East Africa’ by P.A. Clancey <9... . « % .« « «© to) -cumeemmCmmCnnCnCnnOl Notices Symposium: Birds of evergreen forest .......«. « « » Iid GABAR - A new journal covering African raptors ....... 115 Contents of Malimbus 8i(2) December 1986 2 52 2 = = ceeeenG Scopus subscriptions and 1986 bird records) ~~~) 500 24 Aug), Malindi, Tiwi and Galu Mar, May, Aug and Nov(LCDF, DJP, JMC, DW). RYNCHOPIDAE: SKIMMERS Rynchops flavirostris African Skimmer R: records from Lake Nakuru, Kindaruma and Sabaki River mouth (BB, DKR, LCDF, JMC); in Tanzania up to 25 Rufiji River late Aug (ZB) and 7 in Ruaha NP 31 Aug (ZB). PTEROCLIDAE: SANDGROUSE Pterocles lichtensteinii Lichtenstein’s Sandgrouse R: 13 Samburu GR 3-4 Apr (JPC). MusoPHAGIDAE: TURACOS Tauraco leucolophus White-crested Turaco R: recorded near Nakuru and Marigat Nov and Dec (DKR, DAT). CUCULIDAE: CUCKOOS Cercococcyx montanus Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo R: 2-3 calling Irangi Forest, 2000 m, Mt Kenya between Feb and Apr (DAT, DAZ, DJP) were the first records from the mountain since Mar 1962. Clamator glandarius Great Spotted Cuckoo R: recorded Lodwar, Ferguson’s Gulf, Eliye Springs, Katilu, Mara GR in late Mar (JPC, DJP, ADL), Emali 5 Apr (DJP), Meru NP 14 Jun (JPC); Buffalo Springs and Archer’s Post 7—8 Nov (DW) and Lake Naivasha 31 Nov and 8 Dec (MACC). B: c. 20 Lake Baringo May—Jul: hosts Red-winged Starling Onychognathus morio and Bristle-crowned Starling O. salvadorii (TS). Clamator jacobinus Black and White Cuckoo R: Katilu 24-25 Mar, Nairobi NP 12 Apr, Taita Hills Lodge 13 Apr, Mariakani 18 Apr, Nguuni, near Mombasa 30 Apr; 1 black phase Nguuni, near Mombasa 10 Jul; Isiolo 7 Nov, Samburu GR 7-8 Nov, Tsavo West from 2 Nov (including 11 ringed) Ngulia, Kiambere Nov (several observers). Clamator levaillantii Levaillant’s Cuckoo R: 1 black phase Nguuni, near Mombasa 10 Jul (CR); 2 Amboseli 14 Nov (TS). Cuculus clamosus Black Cuckoo R: 1 Meru NP 14 Jun (JPC), a few Lake Naivasha during Aug (JMC) and Tsavo West NP in Nov (DJP). Cuculus gularis African Cuckoo R: recorded as follows: Meto mid Mar, Katilu late Mar, Kajiado mid Apr, Naivasha late Apr, Olorgesaille mid May, Lake Baringo Apr—Jul, Samburu (coast) Oct and 2 immatures Lake Nakuru 13 Nov (DJP, CR, TS, DW). Centropus grillii Black Coucal R: 1 Nguuni, near Mombasa 26 Jun (CR). STRIGIDAE: OWLS Bubo capensis Mackinder’s Eagle Ow] R: 1 Hell’s Gate 15 Jan (LCDF). East African Bird Report 1986 123 Otus leucotis White-faced Scops Owl R: at least 4 pairs resident within 3-km radius of Lake Baringo Lodge (TS). Scotopelia peli Pel’s Fishing Owl R: pair Thiba River, Kamburu 27 Mar, 17 May and 8 Jun (BB). CAPRIMULGIDAE: NIGHTJARS Caprimulgus clarus Slender-tailed Nightjar R: 4 ringed Ngulia 24 and 26 Nov (GCB). Caprimulgus donaldsoni Donaldson-Smith’s Nightjar R: 1 Taita Hills Sanctuary 13 Apr (CR); 3 ringed Ngulia between 24 Nov and 4 Dec (GCB, DJP). Caprimulgus fraenatus Dusky Nightjar R: 1 found dead10 km SW of Thika 23 Jan (DJP); 3-4 Nairobi NP 3 Nov (DW), 3 ringed 27 Nov to 10 Dec Ngulia (GCB, DJP). Caprimulgus inornatus Plain Nightjar R: 1 collected Lake Baringo 9 Oct (DAT), 2 (1 found dead) there late Oct to early Nov(TS), 3 ringed Ngulia 7 Nov to 4 Dec (GCB, DJP). Caprimulgus natalensis White-tailed Nightjar R: 1 calling Kakamega 15 Nov (DW). Caprimulgus nubicus Nubian Nightjar R: 1 found dead 50 km N of Marich Pass 24 Mar (DJP, ADL); male ringed Ngulia 3 Dec (GCB). APODIDAE: SWIFTS Apus derliozi Forbes-Watson’s Swift S(B): 40-50 over Sokoke Forest 15 Mar (LCDF), scores there 1 Nov (DJP) and 8 and 3 there 17 Nov (TS). Apus horus Horus Swift E: 6+ Kibos, Kisumu 25 Mar (LCDF). Schoutedenapus myoptilus Scarce Swift R: a few over the Kikuyu escarp- ment 8 Jun (CR). Neafrapus boehmi B6hm’s Spinetail R: 2 Karawa Dam 1 Jan (BB), 2 Kibwezi Forest 20 Aug (JMC), 1 Diani Forest 12 and 14 Oct (TS). MEROPIDAE: BEE-EATERS Merops nubicus Carmine Bee-eater B: colony of >300 pairs excavating c. 15 km E of Lodwar 21-22 Mar (ADL, DJP, DAT). E: 3 Lake Naivasha 31 Mar (MACC). COoRACIMAE: ROLLERS Coracias abyssinica Abyssinian Roller R: recorded from Lodwar and Lake Baringo (FA, TS, DAT) and 3 at Lake Nakuru 5 Dec (DKR). Coracias caudata Lilac-breasted Roller E: an example of the northern race lorti caught at night at Ngulia 10 Dec (GCB). Coracias abyssinica x caudata M: 1 photographed at Katilu 23 Mar was apparently a hybrid (ADL, DJP, DAT). Coracias naevia Rufous-crowned Roller N: c. 20 Lewa Downs 10 Aug (DKR). Eurystomus glaucurus Broad-billed Roller R: singles in Meru and Lake Nakuru NPs in Oct (DKR). 124 East African Bird Report 1986 PHOENICULIDAE: WOOD HOOPOES Phoeniculus granti Violet Wood Hoopoe R: 2 near Wamba 26 May (TS). BucEROTIDAE: HORNBILLS Tockus hemprichii Hemprich’s Hornbill B: pair nesting in same cliff site at Lake Baringo for sixth consecutive year (TS). R: 1 Menengai 26 Apr (MACC). CaPITONIDAE: BARBETS Buccanodon whytii Whyte’s Barbet R: locally common Tatanda, SW Tan- zania throughout the year (DM). Lybius bidentatus Double-toothed Barbet B: adult feeding young Kakamega town 16 Nov (DW). Lybius frontatus Miombo Pied Barbet S(B): common in woodland around Tatanda, SW Tanzania (DM). | Lybius minor Black-backed Barbet R: locally common Tatanda, SW Tanza- nia throughout the year (DM). INDICATORIDAE: HONEYGUIDES Indicator exilis Least Honeyguide R: at least 2 Kakaviees 15 Nov (DW). Indicator meliphilus Pallid Honeyguide R: at Irangi, Mt Kenya at 2000 m 1 on 13 Mar and 3 on 8 Apr (DAT, DJP). PICIDAE: WOODPECKERS Picoides obsoletus Brown-backed Woodpecker R: recorded from Kericho, Nyeri and Nairobi (JPC, TS, PW). ALAUDIDAE: LARKS Mirafra pulpa Friedmann’s Bush Lark S(B): 1 south of Kapedo 25 Mar (DJP, DAT, ADL). CoRVIDAE: CROWS Corvus rhipidurus Fan-tailed Raven E: 8 Menengai Crater 6 Sep (ADL). Ptilostomus afer Piapiac R: 8+ Kibos, Kisumu, 27 Mar (LCDF). Third Kenya record REMIZIDAE: PENDULINE TITS Remizcaroli African Penduline Tit EB: pair building at Kongolai 1 Apr (TS). TIMALIIDAE: BABBLERS Trichastoma rufipennis Pale-breasted Illadopsis E: 2 trapped Ol Doinyo Orok, Namanga 22 Mar (LAB, CMG, JD, FN). Turdoides hindei Hinde’s Pied Babbler R: 2-3 groups of 6-10 birds present in the Kianyaga area throughout the year (DAT); 8-10 east of Embu 18 Aug (JMC). PycNONOTIDAE: BULBULS Andropadus milanjensis Stripe-cheeked Greenbul E: 1 trapped Ol Doinyo Orok, Namanga, 23 Mar (LAB, CMG, JD, FN). Chlorocichla flavicollis Yellow-throated Leaflove E: 1 Lake Naivasha 19 Oct (DJP). Full details received. East African Bird Report 1986 125 TURDIDAE: THRUSHES Cercomela familiaris Red-tailed Chat E: recorded Kito Pass and resident Osiriwa escarpment, Mara GR (ADL, TS, DAT, BWF). Monticola rufocinerea Little Rock Thrush R: singles Lake Baringo 1 Mar (DKR) and Kito Pass 25 Mar (DJP, ADL, DAT), resident 40 km west of Mugie (TS) and at Mweiga (JPC), 1 near Meru 6 Nov (DKR). Oenanthe bottae Red-breasted Wheatear R: 114 km south of Lodwar 22 Mar (ADL, DJP, DAT). Turdus fischeri Spotted Ground Thrush RD: 9 trapped and ringed Gedi 24 Jul to 1 Aug (LAB), 2 Gedi 18 Aug (DAT), 2 Diani Forest 12 Oct (TS). SYLVIIDAE: WARBLERS Apalis melanocephala Black-headed Apalis R: several Meru forest Mar (DJP) and a pair Karen forest, Nairobi, 1 Nov (DW). Chloropeta gracilirostris Papyrus Yellow Warbler E: 1 Kisumu 8 Nov (TS). Cisticola aberrans Rock-loving Cisticola E: several pairs resident Osiriwa escarpment, Mara GR, presumably of the race emini, which would be new for Kenya, see Scopus 11: 44-46 (BWF, TS, DAT). Cisticola woosnami Trilling Cisticola E: several pairs resident at forest edges above and below Osiriwa escarpment, Mara GR (BWF, DAT). Hyliota flavigaster Yellow-bellied Hyliota E: at least 5 resident throughout the year around the Osiriwa escarpment and Kichwa Tembo, Mara GR (BWF). Sylvietta rufescens Long-billed Crombec: 1 seen and heard near Kasanga, SW Tanzania, 24 June (DM). MuscIcaPIDAE: FLYCATCHERS Muscicapa gambagae Gambaga Flycatcher R:1 juvenile caught and ringed at night Ngulia 25 Nov (DJP). Muscicapa lendu Chapin’s Flycatcher R: 2 Kakamega Forest 8 Sep (TS) and 1 with nest material there 30 Nov (DJP, DAT). Myioparus plumbeus Lead-coloured Flycatcher E: singles Lake Baringo Apr—Aug (TS). MotTAcILLIDAE: WAGTAILS AND PIPITS Anthus similis Long-billed Pipit E: 1 Athi River area, Nairobi NP 14 Oct (DJP). Macronyx sharpei Sharpe’s Longclaw R: several pairs with immatures near Timau Jun—Jul (TS). MaLacoONOTIDAE: BUSH SHRIKES Dryoscopus pringlii Pringle’s Puffback E: 1 Katilu near Lokichar 24 Mar (DJP). PRIONOPIDAE: HELMET SHRIKES Prionops retzii Retz’s Helmet Shrike E: in Meru NP 10+ 15 Aug and 15 on 10 Oct (DKR). STURNIDAE: STARLINGS Cinnyricinclus sharpii Sharpe’s Starling E: 1 Kichwa Tembo, Mara GR 126 East African Bird Report 1986 with Violet-backed Starlings C. leucogaster during Aug (BWF). Speculipastor bicolor Magpie Starling R: a few Lake Baringo Feb—Mar (JPC), >20 Samburu GR 5 Apr (DKR), 20 near Lake Baringo 14 Aug (JMC). NECTARINIIDAE: SUNBIRDS Nectarinia habessinica Shining Sunbird R: records from the Archer’s Post—Wamba road and the Kito Pass (DAT, DJP, ADL). PLOCEIDAE: WEAVERS Anomalospiza imberbis Parasitic Weaver R: 2 Nairobi NP 12 Apr (LCDF). Euplectes diadematus Fire-fronted Bishop RE: 4 Nguuni, near Mombasa 21 Oct (CR), 1 male Malindi 25 Nov (DW). Passer castanopterus Somali Sparrow R: pair nesting c. 22 km south of Lodwar 22 Mar (DJP, ADL, DAT). Hypochera purpurascens Jameson’s Firefinch Indigobird E: male ringed Ngulia 9 Dec (GCB). Vidua obtusa Broad-tailed Paradise Whydah R: afew around Tatanda, SW Tanzania, Aug and Nov (DM). E'sTRILDIDAE: WAXBILLS Lagonosticta rara Black-bellied Firefinch R: several Port Victoria 6-7 Aug (JMC). Mandingoa nitidula Green-backed Twinspot E: 3 ringed Ngulia 6 Nov (GCB). Ortygospiza locustella Locust Finch R: Seen and heard near Tatanda, SW Tanzania, Aug, Nov and Dec and a female caught and ringed after dark 21 Nov (DM). FRINGILLIDAE: BUNTINGS AND FINCHES Emberiza striolata House Bunting R:c. 12 Hurran Hurra well, east side of Lake Turkana, Aug (FA). Linurgus olivaceus Oriole Finch E: at least two pairs of the race kilimensis, Ol Doinyo Orok, 22-24 Mar (LAB, CMG, JD, FN). First record of this race for Kenya. Palaearctic species Ixobrychus minutus minutus Little Bittern R: 1 Kichwa Tembo, Mara GR 7 Nov (BWF). Ciconia ciconia White Stork N: 3000+ at an armyworm Spodoptera exempta concentration at Babati (northern Tanzania) 26 Feb; 1000+ Mara GR 13-15 Mar and again 26-27 Dec; 1000+ Amboseli 19-20 Dec (DAT). Ciconia nigra Black Stork R: recorded Nairobi area, Marich Pass, Suguta, Samburu GR, Marsabit, Aberdares, Mara GR and Kibwezi; ones and twos only, up to 27 Mar and from 24 Oct (many observers). Anas acuta Pintail N: c. 1100 Simini’s Dam, Kinangop 1 Feb (DJP). E: c. 20 near Idsowe, Garsen 22 Feb (LDCF). . Anas clypeata Shoveler E: 9 Ngorongoro, Tanzania, 10 Feb (DKR). East African Bird Report 1986 127 Anas crecca Teal R: recorded only at Lake Naivasha: up to1 Feb(max 18+) and from 9 Nov (max 10+) (DJP, DEW). Anas penelope Wigeon R: at Lake Naivasha up to 21 Feb (max 10+) and 2 there 29 Nov; 11 Simini’s Dam, Kinangop 1 Feb and 1 Lake Baringo 8 Dec (DJP, LDCF, TS). Aythya fuligula Tufted Duck R: 3 males and 2 females Thika OPs 26 Jan (LDCF). Aythya nyroca Ferruginous Duck S(B): 2 females Naivasha 19 Jan and 1 male there 19 Oct (DJP). Circus aeruginosus Eurasian Marsh Harrier D: an early bird at Lake Nakuru 28 Sep (ADL). Accipiter nisus Eurasian Sparrowhawk S(B): an immature female Kabete 18 Jan (DJP). Full details received; accepted by the RBC. Aquila heliaca Imperial Eagle S(B): a sub-adult Mara GR 19 Nov (DEW) and an adult Ngulia 25 Nov (DJP). Full details of both received. Aquila nipalensis Steppe Eagle N: 110+ moving north Timau 6 Nov (DEW) andc. 60 there on 7 Nov (DJP, AEB). Hundreds near Arusha (Tanzania) 9 Feb (DKR). D: an early bird Olorgesaillie 5 Oct (DJP). Aquila pomarina Lesser Spotted Eagle R: recorded up to 10 Feb and from 6 Nov, with largest numbersc. 20 Timau 7 Nov (DJP, AEB) and 20 near Arusha (Tanzania) 9 Feb (DKR). Hieraaetus pennatus Booted Eagle R: recorded Kakamega, Saguta, Timau, and Tsavo; single birds only, up to 29 Mar and from 20 Oct (several observers). Pernis apivorus Honey Buzzard R: one Kakamega 30 Mar (LDCF) and 1 Sokoke 2 Nov (DJP) were the only records received. Falco amurensis Eastern Red-footed Falcon R: 1 east Laikipia 8 Nov (DEW); 1 Ngulia 29 Nov (DJP, AR, DAT); 250+ flying in to roost Ngulia valley 4 Dec (DJP). Falco concolor Sooty Falcon R: singles Naivasha 28 Oct and 19 Nov(MACC), Manyani 31 Oct (DJP) and Ngulia 4 Nov (GCB). Falco eleonorae Eleonora’s Falcon S(B): 1 Timau 6 Jan (DKR); 1 Ngulia 28 Nov (VH). Crex crex Corncrake R: 2 Ngulia 8 Dec (GCB). Anthropoides virgo Demoiselle Crane S(A): 8 adults and 1 immature, Ngomeni, 15 Jan (L.A.S. Grumbley). First Kenya and East African record Porzana porzana Spotted Crake S(B): 2 on small pond 20 km east of Lodwar 18 and 21 Mar (DJP, ADL, DAT). Haematopus ostralegus Oystercatcher R: 1 Malindi 21-31 Jan and 2 there 12 and 15 Mar (LDCF, PGS, HAG). Charadrius alexandrinus Kentish Plover R: 5 Ferguson’s Gulf 19 Mar and 3 Eliye Springs 20 Mar (DJP, ADL). Charadrius dubius Little Ringed Plover R: recorded to 27 Apr and from 19 Oct from Naivasha, Nakuru, Menengai area, Baringo, Saguta, the Athi and Tana rivers and Mombasa; max 15+ Naivasha 22-24 Dec, 10 Saguta 29 Dec (BB, MACC, LDCF, DJP, TS, DEW). Charadrius leschenaultii Greater Sandplover E: inland: 1 Ferguson’s Gulf 19 Mar (DJP, ADL). 128 East African Bird Report 1986 Charadrius mongolus Mongolian Sandplover E: inland: 9 Ferguson’s Gulf 19 Mar (DJP, ADFL). Pluvialis dominica Lesser Golden Plover S(B): 7 at usual site at Lake Bilisa 22 Feb (LDCF). Pluvialis squatarola Grey Plover E: inland: 27+ Ferguson’s Gulf area 19 Mar, and 21 Eliye Springs 20 Mar (DJP, ADL). Numenius phaeopus Whimbrel E: inland: 1 Lake Naivasha 30 Mar (DJP). Tringa erythropus Spotted Redshank R: recorded to 26 Apr and from 3 Nov at Lakes Naivasha, Baringo and Nakuru and at Kinangop, Mugie, Mara GR, Thika and Ahero, max c. 20 Lake Naivasha late Dec; also 1 Shakababo13 Mar (LDCF, DJP, DKR, DAT, DEW, TS). Xenus cinereus Terek Sandpiper E: inland: singles Lake Naivasha 19 Jan, 1 Feb and 219 Oct; 1 Ferguson’s Gulf 19 Mar; 1 Samburu GR 7 Nov (LDCF, ADL, DJP, DEW). Gallinago media Great Snipe R: 1 near coast at Lake Kenyatta 14 Mar (LDCF); 1 Lake Baringo 2 May (TS); 1 Nairobi 31 Oct (DJP). Lymnocryptes minimus Jack Snipe S(B): singles Lake Baringo 29 Nov and Mogotio 30 Nov (TS). Calidris alba Sanderling E: inland: 27 counted Ferguson’s Gulf19 Mar (ADL, DJP). Calidris temminckii Temminck’s Stint R: recorded from Lakes Naivasha, Nakuru and Baringo, Kinangop, Suguta and Mombasa, up to 26 Apr and from 9 Nov, max 15+ Lake Naivasha late Dec (MACC, LDCF, DJP, TS). Limicola falcinellus Broad-billed Sandpiper R: 34 counted Sabaki River mouth 24 Nov (DEW). Limosa lapponica Bar-tailed Godwit R: 1 inland at Lake Naivasha 13 Apr (DJP). 1 Galu beach 12 Nov (DJP). Limosa limosa Black-tailed Godwit R: recorded to 26 Apr and from 18 Oct, from Lakes Naivasha and Nakuru, Saguta, Lower Tana River, and Ahero: numbers at Lake Naivasha rose to over 300 by end of the year, an unprece- dented count in the southern rift (LDCF, MACC, DEW, DJP). Also1 on coast at Sabaki River mouth 24 Nov (DEW). Arenaria interpres Turnstone E: inland: 1 Kataboi, west Lake Turkana 21 Mar (ADL, DJP). 1 Lake Nakuru 12 Nov (DEW). Phalaropus lobatus Red-necked Phalarope R: 1 Lake Nakuru 6 Jan (PGS, HAG). Burhinus oedicnemus Stone Curlew R: singles Lake Baringo 16 and 23 Dec (QS). Stercorarius pomarinus Pomarine Skua S(B): 1 Malindi 21 Jan (PGS, HAG). Larus genei Slender-billed Gull S(B): 6 Eliye Springs 20 Mar (ADL, DJP); a single adult Lake Naivasha 9 and 26 Apr (DKR, DJP); 2 adults Lake Nakuru 14 Nov (DJP, DAT). Larus ichthyaetus Great Black-headed Gull R: 2 sub-adults Malindi 21-26 Jan (PGS, HAG) and 1 there 23 Feb (LDCF). Sterna sandvicensis Sandwich Tern S(B): 1 Malindi 24 and 26 Jan (PGS, HAG). East African Bird Report 1986 129 Caprimulgus europaeus Eurasian Nightjar R: recorded mid Apr Nairobi (Karen) and Kiambere (BB, JRPC); 6 ringed Ngulia 2-26 Nov (GCB, DJP). Coracias garrulus Eurasian Roller DN: 100s moving SE Voi/Ndara Ranch area as early as 1 Nov (DJP). Upupa epops Hoopoe RE: a Palaearctic bird Solai 8 Dec (MACC). Luscinia megarhynchos Nightingale E: several in song Ewaso Nyiro, Samburu GR, late Dec (DJP); singing at Island Camp, Lake Baringo, Jan to early Mar (TS). Luscinia luscinia Sprosser E: 2 singing, presumably wintering, Bissel 16 Mar (AEB, DJP); on northward passage, 2+ Tawa (Machakos) 4 Apr, scores Mwatate—Bura area (Taita Hills) 7 Apr, 2 Kiambere12 Apr and 2 there17 Apr (BB, DJP). Trania gutturalis Irania E: 1 Nyambenis above Meru NP 4 Mar and 1 in song Kajiado 1 Apr (DJP); 1-2 Kiambere 12-18 Apr and 2 there 29 Nov (BB). Acrocephalus arundinaceus Great Reed Warbler ER: 2 near Mwatate (Taita Hills) 7 Apr; common Mara GR 9-13 Apr; c. 6 Amboseli 22—23 Apr; up to 4 Kiambere 12 Apr to 3 May (BB, DJP, DKR, TS). More records than usual on southward passage: 2 Kiambere 29 Nov; 4 ringed Ngulia 7 Dec after a night of exceptionally heavy rain; 2—3 in heavy rain Olorgesaillie 7 Dec; 7-8 in large fall of migrants Kichwa Tembo 7 Dec and 1 there 8 Dec (BB, DJP, GCB, BWF, DAT). Acrocephalus griseldis Basra Reed Warbler R: 5—6 Lake Kenyatta 14 Mar (LDCF). 57 ringed Ngulia between 2 Nov and 10 Dec (GCB, DJP); 2 Kiambere 29 Nov (BB). | Acrocephalus palustris Marsh Warbler ER: northward passage records: 4+ Taita Hills 7 Apr (DJP), 1-2 Kiambere 16 Apr to 7 May (BB). Acrocephalus schoenobaenus Sedge Warbler M: 300+ in large fall of migrants Kichwa Tembo 7 Dec (BWF). Acrocephalus scirpaceus Reed Warbler M: 100+ in large fall of migrants Kichwa Tembo 7 Dec (BWF). Hipplais icterina Icterine Warbler R: 1 singing Kalakol River, Ferguson’s Gulf, 21 Mar (DJP, DAT, ADL). 1 caught and ringed Ngulia 7 Dec (GCB, DJP). Hippolais languida Upcher’s Warbler E: 1-2 daily Lake Baringo Jan—Feb (TS), 1 Olorgesaillie 19 Mar (LAB), small numbers Kiambere 14 Apr to 2 May (BB). Hippolais olivetorum Olive-tree Warbler R: 1 Kiambere 12 Apr (BB). 2-3 near Isiolo 7 and 8 Nov(DJP, AEB); 10 ringed Ngulia between 2 Nov and 4 Dec (GCB, DJP); 1 Kichwa Tembo 6 Dec (BWF). Hippolais pallida Olivaceous Warbler D: alate bird Kiambere 14 May (BB). Locustella fluviatilis River Warbler R: 4+ recorded and song heard along Ewaso Nyiro, Samburu GR, 28 Dec (DJP). 202 ringed Ngulia between 2 Nov and 10 Dec (GCB, DJP). Phylloscopus collybita Chiffchaff R: 2 singing Aberdares NP above North Kinangop 11 Jan (LCDF). Phylloscopus sibilatrix Wood Warbler S(B): 1 Kichwa Tembo, Mara GR 7 Dec (BWF). 130 East African Bird Report 1986 Sylvia communis Whitethroat D: 2 Kiambere 14 May and 5 on 15 May (BB). E: 4 Kichwa Tembo, Mara GR 7 Dec and 8 Dec (BWF). Sylvia nisoria Barred Warbler R: recorded from the usual areas; late birds Kiambere 14-18 Apr (BB). Ficedula albicollis Collared Flycatcher R: 2 Mara GR 11 Apr (DKR). Singles Kakamega 13 and 15 Nov and Lake Nakuru 16 Nov (DJP, DKR). Ficedula sp. 1 Kichwa Tembo, Mara GR, 26 Oct (BWF, ADL). Motacilla alba White Wagtail R: 4+ on dams north of Menengai 27 Jan (DJP, MACC). 3+ Mogotio mid—end Nov (TS). Motacilla cinerea Grey Wagtail E: male Ngulia 1-3 Nov (GCB). Lanius isabllinus Red-tailed Shrike D: 1 Kiambere 1 May (BB) was excep- tionally late. Lanius nubicus Nubian Shrike S(B): 1 Lake Baringo from 8 Nov to end of the year (ADL, DEW, TS et al.). Emberiza hortulana Ortolan Bunting S(A): 1 Taita Hills Lodge, 7 Jan(DAZ; photographs and full details received; accepted by RBC). Second Kenya and East Africa record—the first was at Lake Baringo on 15 Oct 1910 Back ReEcorps Diomedeacauta Shy Albatross S(A): animmature of the nominate race, 7 Sep 1985 Mtwara, southern Tanzania (D. and C. Watt; photograph and full details received; accepted by RBC). First record for Tanzania and East Africa Fregata ariel Lesser Frigatebird one on a date between 12 and 15 Jan 1980, Watamu, north Kenya coast (L. Grant; see Scopus 9: 110-111). First record for Kenya Mirafra gilletti Gillett’s Lark at least 14 collected by C.F. von Erlanger in May 1901 in north-east Kenya; see Miskell & Ash (1985), Scopus 9: 53-54. First records for Kenya Trochocercus albiventris White-bellied Crested Flycatcher S(B): 1 trapped Impenetrable (Bwindi) Forest, SW Uganda 7 Sep 1984 (LAB); see Scopus 10: 87-91. Malaconotus lagdeni Lagden’s Bush Shrike S(A): 4 seen Impenetrable (Bwindi) Forest, south-west Uganda Sep 1984 (LAB); see Scopus 9: 11-114. The following seven species—all new for the country—recorded in Minziro Forest, north-west Tanzania in early December 1984, were dealt with by Baker & Hirslund (Scopus 11: 9-12) but were not submitted for the 1984 Bird Report: Trichastoma albipectus Scaly-breasted Illadopsis Bleda eximia Green-tailed Bristlebill Phyllastrephus xavieri Xavier’s Greenbul Ixonotus guttatus Spotted Greenbul Alethe diademata Fire-crested Alethe Sheppardia cyornithopsis Akalat Nesocharis ansorgei White-collared Olive-back East African Bird Report 1986 131 First and last dates of some Palaearctic migrant landbirds (mostly from Central and SE Kenya) Species Cuculus canorus Merops apiaster Coracias garrulus Riparia riparia Delichon urbica Oriolus oriolus Cercotrichas galactotes Trania gutturalis Luscinia luscinia L. megarhynchos Monticola saxatilis Oenanthe isabellina O. oenanthe O. pleschanka Acrocephalus arundinaceus A. griseldis A. palustris A. schoenobaenus A. scirpaceus Hippolais languida H. olivetorum H. pallida Locustella fluviatilis Phylloscopus trochilus Sylvia atricapilla S. borin S. communis S. nisoria Muscicapa striata Anthus cervinus A. trivialis Motacilla cinerea M. flava Lanius collurio L. isabellinus L. minor Last date 24.04 Athi River 10.04 Kajiado 03.05 Athi River 11.05 Naivasha 20.04 Naivasha 23.03 Shimba Hills 18.04 Kiambere 18.04 Kiambere 17.04 Kiambere 06.04 Tiwi 15.04 Kiambere 10.04 Kajiado 13.04 Kiambere 12.04 Kiambere 03.05 Kiambere 07.05 Kiambere 14.05 Kiambere 02.05 Kiambere 12.04 Kiambere 14.05 Kiambere 03.05 Athi River 23.03 Kakamega 15.05 Kiambere 18.04 Kiambere 24.04 Athi River 10.04 Kajiado 11.05 Naivasha 06.05 Kiambere 01.05 Kiambere 02.05 Kiambere First date 10.09 Nakuru 20.10 Suguta 21.09 Niavasha 19.09 Athi River 19.10 Naivasha 02.11 Ngulia 02.11 Ngulia 01.10 Voi 21.10 Nairobi 31.10 Nairobi 05.10 Ngong Hills 09.09 Nairobi 19.10 Naivasha 29.11 Kiambere 02.11 Ngulia 01.11 Ngulia 30.10 Athi River 02.11 Ngulia 02.11 Ngulia 02.11 Ngulia 29.10 Nairobi 02.11 Ngulia 14.09 Mara GR 06.11 Nairobi 02.11 Ngulia 29.10 Nairobi 01.11 Ngulia 18.10 Athi River 01.11 Ngulia 02.11 Ngulia 01.11 Ngulia 19.09 Athi River 01.11 Ngulia 01.11 Ngulia and Voi 132 East African Bird Report 1986 List of Observers F. Alexander M. Hemphill G.C. Backhurst P. Hemphill L.A. Bennun S. Hemphill Z. Bhatia V. Holmgren B. Boothroyd A.D. Lewis A.E. Butterworth D. Moyer J.M. Clark F. Ng’weno M.A.C. Coverdale D.J. Pearson J.R.P. Cumberlege D.K. Richards J. Darlington A. Root H.A. Gaasbeek C. Ryall J. Falkland P.G. Schrijvershof B.W. Finch T. Stevenson L.D.C. Fishpool D.A. Turner C.M. Gichuki D.E. Wolf B. Gregory P. Wooton C. Griffiths EAST AFRICAN RARE BIRDS COMMITTEE During 1987 the committee was asked to adjudicate on a number of records. The following were accepted: Diomedea cauta Shy Albatross: 1, Mtwara Fish Market, southern Tanzania, 7 Sep 1985 (D. and C. Watt). Accipiter nisus Eurasian Sparrowhawk: 1, Kabete 18 Jan 86 (DJP). Anthropoides virgo Demoiselle Crane: 8 adults and 1 immature, Ngomeni, near Malindi, 15 Jan 86 (L.A.S. Grumbley et al.). Emberiza hortulana Ortolan Bunting: 1, Taita Hills Lodge, 7 Jan 86 (DAZ). The following records were not accepted: Botaurus stellaris Bittern: singles Amboseli NP 12 Dec 86 and Mara GR 24 Dec 86. Tadorna ferruginea Ruddy Shelduck: 1 Laikipia plateau 20 Dec 86. Locustella naevia Grasshopper Warbler: 1 Kisumu 16 Nov 85. The members of the Rare Birds Committee are: J.S. Ash R.J. Dowsett B.W. Finch D. Fisher S.C. Madge G. Nikolaus D.J. Pearson A.J. Prater J.C. Sinclair T. Stevenson D.A. Turner D.A. Zimmerman East African Bird Report 1986 133 RINGING AND MIGRATION AT NGULIA, TSAVO, AUTUMN 1986 G.C. Backhurst and D.J. Pearson Twenty-seven nights, in two periods, from 1 November to 11 December, were spent at Ngulia Safari Lodge studying the southward migration. A total of 6161 Palaearctic birds was caught and ringed on 23 of these dates—the fifth highest total in 18 years of cover. As mentioned in the 1985 report (Backhurst & Pearson 1987) we used our own 1 kW light to augment those of the Lodge. The season was marked by some of the wettest weather experienced in Tsavo for many years. On some nights torrential rain prevented any netting while on other occasions, torrential rain in the day was followed by aclear mist-free night. The Lodge was cut off from the rest of the park on 7 December because of impassable roads. Netting at Ngulia in the 1970s was frequently constrained by the presence of large mammals—elephant Loxodonta africana, rhino Diceros bicornis, buffalo Syncerus caffer and sometimes lions Panthera leo. In recent years the rhino has all but disappeared as a visitor to the Lodge and elephant and buffalo numbers have been much lower during the periods when netting has taken place. This year the Lodge had constructed a concrete and stone platform on which meat was put every evening at about 18:00 to attract leopards Panthera pardus. This has proved to be highly successful and justifiably popular with the tourists. In addition to leopards, honey badgers Mellivora capensis (up to four together), striped hyaena Hyaena hyaena and spotted hyaena Crocuta crocuta have also been seen eating the meat. Even though the structure was built in the middle of the night net ride, it is doubtful if it had much effect on the number of birds caught: usually the meat had been eaten before netting began. There had been some heavy rain and mist on the night of 30/31 October just before the first visit, and there were reports of “many birds” down on that night. The night of 31 October—1 November was completely clear but there was still a scattering of small migrants in the almost leafless bush to the south of the Lodge after dawn and these had presumably remained from the fall of 24 h before. During the early November visit, from 1st to 9th, there was little prolonged mist at night and resulting catches were rather small. Animmaculate male Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea outside the staff village on 1st and 2nd was new for the Lodge and a Red-throated Pipit! caught there on 1st was the first to be ringed at Ngulia although the species has been recorded in ones and twos in most years. All the main species were caught in this first week with Sprosser (327 ringed) leading Whitethroat (213) and Marsh Warbler (134). The second visit of 16 nights was from 24 November through to 10 December and reasonable falls occurred on all but two of these nights. Whitethroats were just in the majority (1844 ringed) followed by Marsh Warbler (1723) and Sprosser (1054) with the traditional fourth species, the River Warbler, coming in rather later than usual at 192. Overall, the ‘minor species’ varied widely in numbers. Ten Eurasian Rollers caught was well above average as were the 127 Iranias and 62 Barred Warblers. Torrential rain at night on 6/7 December and then again throughout the day of 7th severely curtailed netting activity but the catch was notable in including all 1Scientific names are given in Table 1 134 East African Bird Report 1986 Table 1 Numbers of Palaearctic night migrants ringed at Ngulia Safari Lodge between October and February in the years 1969-1987* Species 1986/7* %* Total 1969— total 1987* Eurasian Nightjar Caprimulgus europaeus 6 34 250 Eurasian Roller Coracias garrulus 10 304 48 Eurasian Swallow Hirundo rustica 1 10 136 Rufous Bush Chat Cercotrichas galactotes 34 63 804 Irania Irania gutturalis N27 131 1497 Sprosser Luscinia luscinia 1381 135 15755 Nightingale L. megarhynchos 30 83 «634 Rock Thrush Monticola saxatilis 9 111 123 Isabelline Wheatear Oenanthe isabellina 3 56 78 Northern Wheatear O. oenanthe 8 110 110 Pied Wheatear O. pleschanka 11 © 2S SBI 48 Great Reed Warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus 4 181 35 Basra Reed Warbler A. griseldis~ 57 123 709 Marsh Warbler A. palustris 1857 98 28452 Sedge Warbler A. schoenobaenus 5 — 84 Reed Warbler A. scirpaceus 2 42 70 Icterine Warbler Hippolais icterina 1 -— 4 Upcher’s Warbler H. languida 15 74 303 Olive-tree Warbler H. olivetorum 10 45 322 Olivaceous Warbler H. pallida 30 122 377 River Warbler Locustella fluviatilis 202 105 2921 Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus 72 77 1384 Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla 1 — 49 Garden Warbler S. borin 16 46 506 Whitethroat S. communis 2060 142 22559 Barred Warbler S. nisoria 62 168 585 Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa striata 35 75 690 Red-throated Pipit Anthus cervinus 1 — 1 Tree Pipit A. trivialis 3 — 23 Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio 64 114 852 Red-tailed Shrike L. isabellinus 43 93 700 Number of species 31 — 31 Total ringed 6161 80009 * 1986/87 season—but no ringing done in January or February 1987 ** The autumn 1986 total expressed as a percentage of the mean of the 14 years 1972/73 to 1985/86 for each species. Totals of Palaearctic species ringed in previous autumn seasons but not in this Continued opposite East African Bird Report 1986 135 five Palaearctic Acrocephalus species, including four Great Reed Warblers and also an Icterine—only the fourth for the site. Only one Palaearctic bird ringed at Ngulia in a previous season was retrapped this year: a Red-tailed Shrike originally ringed on 4 December 1983 was retrapped for the second and third times on 2 and 7 December 1986; it had been previously retrapped on 12 December 1985. A local breeding species, the Striped Swallow Hirundo abyssinica ringed as an adult on 15 December 1980 was retrapped on 3 December this year. Afrotropical birds judged to have been attracted to the lights were, as always, rather few. Six Somali Golden-breasted Buntings Emberiza poliopleura caught just after dawn on 4 December were noteworthy, as was a Gambaga Flycatcher Muscicapa gambagae at night on 25 November and an example of the northern race lorti of the Lilac-breasted Roller Coracias caudata at night on 10 Decem- ber—the first record of this subspecies for Ngulia. Acknowledgements As always, we are most grateful to the Warden of Tsavo National Park (West) for allowing us to ring birds in the park and to the management of Ngulia Safari Lodge and African Tours and Hotels Ltd. for assistance with accomodation and help in other ways. The Ngulia Ringing Group this year, in addition to the authors, comprised Anna Forbes-Watson (18 nights), Adan Alio (2), Daphne Backhurst (4), Neil Baker (1), Leon Bennun (3), Liz Boswell (1), Geoff Carr (3), Miles Coverdale (1), Ron Darwent (3), Alec Forbes-Watson (1), Valde Holmgren (2), Judy Katz (1), Roselie Osborn (2), Maggie Pearson (4), Tony Potterton (4), Peter Squelch (4) and Oscar Wambugua (2). Thanks to all these people for making a success of a season that was very often characterized by severe and unpleasant weather conditions. Reference Backuurst, G.C. & Pearson, D.J. 1987. Ringing and migration at Ngulia, Tsavo, autumn 1985. Scopus 9: 159-162. Table 1 continued year are as follows: Little Bittern Ixobrychus m. minutus 4, Eleonora’s Falcon Falco eleonorae 1, Corncrake Crex crex 7, Spotted Crake Porzana porzana 1, Great Snipe Gallinago media 1, Eurasian Cuckoo Cuculus canorus 2, Lesser Cuckoo C. poliocephalus 1, Eurasian Scops Owl Otus scops 5, Sand Martin Riparia riparia 6, Golden Oriole Oriolus oriolus 13, Redstart Phoenicurus phoenicurus 3, Whinchat Saxicola rubetra 2, Savi’s Warbler Locustella luscini- oides 1, Wood Warbler Phylloscopus sibilatrix 2, Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava 3, hybrid Red-backed/Red-tailed Shrike Lanius collurio x isabellinus 9. From December 1969 a total of 80 070 Palaearctic night-migrating birds of 46 species has been ringed at Ngulia during southward passage between Octo- ber and February. 136 East African Bird Report 1986 Correction In the report for the 1985/86 season (Scopus 9: 159-162) there was a mistake in Table 1. The second footnote should have read as follows: “** The autumn 1985 total expressed as a percentage of the mean of the 13 years 1972/73 to 1984/85 for each species.” GCB is sorry for this mistake. G.C. Backhurst, Box 24702, Nairobi and D.J. Pearson, Department of Bio- chemistry, University of Nairobi, Box 30197, Nairobi, Kenya Scopus 10 (5): 133-136, April 1988 East African Bird Report 1986 137 INDEX TO AUTHORS Archer, A.L. Southern Tana River observations 107 Backhurst, G.C. Reviews 60, 116 Backhurst, G.C. and Pearson, D.J. Ringing and migration at Ngulia, Tsavo, autumn 1986 133 Becker, C. Dustin. Palaearctic migrants observed in the Omo River valley, SW Ethiopia, during October-November 1984 Dill Bennun, L.A. Montane birds of the Bwindi (Impenetrable) Forest 87 Bennun, L.A. The composition of Bwindi Forest bird parties 108 Bennun, L.A., Gichuki, C., Darlington, J. and Ng’weno, F. The avifauna of Ol Doinyo Orok, a forest island: initial findings 83 Boothroyd, Bernard. A second record of Jouanin’s Petrel Bulweria fallax from Kenya 28 Britton, P.L. Letter 114 Britton, P.L. and Britton, H.A. Moult schedules of some pycnonotids and ploceids in coastal Kenya 103 Clancey, P.A. Taxonomic notes on some birds from East Africa 33 Clarke, G. Notes on the Speckled Pigeon Columba guinea in NW Somalia 47 Clarke, G. A weaver roost at Hargeisa, Somalia 52 Dowsett-Lemaire, Frangoise. Vocal variations in two forest apalises of eastern Africa, Apalis (porphyrolaema) chapini and A. melanocephala 92 Fuggles-Couchman, N.R. Breeding records of some Tanzanian birds 20 Fuggles-Couchman, N.R. Birds visiting a recently filled damin Tanzania 55 Gwinner, G. Sting-removal from bees by White-eyed Slaty Flycatchers Melaenornis chocolatina 51 Hillman, Jesse C. and Sheila M. Notes on some unusual birds of the Bangangai area, south west Sudan 29 Horne, Jennifer F.M. and Short, Lester L. Roosting behaviour of Red-faced Crombec 49 Lewis, Adrian D. Letter 60 Mann, Clive F. Ringed birds in Kakamega Forest (Request for Information) 19 Moyer, D.C. and Stjernstedt, R. A new bird for East Africa and extensions of range of some species for southwest Tanzania 99 Pearson, D.J. Sightings of Long-toed Stints Calidris subminuta at Naivasha 41 Pearson, D.J. A levant Sparrowhawk specimen from Uganda 107 Pearson, D.J. General Review 17, Pearson, D.J. and Turner, D.A. The less common Palaearctic migrant birds of Uganda 61 Pomeroy, D.E. The Marabou in Kenya 1 138 East African Bird Report 1986 Rutledge, Brian A. Mackinder’s Eagle Owl feeding on bats 49 Schiemann, Heinrich. Red-necked Phalaropes Phalaropus lobatus off the coast of Somalia and Kenya 42 Schulz, Holger. Threats to the White Stork on migration (Request for Information) 9 Tyler, Stephanie J. and Ormerod, S.J. Interactions between resident and migratory wagtails Motacilla spp. in Ethiopia—an ecological conundrum 10 Tyzack, Susan M. and Volcere, O. The Roseate Tern Sterna dougallii arideensis on Aride Island Seychelles: notes on the 1984 season 45 Zimmerman, Dale A. A twenty-year-old greenbul from western Kernya 111 Zimmerman, Dale A. The Yellow-streaked Greenbul in Kenya 112 East African Bird Report 1986 139 INDEX TO SCIENTIFIC NAMES Volume 10, 1-5 Accipiter badius 107 Accipiter brevipes 63, 107 Accipiter minullus 120 Accipiter nisus 63, 117, 127, 132 Accipiter ovampensis 120 Accipiter rufiventris 84, 120 Acrocephalus arundinaceus 77, 117, 129, 131, 134, 135 Acrocephalus gracilorostris 23 Acrocephalus griseldis 72, 129, 131, 134 Acrocephalus palustris 27, 72, 129, 131, 133, 134 Acrocephalus schoenobaenus 77, 117, 129, 131, 134 Acrocephalus scirpaceus 77, 117, 129, 131, 134 Actitis hypoleucos 27, 57, 76 Alcippe abyssinica 22, 100, 109 Alethe diademata 130 Alethe poliocephala 100 Alopochen aegyptiaca 56, 57 Anas acuta 62, 126 Anas clypeata 62, 126 Anas crecca 62, 63, 127 Anas erythrorynchus 56, 57 Anas hottentota 56, 57 Anas penelope 63, 127 Anas sparsa 11, 84 Andropadus curvirostris 90, 111 Andropadus gracilirostris 108 Andropadus importunus 23, 103, 104 Andropadus latirostris 83, 100 Andropadus masukuensis 90 Andropadus milanjensis 83, 85, 124 Andropadus virens 100 Anomalospiza imberbis 101, 126 Anthreptes collaris 84 Anthropoides virgo 117, 127, 132 Anthus campestris 74 Anthus cervinus 14, 74, 131, 133, 134 Anthus lineiventris 24 Anthus novaeseelandiae 14 Anthus similis 125 Anthus trivialis 78, 131, 134 Apalis alticola 23, 101 Apalis binotata 88, 109 Apalis chapini 92-98 Apalis cinerea 110 Apalis jacksoni 88, 90 Apalis melanocephala 92-98, 125 Apalis porphyrolaema 88, 92-98, 109, 110 Apalis ruwenzori 88 Apaloderma narina 87 Aplopelia larvata 83 Apus apus 77 Apus berliozi 123 Apus horus 123 Apus melba 70 Apus pallidus 70 Aquila clanga 27, 63 Aquila heliaca 127 Aquila nipalensis 63, 127 Aquila pomarina 27, 63, 64, 127 Aquila rapax 27, 84 Aquila verreauxi 120 Ardea melanocephala 2, 57 Ardeola idae 119 Arenaria interpres 69, 128 Aviceda cuculoides 120 Aythya ferina 63 Aythya fuligula 63, 127 Aythya nyroca 63, 127 Balearica pavonina 56—58 Bathmocercus cerviniventris 88 Batis diops 89, 109 Batis mixta 23 Bleda eximia 130 Botaurus stellaris 132 Bradypterus barratti 101 Bradypterus graueri 88 Bubo capensis mackinderi 49, 122 Buccanodon whytii 33, 114, 124 Bulweria bulwerii 29 140 East African Bird Report 1986 Bulweria fallax 28, 29 Burhinus oedicnemus 65, 66, 128 Butastur rufipennis 120 Buteo buteo 64, 76 Buteo rufinus 27, 64 Buteo tachardus 84 Bycanistes brevis 60, 84 Bycanistes subcylindricus 90 Bycanistes fistulator 30, 31 Calidris alba 68, 128 Calidris alpina 68 Calidris ferruginea 41, 76 Calidris minuta 27, 41, 76 Calidris subminuta 41, 42, 128 Calidris temminckii 27, 68 Camaroptera brachyura 84 Caprimulgus clarus 123 Caprimulgus donaldsoni 123 Caprimulgus europaeus 70, 129, 134 Caprimulgus fraenatus 123 Caprimulgus inornatus 123 Caprimulgus natalensis 123 Caprimulgus nubicus 123 Caprimulgus poliocephalus 84, 99 Centropus grillii 122 Cercococcyx montanus 122 Cercomela familiaris 125 Cercotrichas barbata 34, 100 Cercotrichas galactotes 71, 131, 134 Cercotrichas quadrivirgata 34—36, 114 Charadrius alexandrinus 66, 127 Charadrius asiaticus 76 Charadrius dubius 66, 127 Charadrius hiaticula 76 Charadrius leschenaultii 66, 127 Charadrius marginatus 121 Charadrius mongolus 66, 128 Charadrius pallidus 121 Charadrius pecuarius 56—58 Charadrius tricollaris 56, 57 Chelictinia riocourii 120 Chlidonias leucopterus 76 Chlorocichla flavicollis 100, 124 Chloropeta gracilirostris 125 Chloropeta similis 23 Ciccaba woodfordii 84 Cichladusa arquata 20, 23 Ciconia abdimii 119 Ciconia ciconia 9, 75, 126 Ciconia episcopus 119 Ciconia nigra 31, 62, 84, 126 Cinnyricinclus leucogaster 126 Cinnyricinclus sharpii 84, 125 Circaetus fasciolatus 120 Circaetus gallicus 64 Circus aeruginosus 75, 127 Circus macrourus 75 Circus pygargus 76 Cisticola aberrans 125 Cisticola fulvicapilla 101 Cisticola pipiens 101 Cisticola woosnami 125 Clamator glandarius 122 Clamator jacobinus 122 Clamator levaillantii 122 Clytospiza monteiri 36, 114 Colius striatus 108 Columba albinucha 30 Columba arquatrix 31, 84 Columba delegorguei 84 Columba guinea 47, 48 Columba iriditorques 30 Coracias abyssinicus 123 Coracias abyssinicus x caudata 123 Coracias caudata 123, 135 Coracias garrulus 70, 129, 131, 133, 134 Coracias naevia 123 Corvus albicollis 84 Corvus frugilegus 111 Corvus rhipidurus 124 Cossypha semirufa 83 Coturnix chinensis 121 Coturnix coturnix 21, 65 Crex crex 65, 127, 135 Crex egregia 121 Cryptospiza reichenovii 25, 36, 37, 114 Cryptospiza salvadorii 83 Cuculus canorus 77, 131, 135 Cuculus clamosus 84, 122 Cuculus gularis 122 Cuculus poliocephalus 135 Cuculus solitarius 84 Cursorius cursor 122 Delichon urbica 77, 131 Denropicos fuscescens 22 Dicrurus adsimilis 84, 87, 90, 109, 110 Dicrurus ludwigii 110 Diomedea cauta 117, 119, 130, 132 Diomedea melanophrys 117, 119 Dryochiloides bocagei 100 Dryochiloides poliopterus 88, 90 Dryoscopus cubla 84 Drypscopus gambensis 89 Drypscopus pringlii 125 Egretta alba 57 Egretta ardesiaca 119 Egretta garzetta 57 Emberiza flaviventris 38, 39 Emberiza hortulana 14, 130, 132 Emberiza poliopleura 135 Emberiza striolata 126 Eremomela scotops 110 Euplectes afer 25 Euplectes ardens 32 Euplectes diadematus 126 Euplectes gierowii 32 Euplectes hordeaceus 25 Euplectes nigroventris 25, 103, 105 Eurystomus glaucurus 123 Falco alopex 120 Falco amurensis 64, 127 Falco biarmicus 54 Falco chicquera 120 Falco concolor 65, 127 Falco cuvieri 120 Falco eleonorae 65, 127, 135 Falco naumanni 65 Falco peregrinus 54 Falco rupicoloides 120 Falco subbuteo 76 Falco tinnunculus 76 Falco vespertinus 65 Ficedula albicollis 74, 75, 130 Ficedula hypoleuca 75 Ficedula spp. 130 Francolinus psilolaemus 121 Fregata ariel 130 East African Bird Report 1986 141 Fulica cristata 21 Gallinago gallinago 76 Gallinago media 67, 128 Gelochelidon nilotica 76 Glareola nordmanni 69 Gorsachius leuconotus 117, 119 Guttera pucherani 121 Gypohierax angolensis 120 Haematopus ostralegus 66, 127 Hieraaetus pennatus 64, 127 Himantopus himantopus 56, 57 Hippolais icterina 72, 129, 134, 135 Hippolais languida 73, 129, 131, 134 Hippolais olivetorum 129, 131, 134 Hippolais pallida 77, 131, 134 Hirundo abyssinica 135 Hirundo fuligula 84 Hirundo rustica 77, 134 Hyliota flavigaster 110, 125 Hypargos niveoguttatus 37, 38 Hypochera purpurascens 126 Indicator exilis 124 Indicator meliphilus 12 Irania gutturalis 129, 131, 134 Ixobrychus minutus 61, 62, 119, 126, 131, 134 Ixobrychus sturmii 108, 119 Ixonotus guttatus 130 Jynx torquilla 70, 71 Kaupifalco monogrammicus 120 Lagonosticta rara 126 Laniarius ferrugineus 84 Lanius cabanisi 24 Lanius collurio 78, 131, 134 Lanius collurio x isabellinus 135 Lanius isabellinus 78, 130, 131, 134, 135 Lanius minor 78, 131 Lanius nubicus 130 Lanius senator 75 Lanius spp. 117 Larus argentatus 69 Larus fuscus 76 Larus genei 128 Larus ichthyaetus 69, 128 Larus ridibundus 69 Leptoptilos crumeniferus 1-9, 120 142 East African Bird Report 1986 Limicola falcinellus 68, 128 Limnocorax flavirostris 56-58 Limosa lapponica 68, 128 Limosa limosa 68, 117, 118, 128 Linurgus olivaceus 25, 84, 85, 126 Locustella fluviatilis 73, 129 Locustella luscinioides 135 Locustella naevia 132 Luscinia luscinia 27, 71, 129, 131, 133, 134 Luscinia megarhynchos 27, 71, 129, 131, 134 Lybius bidentatus 124 Lybius frontatus 124 Lybius minor 124 Lybius torquatus 22 Lymnocryptes minimus 67, 68, 128 Macheiramphus alcinus 120 Macronyx ameliae 101 Macronyx sharpei 125 Macrosphenus kretschmeri 23 Malaconotus blanchoti 89 Malaconotus lagdeni 130 Malaconotus multicolor 101 Malimbus erythrogaster 31 Malimbus rubricollis 89, 90 Mandingoa nitidula 32, 101, 126 Melaenornis ardesiaca 88 Melaenornis chocolatina 51, 84 Melierax gabar 54 Merops apiaster 27, 77,131 Merops boehmi 21 Merops hirundineus 21, 22 Merops nubicus 123 Merops oreobates 90 Merops persicus 31, 77 Mesopicos elliotii 87 Mirafra angolensis 100 Mirafra erythropygia 31 Mirafra gilletti 130 Mirafra pulpa 124 Monticola rufocinerea 125 Monticola saxatilis 71, 72, 131, 134 Motacilla aguimp 10, 11, 14, 84 Motacilla alba 10, 13, 14, 27, 74, 130 Motacilla cinerea 10, 12-16, 27, 74, 130, 131, 133 Motacilla clara 10-16, 84 Motacilla flava 10, 13, 14, 78, 131, 135 Muscicapa adusta 84, 101 Muscicapa gambagae 125, 135 -Muscicapa lendu 125 Muscicapa striata 78, 131, 134 Myioparus plumbeus 125 Neafrapus boehmi 123 Nectarinia habessinica 126 Nectarinia ludovicensis 89 Nectarinia moreaui 20, 24 Nectarinia olivacea 83 Nectarinia preussi 90 Nectarinia venusta 84 Nectarinia verticalis 89 Neotis denhami 121 Nesocharis ansorgei 130 Netta erythrophthalma 56, 57 Nettapus auritus 120 Numenius arquata 66, 67 Numenius phaeopus 66, 128 Oena capensis 21 Oenanthe bottae 125 Oenanthe isabellina 77, 131, 134 Oenanthe oenanthe 77, 131, 134 Oenanthe pleschanka 72, 131, 134 Oriolus brachyrhynchus 32 Oriolus oriolus 71, 135 Ortygospiza atricollis 56, 58 Ortygospiza locustella 126 Otus leucotis 123 Otus scops 70, 135 Oxyura maccoa 20 Parus albiventris 109, 110 Parus fasciiventer 109, 110 Parus funereus 87, 90, 109, 110 Parus leucomelas 110 Parus niger 109, 110 Parus rufiventris 22 Passer castanopterus 126 Pernis apivorus 64, 127 Phaethon lepturus 119 Phalaropus lobatus 42-44, 69, 128 Philomachus pugnax 41, 76 Phoeniconaias minor 117 Phoenicopterus ruber 120 Phoeniculus aterrimus 31 Phoeniculus bollei 109, 110 Phoeniculus granti 124 Phoenicurus phoenicurus 72, 135 Phyllastrephus cabanisi 100 Phyllastrephus flavostriatus 100, 109, 112 Phyllastrephus placidus 83, 90 Phyllastrephus xavieri 130 Phylloscopus collybita 73, 129 Phylloscopus laetus 113 Phylloscopus laurae 101 Phylloscopus sibilatrix 73, 74, 129, 135 Phylloscopus trochilus 27, 73, 78, 84, 131,134 Picoides obsoletus 124 Platalea leucorodia 62 Plectopterus gambensis 56-58 Plocepasser mahali 38, 115 Ploceus alienus 89, 109 Ploceus baglafecht 84 Ploceus bicolor 24, 60 Ploceus bojeri 103, 105 Ploceus galbula 53, 54 Ploceus insignis 60 Ploceus intermedius 53, 54 Ploceus jacksoni 25 Ploceus nigricollis 103, 105 Ploceus ocularis 84, 103, 105 Ploceus rubiginosus 53, 54 Ploceus taeniopterus 31 Ploceus tricolor 31 Ploceus velatus 53, 54 Pluvialis dominica 108, 128 Pluvialis squatarola 66, 108, 128 Podica senegalensis 121 Podiceps nigricollis 20, 119 Pogoniulus chrysoconus 33, 34, 114 Pogonocichla stellata 83, 85, 100 Poicephalus gulielmi 87 Porphryio alleni 121 Porzana parva 65 Porzana porzana 65, 127, 135 Prionops retzii 110, 125 Prionops scopifrons 110 Psalidoprocne albiceps 84 East African Bird Report 1986 143 Psalidoprocne pristoptera 84 Pterocles decoratus 57, 58 Pterocles exustus 58 Pterocles gutturalis 56, 58 Pterocles lichtensteinii 122 Pterodroma arminjoniana 29 Pterodroma aterrima 29 Ptilopachus petrosus 121 Ptilostomus afer 124 Puffinus pacificus 29 Pycnonotus barbatus 50, 103, 105 Pycnonotus plumosus 111 Quelea quelea 52-55 Remiz caroli 124 Riparia riparia 77, 131 Rostratula benghalensis 21, 121 Rynchops flavirostris 122 Sarkidiornis melanotos 20, 21, 56, 57 Sarothrura elegans 121 Sarothrura rufa 121 Saxicola rubetra 77, 135 Schoutedenapus myoptilus 123 Scotopelia peli 123 Serinus burtoni 108 Serinus canicollis 25, 26 Serinus mennelli 101 Serinus striolatus 108 Sheppardia cyornithopsis 130 Smithornis capensis 22 Speculipastor bicolor 126 Spreo superbus 54 Stephanoaetus coronatus 120 Stercorarius pomarinus 128 Sterna dougallii 45-47 Sterna fuscata 46, 122 Sterna hirundo 70 Sterna repressa 122 Sterna sandvicensis 128 Streptopelia decipiens 21 Streptopelia turtur 70 Sturnus vulgaris 111 Sula dactylatra 119 Sylvia atricapilla 77, 84, 131, 134 Sylvia borin 77, 84, 131, 134 Sylvia communis 73, 130, 131, 133, 134 Sylvia nisoria 73, 130, 131, 133, 134 144 East African Bird Report 1986 Sylvietta rufescens 125 Sylvietta whytii 49-51 Tachybaptus ruficollis 56-58 Tadorna ferruginea 132 Tauraco hartlaubi 84 Tauraco leucolophus 122 Tauraco porphryreolophus 21 Tchagra minuta 24 Terpsiphone viridis 84 Tockus alboterminatus 22 Tockus hartlaubi 31 Tockus hemprichii 124 Treron australis 30 Tricastoma albipectus 130 Tricastoma pyrrhopterum 84 Trichastoma rufipennis 83-85, 124 Tringa erythropus 67, 128 Tringa glareola 27, 56, 57, 76 Tringa nebularia 76 Tringa ochropus 76 Tringa stagnatilis 27, 56, 57, 76 Tringa totanus 57, 67 Trochocercus albiventris 89, 130 Trochocercus albonotatus 23, 24, 89 Trochocercus cyanomelas 20, 24 Trochocercus nigromitratus 89 Turdoides hindei 124 Turdus abyssinicus 84 Turdus libonyanus 23 Turdus merula 111 Turdus piaggiae 32 Turdus fischeri 125 Turtur tympanistria 84 Tyto alba 46 Upupa epops 70, 129 Urotriorchis macrourus 30 Vanellus armatus 57 Vanellus lugubris 121 Vanellus superciliosus 117, 121 Vidua interjecta 32 Vidua obtusa 126 Xenus cinereus 67, 128 Zosterops abyssinica 110 Zosterops poliogastra 84, 85 Zosterops senegalensis 109, 110 form used in this issue. Names of periodicals must be given in full and, in the case of books, the town of publication and the publisher should be given. A number of works which are cited frequently should not be listed under ‘References’; the name(s) of the author(s) and date(s) of the publication should be given in the text in the normal way. Authors of ‘papers’ over ten pages in length receive five copies of their contribution free of charge. Extra copies, which will be supplied at cost, must be ordered when the MS is submitted. All contributions should be sent to the Editor, G.C. Backhurst, Box 24702, Nairobi, Kenya; they will be acknowledged. Works which should not be listed under ‘References’ BACKHURST, G.C., BRITTON, P.L. & MANN, C.F. 1973. The less common Palaearctic migrant birds of Kenya and Tanzania. Journal of the East Africa Natural History Society and National Museum. 140: 1-38, = Backhurst et al. 1973. BENSON, C.W., BROOKE, R.K., DOWSETT, R.J., & IRWIN, M.P.S. 1971. The birds of Zambia. London: Collins, = Benson et ai. 1971. BRITTON, P.L. (ed.) 1980. Birds of East Africa. Nairobi: EANHS, = Britton 1980. - BROWN, L.H. & BRITTON, P.L. 1980. The breeding seasons of East African birds. Nairobi: EANHS, = Brown & Britton 1980. BROWN, L.H., URBAN, E.K. & NEWMAN, K. 1982. The birds of Africa, Vol. I. London and New York: Academic Press, = Brown et al. 1982. HALL, B.P. & MOREAU, R.E. 1970. An atlas of speciation in African passerine birds. London: British Museum (Nat. Hist.), = Hall & Moreau 1970. JACKSON, FJ. 1938. The birds of Kenya Colony and the Uganda Protectorate, 3 vols. London: Gurney & Jackson, = Jackson 1938. MACKWORTH-PRAED, C.W. & GRANT, C.H.B. 1957 and 1960. African handbook of birds. Series I, vols 1 and 2; Birds of eastern and north eastern Africa, 2nd edition. London: Longmans Green & Co., = Mackworth-Praed & Grant 1957 and/or 1960. MOREAU, R.E. 1966. The bird faunas of Africa and its islands. London: Academic Press, = Moreau 1966. MOREAU, R.E. 1972. The Palaearctic-African bird migration systems. London: Academic Press, = Moreau 1972. SNOW, D.W. (ed.) 1978. An atlas of speciation in African non-passerine birds. London: British Museum (Nat. Hist.), = Snow 1978. URBAN, E.K., FRY, C.H. & KEITH, S. 1986. The birds of Africa, Vol. II. London: Academic Press, = Urban et al. 1986. East African Bird Report This normally forms the fifth issue of Scopus and each report covers one calendar year and relates just to the birds of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Records of Afro- tropical and Oceanic birds should be sent to D.A. Turner, Box 48019, Nairobi; Palaearctic bird records should be sent to Dr D.J. Pearson, Department of Bio- chemistry, University of Nairobi, Box 30197, Nairobi. Records should be sent in early in the new year to ensure the speedy production of the Report. Sightings of rare birds may be telephoned through to any OSC member (numbers inside the front cover) in the hope that the bird(s) may be seen by others. Criteria covering the sub- mission of Bird Report records are given in Scopus Supplement, June 1982, and copies may be obtained from D.A. Turner. Records of rare birds are vetted by the independent and internationally-based East African Rarities Committee. IC13 AMREF BW se Nieey WSio 4 oa ANN <5 00 ae oN Se ee WAN ates® =: VER > Se <4 Contents Scopus 10 (5) April 1988 D.J. Pearson. General Review Species report Afrotropical and Oceanic species Palaearctic species Back Records First and last dates of some Palaearctic landbirds List of observers East African Rare Birds Committee G.C. Backhurst and D.J. Pearson. Ringing and migration at Ngulia, Tsavo, autumn 1986 Index to authors Index to scientific names Q 66 Sl XL) ib? t| 92/94 198115 117 118 119 126 130 131 132 132 133 137 139 Published by the Ornithological Sub-Committee of the EANHS, Box 48019, Nairobi, Kenya and printed by AMREF, Wilson Airport, Box 30125, Nairobi Sa HECKMAN Bern DE RY, TAN: GC. Bound-To-Piease* JAN 00 N. 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