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West African Ornithological Society

Société d’Ornithologie de l’Ouest Africain

U

Maümbus Volume 15 (1993)

Index

Compiled by J. H. Elgood

2

I Systematic Names

Italic numbers signify an illustration.

Accipiter badius 13, 43

castanilius 70, 78

erythropus 25

melanoleucus 26, 70

tachiro 27

Acrocephalus rufescens 74, 78

Actitis hypoleucos 72

Actophilomis af ricana 13, 22

Aegypius occipitalis 12

tracheliotus 12

Aenigmatolimnas marginalis 71

Alopochen aegyptiacus 12, 94

Amandava subflava 11

Amauromis flavirostris 13

Amblyospiza albifrons 75

Anas acuta 22

clypeata 20, 22

hottentota 20, 22

querquedula 12, 77, 94

sparsa 70

Anastomus lamelligerus 12

Andropadus 52

ansorgei 49, 52, 74

gracilirostris 48, 52

latirostris 49

virens 25, 32, 49

Anthreptes collaris 25, 42

gabonicus 75, 78

platura 15, 23

Anthus campestris 77

leucophrys 1 1, 44

Apalis flavida 32, 33

Apus aequatorialis 91

affinis 23, 41

apus 10, 43, 90, 91

bar bat us 43, 90-91

caffer 10

horus 73, 78

Aquila rapax 13, 22

wahlbergi 10

Ardea cinerea 12, 22

goliath 12

melanocephala 12

purpurea 12

Ardea ralloides 10

Ardeotis arabs 20, 22

Aviceda cuculoides 10

Balearica pavonina 13

Batis minima 75

orientalis 15

poensis 75

senegalensis 20, 22

Bleda canicapilla 30, 31

eximia 52

Bostrychia hagedash 12

Botaurus stel laris 20, 22

Bradomis pallidus 44

Bubo africanus 14, 43

lacteus 10

Bubulcus ibis 12, 43

Bucorvus abyssinicus 11, 89

Buphagus africanus 15, 23

Burhinus capensis 13

senegalensis 13

Butastur rufipennis 13, 44

Buteo auguralis 13

buteo 70

Butorides striatus 48

Bycanistes fistulator44

Calidris alba 71

ferruginea 72

minuta 71

minutilla 72

subminuta 68, 71

temminckii 72

Calyptocichla senna 52

Camaroptera brachyura 15, 23, 41

chloronota 32

3

Campephaga phœnicea 15

Campethera nivosa 29, 30

punctuligera 11

Canirallus œuleus 68, 71, 78

Caprimulgus batesi 68, 73, 78

binotatus 49

climacurus 23, 43

enarratus 49

Centropus Senegal ensis 13, 41

superciliosus 72, 78

Cercococcyx olivinus 72

Cercotrichas galactotes 15, 23

leucosticta 52

podobe 52

Ceryle rudis 14

Ceuthmochares aereus 28

Ceyx pi eta 44

Charadrius alexandrinus 68, 71, 77

dubius 22

forbesi 44

hiaticula47, 71

marginatus 71

tricollaris 71

Chelictinia riocourii 10

Chlidonias hybrida 1 1

leucoptera 13

Chlorocichla simplex 41

Chrysococcyx caprins 43

cupreus 28

klaas 43

Ciconia abdimii 12

ciconia 12

episcopus 10, 80

Cinnyricinclus leucogaster 11, 20, 23

Circaetus cinereus 10

gal liens 10, 70

Cirens aemginosns 12, 70

pygargns 12, 70

Cisti cola jnnei dis 15

Clamator glandarins 13, 43, 72

Clytospiza dybowskii 42

Colnmba gninea 13

larvata 72

Coracias abyssinica 14

cyanogaster 20, 23

naevia 10

Coracina aznrea 74, 78

pectoral is 15

Corvinella corvina 14, 23, 44

Corvns albns 15, 41

mficollis 23

Corythomis cristata 14, 23

Cossypha niveicapilla 20, 23, 41

Cotnmix delegorgnei 10, 20, 22, 71

Creatophora cinerea 74

Crinifer piscator 10, 23, 41

Cncnlns solitarins 43

Cnrsorins chalcopterns 10

Cypsinrns parvns 14, 44

Dendrocygna bicolor 20, 22, 92

vidnata 12

Dendropicos fnscescens 11, 43

goertae 14, 88

namaqnns 1 1

Diernrns adsimilis 15, 41

Indwigii 29, 33

Dryoscopns angolensis 76

gambensis 14, 41

Egretta alba 12

garzetta9, 10

intermedia 12, 22

Elan ns caernlens 12, 42

Emberiza flaviventris 1 1

forbesi 11

tahapisi 15, 23

Ephippiorhynchns Senegal ensis 12, 22

Eremomèla pnsilla 15

Eremopteryx lencotis 14

nigriceps 23

Estrilda astrild 43

bengala 16

caemlescens 20, 23

melpoda 44

troglodytes 16

4

Euplectes afer 15

hordeaceus 15, 42

macrourus 42

orix 15, 23

Eupodotis melanogaster 13

Eurystomus glaucurus 14, 43

Falco alopex 13

ardosiaceus 13, 70

biarmicus 13

chicquera 10

cuvieri 10

peregrinus 10

tinnunculus 13

vespertinus 10

Ficedula hypoleuca 44

Francolinus ahantensis 27

bicalcaratus 42

clappertoni 13

icterorhynchiis 13

Gallinago gallinago 22

Gallinula angulata 10

media 47

Glareola cinerea 20, 22

pratincola 20, 22

Glaucidium perlatum 14

Gypohierax angolensis 10

Gyps africanus 12

rueppellii 12

Haematopus ostralegus 47

Halcyon chelicuti 14

leucocephala 14, 43

senegalensis 14, 41

Haliaetus vocifer 12

Himantopus himantopus 13, 47

Himantornis haematopus 71, 78

Hippolais polyglotta 43

Hirundo abyssinica 41

cucullata 68, 73

daurica 44

rufigiila 73

rustica 14, 43, 73

Hirundo semirufa 44

senegalensis 14

smithii 14, 73, 78

spilodera 68, 73

Hylia prasina 33, 34

Hyliota violacea 75

Indicator indicator 14, 73, 78

maculatus 29, 30

minor 14, 44

Ixobrychus sturmii 9

Jubula lettii 68, 73, 78

Kaupifalco monogrammicus 13, 41

Lagonosticta rubricata 44

senegala 16, 41

Lamprotomis caudatus 15

chloropterus 15

nitens 74

purpureus 15

Laniarius aethiopicus 40

bar bar us 14

erythrogaster 23

ferrugineus 77

turatii 41

Lanius collaris 20, 23, 41

collurio 14, 74

excubitor 1 1

excubitorius 11

senator 14, 23

Earns ridibundus 20, 22

sabini 69

Leptoptilos crumeniferus 12

Limosa limosa 22

Lonchura bicolor 43

cucullata 16, 41

fringilloides 41

malabarica 16

Lophaetus occipitalis 13, 44

Lybius leucocephalus 11

rolled 14

vieil loti 14, 43

5

Macheiramphiis alcinus 20, 22

Macrodipîeryx longipennis 14, 23, 44

Macronectes giganteus 69

Macronyx croceus 41

Malaconotus bocagei 76, 78

sulfureopectus 14, 44 ;■

viridis 74, 78

Malimbiis erythrogaster 76, 78

nitens 35

Melaenornis edolioides 11

Melierax metabates 13

Merops aibicollis 14, 43, 76

bulocki 14. 61-67, 77

bullockoides 77

hirundineus 10, 20, 23, 77

nubicus 10

oriental is 14

pusillus 10, 23, 44, 66

Mesopicos (=Dendropicos) gocrtae 41

Micronisiis gabar 12

Mil vus mi grans 12, 43

Mirafra af ricana 52

rufocinnamomea 14

Motacilla aguimp 14, 20, 23

flava 14, 43

Muscicapa striata 23, 43

Mycteria ibis 12, 22

Myioparus plumbeus 44

Myrmecocichla aethiops 1 1

Necrosyrtes monachus 10, 50

Nectarinia chloropygia 41

cuprea 15, 41

oritis 77

piilchella 15

reichenbachii 75, 78

senegalensis 15

verti calls 43

Neotis denhami 10

Nesocharis capi strata 25, 43

Nettapus auritus 12

Nicator chloris 31, 52

Nigrita bicolor 25, 44

canicapilla 44

Nilaus afer 14, 23

Numenius arquata 72

Numida meleagris 13

Nycti corax leuconotus 47-48

nycticorax 10

Ocean i tes océaniens 69

Oceanodroma castro 69

Oena capensis 13

Oenanthe bottae 1 1

hispanica 15, 23

oenanthe 23

Oriolus auratus 15, 20, 23

oriolus 20, 23, 74

Otus leucotis 10

scops 14

Oxylophus jacobinus 13, 72

levaillantii 10

Pandion haliaetus 22

Parus leiicomelas 15

rufiventris 75, 78

Passer domesticus 20, 23

griseus 15, 41

Pelecanus onocrotalus 12

rufescens 12, 22

Pernis apivorus 10

Phalacrocorax africanus 12

carbo 20, 22, 70

Phoeniculus aterrimus 20, 22

purpureus 14

Pholidomis rushiae 74, 78

Phyllanthus atripennis 30, 31

Phyllastrephus albigularis 74

icteriniis 74

(Pyrrhurus) scandensSl, 52

xavieri 76

Picoides obsoletus 14

Platalea ^Iba 12

leucorodia 20, 22

Platysteira cyanea 25, 41

Plectroptems gambensis 12

Plocepasser superciliosus 15

6

Ploceus cucullatus 15, 41

insignis 75, 77

intermedius 75, 78

luteolus 15

nigerrimus 41

nigricollis 25, 32, 41

preussi 75, 76, 77, 78

subpersonatus 78

tricolor 75

velatus 15, 23

Pluvianus aegyptius 13

Pogoniulus bilineatus 25, 41, 67

chrysoconus 14

Poicephalus meyeri 13

Polemaetus beliicosus 13

Polyboroides radiatus 43

Prinia subflava 15, 42

Prodotiscus insignis 73, 78

Psalidoprocne ni tens 44

obscura 44

Psittacula krameri 13, 23

Pterocles exustus 10

quadricinctus 13

Ptilopachus petrosus 13, 22, 77

Ptilostomus afer 13

Puffinus puffinus 92

Pycnonotus barba tus 15, 41, 95-96

Pyrenestes ostrinus 33, 35

Pyrrhurus (= Phyllastrephus) scandens

31,52

Pytilia melba 16, 23

phoenicoptera 1 1

Quelea erythrops 1 1

quelea 15

Remiz flavifrons 75

parvulus 20, 23

Rostratula benghalensis 20, 23

Sagittarius serpen tari us 13

Sarkidiornis melanotos 12

Sarothrura pulchra 27, 30

Sasia af ricana 73, 78

Saxicola rubetra 44

Scopus umbretta 12

Scotopelia bouvieri 68, 73, 78

Serinus leucopygius 15

mozambicus 5

Spermophaga haematina 33, 35

Spheniscus demersus 70

Sphenoeacus mental is 41

Sporopipes frontalis 15, 23

Stercorarius pomarinus 69

Sterna albifrons 69

caspia 69

Streptopelia decipiens 13

semitorquata41, 112

vinacea 13

Struthio camel us 9

Sylvietta brachyura 15, 34

denti 34, 74, 78

virens 24, 33, 34

Tachybaptus ruficollis 12

Tachymarptis aequatorialis 10, 89

melba 90

Tauraco persa 28, 30

Tchagra Senegal a 14, 41

Terathopius ecaudatus 12

Terpsi phone 5pp. 25

viridis 15, 20, 23

Thescelocichla leucopleura 25

Threskiornis aethiopica 12

Tigriomis leucolophus 70

Tockus erythrorhynchus 14, 23, 81-87,

82

fasciatus 41

nasutus 14

T reron waalia 13

Tringa glareola 22, 47

ochropus 47

stagnatilis 47

totanus 13, 72

Trochocercus ni tens 75, 78

Turdoides.plebejus 15, 32

reinwardii 32, 44

Turdus 51

pelios 15, 41

Turtur abyssinicus 13, 22

afer 41

chalcospilos 72

Tytoalba 13, 41,50

Upupa epops 14

Vanellus albiœps 13

senegallus 13, 22

spinosus 13

tectus 10

Vidua camerunensis 20, 23

chalybeata 15

macroura 15, 41

on entai is 16

Zosterops Senegal ensis 15, 41

II Authors and Contents

Accounts. 60

Balança G. & de Visscher M.N. Nouvelles données de distribution pour deux

espèœs d’oiseaux au Burkina Faso. 89-90

Bretagnolle, F. An annotated checklist of birds of north-eastern Central African

Republic. 6-16

Boer, W.F. de & Legoupil, F. Observations sur la présence et l’abondance des

oiseaux au Tchad. 17-23

Book Reviews. 59-60, 97-100

Cheke, R. A. Manx Shearwater Puffinus puffinus new to Ivory Coast. 92

Crick, H.Q.P. Population density of Red-throated Bee-eaters Merops bullocki in a

pristine habitat. 61-67

Diop, M.S. & Treca, B. Nichoirs artificiels utilisés par le Petit Calao à bec rouge

Tockus erythrorhynchus. 81-88

Dowsett, R.J. A long-lived Common Bulbul Pycnonoîus barbatus in Nigeria. 95-96

Do wsett- Lemaire, F., Dowsett, R.J. & Bulens, P. Additions and corrections to the

avifauna of Congo. 68-80

Editorial. 1-5

Evans, M.I. Nest sites of Brown Nightjar Caprimulgus binotatus and Collared

Nightjar C. enarratus. 49-50

Ezealor, A.U. An unusual record of Fulvous Tree-Duck Dendrocygna bicolor

breeding in the Hadejia-Nguru Wetlands, north-eastern Nigeria 92-93

Ezealor, A.U. Albinism in Spur-winged Goose Plectropterus gambensis. ^-94

Field, G.D. Breeding of slender-billed Bulbul Andropadus gracilirostris in Sierra

Leone. 48-49

Gutter, W, The status of the Black Swift Apus barbatus in western West Africa 90-

91

Harkrider, J.R. Garden and farm-bush birds of Njala, Sierra Leone. 38-46

Herroelen, P. Seconde observation d’un Huîtrier pie Haematopus ostralegus au

Zaïre. 47

Iles, D. White-backed Night Heron Nycticorax leuconotus in Sierra Leone. 47-48

Notices. 59-60, 101-111

Triplet, P., Trolliet, B., Yesou, P. & Treca, B. On the laying period of the Egyptian

Goose Alopochen aegyptiacus in the delta of the River Senegal. 94-95

Wacher, T. Some new observations of forest birds in The Gambia. 24-37

I

à'I

Sd

MALIMBUS

Journal of the West African Ornithological Society

Revue de la Société dOrnithologie de TOuest Africain

VOLUME 15 Number 1

June 1993

ISSN 0331-3689

West African Ornithological Society

Société d* Ornithologie de TOuest Africain

Council 1993:

President: Dr Gérard J. Morel

Vice-president: John H. Elgood

Treasurer and Membership Secretary: Robert E. Sharland

Member of Council: Dr Max Gemiain

Secretary to Council: Mrs Amberley Moore

Managing Editor: Dr Alan Tye

Editorial Board: P.D. Alexander-Marrack, Dr R.A. Cheke, G.D. Field, Dr L.D.C.

Fishpool, M.E. J. Gore, A.A. Green, Dr G.J. Morel

Correspondence should be addressed as follows:

- to the Managing Editor (lUCN, P.O. Box 1, Amani, Tanga, Tanzania) regarding

contributions to Malimbtis, including incidental photographs or line drawings;

- to the Treasurer (1 Fisher’s Heron, East Mills, Fordingbridge, Hampshire, SP6

2JR, UK) regarding subscriptions, financial matters and back numbers;

- to the President (1 Route de Sallenelles, Bréville-les-Monts, 14860 Ranville,

France) regarding policy matters.

The Society grew out of the Nigerian Ornithologists’ Society, which was founded in

1964. Its object is to promote scientific interest in the birds of West Africa and to

further the region’s ornithology, mainly by means of its journal Malimbus (formerly the

Bulletin of the Nigerian Ornithologists' Society).

Applications for membership are welcomed. Annual membership subscription rates are

£10.00 for Ordinary Members and £25.00 for Corporate Members. Payments may be

made in £ Sterling to the Treasurer, or in French Francs to the President. Members

receive Malimbus by surface mail free of charge. Extra charges are required for air mail

(enquire of Üie Treasurer for rates).

Back Numbers: Vols 11-14 (1975-78) of the Bulletin of the Nigerian Ornithologists'

Society (the same format as Malimbus) are available at £2 per issue (£4 per volume) or

£15 a set. limbus Vols 1-9 are available at £3 per issue (£6 per volume) and Vol. 10

onwards at £5 per issue (£10 per volume). A full set of Malimbus Vols 1-14 may be

purchased at the reduced price of £95. Postage and packing are free. Please enclose

payment with your order, which should be addressed to tlie Treasurer.

Distribution: G.D. Field

1993

1

Editorial

There has recently been considerable discussion witliin the Society regarding the future

of Ma limbus and, indeed, of the Society itself. This culminated in the questionnaire

circulated with the last issue, to which the response has been good, with over 80

completed questionnaires returned to date (about one third of membership), A full

analysis is in progress and will appear in the following issue, including a summary of

comments and decisions regarding the surplus of funds. I should like here to deal solely

with points regarding Malimhus itself.

In general, most respondents found the scientific content of the journal its most

useful feature, followed by book reviews and notices. Photographs were least

appreciated, but several people thought them important for an attractive appearance, if

their quality could be improved. There were similar comments regarding production

quality, especially the cover and paper; tliese will be taken into account, and quality will

be improved in the near future, following discussions with our printer. Regarding

photograph quality, we are entirely dependent upon readers and others contributing

their work. We cannot pay any fee, but if any reader would like to send in good

photographs (colour, monochrome, prints or slides), we should be happy to publish

them. Similarly, we can use line drawings which illustrate West African birds or

scenery. Some members suggested publishing the occasional colour photograph. This is

acceptable in principle, although expensive; however, there would have to be some

justification for the expense, such as description of a new taxon or previously unknown

nest and eggs.

Several respondents made suggestions for additions to the journal’s content. The

most common was that the ‘Tsfotices” section should be expanded to include news of

ornithological and conservation projects in West Africa, expedition reports etc. This

suggestion is accepted but again, we are entirely dependent on contributions. News

submissions are henceforth welcomed (to be sent to me). They will be subject to the

usual editorial process, including translation if this is considered important. One person

suggested that news should appear as a separate newsletter; this would require more

work (who would volunteer?) and it is not yet clear if there is sufficient interest in

submitting news to justify it. At present we feel that including a notes and news section

in die journal is tlie best option.

Another common suggestion regarding content was that we should publish papers

on a wider variety of subjects. The lack of such papers is no fault of the journal: we

have several times indicated that papers on any topic relevant to West African

ornithology will be considered. Again, the journal is absolutely dependent on receiving

contributions and I can only encourage readers to send their work to Ma limbus', papers

reporting ecological or behavioural studies would be especially welcome. It is

impossible to improve the journal’s quality and standing unless authors are prepared to

submit their better work. We can offer very prompt publication for well-written papers;

at present, all papers are appearing in the issue following receipt of an acceptable

2

A. Tye

Malimbus 15

manuscript. This is far faster than most other omitiiological journals.

I must add that the reason for the JoumaTs recent leanness is that fewer papers have

been received, following the boom of the late eighties. I should love hhlimbus to

become bigger, or even quarterly (as two respondents suggested) but we need the

material. Our rejection rate of papers is very low - bad papers are usually heavily edited

rather than being rejected out of hand - so we need more submissions if the journal is to

regain its former healthier size. One person suggested merging Malimbus with Tauraco,

Scopus and Honeyguide; personally I would also include Ostrich and all the other

“minor” African ornithological journals. Council will bear the suggestion in mind but

will not be initiating any discussions to that end.

Specific suggestions for widening the content of Malimbus included accepting

papers on identification. A decision to accept such work had, in fact, already been

taken, so I hope that members will work at their problem groups. Identification papers

should deal only with difficult groups and should emphasise comparative features.

Papers covering ground which is already adequately covered in widely-available

literature, such as the standard guides and reference works, will not be accepted.

Other specific requests were for taxonomic papa's (which we have, in fact, always

accepted: see Malimbus 1(1) and recent issues), for a resumption of the Recent

Literature Supplements and for a Correspondence section. Correspondence has also

always been accepted, but no-one has bothered to correspond recently! Comments on

recent papers or controversies are welcome but the Editor’s decision on what to publish

is final. The Literature Supplements were discontinued when Hilaiy Fiy could no longer

devote the considerable time required to their production; they were compilai by him

virtually single-handedly aid no-one else can face the job. They were handed over to

the editorship of Tauraco and subsequently died. If anyone feels he or she has sufficient

spare time to comb the huge range of literature required for the production of

exhaustive supplements, we should be happy to know. Access to an excellent libraiy,

such as the Alexander at Oxford, would be essential.

One person requested more book reviews; another requested fewer...

There was some comment about the language of publication. One person requested

the full texts of all papers to be published in both French and English; I do not feel that

this is necessary, since most members can probably manage some of both languages.

Further, it would double the size of the journal (or should it become two separate

editions?), increase costs, and more than double the work of the Editor and President,

who presently undertake the translations for bilingual items. One other suggestion was

that French papers should also be published in English: an anglocentric view that

ignores our francophone readers’ preferences and the fact that most of West Africa is

francophone. Only one person suggested fiiat papers in French be no longer accepted;

we therefore believe that the present policy is the correct one. One person requested

bird names to be included in local vernaculars, including other colonial languages. This

might be considered where a paper deals with ethnological subjects and names in

Portuguese or Spanish might be considered for papers dealing with countries where

those languages are official but, in general, vernacular names in a single language (that

1993

Editorial

3

of tlie paper) are ad^uate.

Finally, one person raised the subject of advertising in Malimbus. We have

considered this for a long time but there are two problems. One is that, as far as I know,

no advertisements have ever been submitted; tliey would be acceptable if tliey were,

since they would augment the Society’s funds. In view of this, the other problem is that,

evidently, advertising will have to be solicited. This needs someone to undertake the

post of advertising manager - any volunteers? Such a person might face the difficulty

tJiat few organisations would wish to advertise in such a specialist and low-circulation

journal, but who knows?

To smn up, tlie Society is in a reasonably healtliy state, as is the journal, but both

could be better. The editorship will do its best, but most depends on tlie contributors; I

end by passing back the buck.

Alan Tye

Editorial

Ces derniers tanps, il a été beaucoup question, au sein de la Société, de Tavenir de

Malimbus et bien entendu aussi de la Société elle-même. Cela s’est traduit par le

questionnaire distribué avec le dernier numéro, qui fut bien accueilli puisque plus de 80

réponses ont été reçues à ce jour (environ un tiers des abonnés). L’analyse complète est

en cours et paraîtra dans la prochaine livraison ainsi qu’un résumé des commentaires et

des décisions concernant l’excédent budgétaire. Je voudrais aborder ici seulement les

questions concernant K4aUmbus même.

En général, la plupart de ceux qui ont répondu estiment que le contenu scientifique

de la revue est son aspect le plus utile, suivi de la revue des livres et des annonces. Les

photographies sont les moins appréciées mais certains les jugent importantes par leur

côté attrayant, à condition qu’elles soient de meilleure qualité. On trouve des

commentaires similaires quant à la présentation, particulièrement la couverture et le

papier; ces remarques seront mises à profit prochainement après discussion avec notre

imprimeur.

En ce qui concerne la qualité des photographies, nous dépendons entièrement des

lecteurs et de ceux qui proposent leurs articles. Nous ne pouvons payer de droits mais

nous publions volontiers les bons clichés envoyés par les lecteurs (couleurs ou noir et

blanc, sur |3apier ou diapositives). De même, nous pouvons utiliser des dessins au trait

qui représentent des oiseaux de l’Ouest africain ou des paysages. Quelques membres

suggèrent de publier à l’occasion des photos en couleurs. En principe, c’est faisable

bien que coûteux; la dépense devrait donc être justifiée, par exemple par la description

d’un nouveau taxon ou bien de nid ou d’oeufs encore inconnus.

Plusieurs réponses suggèrent d’entendre le contenu de la revue et la plupart que la

partie “Annonces” soit élargie et comprenne des nouvelles sur les projets d’ornithologie

4

A. Tye

Malimbus 15

et de protection dans l’Ouest africain, des rapports d’expéditions, etc. Cette suggestion

est acceptée mais, encore une fois, nous dépendons entièrement de ce qu’on nous

propose. Les offres de publication sont dès maintenant les bienvenues (me les adresser).

Elles suivront le processus d’édition habituel, y compris la traduction, si cela est jugé

important. Une personne suggère que les nouvelles paraissent séparément sous forme de

lettre; cela demanderait plus de travail (qui est volontaire?) et il n’est pas certain que

l’intérêt de ces nouvelles le justifie. Pour l’instant, nous estimons que consacrer une

rubrique de la revue aux notes et nouvelles est la meilleure formule.

Il est d’autre part conununément suggéré, concernant la teneur de la revue, que nous

devrions publier des sujets plus variés. Le manque de tels articles n’est pas imputable à

la revue: nous avons maintes fois précisé que nous examinerions les manuscrits sur tout

sujet relatif à l’ornithologie ouest-africaine. La revue, répétons-le, dépend totalement

des articles qui lui sont soumis et je ne puis qu’encourager les lecteurs à envoyer leurs

travaux à Malimbus-, les articles traitant d’écologie ou de comportement seront

particulièrement appréciés. Il est impossible d’améliorer la qualité et le niveau de la

revue si les auteurs ne consentent pas à nous confier le meilleur de leurs travaux. Nous

assurons une publication rapide aux articles bien rédigés; actuellement, tous les articles

sont publiés dans le premier numéro qui suit la réception d’un manuscrit jugé publiable.

C’est bien plus rapide que pour la plupart des autres revues d’ornithologie.

Je dois ajouter que la raison de la “minceur” de la revue ces temps-ci vient du plus

faible nombre d’articles reçus, après l’abondance des années 80. J’aimerais que

Malimbus épaississe, devienne même trimestriel (comme deux réponses le suggèrent),

mais nous avons besoin de “papiers”. Notre taux de refus est très bas — les articles

médiocres sont habituellement fortement remaniés plutôt que refiisés d’emblée et nous

avons donc besoin de plus d’offres de publication pour que la revue recouvre sa santé

d’hier. Une personne suggère la fusion de Malimbus avec Tauraco, Scopus et

Honeyguide, personellement, je comprendrais aussi Ostrich ainsi que toutes les autres

revues secondaires d’ornithologie africaine. Le Conseil se souviendra de cette

suggestion mais n’entamera aucune négotiation à cet effet.

Il est aussi proposé, pour élargir le contenu de Malimbus, de publier des articles

d’identification. Une décision en ce sens avait été en fait déjà prise et j’espère que des

membres s’attaqueront à des groupes difficiles. Les articles d’identification devraient

traiter seulement de tels groupes et souligner les caractères comparatifs. Les articles sur

des questions déjà bien traitées dans les manuels courants, tels que les guides classiques

et les ouvrages de référence, ne seraient pas acceptés.

D’autres demandes particulières concernent les articles de taxonomie (que nous

avons, de fait, toujours acceptés: voir Malimbus 1(1) et les numéros récents), la reprise

des “Recent Literature Supplements” et de la rubrique Correspondance. La

Correspondance aussi a toujours été acceptée mais personne n’en a fait récemment! Les

commentaires sur les articles récents et les controverses sont les bienvenues mais c’est

au Rédacteur de décider ce qu’il doit publier. Les “Literature Supplements” furent

interrompus quand Hilary Fry ne disposa plus de temps considérable qu’exigeait leur

préparation; c’est lui seul qui pratiquement en faisait la compilation et personne d’autre

1993

Editorial

5

ne peut s'en charger. Ces suppléments furent confiés à la rédaction de Tauraco et

finalement abandonnés. Si quelqu'un estime avoir assez de temps libre pour fouiller

Fénonne masse de littérature nécessaire à la préparation des suppléments exhaustifs,

nous serions heureux de rapprendre. Il serait indispensable d'avoir accès à une

excellente bibliothèque telle que FAlexander d'Oxford.

Une personne demande plus d'analyses de livres, une autre moins...

Il y a quelques commentaires sur la langue de la revue. Un abonné demande que

tous les textes soient publiés à la fois en français et en miglais; je ne pense pas que ce

soit nécessaire car la plupart des lecteurs possèdent plus ou moins les deax langues. De

plus, cela ferait doubler la taille de la revue (à moins d'en faire deux séparées?),

augmenterait les frais, et ferait plus que doubler la tâche du Rédacteur et du Président

qui actuellement assurent la traduction des textes bilingues. Il est aussi suggéré que tous

les articles en français soient aussi publiés en anglais: c’est un point de vue

“Miglocentriste” qui ne tient pas compte des préférences de nos lecteurs francophones et

du fait que la plus grande partie de FOuest africain est francophone. Une seule persoime

suggère de ne plus accepter d'articles en français; nous pensons donc que notre

pohtique actuelle est la borme. Une personne demande que les noms d’oiseaux soient

donnés aussi dans les dialectes locaux y compris les langues des anciens pays

colonisateurs. Cela pourrait être retenu quand un article traite de sujets etlinologiques et

les noms en portugais ou en espagnol être envisagés pour les pays dont c'est la langue

officielle, mais, en général, les noms vernaculaires d'une seule langue (celle de l'article)

suffisent.

Enfin, une personne soulève la question de la publicité dans Malimbus. Nous y

avons pensé depuis longtemps mais il y a deux difficultés. La première est que, à ma

connaissance, aucune demande ne nous a jamais été faite; elle serait acceptée puisque

cela augmenterait les ressources de la Société. A cet effet, la deuxième difficulté est

que, évidemment, la publicité doit être recherchée. Cela suppose que quelqu'un prenne

la poste de responsable de la publicité — y a-t-il des volontaires? Ce responsable se

trouverait alors dans la situation difficile où peu d'organismes désireraient faire de la

publicité dans une revue aussi spécialisée et d'un aussi faible tirage, mais qui sait?

Pouer nous résumer, la Société, de même que la revue, sont raisonnablement

prospères, mais les deux pouiraient aller mieux. La Rédaction fera de son mieux mais

l’essentiel dépend des collaborateurs de la revue; je tennine en vous renvoyant la balle.

Alan Tye

6

Malimbus 15

An annotated checklist of birds of north-eastern

Central African Republic

by François Bretagnolle

CEPE-CNRS, route de Mende, BP 505 1 ,

34033 Montpellier Cedex, France.

Received 28 December 1 990

Revised 13 April 1993

Summary

During a four month stay in the Vakaga prefecture, northern C.A.R., in 1988,

232 species of birds were recorded; an annotated list of species with particular

biogeographical interest is presented. A brief comparison with a checklist from

a region ftuHier south is made.

Résumé

A Foccasion d'un séjour de quatre mois dans la préfecture de la Vakaga (au

nord de la République Centrafricaine) en 1988, 232 espèces d'oiseaux ont été

observées. Une liste systématique commentée des espèces ayant un intérêt

biogéographique est présentée ainsi qu'une brève comparaison avec une liste

concernant une région située plus au sud.

Introduction

The avifauna of the Central African Republic (C.A.R.) has been little studied. Recently,

Carroll (1988) published a checklist for the C.A.R. but without data for the north-

eastern and south-eastern parts of the countiy. I spent four montlis (March, May, June

and August) in the Vakaga Prefecture in the north-east of the country, and had the

opportunity to observe the birds during excursions eveiy day in a 120 x 30 km area

around Birao (see Fig. 1).

In Uiis paper, I present my personal omiüiological records with some indication of

tlie status and abundance of bird species in die region. A complete checklist is givai in

the Appendix.

1993

Birds of NE C.A.R.

7

Fig. L Vakaga Prefecture, Central African Republic

8

F. Bretagnolle

Malimbus 1 5

The Vakaga Environment

The Vakaga prefecture is situated between Sudan and Chad (10°N, 23®E) and lies on

the southern limit of the Chadian Basin. It is a wide floodplain where dry sand

formations (unflooded levees) and temporarily flooded depressions (inundated alluvial

soils) alternate. It is divided from the rest of tlie C.A.R. by a long chain of mountains

(Precambrian origin), the Dar Chala Cluster, separating the Oubangui Basin from the

Chari (L. Chad) Basin. The major geological formations of the region are quaternary

(alluvial materials and aeolian materials such as old ergs).

The climate is determined by a high pressure zone centred over the Chadian-Lybian

Desert and is thus Sudano-Sahelien (sub-climate Sahelo-Sudanien) which progressively

becomes Sudano-Guinean towards the south (for definition see Boulvert 1986). Annual

precipitation, averaged over twenty years, is 870 mm in Birao. However, this average

must be used with caution because it masks very high inter-annual fluctuations (530

mm to 950 mm) and the decline in rainfall in tlie last few years. The dry season begins

at the end of September and finishes at the end of May, maximum rainfall occurring

usually in August.

All the rivers of the Vakaga region belong to Üie Chari Basin and flow into Lake

Cliad. In the Vakaga Plain, the rivers only flow between June and the end of September,

and at that time are lost in wide marshy zones. These rivers merge to form the Bar

Aouk, which flows into the Chari River. In the rainy season, the inundation zone is

filled first from rain before the river water, which flows down from the mountains,

causes a flood. The Vakaga Plain thus becomes a vast mosaic of ponds, lakes, channels

and marshes among the unflooded sand levees. During the dry season, water bodies

progressively dry up and disappear by the end of February, although for the last few

years there were three or four permanent water bodies which persisted in the region

throughout the dry season.

Vegetation on the Vakaga consists of a mosaic of wooded savanna and grassland

formations whose respective importance varies with topography and soil patterns.

Wooded savanna formations are generally found on unflooded soils. The

characteristic pattern is a patchwork of mixed lowland tree savanna and savanna

woodland. Frequently, the distribution of trees within a formation is clumped,

sometimes very accentuated where the species are grouped on old termite mounds. The

principal tree sj^ecies are: Anogeisus leiocarpus, Terminalia hxijlom, Butyrospemium

paradoxum, Tamarindus indica, Xeromphis nilotica, Combretum nigricans, C. molle,

Piliostigma thonningii. Gardenia temifolia, Burkea africana. Balanites aegypliaca,

Khaya senegalensis, and Isoherlinia sp. (see Boulvert 1986).

A great majority of tlie grass formations consist of savanna grassland in temporary

flooded areas (floodplain prairies). I also include in the grassland savarma category,, the

cultivated zones occurring near villages.

Two important phytogeographical differences from tlie more southern regions of the

C.A.R. are the lack of pemianent rivers, the gallery forest being replaced by lines of

trees (Kigelia afncana, Mitragyna inemiis, Diospyros mespiliformis), and the presence

1993

Birds ofNECA.R,

9

of several Sahelien plant species for which the Vakaga is their southern natural limit.

This latter point has M Boul vert (1986) to put the Vakaga Plain in tlie Sudano-Sahelien

phytogeographical domain.

The sedentary human population density is small (0.5 inhabitants per km^).

However, human pressure on die enviromnent (much stronger in the last few years) is

high, due to the presence of large Zebu herds led by the nomadic Mbororo, who travel

across the plain throughout the dry season. The Mbororo are responsible for fires,

overgrazing and felling of trees to feed the animals. Sedentary people live in small

villages situated along the few tracks of the region, their main activity being agriculture

(millet and groundnuts).

Systematic List

Although this list may not be exhaustive, it indicates our present knowledge of the

avifauna of the Vakaga Prefecture. Some 232 species of bird have been recorded there,

of which 169 are known or suspected to breed. I recorded only 22 migratory species,

probably due to the lack of observations in March. The list below includes species for

which die Vakaga data add to our knowledge about their geographical distribution

(extend the known range compared with the information available in Carroll 1982; 1988

and in Nikolaus 1 987) or species with data on nesting; remaining species are listed in

the Appendix. During my stay in Vakaga, I did not liave the opportunity to prospect the

southern mountain region. Therefore species living there have not been included.

One can make several comparisons with the checklist of Carroll (1982) concerning

a region furtlier to the southwest (Manovo-Gounda-St.Floris National Park). First, an

important guild of species is disappearing in Vakaga, with the disappearance of the

forest gallery along the rivers. Second, the Vakaga region lacks many species which

require dense forest and instead supports several sahelian species.

The meaning of abbreviations is as follows.

Status: B breeding; PB probable breeding (present in reproductive season, but no

proof of breeding); R resident; M migratory; ? uncertain status.

Abundance: C common species (with a few hours stay in the appropriate

environment, contact with the species is probable); U uncommon species (with a few

hours stay in the appropriate environment, contact with the species is uncertain); O

occasional (only one or two observations of the species during the four-month

observation period).

Example: Little Egret Egretta garzetia: PB, R, U. Ten near Birao 1 1 Mar. Mar,

May, Jun, Aug. This means that I observed the species several times in tlie months of

March, May, June and August and that on 1 1 March I observed 10 individuals together.

Ostrich Stmthio camelm: ?, O. Three in 1983 near Birao. More common in SW

Vakaga near Manovo National Park. Not personally recorded.

Dwarf Bittern Ixobrychm stumiii: PB, U. Birao lake and near the village. May, Jun, Aug.

10

F. Bretagnolle

Malimbus 1 5

Black’crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax. PB, U. Jun, Aug.

Squacco Heron Ardeola ralloides. PB, R, U. Breeding plumage Aug. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Little Egret Egretta garzetta: PB, R, U. Ten near Birao 1 1 Mar. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Woolly-necked Stork Ciconia episcopus: ?, Ô. One along the Yata river 24 Jun.

White Stork Ciconia ciconia: M, O. One 23 May, one 13 Jun, Birao.

Cuckoo Falcon Aviceda cuculoides: PB, R(?), U. Several observations near Birao of

adults and immatures. May, Aug.

Honey Buzzard Pernis apivorus: M, O. One near Birao 16 May.

Swallow-tailed Kite Chelictinia riocourii: PB, R, U. Max. ten in Yata river 11 Mar.

Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Palm-nut Vulture Gypohierax angolensis: ?, O. One near Am-Dafok 1 1 Mar.

Hooded Vulture Necrosyrtes nwnachus: B, R, C. Adult sitting at nest in Birao Mar.

Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Snake-Eagle Circaetus gallicus: PB, R, U. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Brown Snake-Eagle Circaetus cinereus: PB, R, U. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Wahlberg’s Eagle Aquila waiilbergi: PB, R, U. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Red-necked Falcon Falco chicquera: B, R, U. Adults attending nest Mar. Mar, May,

Jun, Aug.

Red-footed Falcon Falco vespertinus: M, O. One male and one female along the Yata

river 1 5 Mar.

African Hobby Falco cuvie/i: PB, U. May, Jun, Aug.

Peregrine Falco peregrinus: ?, O. One imm. near Birao 21 Jun.

Harlequin Quail Cotumix delegorguei: ?, U. May, Aug.

Lesser Moorhen Gallinula angulata: PB, U. May, Jun, Aug.

Denham’s Bustard Neotis denhanU. PB, U. May, Jun.

Painted Snipe Rostratula hengalensis: ?, O. One female 10 Jun, one male and one

female 20 Jun at Birao lake.

Brown-winged Courser Cursorius chalcopterus: PB, U. May, Jun.

Black-headed Lapwing Vanellus tectus: B, C. Adults nesting Mar. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybrida: ?, U. Ten 24 Jun, six 10 Aug Birao lake. Jun, Aug.

Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse Pterocles exustus: PB, R(?), U. Mar, Jun.

Western Grey Plantain-eater Crittifer piscator: PB, R, U. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Levaillant’s Cuckoo Oxylophus levaillantii: PB, U. Jun, Aug.

White-faced Owl Otus leucotis: PB, U. May, Aug.

Verraux’s Eagle-Owl Bubo lacteus: PB, U. Mar, Jun.

European Swift opus: M, O. Mar, some in May.

White-rumped Swift Apus caffer. ?, O. Two flocks in Birao. May, Jun.

Mottled Swift Tachynmrptis aequatorialis: ?, U. Several observations of small flocks

in Birao. May breed in the Dar Chala. May, Jun, Aug.

Little Bee-eater Merops pusillus: PB, R, U. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Swallow-tailed Bee-eater Merops hirutidineus: PB, U. May, Jun, Aug.

Carmine Bee-eater Merops nubicus: ?, O. Flock near Birao 20 Jun.

Rufous-crowned Roller Coracias naevia: ?, O. Two obs. Jun.

1993

Birds of NE C.A.R.

11

Abyssinian Ground Hornbill Bucorvus abyssiniens: PB, R, U. Mar, May, Jim, Aug.

White-headed Barbet Lybius leucocephalus: PB, R, U. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Fine-spotted Woodpecker Cmnpethera putictuUgem: PB, R, O. One Mar, one male

and one female Aug.

Cardinal Woodpecker Dendropicos Juscescens: PB, R, U. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Bearded Woodpecker Dendropicos natnaquns: PB (?), O. One male and one female, Jun.

Plain-backed Pipit AtUhus leucophrys: PB, U. May, Jun, Aug.

Grey-backed Fiscal Lanins exenbitorins: PB, R, U. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Distinguished from L. excubiior by pattern of long, broad tail: basal outer part white,

distal part black, tipped white.

Amethyst Starling Cinnyricynclm hucogaster: PB, U. May, Jun, Aug.

Red-breasted Wheatear Oenandte hottae: ?, U. Probably breeding in the Dar Chala. May.

Ant-Chat Myrmecocichla aethiops: PB, U. May, Jun.

Black Flycatcher Melaenomis edolioides: ?, O. Jun.

Yellow-bellied Bunting E'/n^eriza flaviventris: PB, R, U. Mar, May, Jun.

Little Bunting Eniberiza forbest PB, R, U. Mar, Jun.

Red-headed Quelea Qnelea erythrops: PB, U. May, Jun, Aug.

Red-winged Pytilia Pytilia phoenicoptera: PB, U. Jun, Aug.

Zebra Waxbill Atnandava snbflava: ?, O. Two obs., May, Jun.

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank Max Germain, A.A. Green, J.D. Thompson and Paul Isenmann for

their helpful comments and criticism of the manuscript. Many thanks to Ingrid and

Jean-Marc Froment who received me during my travels across the C.A.R. The period

spent in Manovo is one that I cherish for its beauty. I dedicate this manuscript to

Florence Pingco.

References

Boulvert, Y. (1986) Carte phyto géographique de la République Centrafiicaine au

1/1 00000. Feuille Ouest et feuille Est. ORSTOM, Paris.

Carroll, R. W. (1982) Ornithological investigation of the Central African Republic.

M. Biol. Thesis, Southern Connecticut State College, New Haven.

Carroll, R. W. (1988) Birds of the Central African Republic. Malimbus 10: 177-200.

Nikolaus, G. (1987) Distribution atlas of Sudan’s birds with notes on habitat and

status. Bonn. zool. Monogr. 25.

12

F. Bretagnolle

Malimbus 15

Appendix

Other species observed (with status).

Dabchick TachybapUts mficoUis: PB, U. Jun, Aug.

Reed Cormorant Phalacracorax afrkanm: PB, U. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

White Pelican Pelecanm onocrotalus: M, O. Mar.

Pink-backed Pelican Pelecanm mfescem: M, O. Mar.

Cattle Egret Bubulcm ibis: B, C. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Intermediate Egret Egretta interniedia: ?, O. May, Aug.

Great White Egret Egretta alba: PB, U. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Purple Heron Ardea purpurea: ?, O. Jun.

Grey Heron Ardea cinerea: M, U. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Black-headed Heron Ardea ntelanocephtda: PB, C. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Goliath Heron Ardea goliath: ?, O. Aug.

Hamerkop Scopm untbretta: PB, U. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Wood Ibis Mycteria ibis: ?, O. Mar.

Open-billed Stork Anastonms lameUigerm: PB, C. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Abdim’s Stork Ciconia abdintii: B, C. May, Jun, Aug.

Saddle-billed Stork Ephippiorhynchm senegalensis: ?, O. Mar.

Marabou Leptoptilos crutneniferm: PB, C. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Hadada Bostrychia hagedash: ?, O. Aug.

Sacred Ibis Threskiomis aethiopica: ?, U. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

African Spoonbill Platalea alba: M, O. Mar.

White-faced Tree-Duck Detutocygna nduata: PB, U. May, Jun, Aug.

Egyptian Goose Alopochen aegyptiacus: PB, U. May, Aug.

Spur-winged Goose Plectropterm goitibensis: PB, U. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Knob-billed Duck Sarlddiomis tttelatwios: PB, C. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

^gmy Goose Nettapm auritm: PB, C. Aug.

Garganey Anas querquedula: M, C. Mar.

Black-shouldered Kite Elaitm caerulem: PB, U. May, Jun, Aug.

Black Kite Milvm nügrans: PB, C. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

River Eagle Haliaeetm vocifer: PB, U. Mar, Jun, Aug.

White-backed Vulture Gyps africanm: PB, U. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

RüppePs Griffon Gy/M rueppeUii: PB, U. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Lappet-faced Vulture tracheUotm: PB, U. Mar, May, Jim, Aug.

White-headed Vulture Aegypim occipitalis: PB, O. Mar, Jun.

Bateleur Terathopim ecaudatm: PB, C. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Harrier-Hawk Polyboroides typm: PB, U. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Montagu's Harrier Circm pygargm: M, O. Mar.

Marsh Harrier Circm aeruginosm: M, O. Mar.

Gabar Goshawk Micronisim gabar: PB, C. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

1993

Birds of NE C.A.R.

13

Dark Chanting Goshawk Melierax metabates: PB, C. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Shikra Accipiter badius: PB, C. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Grasshopper Buzzard Butmtur rufipennis: PB, U. May, Jun, Aug.

Lizard Buzzard Kaupifalco ntonogratnnticus. PB, U. Jun, Aug.

Red’tailed Buzzard Buteo auguralis: PB, U. Jun, Aug.

Tawny Eagle Aquila rapax: PB, U. Mar, Jun, Aug.

Long-crested Eagle Lophaetus occipitalis'. PB, U. Mar, May, Aug.

Martial Eagle Polenmetus belUcosus: ?, O. Jun, Aug.

Secretary Bird Sagittarius serpen tari us: ?, O. Mar.

Kestrel Falco tinnunculus: ?, O. May.

Fox Kestrel Falco alopex: ?, O. May, Jun.

Grey Kestrel Falco ardosiaceus: PB, U. May, Jun, Aug.

Lanner Falco biarnticus: PB, U. May, Jun, Aug.

Helmeted Guineafowl Numida meleagris: B, C. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Stone Partridge Ptilopachus petrosas: B, C. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Clapperton’s Francolin Francolinus clappertoni: B, C. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Heuglin's Francolin Francolinus icterorynchus: ?, O. May.

Black Crake Amauromis flavirostris: PB, O. May, Jun.

Black Crowned Crane Balearka pavonina: ?, U. May, Jun.

Black-bellied Bustard Eupodotis nielanogaster. PB, U, May, Jun, Aug.

LilyArotter Actophilomis af ricana: PB, C. May, Jun, Aug.

Black-winged Stilt Hinumtopus hinmntopus: PB, U. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Senegal Thick-knee Burhinus senegalensis: ?, O. Jun.

Spotted Thick-knee Burhinus capensis: ?, O. May, Jun.

Egyptian Plover Pluvianus aegyptius: PB, U. May, Jun.

Wattled Lapwing Vanellus senegaUus: PB, U. May, Jun.

White-headed Lapwing Vanellus albiceps: ?, O. Jun.

Spur-winged Lapwing Vattellus spinosus: ?, O. Jun.

Redshank Tringa totanus: M, O. Mar.

White-winged Black Tern Chlidonias leucopterus: M, U. May, Jun, Aug.

Four-handed Sandgrouse Pterocles quadricinctus: PB, U. May, Jun, Aug.

Bruce’s Green Pigeon Treron waalia: PB, C. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Black-billed Wood Dove Tartar abyssmicus: PB, C. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Namaqua Dove Oena capensis: M, C. Mar, Jun.

Speckled Pigeon Coluntba guinea: PB, C. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Mourning Dove Streptopelia decipiens: PB, C. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Vinaceous Dove Streptopelia vinacea: PB, C. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Meyer’s Parrot Poicephalus nieyeri: PB, C. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Rose-ringed Parakeet Psittacula kranieri: PB, C. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Jacobin Cuckoo Oxylophus jacobituts: PB, U. Jun, Aug.

Great Spotted Cuckoo Clantator glandarius: ?, U. May, Jun, Aug.

Senegal Coucal Centropus senegalensis: PB, C. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Barn Owl Tyto alba: ?, O. Jun.

14

F. Bretagnolle

Malimbus 1 5

Scops Owl Otm scops: ?, O. Jun.

Spotted Eagle-Owl Bubo africauus: PB, U. Jun, Aug.

Pearl-spotted Owlet Glaucidmm petiaium: PB, U. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Standard-winged Nï^ijur Alacrodipieryx longipennis: PB, U. May, Jun.

Palm Swift Cypsiurm parvus: B, C. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Grey-headed Kingfisher Halcyon leucocephaM: PB, C. May, Jun, Aug.

Senegal Kingfisher Halcyon senegalensis: PB, C. May, Jun, Aug.

Striped Kingfisher Halcyon chelkuti: PB, U. May, Jun, Aug.

Malachite Kingfisher Corythornis cristata: PB, C. May, Jun, Aug.

Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis: PB, U. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Red-throated Bee-eater Merops bullocki: PB, U. Jun, Aug.

White-throated Bee-eater Merops albicoUis: M, C. May, Jun.

Little Green Bee-eater Merops orietUaUs: PB, C. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Abyssinian Roller Coracias abyssinka: B, C. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Broad-billed Roller Eurystonms ghmcurus: PB, C. May, Jun, Aug.

Green Wood-Hoopoe Phoenkulus purpureus: PB, C. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Black Wood-Hoopoe Phoenkulus aterrinms: PB, C. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Hoopoe Upupa epops: PB, C. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Red-billed Hornbill Tockus erythrorynchm: PB, C. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Grey Hornbill Tockus nasutus: PB, C. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird Pogoniulus chrysoscotms: PB, C. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Vieillot’s Barbet Lybius vkilloti: PB, C. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Black-breasted Barbet Lybius rolled: PB, U. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Greater Honeyguide huUcalor indicator: PB, U. Jun, Aug.

Lesser Honeyguide Indicator ndnor: ?, O. Jun.

Grey Woodpecker Dendropkos goertae. PB, C. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Brown-backed Woodpecker Pkoides obsoletus: PB, U. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Flappet Lark Mirafra rufocmnatmtnea: PB, U. May, Jun.

Chestnut-backed Finch-Lark Erenwpteryx kucotis: M, O. Mar.

Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica: M, O. Aug.

Wire-tailed Swallow Hirundo stmthi: PB, U. May, Jun, Aug.

Mosque Swallow Hirundo senegalensis: PB, U. May, Jun, Aug.

Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava: M, C. Mar.

African Pied Wagtail Motacilla aguitnp: PB, U. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Long-crested Helmet-Shrike Prionops pluniata: PB, U. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Brubru Shrike Nilaus afer. PB, U. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Gambian Puff-back Shrike Dryoscopus ganéemis: PB, C. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Black-crowned Tchagra Tchagra senegala: PB, U. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Gonolek Laniarius barbarus: PB, U. May, Jun, Aug.

Orange-breasted Bush-Shrike Malaconotus sulfiireopectm: PB, U. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Long-tailed Shrike Corvinella conina: PB, C. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio: M, O. Mar.

Woodchat Lanius senator: M, O. Mar.

1993

Birds ofNECA.R.

15

African Golden Oriole Oriolm miratm: PB, U. May, Jun, Aug.

Glossy-backed Drongo Dicmrm mkitttiiis: B, C. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Purple Glossy Starling Lmnprotonüs purpureas: PB, C. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Lesser Blue-eared Glossy Starling Lamprotornis chhropterm: PB, U. May, Jun, Aug.

Long-tailed Glossy Starling Lmuprotornk cmdatus: PB, C. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Yellow-billed Oxpecker Buphagm afrkmius: PB, U. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Black Magpie PtUostonms afer. PB, C. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Pied Crow Corms albm: PB, U. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

White-breasted Cuckoo-Shrike Coracma pectoraUs: ?, O. Jun.

Red-shouldered Cuckoo-Shrike Cmnpephaga phoenkea: PB, U. May, Jun, Aug.

Common Bulbul Pyctwuotm barbatm: PB, U. Jun, Aug.

Spanish Wheatear Oenauthe tmpauka: M, O. Mar.

Rufous Scrub-Robin Cercotrichas galactotes: ?, O. May.

West African Thrush Turdm pelios: PB, U. Jun, Aug.

Brown Babbler Turdoides pkbejus: PB, C. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Zitting Cisticola Cisdcola junciSs: PB, U. Jun, Aug.

Tawny-flanked Prinia Prima subflam: PB, C. Mar, May, Jmi, Aug.

Grey-backed Camaroptera Canmraptera brachyura: PB, C. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Green-backed Eremomela Eretmmela pmilla: PB, U. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Nuthatch Warbler Sylvktta brachyura: PB, C. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Grey-headed Batis BMis orimtalis: PB, U. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Paradise Flycatcher Terpsiphme viridm: PB, U. May, Jun, Aug.

White-shouldered Black Tit Parus leucontelas: PB, U. May, Jun.

Pygmy Long-tailed Sunbird Anthrept^ platura: PB, U. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Scarlet-breasted Sunbird Nectarmia seuegalemis: PB, C. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Copper Sunbird Nectarmia cuprea: PB, U. May, Jun, Aug.

Beautiful Long-tailed Sunbird Nectarmia pulchella: PB, C. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Yellow White-eye Zmterops senegalemk: PB, U. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Rock Bunting Emberiza tahapki: ?, O. May, Jun.

Yellow-fronted Canary Sennas nwiambkus: PB, U. May, Jun.

Grey Canary Sermus leucapygius: ?, O. Jun.

Slender-billed Weaver Phceus iuteolus: PB, U. May, Jun, Aug.

Vitelline Masked Weaver Placeus velatus: PB, U, May, Jun, Aug.

Village Weaver Placeus cucullatus: PB, C. May, Jun, Aug.

Red-billed Quelea Queka queka: PB, C. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Yellow-crowned Bishop Euplectes afer. PB, U. Aug.

Fire-crowned Bishop Euplectes hardeaceus: PB, U. Aug.

Red Bishop Euplectes arte: PB, Aug.

Sparrow-Weaver Plocepasser supercilliosus: PB, U. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Grey-headed Sparrow Passer griseus: PB, C. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Scaly-fronted Weaver Sporapipes frantalk: PB, U. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Pin-tailed Whydah Vidua macraura: PB, U. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Senegal Indigo-Finch Vidua chalybeata: PB, O. Aug.

16

F. Bretagnolle

Malimbus 15

Broad-tailed Paradise Whydah Vidua orientalis: PB, C. Aug.

Melba Finch PytUia melba. PB, U. Mar, May, Aug.

Black-rumped Waxbill Estrilda troglodytes: PB, C. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu Estrilda bengala: PB, C. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Senegal Fire-Finch Lagonosticta senegala: PB, C. Mar, May, Jun, Aug.

Silverbill Lonchura nudabarica: PB, U. Mar, Jun.

Bronze Mannikin Lonchura cucullata: ?, O. Jun.

1993

17

Observations sur la présence et Pabondance

des oiseaux au Tchad

par W.F. de Boer & F. Legoupif

‘Université de Groningen, Bureau Buitenland, Postbus 72,

9700 AB Groningen, Pays-Bas.

^s/c 271 Av. du Maréchal de Lattre de Tassigny, 33200, Bordeaux, France.

Reçu 18 juillet 1992

Revu 3 mars 1 993

Résumé

Les auteurs ont observé 218 espèces d’oiseaux dans des régions sud du Tchad.

Une liste a été préparée avec les nouvelles observations dans les différentes

régions. Une diminution dans l’abondance de 44 espèces a été remarquée en

comparant ces résultats avec d’autres études.

Summary

The autliors observed 2 1 8 bird species in soutliem Chad. New observations for

the country and for the different regions are given in a list. Comparison with

earlier studies suggests a decline in tlie abundance of 44 species.

Introduction

Dans les années 1950 et 1960, 1’avifaune du Tchad a été bien décrite et suivie (Salvan

1967-1969). Le Tchad est un pays riche en oiseaux (Simon 1965, Salvan 1967-1969,

Newby 1979, 1980), mais les événements intérieurs survenus au Tchad au début de la

dernière décennie ont causé une rupture dans les études ornithologiques. Avant la

guerre civile, de nombreuses descriptions et d’importantes recherches ont été faites (par

ex. Da Camara-Smeets & Manikowski 1981, Da Camara-Smeets 1982). Ces études se

sont essentiellement déroulées avant les années de sécheresse de 1973-74 et 1983-84.

Ces périodes sèches ont eu un impact important sur l’environnement. Depuis les années

60 la pluviométrie moyenne a baissé d'environ 20-40 % et un abaissement de 0.5-1 .0 m

de la nappe phréatique a été constaté (SNV 1990). Le lac Tchad a vue sa superficie

diminuer et la lac Fitri s’est asséché entièrement en 1984. Il est certain que ce

phénomène a dû jouer sur la situation de l’avifaune tchadienne de la même manière

18

W.F. de Boer & F. Legoupil

Malimbus 1 5

Figure 1: Carte du Tchad avec les préfectures, le Lac Fitri et le Parc National de

Zakouma où les observations ont été faites. Quelques isohyètes qui déterminent les

zones différentes climatiques, la capitale N*djaména (’») et le Lac Tchad sont aussi

indiquées.

1993

Oiseaux du Tchad

19

quTl influençait le nombre d’oiseaux migrateurs quittant TAfrique vers TEurope (Den

Held 1981). Durant ces dernières armées, ce sont surtout les oiseaux aquatiques, et

principalement la présence et la répartition des Anatidés, qui ont fait Tobjet d’un suivi

(Roux & Jarry 1984, Jarry & Roux 1987, Jarry et al 1987). A part ces études, il n’y a

pas eu d’investigations poussées concernant les autres espèces. C’est la raison pour

laquelle nous avons essayé de contribuer par cette étude à la connaissance actuelle de

Tavifaune du Tchad.

Aire d'Etude

La période de recueil des données se situe entre mars 1 989 et août 1 990. Les auteurs, un

écologiste et un vétérinaire, travaillaient à l’époque dans des projets de développement

situés Fun à Ati (100 km vers le nord-est du Lac Fitri) et l’autre à N’djaména. La Figure

1 monte ces lieux et les régions visitées. Les observations ont été effectuées en tant

qu’activité secondaire lors de sorties de travail ou de loisir en brousse et elles ont

surtout été faites dans les zones situées autour des lieux de résidence des auteurs. Des

visites ont néanmoins permis de se rendre dans le sud du pays (Préfecture du Moyen-

Chari et Parc National de Zakouma), dans Test (Préfectures d’Ouaddai et du Biticine) et

au lac Fitri. Il est à remarquer que des régions d’intérêt pour Tavifaune comme le

massif du Tibesti, au nord du pays, et le lac Tchad (peut-être la zone la plus importante)

ne figurent pas ici.

Au Tchad, la steppe sub-désertique et la savane arbustive comprennent la région

située entre 16®N et 1 1®N et la savane boisée domine au sud de 1 1®N. La pluviométrie

annuelle varie de 0 à 100 mm dans le nord, pour atteindre 1300 mm dans le sud. On y

trouve Ixois types de climat délimités par les isohyètes: les climats saharien, sahélien et

soudanien. Pendant la saison des pluies de grandes concentrations d’oiseaux peuvent

être observées autour des flaques d’eau, des mares et des oueds. On y rencontre

également des espèces locales, et de provenance d’Afrique de Test et d’Afrique

australe. Ces oiseaux sont attirés au Tchad en cette période par la disponibilité en

insectes, graines et autres nourritures. Les passereaux paléarctiques arrivent vers la fin

du mois d’octobre, au moment où les flaques sèchent. Pendant la saison sèche chaude, à

partir du mois de mars, une grande partie de Tavifaune se retire vers des zones humides

comme les rivières du sud et de Test et les lacs Tchad et Fitri. Ces deux lacs sont d’une

très grande importance pour certains oiseaux migrateurs comme les Anatidés. Pendant

cette période, Tavifaune afrotropicale peut partir vers des pays d’Afrique plus

méridionaux. Quant aux passeraux paléarctiques, ils retournent en Europe entre mars à

mai.

Résultats

Parmi les 218 espèces observées, on en note 166 d’origine afro-tropicale, 31 d’origine

paléarctique et 21 d’origine mixte. La plupart des observations ont été faites dans la

20

W.F. de Boer & F. Legoupil

Malimbus 15

préfecture de Batha (130 espèces) et dans celle du Chari-Baguirmi (158). On a observé

110 espèces pour la fréquence 1 (une ou peu d’observations), 63 pour la fréquence 2

(nombre d'observations moyen) et 45 pour la fréquence 3 (nombreuses observations).

Presque toutes nos observations ont déjà été faites par d’autres ornithologues dans

ces mêmes régions (Simon 1965, Salvan 1967-1969, Newby 1979-1980, Brown et ai.

1982, Urban et ai. 1986, Fry et ai. 1988). Par contre, il y a aussi des différences. Nos

nouvelles observations et celles des espèces rencontrées en dehors des régions citées par

d’autres auteurs, ont été décrites dans l’Annexe. Trois espèces, Macimerhamphus

aicinus, Giareola pratincoia et Vidua camerunensis, surtout connues au Nord-

Cameroun, ont été observées autour de N’djaména le long de la frontière. On notera des

espèces connues au lac Tchad mais rencontrées pendant cette étude dans les environs du

lac Fitri: Botaurus steiiaris. Anas hottentota et une dizaine d’observations de Phtaiea

leucorodia dans la préfecture de Batha et au lac Fitri. Des espèces, auparavant

observées dans le sud du Tchad, l'ont été dans d’autres régions: Dendrocygna bicolor

plusieurs fois au lac Fitri et dans la préfecture du Chari-Baguirmi, un Merops

hirundinem dans la préfecture du Ouaddaï, Comcias cyanogaster et Terpsipimne viridis

dans la préfecture du Chari- Baguimii. Les deux phases de cette dernière esptee ont pu

être observées, la phase blanche étant la plus fréquente. MotaciUa aguimp a été vu dans

le Batha; Orioius auratus, Otioius orioius et Cossypha niveicapiUa dans la préfecture

du Chari-Baguirmi.

Plusieurs espèces ont été peu rencontrées au Tchad, mais leur présence a pu être

confirmée: Phaiacrocorax carbo iucidus sur le fleuve Chari près de la capitale,

Coturnix deiegorguei, Giareoia cinerea, Larus ridibundus, Lanius coliaris,

Cinnyricincius leucogaster, Bâtis senegaiensis, Remiz parvuius et Estriida

caeruiescens. Le Passer domesticus n’est pas fréquemment relevé par d’autres

observateurs mais nous avons pu en identifier des dizaines à côté d’un abreuvoir placé

dans la cour de la maison.

Il n’y a qu’une seule espèce de la liste que nous ayons observée de nombreuses fois

bien qu'elle soit donnée comme “rare” par Salvan (1967-1969): le Souchet Anas

clypeata, migrateur paléarctique, dont l'aire de répartition et l'abondance varient chaque

année de même que celles d’autres Anatidés d’origine paléarctique (P. Weesie com.

pers.). Par contre, nous avons attribué la fréquence “1” à 44 esptees qui ont été décrites

par Salvan comme “commune” ou 'Très commune”; elles sont marquées par un * dans

l’Annexe. Ce ne sont pourtant pas des espèces sahariennes normalement considérées

coimne rares, sauf six d'entre elles. Cœi pourrait indiquer une diminution de certaines

espèces. La raréfaction de l’Outarde arabe Ardeotis arabs s’explique sans doute par la

chasse dont elle est l’objet à l’aide d’annes modernes.

Il est évident que cette liste est incomplète. Il n'a pas été possible de faire une

inventaire systématique, ni complet du pays. Seules 218 espèces ont été observées alors

que la liste, d'après l’étude de Salvan (1967-1969) en comptait 488.

1993

Oiseaux du Tchad

21

Remerciements

Nous remercions Peter Weesie et Jamie Skinner pour leurs suggestions et lescorrections

du texte.

Bibliographie

Brown, L., Urban, E.K. & Newman, K. (eds.) (1982) The Birds of Africa, vol. 1.

Academie Press, London.

Da Camara-Smeets, M. & Manikowski, S. ( 1 98 1 ) Préférences alimentaires de Ploceus

cucullatus au Tchad. Malimbus 3: 41-48.

Da Camara-Smeets, M. (1982) Nesting of Üie village weaver Ploceus cucullatus. Ibis

124: 241-251.

Den Held, J. J. (1981) Population changes in the Purple Heron in relation to drought in

the wintering area. Ardea 69: 193-198?

Fry, C.H., Keith, S. & Urban, E.K. (eds.) (1988) The Birds of Africa, vol. 3. Academic

Press, London.

Jarry, G., Roux, F. & Czajkowski, A.M. (1988) LTmportance des Zones Humides du

Sahel Occidental pour les Migrateurs Paléarctiques. Centre de Recherches sur la

Biologie des Populations d’Oiseaux, Paris.

Jarry, G. & Roux, F. (1987) Importance, composition et distribution des populations

d’Anatidés présentes en hiver dans l’ouest africain tropical. Bev. Ecol Terre Vie

Suppl. 4: 205-209.

Newby, J.E. (1979, 1980) The birds of Ouadi Rime - Ouadi Achim Faunal Reserve: a

contribution to the study of the Chadian avifauna. Malimbus 1: 90-109; 2: 29-50.

Roux, F. & Jarry, G. (1984) Numbers, composition and distribution of populations of

Anatidae wintering in West Africa. Wildfowl 35: 48-60.

Salvan, J. (1967-1969) Contribution à l’étude des oiseaux du Tchad. Oiseau Rev. fr.

Omithol 37: 255-284; 38: 53-85, 127-150; 39: 38-69.

Simon, P. (1965) Synthèse de l’avifaune du massif montagneux du Tibesti. Gerfaut 55:

26-71.

SNV (1990) Etude Ecologique de Paysage de la Préfecture du Batha. SNV

(Association Néerlandaise d’ Assistance au Développement), N’djaména.

Urban, E.K., Fry, C.H. & Keith, S. (eds.) (1986) The Birds of Africa, vol. 2. Academie

Press, London.

22

W.F. de Boer & F. Legoupil

Malimbus 1 5

Annexe

Liste des nouvelles observations des espèces rencontrées en dehors des régions citées

par d’autres auteurs et des espèces dont la fréquence suggère une diminution (marquées

avec un voir texte pour explication).

Région de l’observation; B = Préfecture du Batha, C = Préfecture du Chari

Baguirmi, F = zone du Lac Fitri, G = Préfecture du Guéra, I = Préfecture du Biltine, M

= Préfecture du Moyen-Chari, O = Préfecture d’Ouaddaï, Z = Parc national de

Zakouma.

Fréquence: 1 = une ou peu d’observations, 2 = nombre d'observations moyen, 3 =

nombreuses observations.

Régions Fréquence

Grand Connoran Ptmlacroœrœc carbo lucidus CF 1

Anhinga d’Afrique Atihinga melatiogaster * Cl

Pélican gris Pelecanus rufescens * BCFZ 1

Butor étoilé Bo ta unis stellaris F 1

Aigrette intermédiaire Egf'etta intemiedia * F 1

Héron cendré Ardea cinerea * BCF 1

Tantale Ibis Mycteria ibis * BC 1

Jabiru du Sénégal Ephippiorhynchus senega lerisis * CZ 1

Spatule blanche Platalea leucorodia BF 2

Dendrocygne fauve Dendwcygna bicolor CF 2

Pilet Anas acuta * CF 1

Sarcelle hottentote Anas hottentota CF 1

Souchet Ams clypeata CF 3

Balbuzard pêcheur Pandion haliaetus * C 1

Faucon des chauves-souris Macliaerhaniphus alcinus C 1

Aigle ravisseur Aquila rapax * C 1

Caille arlequin Cotumix delegorguei B 1

Poule de rocher Ptilopachus petrosus * C 1

Outarde arabe Ardeotis arabs * BO 1

Jacana Actophilomis africana * C 1

Glaréole à collier Glareola pratincola C 1

Glaréole cendrée Glareola cinerea M 1

Petit Gravelot Charadtius dubius * BZ 1

Vanneau caronculé Vanellus senegallus * Cl

Bécassine des marais Gallinago gallinago * C 1

Barge à queue noire Limosa limosa * CF 1

Chevalier Sylvain Tringa glareola * B 1

Mouette rieuse Larus ridibmidus F 1

Emerauldine à bec noir Turtur abyssinicus * C 1

1993

Oiseaux du Tchad

23

Pemiche à collier Psittacuîa krameri *

Touraco Gris Crmifer piscaîor *

Engoulevent à longue queue Caprimulgm cUmacurm *

Engoulevent à balanciers Macrodipterix longipemiis *

Martinet à dos blanc Apus affinis *

Martin-pêcheur huppé Corythomis cristata *

Guêpier nain Merops pusillm *

Guêpier à queue d'hirondelle Merops hirundinem

Rollier à ventre bleu Coracias cyanogaster

Petit Calao à bec rouge Tockus etythrorhynchus

Barbu de Vieillot Lybim vieilloti *

Alouette-moineau à front blanc Eremopterix nigriceps *

Bergeronnette pie Motacilla aguimp

Pie-grièche bru-bru Nilam afer *

Gonolek de barbarie Laniarius erythrogaster *

Corvinelle CorvineHa corvina *

Pie-grièche fiscale Lanim collatis ^

Pie-grièche à tête rousse Lanim senator *

Loriot doré Oriolus anmtus

Loriot d'Europe Oriolus oriolus

Merle améthyste Cinnyticinclus leucogaster

Pique-boeuf à bœ jaune Buphagus ajncanus *

Corbeau brun Cot-vm ruficolUs *

Traquet motteux Oenanthe oenanthe *

Traquet oreillard Oenanthe hispanica *

Agrobate rubigineux Cercotrichas galactotus *

Petit Cossyphe à tête blanche Cossypha niveicapilla

Camaroptère à tête grise Camaroptem brachyura *

Gobe-mouches gris Muscicapa striata *

Gobe-mouches soyeux du Sénégal Bâtis senegalensis

Moucherolle de paradis Terpsiphone viridis

Rémiz à ventre jaune Remiz panmlus

Petit Soui-manga à longue queue Anihreptes platura *

Bruant cannelle Emberiza tahapisi *

Tisserin à tête rousse Ploceus vela tus *

Ignicolore Euplectes orix *

Moineau domestique Passer domesticm

Moineau quadrillé Spompipes frontalis *

Combassou du Cameroun Vidua camerm.ensis

Beaumarquet Pytitia melba *

Queue de vinaigre Estrilda caerulescens

BC

C

c

C

B

c

O

c

BCO

C

B

Z

C

c

B

BO

c

C

c

BC

B

BC

0

Z

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24

Malimbus 15

Some new observations of forest birds in The Gambia

by T. Wacher

Institute of Zoology, Zoological S'ociety of London,

Regent’s Park, London.

(Contact address: KKWRC, c/o NCWCD, PO Box 61681 ,

Riyadli 1 1575, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia)

Received 27 August 1 992

Revised 30 March 1 993

Summary

Sight records of 19 forest-adapted bird species obtained during 1987-1993 in

The Gambia are presented. One species, the Green Crombec Syivietia virem, is

new to The Gambia. Most of the others have only a few previously published

records. The range of several of these species is significantly extended within

the countiy, and together they provide evidence that, despite the great reduction

of forest cover in recent years and the fragmented nature of the remaining forest

patches, nearly all forest-adapted species historically recorded within The

Gambia were still present there in 1992-3. It is suggested that protection of

remaining forest fragments is thus still valuable for bird conservation, in

addition to the wealth of other benefits such measures would create.

Résumé

L'article rapport l'observation de 19 espèces forestières en Gambie pour la

période 1987-1993. Une seule espèce, la Fauvette Crombec Yerie Sylvie tta

virens flaviventris, est nouvelle pour la Gambie. La plupart des autres n'avaient

été que rarement signalées. La distribution de plusieurs espèces se voit

considérablement étendue. L'oisemble de ces observations est la preuve que, en

dépit d'une grave déforestation ces dernières années et malgré le morcellement

des derniers îlots boisés, la quasi totalité des espèces forestières jadis observées

en Gambie y étaient encore présentes en 1 992-93. On peut donc supposer que la

protection des derniers lambeaux forestiers garde sa valeur pour la conservation

des oiseaux, sans compter tous les avantages que procurerait une telle mesure.

1993

Forest birds in The Gambia

25

Introduction

The ornithology of the Senegambian region of West Africa has received a significant

recent boost with tlie simultaneous publication of the second editions of the checklists

of The Gambia (Gore 1990) and Senegambia (Morel & Morel 1990). These together

have updated infomiation about tJie status and distribution of birds in an area that is

critically placed on the Atlantic coast, at die interface between the arid north and the

humid south.

This paper presents new infomiation about die status of some of the most tiireatened

and least well-known species of The Gambia, the forest-adapted birds. The observations

rqxirted here include one species new to The Gambia, and several regarded as very rare

or odierwise of uncertain status by Gore (1990). Frequendy seen forest species, namely

Lemon-mmped Tinkerbird Pogoniulm hiiineatm. Little Greenbul Andropadm virens.

Scarlet-spectacled Wattle-eye Platysteira cyanea, paradise flycatchers Terpsiphone

spp.. Collared Sunbird Anthreptes collaris and Black-throated Weaver Ploceus

mgricoiiis are not considered furdier. Of die additional rarer species not reported here,

the Little Spairowhawk Accipiter erythropus has been reported regularly to the Gambia

Omidiological Society (GOS) by visiting birdwatchers. Some of these reports are from

locations of untypical habitat, but it seems probably resident in small numbers in and

around coastal forest patches. The only two reports that included notes did not

convincingly describe diis distinctive bird. Rare forest birds included by Gore (1990),

but for which no reports of any sort are known for the period considered, are Swamp

Palm Bulbul Thescelocichla leuco pleur us, Chesinui-hreasied Negro-Finch Nigrita

bicolor and White-cheek«i Olive Weaver Nesocharis capistmta.

Methods

Observations were made in The Gambia over the period 1987 to 1993, with the bulk of

the information being collect^ in 1990 and 1991. The objective was to compile spatial

and tanporal infonnation on tlie presence of bird species in all habitats from all parts of

the country. Particular sites were visited for periods typically of one to three hours,

recording all species seen or heard during the site visit. The data were treated such that

any species was recorded only once on a given visit and a location was only visited

once on a particular day.

Each record was identified by date, location (name and 10 x 10 km grid refereiice)

and observer. Detailed notes are added to records of particular interest. All except 1 16

of the 46,700-odd records (to the end of July 1 992) were collected by GOS members

resident in The Gambia. Observers, referred to by initials in the accounts below, are as

follows: J.R. Alder (JRA), C.R. Barlow (CRB), M. Chable (MC), R.M. Jones (RMJ),

F.B. Symons (FBS), R. Webzell (RW), D.& K. Wheeler (DKW) and the author (TJW).

Names of other observers are given in full. Identifications were in all cases verified by

either several observers, or photographic evidence, or both.

26

T. Wacher

Malimbus 15

Fig. 1. The Gambia, showing: a) major administrative divisions; b) distribution of

Gambia Ornithological Society records for all species, 1987-1992, over the 10 x 10

km grid (symbol sizes proportional to the square root of number of records in each

square).

Fig. la shows the major geographical regions referred to in the text. Coverage is

indicated by tlie distribution of all records collected by GOS members between May

1987 and July 1992, shown on the 10 x 10 km grid in Fig. lb. Forest patches in The

Gambia are all very small and scattered. Sites of major importance include Abuko (at

tlie northern-most location for White-Spotted Flufftail, Fig. 2), and Pirang, (southern

location in the same map). Each of tliese constitutes only some 70 ha of forest habitat.

Gunjur forest patch is a 40 ha site some 25 km to the south of Abuko; Albreda hes on

the north bank of die river opposite Pirang. Nianimaru, Gassang Forest and Baboon

Islands constitute a distinctive group of swamp forest patches in MacCarthy Island

Division (see Fig. 3, map for Black-bellied Seedcracker which has recently been seen

only in these llu-ee sites).

Records

Black Sparrowhawk AccipUer nielaiwleucas

A single record from Tanji, 28 Apr 1963 (Gore 1990); a possible sighting from the

same place, Nov 1981 (Morel & Morel 1990). Six records from Casamance, all in dry

1993

Forest birds in The Gambia

27

season montlis betwœn 1 980 and 1 983 (Morel & Morel 1 990). An old record of a bird

picked up at sea off Dakar (Brown et al. 1 982).

GOS has collected three further records: an immature at Bmfut, 17 Apr 1991 (A,

Shaw & TJW); an adult filmed feeding in a tree at Abuko, early May 1991 (M. & J.

Cooke); an adult at Gunjur, 18 Apr 1992 (G. Svalin). Full details of all three records are

on file with GOS. All three records were in die late diy season, as were those of Gore

(1990) and Brown et al (1992). There may be some dispersal at this time of year.

West African Goshawk Accipiter tachiro

Considered a scarce forest resident (Gore 1 990) and restricted to the Casamance region of

Senegal (Morel & Morel 1990). Ericsson (1989) reports a single bird east of Georgetown,

and Jensen & Kirkeby (1980) report observations in Lower and Upper River Divisions

(see Fig. la), but GOS currently has no details of any records east of Pirang.

GOS has more than 20 records of this species between Nov 1 987 and Jan 1 993, all

in the coastal region, including observations at Tanji, Marakissa, Pirang and Sanyang,

in all months except Feb, Apr, Oct and Dec (JRA, CRB, MC, RMJ, FBS, RW, TJW);

an immature sœn at Bmfut, 24 Apr 1991 (TJW).

One adult was observed feeding on a large ant-lion in Pirang, and was also observed

holding a large stick in its beak while perched, on 15 Jun 1991 and again soaring over

the forest on 14 Sep 1991 giving slow “kek....kek” call. These latter observations imply

breeding and birds were observed sitting at a nest at Sanyang on three occasions in July

1992 (TJW).

Ahanta Francolin Frmtcolmm ahautemk.

Reported by Gore (1990) as rare and local in Abuko and Pirang, with 1 1 records since

1971, including eight from Pirang made by Ellenberg et ai (1988) in 23 days'

observations. Restricted to coastal Casamance according to Morel & Morel (1990).

Two definite recent sightings from Abuko: in 1989 (JRA), and 23 Jun 1991 (FBS &

TJW). An adult with half-grown young in dense forest at Gunjur 28 Jun 1992 (TJW) is

the first definite breeding record. Thrœ glimpses of francolins wiüiin Pirang forest in

Nov 1990 and Aug 1991 (JRA, RMJ & TJW) were thought likely to be tliis species and

they were heard there in Jan 1993 (CRB & TJW).

White-spotted FlufTtail Samthmra pukhra

All recent records from Abuko (Gore 1990); heard calling in the forests of southern

Casamance in May and June 1980 (Morel & Morel 1990).

On five occasions at Pirang, calling birds were seen in the period Aug-Sep 1991,

including one nest-building (JRA, MC, FBS, TJW); also once in July 1992 (TJW &

W.F. Snow). Two sightings Abuko: 17 Aug 1991 (TJW) & 15 Sep 1991 (FBS & TJW).

Heard at Abuko on several other occasions. Map Fig. 2.

Located by listening for the call (cf. Chappuis 1974-85), moving close and settling

to wait, and occasionally imitating the call by whistling. Males gave both a more

common “standard” call and a higher pitched, “rapid” version. These would appear to

28

T. Wacher

Malimbus 15

correspond to calls (a) and (b) of Urban et al. (1986). To call, the male adopted a partial

crouching posture, with tail cocked, back horizontal and beak pointing downward; the

whole body bobbed rhythmically in time with each note of the 6-7 note sequence. In the

rapid call the head and neck also jerked backward and forward in time with the notes.

After a series of calls facing in one direction the bird turned deliberately and

conunenced a fresh series from Hie same location facing in a new direction. This was

accompanied by a marked change in apparent sound volume, giving tlie impression that

the bird had suddenly moved away.

A male was observed for 30 min. building a nest in Pirang on 25 Aug 1991 (TJW).

It made repeated trips to an area of damp, rotted vegetation, which it gaüiered in its bill,

scurrying away out of site under dense ground cover for periods of 1-3 min before

reappearing for a fresh load. During this period the bird was silent although at least

tliree other individuals in Üie area were calling persistently.

Green Touraco Tmmco pema

A scarce local resident of forest near the coast in The Gambia (Gore 1990); reasonably

frequent in Casamance (Morel & Morel 1990).

GOS has collected 106 further observations, which support Gore's assessment It

has been seen in all months of the year. Additional locations are ten records from

Sanyang May-Jun 1991 and Jul 1992 (JRA, MC, FBS, TJW), five at Gunjur, May-Jun

and Aug 1991 (JRA, MC, FBS, TJW), and six at Kasa Kunda, Jun-Aug 1991 (FBS,

TJW). Map Fig. 2.

Botli individuals of a pair, watched for 45 minutes at Kasa Kunda on 29 Jun 1991

(FBS, TJW), made repeat journeys between a probable nest site in the top of a densely

leaved tree at die edge of a tliick woodland patch, and a large Rosewood Pierocarpm

erinaceus, from wliich both were breaking off dead twigs about 10-25 cm in length and

carrying tliem back to the site.

Emerald Cuckoo Chrysococcyx cuprem

Gore (1990) reports one record tliis century (July 1981) from Bruftit; heard regularly in

Casamance July-October (Morel & Morel 1 990).

A single male photographed while calling from die topmost dead branches of a tall

Detarimt senegalense at Brufut, 18 Oct 1990 (TJW). The site was intensively visited

during 1990 and 1991; the call was not noticed prior or subsequent to diis observation.

A photograph of a female or immature Chrysococcyx sp. taken at Abuko during 1 990

(F. Grauper pers. comm.) seems likely to be this species.

Y el low bill Ceuthnwchares aereus

A single record from Jabang, near die coast, May 1963, plus an unconfirmed record

from Pirang in 1985 (Gore 1990). Jensen & Kirkeby (1980) refer to a 1910 record from

Albadarr, on the north bank of the river, while Morel & Morel (1990) report 11

observations in Casamance since 1971 .

A single adult flushed from a creeper-strewn tree at the edge of a forest patch at

1993

Forest birds in The Gambia

29

Brufut, 1 1 Nov 1990 (MC, RMJ, TJW). A possible sighting of an immature in Pirang,

15 Jun 1991 (TJW).

Spotted Honeyguidc Indicator niaculatm

A scarce resident in Lower River Division, with a single record from the Baboon

Islands area and recent observations at Brikama and Yundum, Jun and Aug 1989 (Gore

1990). In Senegal, confined to Casamance (Morel & Morel 1990).

Two additional records: a single bird at Kartong Crocodile Pool, 15 Apr 1991

(DKW, TJW); another photographed near Busura, 21 Jul 1991 (TJW). Map Fig. 2.

At Kartong the bird was seen at close range, and a Lesser Honeyguide /. minor was

seen in tlie same tree. The Busura bird was in relatively open, orchard-like woodland to

tlie soutli of file village; a Greater Honeyguide 7. indicator was seen nearby at tlie same

time.

BufT-spotted Woodpecker Catnpethera nivosa

A rare resident of forest in Lower River Division, at Abuko, Fajara and Pirang (Gore

1990). Jensen & Kirkeby (1980) give two records on the north and south banks near

Tendaba but GOS does not have details of these observations. Widely distributed in

Casamance (Morel & Morel 1 990). ^

Between 1987 and 1992 GOS accumulated a furtlier 25 records, including nine at

Abuko and four at Pirang. Additional localities are Brufut, Sanyang, Kudang, Gassang

Forest, Baboon Islands, Albreda and Gunjur, Apr-Sep, Dec (JRA, CRB, MC, RMJ,

DKW, TJW). Map Fig. 2.

These observations extend the range of tliis sj^ecies in The Gambia; it appears to be

resident in the swamp forests of MacCarthy Island Division and also occurs on the

north bank of tlie river near tlie coast at Albreda.

All observations were in forest except at Kudang (May 1991), when a pair was seen

in dense undergrowth (2-3 m high) eitlier side of a freshwater channel winding across

an open swamp, 2-3 km from the nearest forest. They flew across open swamp and

water, following the watercourse. They may have been in transit between more typical

habitat locations.

Square-Tailed Drongo Dicrurm ludwigii

Of uncertain status; there is a record for Nianimaru in 1899 (Budget! 1901), and five

recent records, all from December, at Kabafitta, Abuko and Mile 65 (Gore 1990).

Records from improbable habitat near the tourist centres are rejected, but in view of the

fact that the species is widespread in forest patches of Casamance (Morel & Morel

1990), it is likely to be a rare resident in remnant forest in The Gambia (Gore 1990).

There are 15 reliable sight records from 1991 to 1993 in four localities, with

photographic support, including Baboon Islands, Gassang Forest, Nianimaru and

Albreda, in all months except Jan-Mar (JRA, MC, RMJ, FBS, DKW, TJW). Map Fig. 3.

Conspicuous in Gassang Forest, high in the branches of Mitragyna stipula trees. Not

found in Abuko and Pirang despite being present across the river near Albreda.

30

T. Wacher

Malimbus 15

WHITE-SPOTTED FLUFFTAIL

9 records from 2 grid squares

Fig. 2. Distribution of observations for selected species, 1987-1992. See text for

details.

1993

Forest birds in The Gambia

31

Nicator Nicator chhris

Three sightings Abuko, in Feb 1974, Dec 1975 and Nov 1986 (Gore 1990). Morel &

Morel (1990) report some 12 observations, all in Casamance, Jan-Aug.

A single bird photographed in dense tliicket in Gunjur, 1 1 Jul 1992 (TJW). This is

the first wet-season record for The Gambia, and the first outside Abuko.

Grey-headed Bristlebill Bleda cmticapilkt

Known from Cape St. Mary, Abuko and Pirang (Gore 1990); widespread in the

Casamance and present in Salomn (Morel & Morel 1 990).

Forty-six records in the period 1987-1992, in all montlis except March and April.

Additional localities include Bmfut, Sanyang, Kasa Kunda, Gunjur, (JRA, CRB, MC,

RMJ, FBS, DKW, TJW). Map Fig. 2. Most records were at the height of the wet season,

when the song aids detection.

Leaf-love Phyllmtrephm scmtdem

Scarce resident in riverine forest, known from Abuko, Fajara, Howbah and Sukutu

(Gore 1 990). Keith et ai. ( 1 992) report it common in western Gambia, which it is not,

though it is reasonably common in the Casamance (Morel & Morel 1990); Ericsson

(1989) reports a single bird at Fajara 13 Nov 1984, but GOS has no other details.

Ellenberg el al. (1988) reported small flocks in Pirang Forest in May 1985 and Oct

1986.

Recent records obtained on the north bank at Albreda, Dec 1990 and Oct 1992

(JRA, TJW) and from tlie extreme soutli at Gunjur, Sep 1991, Jul, Oct and Dec 1992

(FBS, TJW). At Albreda, directly across the 5 km- wide river from Pirang, tliree or four

birds were seen in forest tliicket giving distinctive calls (Dec 1990), and a pair chasing,

with one bird engaging in wing shimmering displays, (Oct 1992). At least two parties

were calling at Gunjur in Jul and Oct 1992. Tliis behaviour made Üiem readily detected

at botîî locations, but in contemporary visits, to both Pirang and Abuko, which are larger

tracts of suitable habitat lying between Albreda and Gunjur, no Leaf-loves were seen or

heard.

Capuchin Babbler Phyllantltm atripemüs

Gore (1990) reports this species as of uncertain status: an old skin in the British

Museum labelled The Gambia but of doubtful provenance; two good sightings from

Sukuta, May-Jun 1979. Jensen & Kirkeby (1980) record six near Jambur in 1962, and a

sighting in middle river, GOS does not have details of these observations. Widespread

in Casamance (Morel & Morel 1 990).

Twelve further rœords in forest patches at two locations in the south in 1991-1993,

including photographs and evidence of possible nesting. There appears to be little

publishai infomiation about the Capuchin Babbler (Bannerman 1 930-5 1 , Mackworth-

Praed & Grant 1970-73). Colston & Cmry-Lindahl (1986) note tliat Mt Nimba birds fed

primarily on insects, that males showed enlarged testes Jul-Aug, and that they were

hardly seen except when travelling with mixed bird parties”.

32

T. Wacher

Malimbus 15

A party of at least six or seven was seen in a small forest patch near Sanyang May-

Jun 1991, Jul 1992, Nov 1992-Jan 1993, and at least two similar groups were

subsequently found near Gunjur, Jun 1991. (JRA, CRB, MC, FBS, DKW, TJW). Map

Fig. 2.

At Sanyang on 2 Jun 1991 in a party of at least six, more than one individual was

seen tugging at creepers and carrying strands of dry vegetation up under a pahn frond

sagging from a short, creeper-laden. Oil Palm Elaeis guineensis, well inside the forest

tliieket. The activity was centred near tlie trunk, c. 3 m off the ground, where it was

cloaked in dense vegetation. The group also appeared to drive a sun squirrel

Heliosciurus sp. away from the site.

The birds were not seen again despite several return visits in the following weeks,

but were relocated in the same place in July 1992. A pair of West African Goshawks

frequented the site and in July 1992 were nesting directly over the area where the

Capuchin Babblers had been seen carrying vegetation. Several adults were seen

carrying beakfuls of insect larvae at the same loeation on 1 5 Nov 1992.

At Gunjur, which is a much larger forest patch, tliough more isolated by open fields,

parties of Capuchin Babblers were encountered moving tlirough dense vegetation at tlie

forest edge on tliree occasions, and once well into tlie interior under die liigh canopy.

They fed on the ground and moved tlirough the branches to a height of 3-4 m.

At both sites, the Brown Babbler Turdoides plebejus and Blackcap Babbler T.

reinwardii were present. Capuchin Babblers and Blackcap Babblers were onee (May

1991) seen togetlier in a mixed party which included Black-tliroated Weavers Ploceus

mgricollis. Grey-headed Bristlebill and Little Greenbul Andwpadus virens. These birds

were scolding a source of disturbance in thicker cover.

Y ellow-chested Apalis Apalis flavida

First recorded in The Gambia in Feb 1969; tlie nearest otlier records are in Ghana (Hall

& Moreau 1970, Gore 1990). All records up to 1990 have been at Abuko, except one

from Sibanor, Western Division. Morel & Morel (1990) report none from Senegal.

More tlian 50 records between 1987 and 1993, including all montlis and resulting in

considerable extension of the known range. Photographed at Baboon Islands, Abuko

and Pirang.

Eleven records obtained from the known site at Abuko. New sites in Western

Division are Brufut, Madina Ba, Pirang, Solifor Point and Tanji. Four observations

were made in a forest patch on tlie north bank near Albreda and 21 in MacCarthy Island

Division at Baboon Islands, Gassang Forest, Nianiniaru and Bansang. Observers were

JRA, CRB, MC, RMJ, FBS, DKW & TJW. No records were obtained from Upper

River Division. Map Fig. 3.

It is notable that this species was not previously reported from Pirang, although

Ellenberg et al. (1988) report the Green-backed Caniaroptera Camaroptem chloronota

tliere. C chloronota is also reported in Abuko and east of The Gambia in Senegal by

Morel & Morel (1990). The records detailed here certainly refer to A. flavida,

confirmed by photographs and voice, which has been checked against recordings by

Chappuis (1974-85).

1993

Forest birds in The Gambia

33

Fig. 3. Distribytion of observations for selected species, 1987-1992. See text for

details.

34

T. Waclier

Malimbus 1 5

Green Hylia llylia prashia

Scarce local resident confined to renmant forest, known from Abuko, Sukuta and Pirang

(Gore 1990). Common in Casamance (Morel & Morel 1990).

Of 60 records of tliis species in tlie period 1987 to 1992, representing all months

except April, only one lies outside Üie iimnediate coastal area south of the river, this

being in a forest thicket near Brumen Bridge, 25 Nov 1990. Of the remainder, 19

records were from Abuko, 25 Brufut, 13 Pirang and one each from Sanyang, 13 Sep

1991 and Gunjur, 1 Jun 1991 (JRA, MC, RMJ, TJW). Map Fig. 3.

The loud, double whistle of tliis species, given once followed by a long interval of

silence, and sometimes interspersed with harsh throaty rattling notes, also at long

intervals, is of great assistance in detecting this elusive bird.

Green Crombec Sylvietta \ireiis

Gore ( 1 990) does not mention tliis species, but quotes tliree old records of the Lemon-

Bellied Crombec Sylvietta denti. Morel & Morel (1990) refer to one Green Crombec

captured and two sighted in Casamance.

A small crombec with dull greenish upperparts, pale untidy supercilium, pale

greyish underside with clean wliite vent and indistinct pale yellow smudge in centre of

belly was first encountered in the forest remnant at Brufut on 21 Apr 1990. At least

tliree birds were present, moving through the branches and leaves of small trees and

shrubs, persistently flicking tlieir wings. Confimiation of identification was built up

over a series of observations of this species at five different locations, including

photographs that have been compared with skins in the British Museum of Natural

History. Clinching details included the flesh-coloured legs, dark upper mandible and

flesh lower mandible. The song shows broad similarity with tliat recorded by Chappuis

(1974-85) in Sierra Leone, tliough witli minor differences. These appear to be tlie first

records for The Gambia.

Localities include Brufut, Gunjur, Sanyang, Pirang and Tanji, with records in all

months except Feb and Mar (.TRA, CRB, MC, RMJ, FBS, DKW, TJW). Map Fig. 3. An

individual was seen carrying nesting material in Brufut on 7 Jul 1990.

The birds gave a soft “prrrt....prrrt” contact call, reminiscent of the common

Crombec Sylvietta brachyura, as they crept in the foliage of dense tliicket and canopy

from near tlie ground to canopy level. They appeared to favour trees smothered in dense

creeper growth, though four were seen in more ojx;n conditions adjacent to the forest

patch at Brufut. The song was usually given from cover near tlie top of a bush or tree,

making the bird difficult to locate. It is tliin in quality but carries well, and once known,

frequently heard in season: a cheerful down-scale tumble, more hurried than S.

bmchytira. In The Gambia the last one or two notes typically reverse a short way back

up the scale. Song is much less prominent in tlie dry season. The failure to see or hear

the bird at Abuko over three years, at times when it was known to be singing elsewhere,

is sometliing of a mystery.

1993

Forest birds in The Gambia

35

Black-bellied Seedcracker Piremstes mtrmm

The status of this species in The Gambia has always been uncertain. Bannemian (1930-

51) opined that specimens labelled Bie Gambia were likely to have come from furtlier

south. Gore (1990) reports records from Jabang in April and May 1959 and from

Walikunda in August 1980 but expresses doubt about one from Abuko in April 1984.

Jensen & Kirkeby (1980) consider it regular in Abuko, but GOS is not aware of any

records from Abuko for the 1980’s and early 1990's. Present in Casamance and

Niokolokoba in Senegal (Morel & Morel 1 990).

Fifteen recent records from the freshwater swamp forest of MacCarthy Island

Division include all montlis except Ian, Oct and Nov. Adults, juveniles, and a nest have

all been seen and photographed. Localities are Nianimam, Gassang Forest and Baboon

Islands (IRA, MC, FBS, DKW, TJW). Map Fig. 3.

Gambian adults appear to have a brown mantle in both sexes; no black-backed

individuals were clearly identified. The large-billed morph (Smitli 1987) was clearly

seen and photographed; as yet no definite observations of smaller-billed birds have been

made. The birds were most commonly seen low in dense vegetation near watercourses

under the forest canopy, especially in the dry season, but at the height of tlie wet season

individuals were seen in relatively open tracts of forest (as a result of recent felling)

where they fel on sœds of a sedge.

Fully-fledged, all-dark juveniles were seen at Nianimaru on 10 Mar 1991 and

Gassang on 13 Jul 1991 and a nest was found at Baboon Islands on 7 Sep 1991. The

nest was a globe about 30cm in diameter with a side entrance and composed of what

appeared to be dry fi*onds of a fem. It was placed in the heart of a young screwpine

Pandanus sp., about 1 m above ground level under a dense canopy of Raphia, creepers,

and other trees on a small island. The site was flooded daily by tidal freshwater to a

depth of c. 20 cm. The adult was presumed to be incubating; once flushed from tlie nest

it was very reluctant to leave Üie area, and when in Üie nest remained quiet for long

periods.

Bluebill Spemwphaga hmnmüim

Known from Abuko and Western Division (Gore 1990); widespread in the Casamance

(Morel & Morel 1990).

More than 30 additional recent records, with new locations at Bijilo Forest,

Sanyang, Kasa Kunda, Pirang and Gunjur, scattered tliroughout tiie year (Jan, Mar, Jun-

Sep, Nov) (JRA, MC, DKW, TJW). Map Fig. 3.

It is clear from records collected by visiting bird-watchers (not used in this paper)

that the confusion between this species and the Blue-billed Malimbe Malimbus nitem,

(Gore 1990) still persists. From 1987 to date several A/, ni tens have been reported from

Abuko, none with supporting notes. Some of these probably refer to tlie Bluebill. The

current status of M. ni tern in The Gambia remains unclear; it must be regarded as at

best extremely elusive and probably very rare. Its presence requires verification.

36

T. Wacher

Malimbus 15

Discussion

The species discussed above are at their northern limit near tlie West African coast. The

forest fragments that remain in The Gambia have been much reduced in recent years,

and continue to be under great i:)ressure. If tliey disappear, nearly all the species listed in

tliis article will go from the country with them, reducing the range of each in the

process. However, nearly all tlie rarer forest-adapted species historically documented

for the country were still present in the last few years. Furthennore new species are still

being found, such as the Green Crombec. The remaining network of small forest

patches (Abuko at 70 ha is tlie biggest), appears still to support all tlie species reported

above. Protection from felling and fires may secure them into the future. The forest

birds are an especially attractive group within the national avifauna, and the birds of

The Gambia already attract important tourist income. Otlier advantages of forests

extend far beyond bird conservation. It is very much to be hoped that conservation and

forestry interests can cooperate to preserve the remaining natural forests of The

Gambia.

Acknowledgments

My colleagues in tlie Gambia Ornithological Society, notably J.R. Alder, C.R. Barlow,

M. Chable, R.M. Jones, R. Webzell and D. Wheeler, provided enüiusiastic support for

assembling the data-base from which this paper is written, many hours of good

companionship in the field, and much discussion of local ornithological lore. The

infonnation reported here is the result of tlie combined efforts of this group wiüi tiie

author. I am very grateful to the Institute of Zoology, London, for providing facilities

and funds to collate tliese data while writing up otlier aspects of tlie work.

References

Bannerman, D.A. (1930-1951) The Birds of Tropical West Africa, 8 vols. Crown

Agents, London.

Brown, L.H., Urban E.K. & Newman, K. (1982) The Birds of Africa, vol. 1. Academic

Press, London.

Budgett, J.S. (1901) On tlie ornithology of tlie Gambia River. Ibis 8: 48M97.

Chappuis, C. (1974-1985) Illustration sonore de problèmes bioacoustiques posés par les

oiseaux de la zone Ethiopienne. Alauda 42-53, Suppléments sonores.

Colston, P. R. & Curry -Lindahl, K. (1986) The Birds of Mount Nimba, Liberia.

British Museum (Natural History), London.

Ellenberg. H., Galat-Luong, A., Maydell, H. von, Muhlenberg, M., Panzer, K.F.,

Schmidt-Lorenz, R., Sumser, M., & Szolnoki, T.W. (1988) Pirang - Ecological

Investigations in a Forest Island in The Gambia. Stiftung Walderhaltung in Afrika,

Hamburg.

1993

Forest birds in The Gambia

37

Ericsson, S. (1989) Notes on birds observed in Gambia and Senegal in November

1984. Maiimbmll: 88-^94.

Fry, C.H., Keith, S. & Urban, E.K. (1988) The Birds of Africa, vol. 3. Academic

Press, London.

Gore, M.E.J. (1990) Birds of The Gambia. Checklist No. 3 (2nd ed.), British

Ornithologists' Union, Tring.

Hall, B.P. & Moreau, R.E. (1970) An Atlas of Spéciation in African Passerine Birds.

British Museum (Natural Histoiy), London.

Jensen, J.V. & Kirkeby, K. (1980) The Birds of The Gambia. Aros Nature Guides,

Aarhus.

Keith, S., Urban, E.K. & Fry, C.H. (1992) The Birds of Africa, vol. 4. Academic

Press, London.

Mackworth-Praed, C.W. & Grant, C.H.B. (1970-73) Birds of West Central and

Western Africa, 2 vols. Longman, London.

Morel, G.J. & Morel, M.-Y. (1990) Les Oiseaux de Sénégambie. ORSTOM, Paris.

Smith, T.B. (1987) Bill size polymorphism and interspecific niche utilisation in an

African finch. Nature 329: 717-719.

Urban, E.K., Fry, C.H. & Keith, S. (1986) The Birds of Africa, vol. 2. Academic

Press, London.

38

Malimbus 15

Garden and farm-bush birds of Njaïa^ Sierra Leone

by J. Robert Harkrider

Department of Biological Sciences, Njala University College,

University of Sierra Leone

(Current address: Biology Department, Cypress College, Cypress,

California 90630, USA)

Received 1 8 August 1 992

Revised ITNovanber 1992

Summary

From October 1988 to June 1989, 95 avian species were recorded in a

residential, garden area and in farm-bush areas around Njala University College,

Sierra Leone. A total of 62 species was observed in the garden area. Twelve

species were permanent residents and an additional 26 occurred Üiroughout tlie

study period. All of these species are known for close association with human

habitation. Twenty-five species of European and intra-African migrants

occurred in the residential area. Thirty-two species seen in die fami-bi^h were

not observed in die garden area. Seven of diese were residents while the others

were migratoiy or casual wanderers. Migratory patterns were associated with

seasonality and human activity such as burning fields.

Résumé

D’octobre 1988 à juin 1989, 95 espèces aviennes ont été notées dans les jardins

d’un quartier résidentiel ainsi que sur des champs autour de Njala University

College, Sierra Leone. Un total de 62 espèces fut observé dans les jardins.

Douze espèces y résidaient en pennanence et 26 autres y apparurent au cours de

l’étude. Toutes ces espèces sont connues pour leur étroite association avec les

habitations humaines. Vingt-cinq espèces de migrateurs européens et intra-

africains furent rencontrées dans le quartier résidentiel. Trente-deux espèces

observées sur les cultures ne le furent pas dans les jardins. Sept d’entre elles

étaient résidentes tandis que les autres étaient migratrices ou occasionelles. Les

modalités des migrations étaient liées aux saisons et aux activités humaines

telles que les brûlis.

1993

Birds of Njala, Sierra Leone

39

Introduction

Recent work in West Africa has resulted in the publication of check-lists for such areas

as Nigeria (Elgood 1982), Ghana (Grimes 1987) and The Gambia (Gore 1991). For

some areas, such as Sierra Leone, a published country -wide list does not exist.

In Sierra Leone, Serle (1948a, 1948b, 1949a, 1949b) reported the results of a nine-

month survey made during 1942 and 1943. Additional data from otlierwise unpublished

sources are given in Bannerman (1930-1951). Field (1974) published an extensive

account of birds of tlie Freetown Peninsula. Harding & Harding (1982), in tlie Kilimi

region, and Happel (1985), in the Outamba region, surveyed the avifauna of the

proposed Outamba-Kilimi National Park in die nortli-west part of the country near the

Guinea border. Davies (1987) published a survey of birds of the Gola Forest and Tiwai

Island in the far soutlieastem region of Sierra Leone. More recently. Allport et al.

(1989) reported on a comprehensive, five-montli survey in tlie Gola Forest area.

Most of tliese surveys concentrated on Uie remaining, relatively undisturbed habitats

on the periphery of Sierra Leone. Areas altered by human activity dominate Sierra

Leone yet, with the exception of Field’s (1974) report on tlie Freetown peninsula and

one section of the Allport et al (1989) report, disrupted areas remain little studied.

Elgood & Sibley (1964) showed that the avifauna of disrupted areas around Ibadan,

Nigeria, retains a rich species diversity. The dynamics of the bird populations in Nigeria

were associated with seasonal changes; both European species (Elgood et al 1 966) and

African species (Elgood et al 1973) migrate seasonally, creating a constantly clianging

avifauna. The goal of the present study was to document the avifauna associated with

garden and fanii-bush areas at a location in central Sierra Leone.

Study Site and Methods

The study was conducted from September 1 988 to June 1 989 on tlie campus of Njala

University College, University of Sierra Leone. Njala is 205 km from Freetown at

8°30’30”N, 12®5’W. The site is adjacent to the Taia River about 125km from tlie coast

and has an elevation of about 40 ni above sea level. Tlie annual rainfall is 1 90-205 cm,

most of wliich occurs during the rainy season from May to November. The campus was

established in 1964; however, agricultural activity at Njala dates to the original

settlement in the early nineteenth century on a lowland rain forest site. A fonnal

agricultural training college was established at Njala in 1919 and the area has remained

a training site since tliat time (Kallay 1980).

The residential study was done in the Adaptive Crop Research and Extension

Project (ACRE) residential area, which was established in 1963. Asphalt streets divided

the houses into blocks in a rectangular network. The study area consisted of a block of

single-storey houses with concrete walls and sloped metal roofs. The houses had

spacious gardens, separated by hibiscus hedges. Many fruit trees, including pawpaw

Catica papaya, banana Mma sp. and mango Mangifera indica, as well as ornamental

40

J.R. Harkrider

Malimbus 1 5

trees and slirubs such as Indian abnond Tetviinalia catappa, grew in the garden area.

The site is smiilar to that described as “garden” by Elgood & Sibley (1964) in Nigeria.

The observation of the garden birds was focused on the block containing the “Chief

of Station” house. The garden area was defined as that area inside the asphalt road tliat

surrounded die block. During tlie study period only two of the seven houses in the block

were inliabited. The front gardens were maintained in a lawn-like condition by grazing

goats. The back yards could best be described as ‘Sveedy”.

The residential area was adjacent to fields thet were cultivated by traditional slash-

and-bum teclmiques. Some of tlie fields were planted wliile otliers had one to several

years’ growth of fami-bush scrub. These areas are periodically fanned, grazed, or

burned. Major crops include sweet potatoes, maize and cassava. In some areas upland

rice is cultivated. Elgood & Sibley (1964) referred to tliis vegetation type as “Derived

Savanna and Native Farms”.

In the garden area, observations of the bird fauna throughout the study period were

made daily, primarily in tlie early morning, late afternoon and evening. In the fann-

bush, each of tliree different trails in tlie campus area was surveyed at least once a week

during tlie study period, usually in tlie late afternoon. A daily survey was made of the

farm-bush adjacent to Üie residential area.

Scientific names of birds are given in the tables.

Results

A total of 62 species was documented in the garden area during the nine months of

observation (Tables 1 and 2). Many of these sjiecies were common residents in the

farm-bush area and simply moved between farm-bush and gardens. A few species,

indicated by a W under habitat (Table 1), were not seen in the farm-bush, but only

observed in wooded areas when outside tlie garden.

Table 1 lists 12 species as “resident” in the garden area. All tliese species, observed

daily tliroughout the study period, have a close association with human habitation that is

widely documented and all but two are listed as common garden birds by Elgood &

Sibley (1964).

The “common” birds (Table 1 ) were also known for close association wiüi humans.

Some, like the Simple Leaflove, would roost and forage in the garden, but not as

consistently as the residents. The Chestnut-and-black Weaver and tlie Village Weaver

nested in trees at tlie end of the rainy season, but were visitors during tlie rest of the

period. All but tliree of the “conmion” species were reported as garden birds in Ibadan

(Elgood & Sibley 1964).

Turati’s Bush-shrike was an early morning visitor, usually heard rather than seen.

On several occasions individuals with a white wingbar, suggestive of Bell-Shrike L.

aethiopicus, were observed. If confirmed, this would represent an extension of range of

tlie latter species (Field 1979).

1993

Birds of Njala, Sierra Leone

41

Table 1. Birds observed in the ACRE residential garden area of Njala throughout

the study period. Status: “Resident” = seen daily; “Common” = seen most days;

“Frequent” — seen throughout study period but gaps of several days sometimes

occurred between observations. Usual habitats: W=: woodland, F=farm-bush.

42

J. R. Harkrider

Malimbus 15

Table 2. Birds not seen in the ACRE residential garden area, but common in

adjacent farm-bush throughout the period of study.

Black-shouldered Kite Elatius caeruleus

Double-spurred Francolin Francolinus bicalcaratus

Tawny-flanked Prinia Prinia subflava

Collared Sunbird Anthreptes collaris

Fire-crowned Bishop Euplectes hordeaceiis

Yellow-mantled Wliydah E. macrottms

Dybowski’s Twin-spot Clytospiza dybowskii

A few species were common in the fann-bush, but never observed in tlie garden

area (Table 2). The Double-spurred Francolin and Dybowski’s Twin-spot were

frequently observed foraging on tlie ground near the residential area, but never within it.

The Fire-crowned Bishop and Yellow-mantled Whydah, common in fields across the

road from tlie residential area, were restricted to areas with tall grass and open space.

The seasonal appearance of birds in tlie garden area is reported in Table 3. Some

species are well-known European migrants such as the Spotted Flycatcher and the

Yellow Wagtail. These arrived early in the dry season and remained conunon through

most of this season. Other seasonal visitors were well-known intra-African migrants

such as tlie Cattle Egret. Some arrived late in the year, for example the Broad-billed

Roller did not appear until January but remained into the rainy season. Some of the

migrants had a short but obvious stay. The Grey-headed Kingfisher was prominent,

perching in or around tlie residential area for two months during the dry season. The

Shikra and Grasshopper Buzzard were botli present during the mid-dry season, tlie latter

particularly obvious around fires as tlie fann-bush was burned.

In contrast to movements into the area during the dry season, there were also

obvious movements out. The Harrier-Hawk, a frequent visitor to the residential area,

was not observed in Njala for three months of tlie late dry season. Other species, such as

tlie Olive-backed Sunbird and the Wliite-cheeked Olive Weaver, disappeared for most

of the dry season. Klaas’s Cuckoo and the Didric Cuckoo showed a similar pattern.

These species were most obvious during tlie weaver nesting period, stalking the nests of

the Chestnut-and-black Weaver.

Great Spotted Cuckoos were obviously in transit. They were common for a week

during March but were not seen before or after. This matches the “clearly defined

spring passage” reported for Nigeria by Elgood ei al. (1973).

Seasonal birds found in the farm-bush but not in the residential area (Table 4)

followed patterns similar to those described above. For example, the migrant Whinchat,

like the Spotted Flycatcher, was present through most of the dry season. The Little Bee-

eater, like the Grey-headed Kingfisher, stayed for less than two months during the dry

season. Many of these birds were not seen in the residential area because of their

1993

Biirds of Njala, Sierra Leone

43

Table 3. Birds with a seasonal appearance in the ACRE residential garden area of

Njala.

restricted habitat; for example, the Standard-winged Nightjar, Forbes’ Banded Plover,

and Little Bee-eater were associated with burnt fields in tlie dry season. Others were not

seen in the residential area simply because they were so rare. For example, the Pale

Flycatcher was observed on only one afternoon but for an extended period, feeding

from the lower branch of a tree near the residential area. This species is normally found

in the northern savanna.

44

J.R. Harkrider

Malimbus 15

Table 4. Seasonal birds found in the farm^bush but not found in the residential

garden area.

Months

ONDJ FMAMJ

Long-crested Eagle Lophaetus occi pi ta Us x

Grasshopper Buzzard Butastiir rufipennis

Forbes’ Banded Plover Charadrius forbesi

Standard-winged Nightjar Macrodiptetyx longipennis

Palm Swift Cypsiums parvus

Pygmy Kingfisher Ceyx picta x

Little Bee-eater Merops pusillus

Piping Hombill Bycanistes Jistulator

Lesser Honey guide Indicator minor

Plain-backed Pipit Anthus leucophrys x

Rufous-chested Swallow Hirundo semirufa

Red-rumped Swallow H. daurica

Fanti Rough-winged Swallow Psalidoprocne ohscura x

Square-tailed Rough-winged Swallow P. ni tens x x

Orange-breasted Bush-Shrike Malaconotm sulfureopectus

Long-tailed Slirike Corvinella corvina

Black-cap Babbler Turdoides reinwardii x

Pale Flycatcher Bradomis pallidus x

Pied flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca

Grey Tit-Flycatcher Myioparus plumbeus x x

Whinchat Saxicola rubetra

Grey-crowned Negro-Finch Nigrita canicapilla

Chestnut-breasted Negro-Finch N. bicolor

Blue-billed Fire finch Lagonosticta rubricata

Orange-cheeked Waxbill Estrilda melpoda x x

X X

X X X X X

X

X X

X

X X

X X X X

X X

X

X X

X X X X X X

X

Discussion

In nortliem Sierra Leone, Harding & Harding (1982) described 69 species from the

savanna and Happel (1985) recorded an additional 36 species in similar habitat. Of

these 105 species, only 55 are shared with the list of 94 from Njala. The “derived

savanna” of central Sierra Leone and the present study is substantially different from

the “native savanna” of the north which was studied by Harding 8c Harding (1982) and

Happel ( 1 985), particularly since garden areas were not included in tlie northern studies.

The disrupted rain forest at Njala has less bird diversity tlian similar areas adjacent to

1993

Birds of Njala, Sierra Leone

45

non-disrupted forest Iiabitats. In tlie fann-bush around the Gola Forest (Allport et al

1989), 176 bird species were documented. Only 59 of these were on tlie Njala list.

The avifauna of tlie Njala residential area and farm-bush was similar to the town

and garden bird populations of Ibadan, Nigeria (Elgood & Sibley 1964) and birds

associated with human habitation on the Freetown Peninsula (Field 1974). Major

differences concern the relative abundance and tlie time of occurrence of species. These

locations have a long history of human habitation in disrupted rain forest areas and are

probably representative of the avifauna that will displace the forest avifauna as human

habitation continues to expand and destroy tliese forests.

Acknowledgments

My work was supported by a grant from the Council for International Exchange of

Scholars (Fulbright Program). I wish to Üiank Dr Aiah Gbakima and Dr Abu Sesay for

their support and encouragement during my tenure at Njala University College. I also

wish to thank Dr William Lindsey, Political Affairs Officer, and members of the United

States Information Service staff at the United States Embassy in Freetown for their help

and encouragement during my Fulbright tour. I appreciate the helpful conunents of Mr

G.D. Field related to tliis manuscript.

References

Allport, G., Ausden, M., Hayman, P.V., Robertson, P. & Wood, P. (1989) The

Conservation of the Birds of Gola Forest, Sierra Leone. Study Report 38,

International Council for Bird Preservation, Cambridge.

Bannerman, D.A. (1930-1951) The Birds of Tropical West Africa, 8 vols. Crown

Agents, London.

Davies, A.G. (1987) The Gola Forest Resen’es, Sierra Leone: Wildlife Conservation

and Forest Management. International Union for Conservation of Nature,

Cambridge.

Elgood, J.FI. (1982) The Birds of Nigeria. Check-list 4, British Ornithologists’ Union,

London.

Elgood, J.H. & Sibley, F.C. (1964) The tropical forest edge avifauna of Ibadan,

Nigeria. Ibis 106: 221-248.

Elgood, J.H., Sharland, R.E. & Ward, P. (1966) Palaearctic migrants in Nigeria. Ibis

108:84-116.

Elgood, J.H., Fry, C.H. & Dowsett, R.J. (1973) African migrants in Nigeria. Ibis 115:

145, 375-409.

Field, G.D. (1974) Birds of Freetown Peninsula. Fourah Bay College Bookshop,

Freetown.

Field, G.D. (1979) The Laniarius bushslirikes in Sierra Leone. Bull Brit. Om. Club 99:

42-44.

46

J.R. Harkrider

Malimbus 15

Gore, M.E.J. (1991) Birds of The Gambia. Check-list 3, British Omitliologists’ Union,

London.

Grimes, L.G. (1987) The Birds of Ghana. Check-list 9, British Ornithologists’ Union,

London.

Happel, R.E. (1985) Birds of tlie Outamba area, northwest Sierra Leone. Malimbus 7:

101-102.

Harding, D.P. & Harding, R.S.O. (1982) A preliminary checklist of birds in the Kilimi

area of nortliwest Sierra Leone. Malimbus 4: 64-68.

Kallay, T.B. (1986) The Growth ofNjala. A Historical and Social Sketch ofNjala as

an Educational Institution up to 1980. Njala University College, Njala.

Serle, W. (1948a) Notes on the birds of Sierra Leone. Part 1. Ostrich 19: 129-141.

Serle, W. (1948b) Birds of Sierra Leone (Part II). Ostrich 19: 187-199.

Serle, W. (1949a) Birds of Sierra Leone (Part III). Ostrich 20: 70-85.

Serle, W. (1949b) Birds of Sierra Leone (Part IV). Ostrich 20: 1 14-126.

1993

47

Short Notes

Seconde observation d*un Huîtrier pie HaeituUopus ostralegus au Zaïre

L’arrière-saison de 1957 était à tout point remarquable en ce qui concerne le passage

inaccoutumé de limicoles paléarc tiques. Le 1 novembre, j’avais noté à Coquilhatville

(actuellement Mbandaka, 0®4’N, 18®16’E), sur un remblai de sable parsemé de flaques

d’eau, quelques Bécassines doubles Gallinago media, des Chevaliers sylvains Tritiga

glareola, un Chevalier culblanc T. ochropus, deux Chevaliers stagnatiles T. stagnatilis,

un Grand Gravelot Charadhus hiaticula et une Echasse blanche Himantopus

himantopus (Herroelen 1 958). Le lendemain, je retournai à cet endroit intéressant et j’y

observai à mon étonnement deux Huîtriers pies Haematopus ostralegus. J’aurais bien

voulu en récolter un spécimen mais le terrain qu’ils fréquentaient était situé trop près de

l’agglomération.

Le Huîtrier pie est un écliassier côtier rarement vu à l’intérieur des terres en Afrique

centrale. Chapin (1939) a récolté une femelle (de la sous-espèce longipes: Vaurie 1965)

à Avakubi (1®24’N, 27°40’E) le 3 octobre 1913; jusqu’à présent, c’est la seule pièce à

conviction pour le Zaïre. La présence de l’espèce près de l’Equateur constitue

l’observation la plus occidentale en Afrique centrale; Mbandaka se trouve notaimnent à

1050 km au Sud-ouest d’Avakubi. Précédeimnent l’Huîtrier pie était connu de sept

pays de l’Afrique de l’Est (Dowsett 1980).

Bibliographie

Chapin, J.P. (1939) The Birds of the Belgian Congo, part 2. Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat Hist.

75.

Dowsett, R.J. (1980) The migration of coastal waders from the Palaearctic across

Africa. Gerfaut 70: 3-35.

Herroelen, P. (1958) Poelruiter Tringa stagnatilis. Wielewaal 24; 20-21 .

Vaurie, C. (1965) The Birds of the Palaearctic Fauna. Non-Passeriformes. Witherby,

London.

Reçu 18 juillet 1992

Revu 18 décembre 1992 P. Herroelen

Leuvensesteenweg 347, B-3370 Boutersem, Belgique

White-backed Night Heron Nycticorax leuconotus in Sierra Leone

On 17 June 1992, my son, Moray Iles and myself were birdwatching along tlie coastal

road which runs south from Freetown, Sierra Leone, west of the Peninsula Mountains.

Returning from a dugout punt trip along tlie No. 2 River which enters tlie sea between

48

Short Notes

Malimbus 15

Sussex and York, our attention was drawn to two small herons a few yards into the

mangroves. After reversing the boat, we were able to identify two White-backed Night

Herons Nycticorax leuconotiis, one of which was photographed. The birds kept close

together and quietly climbed amongst Üie lower mangrove roots, only a little disturbed

by our presence. The mid-afternoon light provided clear views. Tliey appeared sliglitly

bigger than Green-backed Heron Butorides striatus, seen some minutes before, but gave

the impression of being slender and long-legged. The crown, nape and lores were dull

black; the eyes were large and liquid black surrounded by a white eye-ring. Below tlie

whitish chin, the neck, chest and belly were dark rust, tlie back and wings dark grey.

We did not detect any white on the back, possibly because tlie birds neither flew nor

moved their wings. After some minutes they moved further into the mangrove.

We can trace no published records of tliis species in Sierra Leone but G.D. Field

(pers. comm.) refers to a specimen being collected in 1952 in Songo Creek near tlie

Peninsula and to unpublished sight records for the Little Searcies River and from Kono.

Tliis sighting would therefore appear to be unusual.

Received 19 October 1992

Revised 23 February 1 993 Dudley lies

Waylands, East Hanney, Oxon., 0X12 OJE, U.K.

Breeding of Slender-billed Bulbul Aiidropadus gracilirostris in Sierra Leone

As Keith et al. (1992) state that the nest and eggs of the Slender-billed Bulbul

Andropadus gracilirostris are undescribed, a note of my observations in Sierra Leone

may be wortli-while.

Although basically a forest canopy species, tlie Slender-billed Bulbul is much less

dependent on forest than most of the genus and in the 1 970s used regularly to breed in

my garden at Fourah Bay College on the outskirts of Freetown. My house was near tlie

edge of tlie college housing area, with plenty of rather scrubby secondary forest or

“bush” witliin easy flying distance. The garden consisted of open grass and a number of

trees and shrubs, particularly Anisophyllea lauritia and Dialiimi guineense, left when

the ground was originally cleared for housing because of their edible fruits. The

Dialium trees (and others) were frequently infested with hairy caterpillars, attracting

Didric Cuckoos Chrysococcyx caprius and the Slender-billed Bulbuls, which were

therefore regularly in tlie garden and I could expect to see or hear them tliere most days

of the year.

In four separate years a pair built in one of these Dialium trees, in another year they

chose a Rauvolfia vomitaria close to the house, and in another a tall, straggly hedge of

the exotic Tecoma stans, none of which trees was higher tlian 6-7 m.

Nests were built ahnost entirely by one individual, presumably the female; another

bird, presumably the male, accompanied each visit, normally without assisting in

building, although very occasionally he too would bring material. The latter bird also

1993

Short Notes

49

occasionally gave bursts of song, again suggesting tliat it was the male. The site was

always a terminal fork, witli liglit leaf shading above, rather tliicker in the case of the

Tecoma, though here, by the time the young fledged, the tree had almost entirely shed

its leaves. The outer shells of the nests were of leaves, usually dead but sometimes

green, with spiders’ webs and lichen but practically no moss, and with a rather

perfunctory lining of petioles, tlie whole seeming ratlier small for the size of bird. The

two eggs (not measured) were pinkish, heavily marked all over with purplish red-brown

streaks and smears, so tliat at a glance tliey looked simply brown. Both sexes incubated

and brought food to the young, in die latter case swooping up onto a twig below the

nest, pausing for several seconds and then hopping up onto the nest. After delivering tlie

food, die adult swallowed faecal pellets. It then usually brooded the young for several

minutes, even when diey were quite large, though I cannot be sure that both sexes did

this. Only one breeding attempt was completed successfully; usually the nests were

predated, probably by Vine Snakes Thelotomis kirtlandii which were plentiful in the

area. The successful nest (in the Tecoma) was started a few days before 9 November

and die single young fledged 1 1 December.

The species was observed elsewhere in Sierra Leone eidier building or carrying

food, both inside and at die edge of the forest, usually in much liigher trees (some 1 5-20

m high) diough one nest in a small tree at die forest edge was only slightly higher than

my garden nests. In all, my records show breeding or attempted breeding in Jun (1, the

only pre-rains record), Sep (3), Oct (5), Nov (8), Dec (2), Jan (2), the mondi being

adjusted to the assumed date of laying. This seasonality is typical of Andwpadus (Keith

et al. 1992), although the species more strictly confined to forest {A. virens, A.

latirostris, A. ansorgei) continue breeding well into the dry season (Feb-Mar) (Keidi et

al 1992, pers. obs).

I thank John Elgood for reading this note and making some helpful conuiients.

Reference

Keith, S., Urban, E.K. & Fry, C.H. (1992) The Birds of Africa, vol. 4. Academic

Press, London.

Received 5 January 1993 G.D. Field

37 Milton Grove, New Milton, Hants, BH25 6HB, U.K.

Nest sites of Brown Nightjar Caprimulgus binotatus and Collared Nightjar C.

enarratus

I was interested to read die notes on Brown Nightjar Caprimulgus binotatus by Carroll

& Fry (1987) and Fry (1988), and would like to point out a record of a nightjar species

nesting odier than on a firm substance which pre-dates the one discussed in the notes:

the Madagascan endemic Collared Nightjar C enarratus has been recorded nesting on

50

Book Reviews

Malimbus 15

an epiphytic fern Asplénium on a tree-trunk, 1.7 m above the ground (Dhondt 1976).

Like the Brown Nightjar, the Collared Nightjar is a little-known species of the

rainforest interior witli large eyes and ridged eyebrows and whose nestlings have not

been documented. Anomalously, its eggs are unmarked white, and it possesses a “facial

disc”, similar to tliat of a Bam Owl Tyto alba and which, I believe, does not occur in

any otlier member of the genus.

References

Carroll, R.W. & Fry, C.H. (1987) A range extension and probable breeding record of

the Brown Nightjar {Caprimulgus binotatus Bonaparte) in southwestern Central

African Republic. Malimbus9: 125-127.

Dhondt, A. (1976) Une nidification de l’Engoulevent à collier Caprimulgus ennaratus.

OiseauxRev.fr. OnhA6\ 173-174.

Fry, C.H. (1988) Brown Nightjar. Malimbus 10: 222.

Received 10 Febmary 1993

M. LE vans

Montrose, Llanddeiniol, Llanrhystud, Dyfed SY23 5AN, U.K.

Book Reviews

The Vultures of Africa. By P. Mundy, D. Butchart, J. Ledger & S. Piper, 1992. 464

pp., numerous line drawings and colour plates. Acorn Books, Randburg / Russel

Friedman Books, Flalfway House. ISBN 1-874802-03-3. US$60, hardback.

This is a labour of love by four vulture experts, as expressively declared in a preface

and acknowledgments. It is not, however, intended primarily for otlier vulture experts

(if it were, sales would be small!) but is a good read for any interested naturalist. The

style is easy and conversational; discussions start from first principles {e.g. a page on

how evolution works) but progress to include tlie latest research results (to early 1992!)

and the most arcane facts. Thus everyone, from layman to expert, will find interest in it.

There is also much stimulating speculation in areas where knowledge is lacking, such as

the function of tlie bare “eyes” beside tlie crop in griffons. The residences of the authors

and, to some extent, availability of data, give the book a soutliem African emphasis, but

the authors have tried to be as pan-African as possible, and there is a lot of West

African information within. What few errors I spotted were not southern African, for

example Djoudj National Park is said to be part of the Saloum area, and tlie Hooded

Vulture Necrosyries monachus is not shown as present in Liberia nor “in tlie forest zone

between Freetown and Ghana” (perpetuating die error of The Birds of Africa).

1993

Book Reviews

51

Two points of design attract conmient. First, there are no references in tlie text and,

forewarned, I thought that I would find tliis concession to “readability” irritating. In

fact, it improves the style and should not create great problems for those wishing to

pursue points furtlier, because a full bibliography is given at the end, cross-referenced

by chapter and species; I liked the idea. Second, all the tables are collected at the back,

although the figures accompany the text. This idiosyncratic arrangement I found

inconvenient and it led to my simply ignoring most of the tables. This was perhaps a

concession to non-scientists, but surely not a necessary one.

The title is modest, in that the first chapter is a global survey of species and

spéciation (including American vultures), which sets out some original views. The other

comparative chapters are similarly not restricted to African species.

Individual accounts of the 1 1 African species, each accompanied by a nice painting

by Butchart in somewhat 1 9tli-century style (intended as a compliment), take up 161

pages. Each starts with an interesting tale of the species’ discovery and naming,

followed by a description and biological account. This was the only major section of tlie

book which I skimmed, rather than reading from beginning to end; inevitably, as a

collection of facts about individual species, it makes relatively dry reading but the facts

are valuable and will be indispensable to vulture entliusiasts. Getting towards the end of

this section, I realised that I had still only reached the middle of the book. The

remaining half is packed with photographs, accompanying more comparative chapters,

attractively and penetratingly analytical in style and wide in scope. One on foraging,

feeding and socializing discusses guilds, food location, competition between species

and with non-vultures, bill morphology, sequence of events at carcasses, types and

sources of food, food webs, an analysis of the Serengeti ecosystem and gathering

places. There are chapters on the role of vultures in African cultures (San, Egyptian, SE

African Bantu), modem attitudes, tlireats and tlie Vulture Study Group. This last was

the only one I did not like; it is entirely southern African in context, with nauseatingly

endless lists of the autliors’ friends. These minutiae are not really of great interest to

anyone other than the characters involved and the chapter could have been much

shorter. This aside, I found Üie book an excellent read and I tliorouglily recommend it.

Alan Tye

The Birds of Africa, Vol 4. Ed. by S. Keith, E.K. Urban & C.H. Fry, 1992. 609pp., 32

colour plates. Academic Press, London. ISBN 0-12-137304-5. £72.

At last this monumental work reaches the passerines. Originally planned for four

volumes. Birds of Africa has expanded with each issue. The average length of a species

account is now 1000 words and there will be tliree more volumes before the task is

completed. This one covers broadbills, pittas, larks, swallows, pipits, wagtails, cuckoo-

shrikes, bulbuls and the smaller tlirushes, but for reasons of space true tJirushes Turdus

and tlieir allies are held over until Volume 5.

52

Book Reviews

Malimbus 15

Readers of previous volumes will know the format. Besides the tliree editors, ten

authors have contributed the species accounts, but in the interests of unifonnity

individual entlmsiasms are not allowed much scope, and at times one longs for those

enlightening remarks on “jizz” that can add such helpful touches: for instance, no

mention is made of the Slender-billed Andropadus grad liros tris and Golden

Calyptocichla serina Bulbuls’ habit of sitting for long periods in an upright position

calling at the very top of the canopy, thus distinguishing them immediately from all

other bulbuls.

The 32 plates are again by Martin Woodcock, and his skill is such tliat even those

plates witli large numbers of birds depicted, such as swallows, do not appear cluttered.

Particularly pleasing are tlie small chats and wheatears, the Phyllastrephus Plate 19 is

masterly, and one whole plate is reserved for juvenile robins. Less happy are some of

the deep forest bulbuls which the painter has clearly not seen in life. I fmd the Golden

Bulbul (Plate 21) almost unrecognizable and neither illustration nor text details tlie bare

skin at the eye of Green-tailed Bristlebill Bleda eximia. Sometimes size can be

misleading: in life the Rufous-rumped Lark Pinarocorys erythropygia is distinctly

larger than Rufous-naped Lark Mirafra africana\ on Plate 3 it appears tiny in

comparison. Similarly on Plate 27 tlie ratlier large Black Scrub-Robin Cercotrichas

podobe, partly through tlie perspective, looks smaller than the small Forest Scrub-Robin

C. leucosticta. Apropos size, it seems a pity that in the descriptions a rough overall

length is not given. However old-fashioned this may be, it does give the reader a

general idea of die bird.

I heartily endorse some taxonomic decisions. Nicator Nicator chloris goes back to

tlie slirikes. In tlie field it never had affinities with tlie bulbuls. Similarly at the generic

level, the Leaf-love returns as Pyrrhurus scandens after its flirtation with

Phyllastrephus, to the otlier west African members of wliich it was distinctly odd man

out. On English names, however, I deeply regret that the seal of approval is given to

“greenbul”, a bastardised coinage from “bulbul” with no etymological justification. The

French, witli more sense of language, stick to bulbul tliroughout.

For tlie field worker, tliree of tlie more difficult passerine groups are included: larks,

pipits and bulbuls. In West Africa, except along the borders of the Saliara, tlie first two

present few of the problems of eastern or southern Africa, but bulbuls are a West

African family par excellence, hitherto atrociously illustrated, while authors have

tended to surrender, particularly over Andropadus, with plirases like “hardly identifiable

in the field”. No book can include everything, but this volume goes a long way to

making Andropadus identification simple and pays useful attention to calls, though I

wonder how helpful to most readers is the remark re Ansorge’s Greenbul A. ansorgei

“reminiscent of flight call of Brown-headed Cowbird”.

Although one can hardly carry these volumes in one’s luggage on a trip to Africa,

yet time spent studying species likely to be encountered will make a tremendous

difference. May it not be too long before we get our hands on the cisticolas.

G.D. Field

1993

Book Reviews

53

The lUCN Sahel Stydics, 199L Ed. by A.P. Wood & P. Rydén, 1992. xv + 169 pp.

lUCN, Gland. ISBN 2^8317^0082-5. £12.50 + p & p from lUCN, 219c Hunüngdon

Road, Cambridge, U.K.

This is the second volume of lUCN Sahel Studies; tJie first was published in 1989. It is

concerned with die issue of achieving sustainable land use in tlie Sahel and discusses

the grand problems involved, including population growth, drought and failure of

“development” policies. The major cause of land degradation, in tJie Sahel as elsewhere,

is population growth combined with failure to develop away from subsistence

agriculture, which leads to over-use of resources. The region is in a grim situation, with

most of its countries bankrupt or nearly so.

lUCN's Sahel Prograimiie began in 1984 and includes regional studies, monitoring,

the formulation of national conservation strategies, field projects, training and

education, many of which are dealt wiüi in tliis multi-authored volume. Chapter 2, by C.

Geerling & S. de Bie, identifies the key problem with admirable clarity: ecological

limits. A human population dependent upon livestock production has reached a limit

where higher levels of resource use are not sustainable. The same applies to arable

agriculture in the region. This is why fluctuations in key resources, especially rainfall,

lead directly to such drastic fluctuations in productivity and human survival. The

solution is to develop security of food production at (or below) the carrying capacity of

the land: a blindingly obvious conclusion but one that is extremely difficult to

implement. This chapter ends by identifying a consequence, Üiat excess people have to

be subsidized or employed outside subsistence agriculture, but does not address how

this can be achieved in die poor Sahelian countries.

Other chapters consider water scarcity management, the UN Sudano-Sahelian

Progranune, World Bank activities, the Ethiopian National Conservation Strategy, the

Niger rural code, participatory land-use planning, the Tin-Telloust water management

programme in Niger and comparative studies from Botswana (wildlife ranching), Saudi

Arabia (attempts to reverse environmental degradation) and Australia (range

management).

Tliis is obviously not a book about birds but it is about problems Üiat bear upon tlieir

survival Chapter 2 is especially im|Jortant for all involved in conservation, in any

habitat (as the problems identified are so generally applicable). The rest will be of

interest primarily to conservationists and land managers working in die Saliel

Alan Tye

Every Arrival Late. By R.T. Wilson, 1992. 282 pp., black & white photos. Book

Guild, Lewes. ISBN 0-86332-734-6. Hardback £14.95.

This may be the first autobiographical work reviewed in Malimbus. It concerns Africa,

intelligently observed and wryly reported, by an international civil servant and amateur

54

Auüior

Malimbus 15

(in the original and best sense of the word) ornithologist who provides a series of

snapshots of two years in liis life. It deals witli 13 African countries, of which seven fall

witliin Milinibus's area of coverage and which might give an intending visitor useful

hints as well as food for tliought. For instance, the chapter on Niger recounts adventures

which will be only too familiar to anyone who has travelled long-distance by road in

francophone West Africa; efficient, but only in comparison with tlie anglophone parts.

More seriously, Wilson presents a perceptive analysis of the problems of desertification

in the Saliel. All tlie chapters are enlivened by little snippets of infonnation tlirown in as

asides; I didn’t know that the Dead Sea Apple Calotropis procera (that familiar,

spindly, grey, roadside weed of semi-arid regions) was used in Sudan to blind people in

one eye so tliat slavers would reject them. Cameroon, Nigeria and Togo are crammed

into one chapter, in which the Cameroon and Nigeria accounts concentrate on the

behaviour of bureaucrats, tlie disorganization of urban Cameroon, the Fon of Bafut and

the horrors of public transport, while Togo’s bit reinforces the impression of the

comparative efficiency and lack of fuss of francophone countries.

Ethiopia gets the most coverage: not surprising given the author’s country of

residence during tlie period covered. Of the countries dealt with which I know, the

treatment is generally fair, except Wilson is unnecessarily hard on Tanzania, perhaps

because he remembered it in better, earlier days and then returned at its nadir. This

chapter contains several small errors which increase the level of criticism and ratlier

s|X)ilt my enjoyment of it. There is a scattering of misprints tliroughout the book, die

best being “the Mushophagidae - literally tlie banana-eaters”. Yes, birds do feature,

alüiough only incidentally, and mostly Corvidae.

Tliroughout the book, one finds oneself comparing one’s own experiences with

tliose recounted and wondering whether one’s own are more interesting or amusing and

whether one could have written about them better. In producing tliis book, Wilson has

done what many of us have, more or less seriously, considered doing ourselves. He is

adept at summing up the character of a country and its people (indigenous and not) in a

few words and tlirough a few incidents. The book is written from the viewpoint of an

expatriate, and Wilson’s problem is that sometimes he is too perceptive; his direct

analyses will offend some readers, who will consider him a smug neo-colonialist,

without realising tliat he is simply seeing and telling tlie trutli about Africa, and without

seeing his subtle sympathy tlirough the obvious criticism. But then, I doubt tliat he was

writing for such iieople.

Alan Tye

Bird Census Techniques. By C.J. Bibby, N.D. Burgess & D.A. Hill, 1992. 257 + xvii

pp. Academic Press, London. ISBN 0-12-095830-9. Hardback £19.50.

This book is intended to bring together the methodology for various bird census

techniques, which is scattered tliroughout tlie literature and difficult of access. Chapters

1993

Article

55

include general considerations and sources of error, territory mapping, line transects,

point counts, capture and marking, individual species counts, distribution studies and

habitat mapping and sampling. Such a combination might sound dry and daunting.

However, each topic is clearly explained and assumes little previous knowledge of

census techniques or statistics. The text is well-endowed with examples, mostly in

separate boxes, which add interest and reality to tlie tlieory. Some also amuse, such as

tlie sketches of omitliologists at work (mostly clad in wellies and anorak, bearded and

male - possibly a biassed sample!). Inevitably, tlie emphasis is heavily on European and

North American studies and to a certain extent reflects situations alien to West Africa,

such as differences in habitat, species abundance and the coverage possible {e.g. in atlas

recording), but there is still a great amount relevant to a tropical situation. Besides being

a basic background source, tliis book is also a useful starting point for more detailed

enquiries; subjects are well-referenced and there is a 10-page bibliography. Each

chapter also ends wiüi a useful summary. If you’re going to count birds, this is wortli a

read.

Hilary Tye

Putting Biodiversity on the Map: Areas for Global Conservation. Bibby, NJ.

Collar, M.J. Crosby, M.F. Heath, C. Imboden, T.H. Johnson, A.J. Long, A.J.

Stattersfield & S.J. Thirgood, 1992. vi + 90 pp. International Council for Bird

Preservation, Cambridge. ISBN 0-946888-24-8, paperback. £12.50 from ICBP, 32

Cambridge Road, Girton, Cambridge, U.K.

A foreword by E.O. Wilson defines tlie problem with crystal clarity: life on earth is

entering an extinction spasm which could be the greatest since the Cretaceous saw tlie

end of die dinosaurs, 65 million years ago. It will be caused by habitat destruction by

humans, who are at present destroying c. 2% of Uie remaining tropical forest each year,

besides their effects on other habitats. Tliis book is the first global attempt to identify

the places (temied “endemic bird areas” or EBAs) which, if protected, would save the

majority of bird species.

The book is profusely illustrated with maps, graphs and photographs. The

presentation is clear, with a marginal running summary wliich I found at first iiritating

but soon learnt to ignore, but which may be of great use in bringing the message to

politicians and others who will not look at more than ten words strung togeüier.

One important point, often overlooked, is emphasized by the Introduction:

biodiversity is a global concept and only has meaning as such. A local increase in

diversity caused by converting primary forest to second-growth, which may add

widespread, open-country species to the system, might contribute to a decrease in

global biodiversity due to extinctions of endemics.

Wliy use birds as indicators of important places to protect? They are the only group

of organisms to fulfil tliree pre-conditions for the analysis undertaken in tlie book: tliey

56

Book Reviews

Malimbus 15

have dispersed to all terrestrial habitats and land areas (needed for global analysis), their

taxonomy is well-understood (needed for diversity analysis) and tlieir geographical

distributions are well-known (needed for mapping). Data on other animals and plants

are also presented, and tliey generally support the conclusions drawn from birds. The

analysis is based on all land-birds wiüi an overall range < 50000 km^; tliis includes 27%

of all bird species and 77% of threatened species. The ranges of these species are

combined to identity EBAs: areas witli more tlian one such species entirely restricted to

tliem. It excludes some species of conservation interest, especially large birds inliabiting

big ranges at low density (e.g. bustards, storks and cranes), but such species often

include EBAs witliin tlieir ranges.

The global coverage means tliat Africa gets only six pages to itself, but this ignores

frequent mentions in more general sections. West Africa (as defined by Malimbus’s

area of coverage) has eight EBAs: Cape Verde Islands, Upper Guinea forests,

Cameroon mountains, Cameroon-Gabon lowlands, Principe, Sâo Tomé, eastern Zaire

lowlands and Albertine Rift mountains. Alternative taxonomic treatment of one species

would add a ninth: Pagalù (Annobon). All except Cape Verde are mainly or exclusively

forest, as are most restricted-range bird species and EBAs world-wide. Habitat

destruction is obviously the greatest threat to tliese areas and their birds.

There is not much here to surprise anyone with a knowledge of the West African

avifauna but the book is packed with useful facts and figures on which to base

conservation arguments and pkmning. It will be an essential reference for tliose whose

role includes these activities and will hold tlie attention of anyone interested in bird

conservation.

Alan Tye

Letters on West Africa and the Slave Trade. Paul Erdmann Isert’s Journey to

Guinea and the Caribbean Islands in Columbia (1788). Transi, and ed. by S.A.

Winsnes, 1992. 278 + x pp.. Oxford University Press, Oxford. ISBN 0-19-726105-1.

Hardback £30.

This is tlie first published English translation of tlie original Gennan text {Reise nach

Guinea wui den Caribaischen Inseln in Columbia) by Üiis respected amateur botanist

with broad scientific interests, who worked for the Danes on the Gold Coast. The

translator has thoroughly edited the text, giving additional information on the

background to Isert’s presence on tlie coast, and has included some drawings (two of

birds, one first described by Isert) which were not in Üie original work.

Isert travelled to West Africa in 1783 as chief surgeon at Christiansborg Castle

(Accra) and otlier Danish forts in tlie area, during the brief period of Danish expansion

on the Gold Coast. He was there for tliree years, during which he journeyed east to

Whydah in the Kingdom of Dahomey (now in Benin Republic) and inland as far as

Akwapem, where he returned later to establish a plantation, in order to render transport

1993

Book Reviews

57

of slaves to tlie West Indies redundant. Tliis enterprise resulted in the deatli, within a

few months, of Isert, his wife and their new-born daughter; tlie project then collapsed.

Altliough Isert was one of tlie earliest post-Linnean biologists to visit West Africa,

his scientific work is not dealt wiüi in detail in tliis book. This is his account of his

experiences, including his participation in a Danish-led war and narrow escape from

murder on a slave ship to St Croix. He was far ahead of his time in his ahnost value-free

and unprejudiced accounts of West African culture. Peppered tliroughout, he does

record some of tlie plants and animals tliat he found, and his adventures in searching for

tliem. Some of his bird notes are interesting, including what are perhaps the earliest

records of woodhoopoes and indigobirds (which visited his ship on the voyage out! ).

Altliough Isert was a competent naturalist, his biological notes are not especially

well interpreted in Üie editor’s footnotes. She is not a biologist, and has done well in

searching for identifications in references known to her but, unfortunately, some of her

biologist infoniiants (credited in die footnotes), have misled her in a number of cases.

Isert consistently provides the contemporary Linnean names of die plants and animals

he mentions, which are sufficient for any modem biologist aware of the ways that

nomenclature has changed over the years to identify most of diem. However, in the

footnotes, Isert’s names are often wrongly interpreted; for instance, the Motacilla

curuca of Isert is interpreted as a wagtail because Motacilla is thus currently applied,

whereas in Isert’s day, that genus covered a much wider range of birds (in the golden

age of lumping) and it is obvious that Isert meant Sylvia cufruca (and, with good

scientific circumspection, Isert admits that it might not have been diis precise species

but a similar one). Such instances are conunon, and die unfortunate fact is that, because

Isert’s names are diemselves so easy to interjiret, no footnote is needed at all in die

majority of cases. However, Isert’s bird references provide little infonnation that is not

available in other contemporary accounts or from later, more exhaustive studies, so

ignore die biology and enjoy diis book for its historical description of die Coast, wliich

is its proper purpose in any case.

;:b

Alan Tye

Conservation of West and Central African Rainforests. Ed. by K. Cleaver, M.

Munasinghe, M. Dyson, N. Egli, A. Peuker, & F. Wencélius, 1992. 354 + xi pp. World

Bank, Washington. ISBN 0-8213-2256-7. Obtainable from World Bank, 1818 H St

NW, Washington, DC 20433, USA.

This is “World Bank Environment Paper No. 1”, published in cooperation with lUCN.

It consists of papers from a 1990 conference, which originated from the controversy

over whether development aid contributes to forest destruction, or whether its role in

the alleviation of poverty creates the social and economic climate necessary for forest

conservation to succeed. The subject concerns all biologists interested in West Africa,

where what little forest remains is disappearing at an alaniiing rate.

58

Book Reviews

Malimbus 15

An introductory paj^er by J. Sayer sets the scene, stating that “The hard fact is Üiat

most aid projects, and especially those in forestry, fail.” and citing examples of the

disastrous effects of World Bank aid in the destruction of natural forest. The association

with lUCN is brought out in several papers, and lUCN’s forest policy identified as

based on Üirce principles: conserve viable populations of all species, retain sufficient

forest to provide for national requirements of forest products, and retain forest in areas

prone to erosion or flooding. These are sound, and one hopes Üiat the World Bank

policy-makers will take Üiern into account when planning future aid. AnoUier good idea,

mentioned in two papers, is to establish a forest conservation convention listing

important sites, after the fashion of Üie Ramsar wetland convention.

The underlying causes of forest destruction are identified as poverty combined witli

poor land management and inappropriate development. Chapter 2 suimnarizes World

Bank forest policy, designed to address these problems; basically this is to support

population prograimnes and agricultural intensification, minimize the negative impact

of developments, support international controls which promote sustainable use of

forests, promote conununity forestry and Uie creation of “forest resources” (presumably

meaning plantations) and support tlie expansion of natural forest reserves.

Many pai^ers are verbose, dry and jargon-ridden, while otliers are clear and concise.

One section deals with country strategies and the “protection status” of forests in

various countries. Another looks at the agricultural and demographic causes of

deforestation and jx^ssible solutions, including a highly detailed paper on Uie effects of

fire. The section on natural forest management includes an alanning chapter on Ivory

Coast, where primary forest is selectively logged and non-commercial species

“devitalized”, a management practice which must heavily damage the biological value

of tlie forest. An unrealistic chapter on “rational timber exploitation” gives questionably

low estimates of the damage eaused by logging. In contrast, a chapter on estimating

sustainable levels of harvesting sensibly concludes that they should imitate natural

mortality by taking over-mature trees (present harvesting criteria do not work like tliis).

Back to the other extreme, a chapter by tliree anthropologists stupidly claims that

biodiversity in African rainforests “exists ... because of human activities”. This is based

on a misunderstanding of tlie tenu “biodiversity”; tlie number of species might increase

with the creation of secondary habitats, but this contributes to the restriction and

extinction of species dependent on the primary habitat, thereby decreasing global

biodiversity: biodiversity only makes sense as a global concept.

There is much in the book that is misguided in tliis way, but some that is very

sensible. Unfortunately, those World Bank and other decision-makers without

biological training will probably not know which is which, and one wonders what effect

the publication will have on tlieir future activities.

Alan Tye

1993

59

Notices

Ninth Pan-African Ornithological Congress

The Nintli Pan-African Ornithological Congress will be held in The Gambia from 17

October to 23 October 1996. To ensure that you receive relevant infonnation and

circulars as they are produced, send your address and an International Reply-paid

Coupon to the Chairman, Local Organizing Committee, Ninth Pan-African

Ornithological Congress, P.O. Box 2954, Serrekunda, The Gambia or to Trevor Wilson,

Bartridge Partners, Umberleigh, Nortli Devon EX37 9AS, U.K.

Neuvième Congrès Pan-Africain d’Ornithologie

Le Neuvième Congrès d’Omithologie Pan-Africain se tiendra en Gambie du 17 au 23

octobre 1996. Pour être assuré de recevoir tous renseignements et circulaires à mesure

qu’ils sont diffusés, veuillez donner votre adresse ainsi qu’un coupon-réponse

international au Chairman, Local Organizing Committee, Ninth Pan-African

Omiüiological Congress, P.O. Box 2954, Serrekunda, The Gambia ou bien à Trevor

Wilson, Bartridge Partners, Umberleigh, Nortli Devon EX37 9AS, U.K.

Forthcoming meetings of the Society

It is proposed to hold the next biannual meeting of WAOS at a venue in The

Netlierlands, in 1994. It is hoped to hold the 1996 meeting in conjunction with the ninth

Pan-African Ornithological Congress in The Gambia; this will be the first such meeting

to be held on African soil and we hope tliat the combination of die two events will

encourage many members to attend. Furtlier details of botli meetings will be published

in future issues of Malimbm.

Prochaines réunions de la Société

Nous nous proposons de tenir la prochaine réunion bisannuelle de la SOOA aux Pays-

Bas en 1994. Nous espérons tenir la réunion de 1996 conjointement avec le 9ème

Congrès Pan-africain d'Omithologie en Gambie. Ce sera la première réunion de ce

genre sur la terre africaine et nous espérons que la simultanéité de ces deux événements

encouragera beaucoup de membres à y assister. Les renseignements sur ces deux

réunions paraîtront au fur et à mesure dans les prochains hdalimbus.

60

Notices

Malimbus 1 5

West African Ornithological Society

Revenue Account for the year ended 31 December 1992

1991

Income

R.E. Sharland R. Allison F.C.A.

Auditor

Treasurer

Instructions to Authors

Malimbus publishes Papers, Short Notes, Reviews, Letters and illustrative material

covering the field of West African ornithology. Short Notes are articles not exceeding

1000 words (including references) or two printed pages in length. Written contributions

are accepted in English or French. Material published elsewhere, in whole or in part,

will not normally be accepted. Wherever possible, manuscripts should first have been

submitted to at least one omitliologist or biologist for critical scrutiny. Manuscripts will

be sent for critical review to at least one relevant authority.

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The Birds of Africa, vols 1-3 (Academic Press, London) for non-passerines and White

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Malimbus 15 (1) June 1993

Contents

Editorial 1-5

An annotated checklist of birds of north-eastern Central African Republic

François Bretagnolle. 6-16

Observations sur la présence et l'abondance des oiseaux au Tchad.

W.F. de Boer & F. Legoupil 17 - 23

Some new observations of forest birds in The Gambia.

T.Wacher 24-37

Garden and farm-bush birds of Njala, Sierra Leone.

J. Robert Harkrider 38 - 46

Short Notes

Seconde observation d'un Huîtrier pie Haematopus ostmlegus au Zaïre.

P. Flerroelen 47

WTiite-backed Night Heron Nycticomx leuconotus in' Sierra Leone.

Dudley lies 47 - 48

Breeding of Slender-billed Bulbul Andropadus gracilirostris in Sierra Leone.

G.D. Field 48-49

Nest sites of Brown Nightjar Caprimulgus binotatus and Collared Nightjar

C. ena trains. M.I. Evans 49 - 50

Book Reviews 50 - 58

Notices

59-60

,n\

MALIMBUS

Journal of the West African Ornithological Society

Revue de la Société d'Ornithologie de l’Ouest Africain

VOLUME 15 Number!

October 1993

West African Ornithological Society

Société d’ Ornithologie de TOuest Africain

Conseil 1993:

Président: Dr Gérard J. Morel

Vice-Président: John H. Elgood

Trésorier et chargé des abonnements: Robert E. Sharland

Secrétaire Générale: Mme Amberley M. Moore

Membre du Conseil: Dr Max Germain

Rédacteur en Chef: Dr Alan Tye

Comité de Rédaction: P.D. Alexander-Marrack, Dr RA. Cheke, Prof. J.E. Elgood,

G.D. Field, Dr L.D.C. Fishpool, Dr M. Louette, Dr G. J. Morel, Dr J.F. Walsh

La correspondance doit être adressée comme suit:

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Distribution: G.D. Field

1993

61

Population density of Red-throated Bee-eaters Merops

bullocki in a pristine habitat

by Humphrey Q.P. Crick

Zoology Department, Aberdeen University, Tilly drone Avenue,

Aberdeen, AB9 2TN, Scotland.

(Present address: British Trust for Ornithology, The Nunnery,

Thetford, Norfolk, IP24 2PU, U.K.)

Received 27 July 1992

Revised 18 July 1993

Summary

Red-throated Bee-eaters Merops bullocki in essentially pristine Guinea savanna

bordering tlie major river valley system in Yankari Game Reserve, northern

Nigeria, had an average population density of 25-50 birds per km^, with a peak

density of 50-90 per km^ along the central 7 km of the central river valley. The

population mean was c. 2-4 times as dense as that recorded in a high density

area of degraded savanna around the city of Zaria. Colony size was also 2-5

times larger and several low-quality sites were used. It is suggested that colony

site shortage occurs in the pristine habitat.

Résumé

Dans la savane guinéenne essentiellement intacte, qui borde le réseau de vallées

des rivières principales de la Yankari Game Reserve du nord du Nigéria, le

Guêpier à gorge rouge Merops bullocki atteignait une densité moyenne de 25-50

oiseaux au km^ avec un maximum de 50-90 sur les 7 km du cours moyen de la

vallée centrale. La densité moyenne était de c. 2-4 fois plus élevée que celle

relevée sur une zone à forte densité dans une savane érodée autour de la ville de

Zaria. La taille des colonies était aussi de 2-5 fois plus grande et plusieurs sites

médiocres étaient utilisés. On suggère que dans un habitat intact il y aurait

pénurie de sites propices.

Introduction

The Red-throated Bee-eater Merops bullocki is a medium-sized bee-eater weighing 20-

25 g (Crick & Fiy 1986). It inhabits Guinea savanna dissected by streams and rivers.

62

H.Q.P. Crick

Malimbus 15

Guruntun

Figure 1. Map of the centre of Yankari Game Reserve showing the approximate

ranges used by seven numbered populations of Red-throated Bee-eaters in the

valley of the River Gaji. Colony sites are denoted by filled circles and Wikki vUlage

by a star.

1993

Bee-eater population deœity

63

between about 8® and 12®N from Senegal to the Sudan, and nests in compact colonies

dug into earth bmks or cliffs ^ly 1984).

Fiy (1 972) suggested that colony distribution was determined by the occurrence of

cliffs suitable for nesting. Dyer (1979) predicted that Red-throated Bee-eaters in

Nigeria’s effectively pristine Yaikari Game Reserve would have fewer suitable nest

sites tiian in the degraded savanna farmland around Zaria in northern Nigeria (1 1®08’N,

7®47’E) where agricultural bush-clearance has promoted the formation of steep-sided

lateritic erosion gullies. This paper documents Red-throated Bee-eater colony

dispersion, size and habitat in Yanl^ Game Reserve in 1978-81 for comparison with

the population n^ Zaria.

Study Area and Methods

Yankari Game Reserve, in Bauchi State, Nigeria, is about 100 km south-east of Bauchi

City, and has an area of 2240 km^ between 9®30’ and 10®00’N and between 10® 15’ and

10®45’E in the Northern Guinea Savanna zone. It has been relatively undisturbed by

man and can be considered an example of savanna in its pristine state (Gadzama et ai

1974), containing, at the time of study, healthy populations of large vertebrates

including c. 350 African Elephant Loxodonta africana (Jia et al. 1982).

The major topographical feature of Yankari is tire River Gaji (Hausa for “tired”)

which flows perennially from north to south through the centre of the reserve and is a

tributary of the River Benue. It is fed by numerous warm springs and seepages which

are important in maintaining flow during the dry season. The River Gaji has cut a valley

up to 1 km wide, bounded in places by sheer sandstone escarpments up to 30 m high. At

various places along the escarpments, water run-off from the surrounding land has

caused severe erosion, leaving large areas of bare lateritic gullies and cliffs suitable for

bee-eater colonies.

The vegetation of Yankari consists of riparian formations and savanna woodland

(Geerling 1973). The former comprise Cyperus exalta tus swamp, Jardinia congoensis

grassland. Mimosa pigm scrub, and dense evergreen forest. The savanna woodland is

intermediate between Northern Guinea and Sudan types (Keay 1959) dominated by

Afzelia africana, Burkea africana, Anogeissus leiocarpus, Detarium spp. and

Combretum spp. On the well-drained, sandy and eroded soils found along gullies,

seasonal stream beds and bordering the highly eroded areas along the escarpment of the

River Gaji are dense stands of 10-15 m tall Pteleopsis habeensis.

Red-throated Bee-eaters return to the area of their previous breeding colony as the

rainy season ends in September. Nest-tunnel excavation begins adjacent to the old

colony, or up to 0.5 km distant, and continues until November. In September 1979 and

1 980, a systematic search was made along tire valley of the River Gaji to find colony

sites. Eroded areas md gullies were investigated on foot, after having been identified

from aerial photographs. New colonies were also found by observing the flight direction

of bee-eaters to and from night-time ftee-roosts. Areas outside the valley were also

64

H.Q.P. Click

Malimbus 15

searched, particularly in areas located from aerial photographs where seasonal streams

occurred, but no colonies or Red-throated Bee-eaters were found.

Results

All colonies were found within 2 km of the River Gaji and no bee-eaters were seen to

forage further than 3 km from the river. Colonies were found on the banks of the Gaji

(which were exposed as water-levels dropped in September), in highly eroded areas

along the escarpments of the river valley and in gullies cut into the surrounding plain.

There were seven main populations of Red-throated Bee-eaters whose boundaries

(Fig. 1) were determined from sightings of marked individuals and of interchange

between colony sites. Bee-eaters were rarely seen, and marked individuals never seen,

in the larger gaps between foraging areas.

Table 1. Red-throated Bee-eater populations in Yankari Game Reserve between

Guruntun Bridge and Fadaman Valley, 1978-81.

1993

Bee-eater population density

65

The seven populations used or tried to use 17 colony locations (Table 1).

Population estimates were made from observations of numbers of birds and nest-holes.

The high number of colonies for Population 4 was a result of abandonment of sites due

to tourist vehicle disturbance (ODC) or predator activity (Nile Monitor Lizards Vamnus

niloticus at C17 and C19). Most colonies were in eroded areas in vertical lateritic cliffs

2-5 m high, with nest-holes dug into a band 1-3 m wide, starting at about 0.5 m from the

top. Exposed roots projecting from such cliffs were used as perches by bee-eaters. One

unusual level-ground location (C3) has been described before (Crick & Fry 1980).

An estimate of population density from the figures in Table 1, although

approximate, allows comparison with other published data. The seven populations

contained c. 1250 Red-throated Bee-eaters (before nesting began), giving a mean of c.

1 80 individuals per population. Most foraging during the dry season (September to

March) was made in the river valley (c. 1-2 km wide), so the bee-eaters occupied an

area of 25-50 km^ along the 25 km length of the River Gaji surveyed, i.e. 25-50 birds

per km^ However, this calculation includes some areas which were not used by Red-

throated Bee-eaters and can be considered an underestimate. If one considers just the

central section of river, containing three contiguous populations (4, 5 and 6), there were

about 650 bee-eaters in 7-14 km^ representing a density of 50-90 birds per km^

Discussion

Yankari is probably similar to the typical habitat of the Red-throated Bee-eater during

its recent evolutionary history. The estimated maximum population density of Red-

throated Bee-eaters in Yankari was 50-90 per km^ Fry (1984) estimated the population

of bee-eaters in degraded savanna woodland around Zaria, which he considered to be a

high density area, to be 21 per km^ This was in an area of 25 km^ which included

feeding territories but not unutilized areas. This high density area was separated from

others by c. 5 km by watersheds. He calculated an average density over the terrain as a

whole of 0.59 birds per kml The density of bee-eaters in Yankari Game Reserve was

estimated as 0.56 birds per km^ if measured over its full 2240 km^ area.

Colony size was larger in Yankari than near Zaria. Most colonies contained 100 or

more individuals in Yankari, but the normal size near Zaria was about 60, with a range

of 9-1 10 (Fry 1973). Dyer (1979) predicted that Yankari would have more pressure on

suitable nest sites because, without agricultural clearance of savanna woodland, erosion

gullies would be rarer. Dyer’s prediction appears to be bom out because Red-throated

Bee-eaters in Yankari not only form more crowded colonies and denser populations but

also use unsuitable colony sites. One colony was set in a shallow sandy bank, sloping at

about 30® and was destroyed when elephants walked across it (pers. obs.). Other

colonies were dug in flat ground, not previously documented.

Lack of suitable nesting habitat is actually just one of a range of plausible

explanations for the differences in colony size (Wittenberger & Hunt 1985). However,

there has been httle investigation into the consequences of colony size variation within

66

H.Q.P. Crick

Malimbus 1 5

species and more work is needed (Brown et al 1 990). Red-throated Bee-eaters appear

to be obligate colonial breeders (Siegel-Causey & Kharitonov 1990), having highly

developed social behaviour which may result in energetic as well as anti-predator

benefits. In their review, Siegel-Causey & Kharitonov (1990) concluded that an

unpredictable and abundant food supply is the most likely cause of coloniality, perhaps

through benefits such as information transfer (Brown ei al 1991), whereas predation

will determine the form of a colony. Thus, although it may be true that nest-site

shortage may limit nesting opportunities in Yankari, the greater size of colonies may

reflect a more unpredictable or abundant food supply or higher predation risks than near

Zaria.

Fry (1973) concluded “that bee-eaters encounter very little direct competition for

Hymenoptera and that they occupy the niche of predation on larger, venomous, flying

Hymenoptera practically alone”. It is interesting to ask why Little Bee-eaters Merops

pusillus, which live in the same habitat as Red-throated Bee-eaters, nest solitarily in

earth banks. Fry (1984) suggested that the prey of Little Bee-eaters, with a greater

proportion of small Coleoptera and Diptera and fewer Hymenoptera than taken by Red-

throats, are more stable and predictable in one locality, allowing the economic defence

of breeding territories. Territoriality may limit their population density, which Fry

(1 984) estimated at 5 per km^ near Zaria. Little Bee-eaters also appeared to be much

less abimdant than Red-throated Bee-eaters in Yankari (pers. obs.). It seems reasonable

to hypothesize therefore that Red- throated Bee-eaters are colonial nesters because their

food supply is relatively abundant but spatially unpredictable.

Acknowledgments

This was part of a study funded by the U.K. Natural Environment Research Council. I

thank Dr Hilary Fry and Dr Roger Wilkinson for supervisory help and Dr Augustine

Ezealor, Ahmadhu Makama, Phil & Nicki Marshall for help in the field. Dr Robert

Prys- Jones made valuable comments on an earlier draft of the manuscript.

References

Brown, C.R., Brown, M.B. & Shaffer, M.L. (1991) Food-sharing signals among

socially foraging Chff Swallows. Anim. Behav. 42: 551-564.

Brown, C.R., Stutchbury, B.J. & Walsh, P.D. (1990) Choice of colony size in birds.

Trends Ecoi Evol 5: 398-403.

Crick, H.Q.P. & Fry, C.H. (1980) Level-ground nesting by Merops bullocki. Malimbus

2: 73-75.

Crick, H.Q.P. & Fry, C.H. (1986) Effects of helpers on parental condition in red-

throated bee-eaters {Merops bullocki). J. Anim. Ecol. 55: 893-905.

Dyer, M. (1979) The Adaptive Significance of Cooperative Breeding in the Red-

1993

Bœ-€ater population density

67

throated Bee-eater (Merops bullockij (Vieillot) and Other Bee-eaters. Ph.D Thesis,

Aberdeen University.

Fry, C.H. (1972) The social organisation of bee-eaters (Meropidae) and cooperative

breeding in hot climate birds. Ibis 114: 1-14.

Fry, C.H. (1973) The biology of African bee-eaters. Living Bird 11: 75-112.

Fry, C.H. (1984) The Bee-eaters. Poyser, Calton.

Gadzama, N.M., Mustafa, S. & Parr, M.J. (1974) Notes on the history of human

influence in the Yankari Game Reserve area, Nigeria. Nigerian Field 39: 76-85.

Geerling, C. (1973) The Vegetation of Yankari Game Reserve: its Utilisation and

Condition. Bulletin 3, Dept of Forestry, Ibadan University.

JiA, I, Marshall, P.J. & Crick, H.Q.P. (1982) A Guide to the Yankari Game Reserve.

Hudahuda, Zaria.

Keay, R.W.J. (1959) Vegetation Map of Africa South of the Tropic of Cancer. Oxford

University Press, Oxford.

Siegel-Causey, D. & Kharitonov, S.P. (1990) The evolution of coloniality. Current

Omithol 7: 285-330.

WiTTENBERGER, J.F. & HuNT, G.L. (1985) The adaptive significance of coloniality in

birds. Avian Biol 8: 1-78.

Lemon-rymped Tinkerbird - Barblon à croupion jaune ~ Pogomulm hUmeatm

Photo H.Q.P. Crick

68

Malimbus 1 5

Additions and corrections to the avifauna of Congo

by F. Dowsett-Lemaire*, RJ. Dowsett* and P„ Bulens^

‘Rue des Lavandes 12, 34190 Ganges, France

^SMTL, BP 25 1 , 97200 Fort de France, Martinique

Received 15 December 1992

Revised 21 May 1993

Summary

This paper documents 69 recent additions and a few corrections to the

preliminary checklist of the Congo avifauna published by Dowsett & Dowsett-

Lemaire (1989). The total number of species now known from the country is

567. All the recent records are from the south-western part of the country ; the

north is still largely unexplored. Fifteen of the new records are of Palaearctic

migrants (including Chamdrius alexandrinm, the most southerly sighting so

far) or vagrants {Calidris subminuta). New intra-African migrants include die

swallows Hirundo cucullaia and H. spilodera, on the late date of 4 November.

Most new records of forest birds fill gaps between forestoi regions to the north

and south where these species were already known, or represent southward

extensions from Gabon. Several of these are from flooded forest, a habitat rather

neglected by naturalists so far {e.g. Canimllm oculem, Jubuk iettii, Scotopeiia

bouvieri, Caprimulgm batesi).

Résumé

Cet article documente 69 additions récentes et quelques corrections à la liste

préhminaire des oiseaux du Congo publiée par Dowsett & Dowsett-Lemaire

(1989), ce qui donne un total de 567 espèces. Toutes ces nouvelles données

proviennent du sud-ouest du pays; le nord reste encore largement inexploré.

Quinze des données récentes concernent des espèces paléarctiques, y compris

Charadrius alexandrinus (dont c'est Lobservation la plus méridionale en

Afrique) et un erratique, Calidris subminuta. Parmi les migrateurs intra-

africains, citons les hirondelles Hinmdo cucuüata et H. spilodera, de passage

tardif un 4 novembre. La plupart des nouvelles données d’espèces forestières

étaient à prévoir comme ces oiseaux étaient déjà connus au nord et au sud du

Mayombe congolais; d’autres représentent une extension vers le sud à partir de

la forêt gabonaise. Plusieurs de ces espèces fréquentent essentiellement ou

exclusivement la forêt inondée, un milieu fort peu étudié jusqu’ici, par ex.

Canirallus oculeus, Jubuh letiii, Scotopeiia bouvieri, Caprimulgm batesi.

1993

Birds of Congo

69

Introduction

This paper updates the preliminary checklist of the birds of Congo published by

Dowsett & Dowsett-Lemaire (1989): tiierem^ some 500 species were considered

sufficiently well docmnented while a number of doubtful records were also mentioned

as requiring confirmation.

From August 1990 to January 1991, with one week in April 1991, FD-L and RJD

carried out a study of die natural resources of the Kouilou basin (from the coast to the

Mayombe) on behalf of the petroleum company Conoco (Dowsett & Dowsett-Lemaire

1991). Habitats in the basin are diverse and include dry-land forest (virtually the only

habitat on the Mayombe hills), seasonally and permanently flooded forest (extensive in

the sublittoral zone of the lower Kouilou basin), mixed papyrus marsh, flooded

grassland, dry sandy grassland, mangrove, coastal thickets, rivers and some small lakes.

Some 427 species were recorded in and around Conoco’s concession (4°-4®40’S,

1 1®40'-12°10'E), including many new country records (Dowsett-Lemaire & Dowsett

1991). Since for most species apart from the seabirds (Dowsett & Simpson 1991)

details of localities and dates were not given, it seems preferable to list and substantiate

all additions to the 1989 checklist in Üie present paper. For seven species of seabirds

new to die country, details appear in Dowsett & Simpson (1991), the species being the

Southern Giant Petrel Macronectes giganteus, Wilson’s Storm Petrel Oceanites

oceanicus, Madeiran Storm Petrel Oceanodroma castro, Pomarine Skua Stercorarius

pomarinus, Sabine’s Gull Larus sabirti, Caspian Tern Sterna caspia and Little Tern S.

albifrons. All but the last two were seen mainly off-shore, with one Oceanites seen

along Tchissanga beach on one occasion.

PB was resident in Pointe-Noire from May 1990 to Mar 1992 and contributed

several new records from coastal regions. We also include a few new species records

provided by R.D.H. Simpson (pers. comm.) during excursions along the coast (1985-

1991), and one observation by R. Demey {in litt.) on a visit to Brazzaville.

Details of plumage are given below for only a few species, i.e. the more tricky and

unusual ones. Corrections to the 1 989 list concern some critical specimens examined in

Paris (Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle) by RJD and FD-L in 1991, and the local

status of three bulbuls has to be modified after the confusion over identifications based

on published tapes (Chappuis 1975) was sorted out during 1990. Finally, the one other

post-1989 reference to the counhy’s avifauna (Hecketsweiler & Mokoko Ikonga 1991)

has added several improbable species without justification: unacceptable records are

detailed below. ^

A gazetteer of Congo zoological localities was published by Dowsett (1991);

coordinates of sites mmtioned for the first time here are: Djéno 4®56’S, 1 r57’E; Foni

(Lac) 4®30’S, ir46’E; Loufoualéba (Lac) 4®55’S, ITSS’E; Malélé 4®25’S, 12®8’E;

Mango-Tandou 4®33’S, 1 1®59’E; Pointe-Indienne 4°40’S, 1 1°47’E.

70

F. Dowsett-Lemaire, RJ. Dowsett& P. Bulens

Malimbus 1 5

Additions to the Congo List

Jackass Penguin Spheniscus demersus. Dowsett & Dowsett-Lemaire (1989) and

Dowsett & Simpson (1991) overlooked a report of one captured by a fisherman (and

seen by a zoologist) at Pointe-Noire in March 1954 (Malbrant & Maclatchy 1958).

While one cannot be sure that this bird arrived without an assisted passage on a boat, its

occurrence as a natural vagrant is supported by another, in Gabon further north, away

from the route taken by boats to and from the Cape (Malbrant & Maclatchy 1 958).

White-breasted Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo. Only two observations: one on Lac

Loufoualéba (Djéno) 18 Aug 1990 (PB); one on the Kouilou River at Kakamoéka 12

Oct 1990 (FD-L).

Tiger Bittern Tigriornis leucolophus. Recorded throughout the region, in swamp

forest and along small streams in rain forest (FD-L, RJD).

Black Duck Anas sparsa. An adult was well seen on a small wooded river near Bas-

Kouilou in August 1986 (R.D.H. Simpson pers. comm.).

Black-breasted Snake Eagle Circaetus gallicus pectoralis. A pair seen twice in forest

clearings near Béna (Sep and Nov 1990, FD-L and RJD). The species was already

known, from a specimen collected in Brazzaville (Malbrant & Maclatchy 1949), but

was omitted in error from our 1989 checklist.

Montagu’s Harrier Circus pygargus. One male over coastal savanna near Bas-

Kouilou, on 29 Jan 1991 (FD-L, RJD).

European Marsh Harrier C aeruginosas. One female at Bas-Kouilou (over

mangrove) 2 Jan 1991 (FD-L, RJD); a female near Diosso 3 Mar 1991 and an

immature at Lac Foni 20 Feb 1992 (PB, latter with P. Alexander-Marrack).

Chestnut-flanked Goshawk Accipiter castanilius. One flying low through forest

understorey atGoumina, 16 Sep 1990 (FD-L).

Black Goshawk A melanoleucus. A few observations of singles in sublittoral forest-

savanna mosaic and in the Mayombe (FD-L, RJD).

Steppe Buzzard Buteo buteo. Three sightings, 6 Jan 1991 at Bas-Kouilou (PB, RJD),

17 Feb 1991 at Mango-Tandou and 21 Sep 1991 atL. Foni (PB).

Grey Kestrel Falco ardosiaceus. One seen near Djéno on two occasions (30 Dec 1990,

24 Mar 1991) with a pair on 12 Feb 1992, in savanna dotted with small tree clumps

(PB).

1993

Birds of Congo

71

Harlequin Quail Cotumbc detegorgueL A female (breeding?) watched closely several

times in dry grassland at Ménengué (Sep 1990, FD-L, RJD), and a pair seen near

Pointe-Indienne 8 Mar 1992 by PB who also saw the species in captivity there.

Nkulengu Rail Himantornis haemmtopm. Heard widely in dry-land rain forest,

especially in the Mayombe; tape-recorded (FD-L).

Grey-throated Rail CmiraUm ocukm. Commonly heard, even numerous, in flooded

forest of the Kouilou basin, and in the Mayombe ^agne) where the right habitat is far

more local (FD-L). Densities and voice are described in Dowsett-Lemaire & Dowsett

(1991).

Btthm’s Flufftail Sarffûtmm boehnd. Heard in rank grass near the coast, at Tchissanga

and Mpindé, from 17 Dec 1990 to Jan 1991 (FD-L).

Striped Crake Aenigmatdmmm nmtgiimlis. At least two birds (a male and a female,

judging by their coloration) were flushed from a seasonal sedge and Jardinea grass

swamp at Bas-Kouilou on 1 Jan 1991 (FD-L). The wato* was 20-30 cm deep.

Ringed Plover Charadrim hitdkula. Two first-year birds on muddy shore at Bas-

Kouilou 14 Nov 1990 (FD-L, RJD); three at Pointe-Noire beach 13 Jan 1991 (FD-L,

RJD, PB); subsequently seen at Pointe-Indienne by PB {e.g. Dec 1991).

Three-handed Plover C tricollam. Two adults on diy land in the port area of Pointe-

Noire 22 Oct 1990 (RJD).

Kentish Hover C tdexmtdrinm. One well seen on Pointe-Indierme beach 8 Dec 1991

by PB (the dark lateral breast patches, and in flight broad white sides to the tail,

distinguished this from other possible Charadrim species).

Little Stint Calidris ndnuta. Several near Tchissanga 4 Dec 1990 (RJD, see next

species), and two on Pointe-Noire beach 13 Jan 1991 (FD-L, RJD, PB).

Long-toed Stint C subndnuta. On 14 Nov 1990 we found an unfamiliar stint Calidris

sp. in a small group of waders pushed by the high tide onto dry ground near the

buildings of Conoco’s base at the Kouilou River mouth (4®27'S, IIMLE). We were

watching tiiese birds at a range of just a few metres, with binocula-s, from our vehicle.

Other species in the group, alongside the stint, were Sanderlings C alba. Ringed

Plovers and a White-fronted Sandplover Charadrius marginaius.

We were struck by the bird's yellowish-green legs and very upright, long-necked

appearance. It was a small stint, witii a fairly long bill (longer than in Little Stint C

minuta). It was generally greyish, with a slight band of streaking on the chest, and

traces on the back of a few brown feathers. In flight it showed a white wing bar and

72

F. Dowsett-Lemaire, RJ. Dowsett& P. Bulens

Malimbus 1 5

white sides to the tail. We were convinced that the leg colour was natural, and the

following three species came to mind: Temminck’s Stint C. temminckii. Long-toed Stint

or Least Sandpiper C minutilla. Its “jizz” and streaky plumage were not at all like

Temminck’s Stint, which reminds us of a miniature Common Sandpiper Aciitis

hypoleucos. The long-necked appearance pointed more to Long-toed Stint; when we

renewed an acquaintance with Least Sandpipers in Maryland in early 1992, we felt we

could definitely rule out that dark, stumpy httle bird, which has a relatively short neck

and legs.

We were unable to photograph this bird or to show it to another ornithologist, but

we are confident of the identification. The few African records are mostly from the east

(Urban et al. 1 986), with a couple from South Africa. One of these, a captured bird, was

originally identified as Least Sandpiper (Sinclair et al. 1984, 1986) but there is as yet no

acceptable record of the latter in Africa.

Curlew Sandpiper C ferruginea. A dozen or so with Little Stints by a road puddle

near Tchissanga beach 4 Dec 1990 (RJD). Also seen at Pointe-Noire by PB (no dates).

Curlew Numenius arquata. Two seen with Whimbrels N. phaeopiis at Bas-Kouilou 26

Aug 1990 (FD-L,RJD, PB).

Redshank Tringa totanus. Singles seen by R.D.H. Simpson, e.g. Bas-Kouilou in Sep

1990 and Pointe-Noire harbour.

Cinnamon Dove Coluntba larvata. We have checked the specimen from Brazzaville

mentioned in Malbrant & Maclatchy (1949), which is in Paris, and found it correctly

identified. The locality is unusual for a species which is essentially montane.

Emerald-spotted Wood-Dove Turtur chalcospUos. One pair and a single on the road

between Madingo-Kayes and Lac Youbi 29 Jan 1991 (FD-L, RJD); also seen on a few

occasions by PB in the coastal region.

Pied Crested Cuckoo Oxylophus jacobinus. Two of the race pica (with a white chest)

at Bas-Kouilou 2 Jan 1991 (RJD).

Great Spotted Cuckoo Clantator glandarius. One seen by RJD at Tchissanga 4 Dec

1990.

Olive Long-tailed Cuckoo Cercococcyx olivinus. Very common and noisy in the

Mayombe Sep-Dec, more local near the coast (flooded forest at Koubotchi). Tape-

recorded (FD-L).

White-browed Coucal Centropus superciliosus. One well seen in savanna near Djéno

21 Jul 1991 (PB).

1993

Birds of Congo

73

Maned Owl Jubulm leML Very noisy in the rains, and occurring in high numbers in

flooded forests of the Kouilou basin, more local in the Mayombe: for a description of

the voice and densities see Dowsett-Lemaire (1992). The voice is quite unlike that

described in Fry el al. (1988), which is in fact of male Strix woodfordiL

Bouvier* s Fishing Owl Scotopelia bmvieri Frequents the same habitat as the previous

species, and also quite common (FD-L). Tape-recorded. PB also saw a specimen shot

near Pointe-Indienne m Aug 1990 and a tame immature at Mango-Tandou (Jun 1991)

taken from the Ntombo marsh and fed on sardines.

Bates’s Nightjar Caprimulgm batesL Another species characteristic of seasonally

flooded forest (Ménengué, Koubotchi, Béna), with a veiy long calling season (Dowsett-

Lemaire & Dowsett 1991). Tape-recorded.

Horus Swift Apm horns. Quite common in small numbers in the gorges of Diosso and

Tchissanga, wifli a small proportion of the dark-ramped morph ^"touhonf\ especially in

Aug-Sep. Also occasionally elsewhere (Bas-Kouilou Jul, Sounda Sep, Mpindé Apr)

(FD-L, RJD, PB).

Cassin’s Honeyguide Fmdotiscus imignis. One flycatching on the edge of forest at

Goumina, 16 Sep 1990 (FD-L); one near Mango-Tandou, 6 Apr 1991 (PB).

Black-throated Honeyguide Indicator mdkator, A few heard singing in the dry forest

of coastal gorges (Diosso, TchissMiga) in Aug-Sep 1990 (FD-L, RJD), and at Djéno

(PB).

African Picukt Smia afrkana. One on the edge of secondary low thicket near Mpindé

23 Dec 1990 (PB).

Greater Striped Swallow Hinmdo cucultata. Two at Mpindé on 4 Nov 1990, among

flocks of migrating swallows {K rustica, spilodera and rufiguîa) (RJD). Their large

size, pale buff rump and very indistinct streaking below clearly distinguished them from

species with which they might be conftised. RJD is familiar with the species in southern

Africa.

South African Cliff Swallow K spUodera. A few well seen in mixed swallow flock

(see above) at Mpindé 4 Nov 1990 (RJD)v They were clearly distinguishable from the

H. ruftguia by their lack of white in the short tail, and the mottled, not dark, chin and

upper breast.

Wire-tailed Swallow H. smitML Six passing over the beach at Tchissanga (5 Oct 1990)

and a pair at Sounda on the Kouilou (19 Oct, FD-L).

74

F. Dowsett-Lemaire, RJ. Dowsett& P. Bulens

Malimbus 1 5

Blue CuckoO”Shrike Coracma azurea. Widespread in the Mayombe, more local nem-

the coast (Koubotchi), often as pairs in mixed bird parties.

Ansorge’s Bulbul Andropadm mtsorgeL One tape-recorded at Goumina, in fairly

untouched forest on tire Kouilou River, 16 Sep 1990 (FD-L).

Icterine Bulbul Phyllmtrephm kterinm. Widespread and common in rain and swamp

forest from the subhttoral zone to the Mayombe. The vocalisations are described in

Dowsett-Lemaire & Dowsett (1991) vrith the aid of sonograms; with the help of colour-

ringing and playback experiments, FD-L was able to show that Chappuis's (1975)

second and third tape sequences attributed to White-throated Bulbul P. alboguhris

apply instead to P. icterinus.

Gorgeous Bush-Shrike Malaconotiis viridis. Two or three singers in each of three

localities of coastal savanna, at Pointe-Indienne, Diosso Museum, and the road from

Diosso to Mpindé, Mar 1991 to Feb 1992 (PB). The song was heard in Mar, Jul, Oct,

Jan-Feb, and was tape-recorded. The habitat (overgrown cassava gardens) is atypical of

the species elsewhere in Africa {e.g. Zambia and Malawi).

Red-backed Shrike Lanim coUurio. A female or immature seen at Pointe-Indierme 4

Nov 1990 (FD-L, RJD), and an immature at Mpindé 16 Nov 1991 (PB).

European Oriole Oriolm oriolm. A female well seen at Pointe-Indienne 4 Nov 1 990

(FD-L, RJD); two birds at Djéno 4 Nov 1991 (PB vrith D.E. Sargeant).

Red-shouldered Starling Lamprotoims nüem. One was well seen (and its yellow eyes

noted) perched on a dead tree at Djéno 6 May 1990 (PB).

Wattled Starling Creatophom cmerea. One in non-breeding dress watched in a dead

tree at Djéno 6 Oct 1990, and about 50 (also in eclipse plumage) feeding in cassava

fields 4 km north of Djéno 2 1 Jul 1 99 1 (PB).

Rufous Cane-Warbler Acrocephalm mfescem. A few resident in papyrus at Lac

Nanga (FD-L, RJD, PB) and Lac Loufoualéba (PB).

Lemon-bellied Crombec Sylnetta denti A few seen and heard in tall open canopy at

Koubotchi (FD-L).

Tit-Hylia Pholidomis rmhiae. A singing bird well seen at Goumina, and many heard

there and elsewhere in the Mayombe from the Kakamoéka arœ to Dimonika and Col de

Bamba (FD-L). The loud trilling song, illustrated spectrographically in Dowsett-

Lemaire & Dowsett (1991), is more suggestive of Sylviidae than Remizidae.

1993

Birds of Congo

75

Violet-backed Hyliota Hyliota violacea. One seen near Soimda in a mixed bird party

22 Jul 1990 (PB) and at Goumina 15 Sep 1990 (FD-L).

[Fernando Po Batis Batis (tmninta) poensis. The song of an unfamiliar Batis or

Platysteira was heard in Oct 1 990 at Goumina (FD-L); it was not possible to see the

bird in the dense vegetation. From tapes kindly made available by C. Chappuis from

Gabon, it seems B. poensis is the only possibility, but confirmation is desirable. The

voice of B, minima (sensu stricto) is very different.]

Blue-headed Crested Flycatcher Trochocercus nitens. Common locally in dense

forest understorey and thickets from Koubotchi to the Mayombe.

Rufous-bellied Tit Pams mjiventris. This species was identified by R. Demey (in litt.)

in savaima bush north of Brazzaville 16 Dec 1 990.

Yellow-fronted Penduline Tit Retniz Jlavifrotts. Three watched at close range at

Goumina, and one singing at Béna (FD-L) in Oct 1990, but this elusive species may be

more widespread than these records suggest.

Mouse-brown Sunbird Anthreptes gabonicus. One at Djéno in riparian bush Jul 1990

and Apr 1991 (PB), and one on the edge of riparian forest on the Kouilou at Goumina in

Sep 1990 (FD-L).

Reichenbach’s Sunbird Nectarinia reichenbachii. Locally very common in low bushy

vegetation over water all along the coast and inland to Lac Nanga.

Thick-billed Weaver Antblyospiza albifrons. Small breeding colonies established in

Typha reed-beds at Pointe-Noire, particularly active in December (PB, FD-L, RJD); two

nests in papyrus at Djéno being built in Jan, and old nests at Pointe-Indienne (PB).

Breeding birds correspond to the description of the nearest known race, saturata from

Bas-Zaïre (RJD).

Lesser Masked Weaver Ploceus interniedius. One male seen closely at Ménengué 28

Dec 1 990 (RJD); several nests under construction in papyrus heads on the shores of Lac

Nanga in Nov, and a female brooding there in Jan (FD-L).

Yellow-mantled Weaver P. tricolor. Seen locally in forest canopy, usually in bird

parties, from Koubotchi to the Mayombe."^

Brown-capped Weaver P. ittsignis. A specimen collected by Descarpentries & Vilhers

(1964) in the Chaillu Mts at Mbila, and attributed by them to Preuss’s Golden-backed

Weaver P. preussi, was re-examined by us in Paris and it appears instead to be an

immature male P. insignis. This is an interesting addition to the other two highland

76

F. Dowsett-Lemaire, RJ. Dowsett& P. Bulens

Malimbus 15

species already known from the Mayombe summit: Crossley’s Ground Thrush Zoothera

(gumeyi) crossleyi and Pink-footed Puffback Dryoscopm angolensis (Dowsett-Lemaire

& Dowsett 1989).

Red-bellied Malimbe Malimbus erythrogaster. One well seen in a tall tree by the road

at Béna 22 Nov 1990 (FD-L), and subsequently by PB (Jun and Nov 1991).

Modifications of status

From the hst of birds published by Dowsett-Lemaire & Dowsett (1991), it is clear that

the known ranges of many species have now been extended into coastal Congo.

White-throated Bee-eater Merops albicoUis, From a review of the literature Dowsett

& Dowsett-Lemaire (1 989) assumed that this species was a widespread migrant in

southern Congo. We, however, did not see it, and believe it is likely to be of only

irregular occurrence there.

White-throated Bulbul Phyllastrephus albigularis. Some records by Dowsett &

Dowsett-Lemaire (1989) from the Mayombe were based on sound, but FD-L became

convinced in 1990 that the relevant vocalisations were in fact all of P. icterinus (cf.

above). Therefore the only certain record we have of P. albigularis is a bird captured at

Col de Bamba in June 1 989.

Xavier’s Bulbul P. xavieri Chappuis’s (1975) recording attributed to this species

actually belongs to Serine Bulbul Calyptocichla serina: our 1989 records of P. xavieri

based on voice are therefore considérai invalid and the species may not occur in this

part of Congo. The calls presented by Chappuis as P. icterinus may actually be of P.

xavieri-, some observations in Uganda by FD-L suggest this but more research is needed

elsewhere, especially by tape-recording colour-ringed (measured) birds and playback

experiments.

Species to be deleted from the Congo list

Grey-green Bush-Shrike Malaconotus bocagei The single Congo record (Dowsett-

Lemaire & Dowsett 1 989) was based on a brief sighting of a silent individual, and was

not confirmed during subsequent visits to the Mayombe. We prefer to withdraw it,

although the species should eventually be found in southern Congo, given that it is

already known from the Zaire side (Chapin 1954).

Preuss’s Golden-backed Weaver Ploceus preussi. The immature specimen mentioned

by Descarpentries & Villiers (1964) was re-examined by FD-L and RJD and appears in

1993

Birds of Congo

77

fact to be P. imi^is (sœ above). There are no other records of P. preussi for Congo; it

is however known from the Zairean Mayombe (Schouteden 1926) and should

eventually be found in southern Congo.

Hecketsweiler & Mokoko Ikonga (1991) published a small list of species from the area

of the Conkouati reserve in southern Congo, based on observations in Jul-Aug 1990. A

number of birds tiiat they mention appear to be unlikely in southern Congo on account

of their distribution and/or dates. The following seven species are otherwise unknown

from Congo and we suggest they be rejected in the absence of substantiated records:

Garganey Anm querquedula. July-August are improbable months to find this

Palararctic species in Congo.

Stone-Partridge Pühpachm petmsm. Claimed from a forest locality in the Mayombe,

this savanna bird (from die Sahel and Guinea woodland) is unknown in west-central

Africa south of northern Cameroon and Central African Republic (Urban et al. 1 986).

Red-throated Bee-eater Memps buUockL This species also is unknown in west-central

Africa south of Cameroon and Central African Republic, whereas its sibling M

bulhckoides, common in Congo, is not mentioned by Hecketsweiler & Mokoko Ikonga

(1991).

Swallow-tailed Bee-eater M himndineus. A savanna species, unknown in west-

central Africa betwœn Nigeria and Angola.

Tawny Pipit Anthm camp^irm. This Palaearctic migrant is unknovra in west-central

Africa south of Nigeria and improbable tiiere during its brewing season (Jul-Aug). The

Long-legged Pipit A. palUdiventris, a common resident in coastal Congo, is not

mentioned by Hœketsweiler & Mokoko Ikonga (1991).

Blue-headed Sunbird Nectarinia oriüs and Preuss*s Double-collared Sunbird N.

premsi are both montane species, absent from western Africa south of Cameroon.

Swamp Boubou Lmiarim '^fermginem*' of Hecketsweiler & Mokoko Ikonga (1991)

should be understood as L bicolor (cf. Dowsett & Dowsett-Lemaire 1980, 1989).

Discussion

The total of 500 ^cies recorded for Congo by Dowsett & Dowsett-Lemaire (1989)

now becomes 567, with 69 additions and two deletions. Most of tiie 1 5 newly recorded

Palaœrctic migrants were to be expected except for Charadrius alexandrinus, the most

southerly record to date (after a recent record on the Gabonese coast: Christy 1 990), and

78

F. Dowsett-Lemaire, RJ. Dowsett& P. Bulens

Malimbus 15

Calidris subminuta which could only be a vagrant. Of the intra-African migrants,

Hirundo cucullata and H. spilodera were known to migrate to the lower Congo basin,

but only the latter was known north of Zaire (to Gabon). Early November must be about

the latest date for these birds to return to breeding areas in southern Africa. The

observation of flocks of Creatophora cinerea points to veiy wide dispersal abihties in a

species that was not previously known nearer than Luanda in central Angola (Traylor

1963).

Among forest birds, most of the new records fill gaps between southern Gabon to

the north, and Cabinda/Zairean Mayombe/Angola to the south where they were already

known (references in Dowsett & Dowsett-Lemaire 1989), i.e. Tigriomis leucolophus,

Accipiter castanilius^ Himantomis haematopus, Scotopelia bouvieri, Prodotiscus

insignis, Sasia africana, Comcina azurea, Pholidomis rushiae, Trochocercus nitens,

Anthreptes gabonicus, Nectarinia reichenbachii, Ploceus tricolor. Others represent

southward extensions from the Gabonese forest: Canirallus oculeus, Jubula lettii,

Caprimulgus batesi, Sylvietta denti, Remiz fhvifrons and Malimbus erythrogaster.

Of non-forest species, some were expected on the basis of wide African

distribution, e.g. Clamator and Oxylophus spp., Hirundo smithii, Acrocephalus

rufescens. Others must have originated from the Zambezian Region to the south: Apus

horus, Centropus superciliosus. Indicator indicator, Malaconotus viridis, Ploceus

intermedius and Parus rufiventris.

We feel that the coastal savannas of Congo have probably been sufficiently well

explored by now, especially by PB, to suspect that the rare Loango Slender-billed

Weaver Ploceus subpersonatus (recorded only from the Gabonese coast, Cabinda and

coastal Zaire) is absent from this country ; it is likely that its special habitat of clumps of

bushes and palm trees on the edge of permanent pools is missing (Collar & Stuart 1985;

PB’s observations in Gabon). Finally, of forest species known from both sides of the

Congolese Mayombe (Gabon and Bas-Zaire/Cabinda), only three have still to be found

in southern Congo: Malaconotus bocagei and Ploceus preussi for which the evidence is

so far unsatisfactory (see above), and the Narrow-tailed Starling Poeoptera lugubris.

A total of just under 570 species is still well below the potential for Congo, given

the size of the country and diversity of habitats. While the south and south-west in

particular are now reasonably well known, the northern forests and the savannas north

of Brazzaville remain much under-explored. Over 60 species recorded by Brosset &

Erard (1986) in north-east Gabon are still unknown from adjacent Congo. We hope that

research can be directed there in the future.

Acknowledgments

The research undertaken in the Kouilou region by FD-L and RJD was generously

sponsored by Conoco (Congo) Inc., and among the staff who were especially helpful we

would like to thank Rod MacAlister and Roger Simpson. Access to the collections of

the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (Paris) was kindly provided by Dr C. Erard.

1993

Birds of Congo

79

We are gratefiil to Richard Brooke for bringing to our attention the penguin record, and

to Dr L.D.C. Fishpool and anoüier referee for their comments on the manuscript.

References

Brosset, a. & Erard, C, (1986) Les Oiseaux des Régions Forestières du Nord-Ouest

du Gabon, vol I: Ecologie et Comportement des Espèces. Société Nationale de

Protœtion de la Nature, Paris.

Chapin, J.P. (1954) The birds of the Belgian Congo, part 4. Bull Amer. Mus. Nat Hist

75B: 1^846.

Chappuis, C. (1975) Illustration sonore de problèmes bioacoustiques posés par les

oiseaux de la zone éthiopienne. Ahuda 43: 427-474. O^isque ALA 10, no. 5).

Christy, P. (1990) New records of Palaearctic migrants in Gabon. Malimbus 1 1 : 117-

122.

Collar, NJ. & Stuart, S. N. (1985) Threatened Birds of Africa and Related Islands.

LC.B.P./I.U.C.N, Cambridge.

Descarpentries, a. & ViLLiERS, A. (1964) Contribution à la faune du Congo

(Brazzaville). Mission A. Villiers & A. Descarpentries. H. Oiseaux. Bull Inst. fr.

Afr. noire 26A: 10234032, 1346-1392.

Dowsett, R.J. (1991) GazetteCT of zoological localities in Congo. Tauraco Res. Rep. 4:

335-340.

Dowsett, R.J. & Dowsett-Lemaire, F. (1980) The systematic status of some Zambian

birds. Gerfaut 10: 151-199.

Dowsett, R.J. & Dowsett-Lemaire, F. (1989) Liste préliminaire des oiseaux du

Congo. Tauraco Res. Rep. 2: 29-51.

Dowsett, R.J. & Dowsett-Lemaire, F. (eds) (1991) Flore et faune du bassin du

Kouilou (Congo) et leur exploitation. Tauraco Res. Rep^A: 1-340.

Dowsett, R.J. & Simpson, R.D.H. (1991) The status of seabirds off the coast of Congo.

Tauraco Res. Rep. 4: 241-250.

Dowsett-Lemaire, F. (1992) On the vocal behaviour and habitat of the Maned Owl

Jubuk lettii in south-western Congo. Bull Brit Omithol Club 112: 213-218.

Dowsett-Lemaire, F. & Dowsett, R.J. (1989) Liste commentée des oiseaux de la forêt

duMayombe (Congo). Tauraco Res. Rep. 2: 5-16.

Dowsett-Lemaire, F. & Dowsett, R.J. (1991) The avifauna of the Kouilou basin in

Congo. Tauraco Res. Rep. 4: 189-239.

Fry, C.H., Keith, S. & Urban, E.K. (1988) The Birds of Africa, vol. 3. Academie

Press, London.

Hechets^iler, P. & Mokoko Ikonga, J. (1991) lâf Réserve de Conkouati, Congo. Le

Secteur Sud-est lUCN, Gland.

Malbrant, R. & Maclatchy, R. (1949) Faune de l’Equateur Africain Français, vol.

1 . Oiseaux. Chevalier, Paris,

80

F. Dowsett-Lemaire, R.J. Dowsett& P. Bulens

Malimbus 1 5

Malbrant, R. & Maclatchy, R. (1949) Faune de V Equateur Africain Français, vol.

1. Oiseaux. Chevalier, Paris.

Malbrant, R. & Maclatchy, R. (1958) A propos de l’occurrence de deux oiseaux

d’Afrique australe au Gabon: le Manchot du Cap, Spheniscus demersus Linné et la

Grue Couronnée, Balearica regulorum Bennett. Oiseau Rev. fr. Om. 28: 84-86.

ScHOUTEDEN, H. (1926) Confributicms à la faune ornithologique du Congo belge. VI.

Mes récoltes ornithologiques dans le Bas Congo. Rev. Zool. afr. 13: 182-206.

Sinclair, J.C. & the Rarities Committee. (1984) S.A.O.S. Rarities Committee Report.

Bokmakierie 36: 64-68.

Sinclair, J.C. & the Rarities Committee. (1986) S.A.O.S. Rarities Committee’s

Annual Report. Bokmakierie 38: 20-25.

Traylor, M.A. (1%3) Check hst of Angolan birds. Publ. cult Comp. Diamant Angola

61: 1-250.

Woolly-necked Stork - Cigogne épiscopale - Ckonia episcopus

Photo HQ.P. Crick

1993

81

Nichoirs artificiels utilises par le Petit Calao à bec rouge

Tockus erythrorhynchus

par Moussa Séga Diop et Bernard Tréca

ORSTOM, B.P. 1386, Dakar, Sénégal

Reçu 21 mai 1993

Revu 20 octobre 1993

Résumé

L'importance des nichoirs artificiels pour la reproduction du Petit Calao à bec

rouge Tockus erythrorhynchus est démontrée dans une aire d'étude quasi-

naturelle au Sénégal Nous donnons ici la description des nichoirs utilisés et

discutons des avantages et des inconvùtients des trois différents modèles.

Summary

The importance of nest boxes for the brewing of the Red-billed Hombill Tockus

erythrorhynchus is danonstrated in a semi-natural study area in Senegal. We

describe tiie nest boxes used and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of

the three dUffaent models.

Introduction

Le Petit Calao à bec rouge Tockus erythrorhynchus se reproduit habituellement dans

des cavités naturelles rtouvées dans des arbres (Kemp 1976). Les sites propices à

Finstallation d’un nid dans une cavité doivent avoir certaines caractéristiques selon

Fe^ce qui va y nicher et peuvmt être difficiles à rtouver (Snow 1976, Wiens 1989).

Dans le cas du Petit Calao à bec rouge, les sites paraissent souvent en nombre

insuffisant, car les vieux arbres ou les arbres morts sont souvent exploités pour le bois.

Les nichoirs peuvent alors fournir des sites de remplacement tout à fait acceptables,

comme c'est le cas pour d'autres espèces d'oiseaux en zone paléarctique (Blagosklonov

1987) et en Afrique australe (Riekert & Clinning 1985).

Pom une étude éco-étiiologique menée sur la station ORSTOM de M'Bour (70 ha

dont 56 de savane, protégés depuis une quarantaine d'années), situfe à 80 km au sud de

Dakar, au Sénégal, dix nichoirs artificiels ont été installés en mai-juin 1991.

82

M. S. Diop & B. Tr&a

Malimbus 1 5

Déroulement de k nidification

En août-septembre 1991, nous avons constaté que sept de ces dix nichoirs étaient

occupés par des Petits Calaos à bec rouge (Fig. 1). Par ailleure, toujours sur la station de

M’Bour, et pendant la même saison de reproduction, deux autres couples de Petits

Calaos à bec rouge ont utilisé des cavités natmelles. Tune dans un Baobab Adansonia

digitata et Pautre dans un Cassia Cassia siamea. Au total donc neuf couples se sont

reproduits sur la station bien que 89 Petits Calaos à bec rouge y aient été capturés et

bagués cette année.

Figure 1. Petit Calao à bec rouge au nichoir.

Les nichoirs sont aménagés par les Petits Calaos de la même façon que les cavités

naturelles: apport de différents matériaux (feuilles, brindilles) et fermeture partielle de

rentrée par la femelle avec de la boue mélangée à de la salive, qui durcit en séchant

(Collias 1964). Il restera une petite fente par laquelle le mâle passera la nourriture à la

femelle qui reste claustrée dans son nid pendant toute la saison de reproduction, c'est à

dire environ deux mois, en août-septembre. La nourriture, surtout des acridiens, mais

aussi d'autres arthropodes et des fruits, est apportée par le mâle uniquement dans un

premier temps. Quand les oisillons ont environ trois semaines, la femelle qui a révêtu

un plumage neuf brise la boue s&hée qui fermait Poitrée du nid et sort aider le mâle

1993

Nichoirs artificiels pour calaos

83

dans la recherche et l’apport de nourriture au nid. Les jeunes restés au nid rebouchent

immédiatement l’entrée avec de la boue ou des déjections et ne sortiront chacun à son

tour que lorsqu’ils seront capables de voler.

La reproduction s’est déroulée tout à fait normalement dans les nichoirs et a même

pu être suivie réguhèrement, sauf dans les nichoirs de type III, difficiles à ouvrir, alors

que dans les cavités naturelles, nous n’avons pu noter que le nombre de jeunes à

l’envol. Pendant sa claustration, la femelle mue toutes ses grandes plumes de vol,

rémiges et rectrices.

Ceux qui pourraient être intéressés par la fabrication et la pose de nichoirs artificiels

trouveront donc ici une description de ces nichoirs, ainsi que des informations sur la

reproduction du Petit Calao à bec rouge dans ces nichoirs.

Description des nichoirs

Trois types de nichoirs ont été construits, tous en contreplaqué de 6 mm d’épaisseur,

peints en vert pour les protéger des intempéries. Par ailleurs, nous nous sommes aperçus

qu’au début de l’installation les Petits Calaos à bec rouge donnaient des coups de bec

sur les bords de l’entrée du nichoir, apparemment pour enlever la peinture et ainsi

améliorer l’adhérence de la boue qui fermera l’entrée du nid. Les dimensions

extérieures sont dormées dans le Tableau 1.

Type I, nichoirs à parois amovibles. La paroi verticale opposée à l’entrée est

composée d’une plaque de contreplaqué, amovible, et d’une plaque de verre au travers

de laquelle le nid peut être observé et qui peut éventuellement s’enlever aussi (Fig. 2).

Type II, nichoirs à toit amovible. Dans ce type de nichoirs, le toit n’est fixé sur

l’ensemble de la boîte que par un système de crochets. On peut donc y effectuer des

observations par le dessus, en enlevant le toit (Fig. 3, a et b).

Type III, nichoirs non ouvrants. Le toit, le fond et les parois verticales sont

définitivement fixés et il n’est pas possible dans ce type de nichoir d’observer l’intérieur

(Fig. 3, c).

Hauteurs et orientation de l’entrée des nids

Les dix nichoirs ont été installés dans des arbres répartis sur l’ensemble de la zone de

savane de la station (56 ha), à des hauteurs et selon des orientations différentes, selon

les possibilités d’accrochage, entre 2.70 m et 4.15 m. Les cavités naturelles occupées

étaient à 3.20 m et 6 m de hauteur. On peut noter qu’en dehors de la zone d’étude, à

l’université de Dakar, un nid de Petit Calao à bec rouge a été trouvé dans une cavité

naturelle située à moins de 20 cm au-dessus du sol.

Pratiquement toutes les orientations disponibles ont été utilisées par les Petits

Calaos à bec rouge (Tableau 1), mais il se trouve qu’aucun nichoir n’avait son entrée

dirigée entre le NNE et le SSE. Cependant l’une des deux cavités naturelles était

84

M. S. Diop & B. Tréca

Malimbus 1 5

Figure 2. Nichoirs de type I (à parois amovibles). E entrée; P perchoir; Pc paroi

amovible en contreplaqué; Pv paroi amovible en verre.

Figure 3. (a et b) Nichoirs de type II (à toit amovible), T toit amovible; (c) Nichoir

de type III (à parois et toit fixes). Même échelle que Fig. 2.

1993

Nichoirs artificiels pour calaos

85

orientée plein Est, Feutre au SW. Il ne semble donc pas que Forientation des entrées ait

une influence sur les choix des sites de nidification.

Tailles des entrées et des nkhoirs

Les nichoirs occupés avaimt des entrées comprises entre 5 et 10 cm de diamètre; donc

ces ouvertures conviennent bien au Petit Calao à bec rouge. Kemp (1976) note même

que les diamètres d*entrée de 4 cm sont {déférés. Les cavités naturelles occupées sur la

station de M’Bour avaient F une une entrée ronde de 6 cm de diamètre et Fautre une

entrée ovale d'environ 10 cm de large, mais déjà en partie colmatée les aimées

précédentes. Après l’installation de la femelle dans son nid et colmatage partiel de

l’entrée avec de la boue, la fente restante, par où le mâle passera la nourriture à la

femelle et aux jeunes, avait une largeur de 5 à 10 mm.

Les modèles de nichoirs décrits ci-dessus conviennent très bien aux Petits Calaos à

bec rouge puisque le taux d’occupation est assez élevé (70 %), même dans cette zone

protégée depuis longtemps et où un nombre assez appréciable d’arbres ont vieilli.

Cepoidant sur les quatre nichoirs de petite taille (A, B, C et D), deux seulement ont été

occupés. Le seul nichoir de taille moyenne (E) a également servi. Sur les cinq grands

nichoirs G, H, I et J), quatre ont permis la reproduction des Petits Calaos à bec

rouge.

Territorialité

En dehors de la période de reproduction, les Petits Calaos à bec rouge se déplacent

souvent en petits groupes et on n’observe alors aucun comportement territorial Dès le

début de la saison des pluies, ce comportement grégaire disparaît. Les couples se

foraient, rodent autour des cavités et les défendent contre leiurs congénères. A M’Bour,

nous avons pu observer des batailles entre Calaos pour les nichoirs A et G distants de

50 m environ en un lieu dégagé. Finalement le nichoir A n’a pu être occupé bien qu’il

ait souvent été visité par un couple différent de celui qui s’est installé dans le nichoir G.

Par contre, les nichoirs H et I, séparés d’environ 50 m également, mais entre

lesquels se trouvaient des arbres à feuillage touffii ont été occupés tous les deux. Le

nichoir F, très éloigné des autres nichoirs n’a pas été utilisé. D’après Kemp (1988), en

Afrique du Sud, le territoire défendu par un couple de Petits Calaos à bec rouge en

rq^roduction dans une cavité naturelle est d’environ dix hectares. Nous avons observé à

M’Bour la défense du voisinage du nid par le mâle ou la femelle qui chassent par

intimidation tout autre Calao qui s’en approche. Cependant, parfois le couple de Calao

s’éloigne de son nid pour aller chercher des matériaux de construction ou pour se

nourrir. En définitive, neuf couples ont pu s’installer sur les 56 hectares de savane de la

station.

Tableau L Types, dimensions extérieures, orientation et succès des nichoirs.

86

M. S. Diop & B. Tr&a

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côté opposé.

1993

Nichoirs artificiels pour calaos

87

Succès de la reproduction

Le succès de la r^roduction s'est montré meilleur dans les grands nichoirs (moyenne

de 3.3 jeimes à Lenvol, contre LO dmis les aufres: Tableau 1). Riekert & Clinning 1985

avaient déjà noté que la taille des nichoirs influence les dates de ponte, le nombre

d'oeufs, la mortalité des jeunes et la prédation. Au cours de notre étude, les

dérangements occasionnés par Fouverture des nichoirs ne semblent pas avoir influé sur

le succès de la reproduction. Dans le nichoir E qui a été ouvert le plus souvent le taux

de réussite a même été de 100 % (quatre jemies à Fenvol sur quatre oeufs pondus).

Aucune perte de nid ou de poussin par prédation n'a été mise en évidence dans cette

étude. Cette prédation est souvent moins importante chez les oiseaux qui utihsent des

cavités (Wiois 1989). Pourtant la fermeture partielle de Fentrée du nid avec de la boue

est probablement une adaptation à une prédation assez importante. D’ailleurs Kemp

(1988) signalent que, chez cette espèce, la principale cause d’échec de la reproduction

est la p-édation, par le mâle surtout.

Discussion

Comme deux cavités naturelles seulement ont été occupées par les Petits Calaos à bec

rouge sur la station de M’Bour, les sept nichoirs artificiels utilisés sur le même site

suggèrent que la reproduction de ces oiseaux est peut-être limitée par le nombre de

cavités disponibles. Selon Blagosklonov (1987) on trouve toujours dans la nature un

nombre coi^idérable d’oiseaux qui ne parviennent pas à se reproduire faute, semble-t-il,

d’avoir pu trouver un site convenable pour l’installation de leur nid. Les sites de

nidification artificiels que sont les nichoirs offrent aux Calaos la possibilité de se

reproduire en plus grand nombre, même s’il a été montré chez les mésanges que les

nichoirs peuvent attirer davantage de prédateurs (Nilsson 1984). Mais la possibilité

offerte aux oiseaux de choisir un site bien adapté à leurs exigences de reproduction et

éventuellement de ne pas réutiliser chaque année le même site peut limiter la

prolifération des parasites et diminuer la mortalité des oisillons (Blagosklonov 1987).

Bibliographie

Blagosklonov, K. (1987) Guide Pratique pour la Protection des Oiseaux. Mir,

Moscou.

CoLLiAS, N.E. (1964) The evolution of nests and nest-building in birds. Am. ZooL 4:

175-190.

Kemp, A.C. (1976) A study of the ecology, behaviour and systematics of Tockus

hombills (Aves Bucerotidae). Transvaal Mus. Mem. 20.

Kemp, A.C. (1988) Family Bucerotidae: hombills. Pp. 375-413 in C.H. Fry, S. Keith &

E.K. Urban (^s), The Birds of Africa, vol. 3. Academic Press, London,

88

M. S. Diop & B. Tr&a

Malimbus 15

hombiüs (Aves Bucerotidae). Transvaal Mus. Mem. 20.

Kemp, A.C. (1988) Family Bucerotidae: hombills. Pp. 375-413 in C.H. Fiy, S. Keitii &

E.K. Urban (eds), The Birds of Africa, vol 3. Academie Press, London.

Nilsson, S. G. (1984) The evolution of nest-site selection among hole-nesting birds: the

importance of nest predation and competition. Omis Scand. 15: 167-175.

Riekert, B. & Clinning, C. (1985) The use of artificial nest boxes in the Dean Viljooi

Game Park, Bohnakierie 37: 67-95.

Snow, D.W. (1976) The Web of Adaptation. CoUins, London.

Weens, J.A. (1989) The Ecology of Bird Communities, (2 vols). Cambridge University

Press, Cambridge.

Grey Woodpecker - Pic gris - Dmdropkm goertae

Photo M.E.J. Gore

1993

89

Short Notes

Nouvelles données de distribution pour deui espèces d'oiseaui au Burkina Faso

Au coure d’un séjour de mai 1992 à février 1993 dans le Yatenga, au nord du Burkina

Faso, nous avons eu Foccasion de faire de nombreuses observations ornithologiques.

Parmi les 250 espà:es rencontrées, deux ont retenu notre attention car leur présence

dans cette région ne corrœpond pas à Faire de répartition connue à ce jour.

Le Martinet marbré Tachymarptis aequMorMis. Cette espèce a été observée à cinq

reprises. Un groupe de 30 individus chassaient le 8 juin 1992 au dessus d’une savane

sèche et boisée un peu nord du village de Thou (13®55’N, 2®46’0) proche de la

frontière malieime; un deuxième groupe d’importance similaire a été vu dans la même

zone le 1 1 juillet 1992 ainsi qu’un individu isolé le 20 août sur un point légèrement plus

au nord (14®5’N, 2®43’0). Les 29 juillet et 2 août 1992, deux individus évoluaient en

compagnie de dix Matinets pâles Apus palUdm au dessus du village de Sabouna situé

au sud-est de la premise zone (13®47’N, 2®20’O). Fin février 1993, un groupe de cinq

individus a été observé au dessus du lac de barrage de Thiou, situé à 20 km au sud du

village de Thou mentionné plus haut. Dans tous les cas, nous avons bien pu observer

ces gran& martinets à la poitrine et au ventre finement barrés, ne laiæant aucun doute

sur leur identité. Nous n’avons par contre pas pu déterminer la sous-espèce. Ces

observations s’ajoutent à celles de Côte dTvoire (Thiollay 1985), du Togo (Walsh et ai.

1990), du Sénégal en 1986 et de Guinée en 1988 (Dévissé 1992), qui sont toutes situées

en dehors de Faire de nidification connue ai Afrique de FOuest. Cette espèce est en

effet considérée comme localisé dans le nord de la Sierra Leone et au sud-est du Ghana

(Fry et al. 1988). La répétition, sur quelques mois, de nos observations dans une zone

relativement restreinte peut suggérer Fexistence d’une population nicheuse dans la

région, plutôt que celle d’un erratisme saisonnier. La falaise de Bandiagara au Mali, à

une centaine de km plus au nord-ouest, pouirait convenir au Martinet marbré.

Le Grand Calao d’Abyssinie Bucorvm abyssinkm. Un mâle a été vu le 3 juin aux

environs du village de Sollé (14®7’N, 2®6’0) tandis qu’un autre a été observé le 15

octobre près du village de K^n (14®2’N, 2®45’0) (J. Ogier com. pers.). Pour le Burkina

Faso, cette esptee semble avoir été citée une fois en région de savane à la frontière avec

le Bénin (Green & Sayer 1979) tandis qu’un couple a été observé au nord-est de

Ouagadougou en juillet 1977 par L.D.C. Fishpool {fide R.A. Cheke). Dans les pays

voisins, Fesptee est mentionée dans le Parc du W au Niger (Koster & GrettenbCTger

1 983), la Boucle du Baoulé au Mali (de Bie & Morgan 1 989) et le nord-est du Bénin

(RA. Cheke com. pCTs.). Elle semble plus abondante en Côte dTvoire (Thiollay 1985)

et au Ghana (Grimes 1987). Nos observations réalisées plus au nord ainsi que celles de

Duhart & Descamps (1963) pour le delta du Niger au Mali complètent donc les données

précédentes pour la zone sahélienne. L’esptee n’est donc pas, comme le suggèrent Fiy

et al. (1988), absente le long d’un axe est-ouest entre la Sénégambie et le Nigéria.

90

Short Notes

Malimbus 15

Bibliographie

De Be, S. & Morgan, N. (1969) Les oiseaux de la Réserve de la Biosphère “Boucle du

Baoulé”, Mali. Malimbus 11: 41-60.

Dévissé, R. (1992) Première observation au Sénégal du Martinet marbré Tachymarptis

aequatorialis. Malimbus 14: 16.

Duhart, F. & Descamps, M. (1%3) Notes sur Favifaune du delta central nigérien et

régions avoisinantes. Oiseau Rev. fr. Om. 33 (No. spécial): 1-107.

Fry, C.H., Keith, S. & Urban, E.K. (1988) The Birds of Africa, vol. 3. Academie

Press, London.

Green, A. A. & Sayer, J. (1979) The birds of the Pendjari and Arli National Parks

(Benin & Upper Volta). Malimbus 1: 14-28.

Grimes, L.G. (1987) The Birds of Ghana. Checklist 9, British Ornithologists’ Union,

London.

Koster, S.H. & Grettenberger, J. (1983) A preliminary survey of birds in park W,

Niger. Malimbus 5: 62-72.

Thiollay, J.M. (1985) The birds of Ivory Coast: status and distribution. Malimbus 7: 1-

59.

Walsh, IF., Cheke, R.A. & Sowah, S.A. (1990) Additional species and breeding

records of birds in the republic of Togo. Malimbus 12: 2-18.

Reçu 27 janvier 1 993

Revu 1 5 juin 1993 Gilles Balança & Marie-Noël de Visscher

CIRAD/GERDAT/PRIFAS, BP 5035, 34032 Montpellier, France

The status of the Black Swift Apus barbatus in western West Africa

West of Cameroon, the Black Swift Apus barbatus is known from two skins, one taken

at Obudu Plateau, Nigeria, and the other at Rokupr, Sierra Leone (Mackworth-Praed &

Grant 1970, Fry et al. 1988). There are no pubhshed sightings west of Nigeria (Elgood

1982). The following observations of daik swifts by the author in Sierra Leone, Liberia,

Guinea, and Ivory Coast show that Black Swifts, termed ""Apus (barbatus glanvillei? f'

by Gatter (1 988), must be regular in this part of West Africa.

Sierra Leone. In eastern Sierra Leone between Sefadu and the Loma Mts, a flock of

about 20 birds was seen on 1 7 Mar 1 984.

Liberia. On Mt Saki, north of Voinjama, just at the Guinean border, on 29 May 1 984

(Gatter 1 988) a breeding site with several pairs was found in a crack under an overhang

on a vertical surface of a granite dome, about 600-700 m a.s.l. (together with C.

Steiner).

Ivory Coast. On Mt Tonkui, near Man, at least singles were seen with European Swifts

A. apus and numerous Alpine Swifts Tachymarptis melba, around the television tower

on 3 Apr 1991.

1993

Short Notes

91

Mt Nimba. On the higher ridges of Guin^n, Ivorien and Liberian Mt Nimba, more

than 20 rœords from six yors between 1981 and 1993, some together with M. Behmdt

and P. Gatter, show that tiiis is the typical, but overlooked indigenous swift there. On

different ridges of the mountain, flocks of up to 100 or more A. barbatus were seen in

February, March and A^l on several occasions. They were the only swifts there on

some days. On oftier days thousands of European Swifts passed by, often calling, but

we never heard the calls of Black Swifts among them.

European Swifts ^nd nine monftis, from late August to late May, in Liberia. As a

result of loop migration in Africa, numbers can be high in December, but lower during

the dry monftis of January .and February Mid enormous in March, April and May (Gatter

1987a, 1987b).

G.D. Field {in lUt) has unpublished obsawations of large flocks of svrifts including

Mottled Swift A. aeqmtorialis and dark A. apus/barbatm types in western Sierra Leone

from Freetown northwards, particularly in May /June. He suggests these swifts were A.

barbatus, although no proof was obtained.

The racial identity of these birds awaits ftirther specimens. In all the observations,

the birds were not^ as being very dark, with the chin and throat without any whitish

area. The voice was clearly different from that of A. apm. Once, trilling social calls

were heard, similar to tiiose of Alpine Swifts (not described for Black by Fry et

al 1988). Our field notes fit quite well with A, k gknvillei from Sierra Leone, but there

may be several different subspecies in this western area, which includes isolated

mountain ranges and hilly country in Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Guinea and northern

Liberia.

References

ELGœo, IH. (1982) The Birds of Nigeria. Checklist 4, British Ornithologists’ Union,

London.

Fry, C.H., Keith, S. & Urban, E.K. (1988) The Birds of Africa, vol. 3. Academic

Press, London.

Gatter, W. (1 987a) Migration behaviour and wintering of Palaearctic birds in Liberia

(West Africa). Verh. om. Ges. Bayern 24; 479-508.

Gatter, W. (1987b) Bird migration in West Africa: observations and hypothesis on

migration strategies and migration routes. Bird migration in Liberia Part IL

Vogelwarte 34: 80-92.

Gatter, W. (1988) The birds of Liberia (West Africa). A preliminary list with status

and open questions. Verk om. Ges. Bayern 24: 689-723.

Mackworth-Praed, C.W. & Grant, C.H.B. (1970) Birds of West Central and Western

Africa, vol. 1 . Longman, London.

Received 28 January 1993

Revised 19 May 1993 ^ Wulf Gatter

Buchstr. 20, D-73252 Lenningen, Germany

92

Short Notes

Malimbus 15

Manx Shearwater Puffinus pujfînus, new to Ivory Coast

Mead and Claric (1 993) have pubhshed details of a Manx Shearwater Puffinus puffinus,

ringed as a bird of the year (EURING age code 3) on Bardsey Island, off Aberdaron,

Gwynedd, Wales (52°46’N, 4®48’W), on 8 September 1989, which was recovered dead

at Grand Lahou, Ivory Coast (5°9’N, 50®rW), in or before August 1991. This appears

to be the first record for Ivory Coast: the species is not listed by Thiollay (1986), nor in

the update by Demey & Fishpool (1991). The only record for neighbouring Ghana is

also from a recovery of a British-ringed bird (Grimes 1987); there are more records

from Liberia, where the Manx Shearwater is considered uncommon but not rare (Getter

1988).

References

Demey, R. & Fishpool, L.D.C. (1991) Additions and annotations to the avifauna of

Côte d’Ivoire. Malimbus 12: 61-86.

Gatter, W. (1988) The birds of Liberia (West Africa). A preliminary list with status

and open questions. Verb. om. Ges. Bayern 24: 689-723.

Grimes, L.G. (1987) The Birds of Ghana. Check-list 9, British Ornithologists’ Union,

London.

Mead, C.J. & Clark, J.A. (1993) Report on bird ringing for Britain and Ireland for

1991. Ringing Migration 14: 1 -72 .

Thiollay, J.M. (1985) The birds of Ivory Coast. Milimhus 7: 1-59.

Received 24 June 1993 R.A. Cheke

c/o Natural Resources Institute, Central Avenue,

Chatham Maritime, Chatham, Kent, ME4 4TB, U.K.

An unusual record of Fulvous Tree-Duck Dendrocygna bicolor breeding in the

Hadejia-Nguru Wetlands, northeastern Nigeria

During a routine bird survey on 27 January 1990, a female Fulvous Tree-Duck

Dendrocygna bicolor with a downy duckling was encountered in a partially vegetated

portion of Nguru lake (12°50’N, 10°26’E). Instead of flying away from the boat, which

was within 8 m of the birds, the hen engaged in vigorous distraction displays while the

duckling escaped into a nearby reed bed. The hen swam in very tight circles, flapped its

wings, swam to within 5 m of the boat and then veered away in an apparent attempt to

lure the observers away. Its continued display even after its young was safe in the reed

bed made the team curious, and we scrutinised the surroundings more closely. It was

then that another duckling which had been caught in a nearby fishing net was sighted.

As the team removed the duckling from the net, the duck stopped displaying and flew

1993

Short Notes

93

into the reed bed. The traj^d duckling was in good condition, was completely downy

and its age was estimated to be about seven days.

The month of this observation falls outside the reported breeding period of

this species in Nigeria, which is July-September (Serle cited by Elgood 1981 , Brown et

al 1982, Madge & Bum 1989). This observation of downy ducklings in late January,

which implies laying in December (assuming an incubation period of about three

weeks), is apparently unusual for Nigeria. However, in Senegal, which lies in the same

saheUan ecological zone as northeastern Nigeria, breeding activities or birds in breeding

condition have been reported for the months of January- June, as well as in September

and November ^ackworth-Praed & Grant 1970, Morel & Morel 1990), prompting a

suggestion that breeding in this species may be aseasonal and opportunistic in

Senegambia ^orel & Morel 1990, G.J. Morel in litl). Although this record might

suggest that aseasonal breeding occurs in a wider geographical area, including Nigeria,

it might otherwise result from a veiy late renesting after unsuccessfiil previous attempts.

Acknowledgment is due to T. Stowe and M. Dyer, the two other members of the survey

team, for encouragement to publish this report, and to the reviewers of the original

manuscript for constructive criticism.

References

Brown, L.H., Urban, E.K. & Newman, K. (1982) The Birds of Africa, vol. 1.

Academic Press, London.

Elgood, J.H. (1982) The Birds of Nigeria. Checklist 4, British Ornithologists’ Union,

London.

Mackworth-Praed, C.W. & Grant, C.H.B. (1970) Birds of West Central and Western

Africa, voL 1 . Longman, London.

Madge, S. & Burn, H. (1989) Wildfowl An Identification Guide to the Ducks, Geese

and Swans of the World. Christopher Helm, London.

Morel, G.J. & Morel, M.-Y. (1990) Les oiseaux de Sénégambie. ORSTOM, Paris.

Received 19 February 1993 Augustine U. Ezealor

Revised 25 June 1 993 Dept of Biological Sciences,

Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria

Albinism in Spur-winged Goose Plectropterus gambemis

On 28 January 1990 in the Hadejia-Ngum wetlands in northeastern Nigeria, I observed

a complete albino Spur-winged Goose Plectropterus gambensis among a flock of about

120 normal conspecifics in a fadama (flood-retreat marshland) near Dumbari. The head,

neck and breast were dirty white in colour probably due to foraging in muddy water, but

94

Short Notes

Malimbus 1 5

the rest of the body was whiter. A second sighting of an albino Spur-winged Goose with

the same description was made on 17 January 1993 at a fadama pond near Damasa,

about 9 km NW of the location of the previous sighting. About 500 other normal

conspecifics and about 3000 Garganeys Anas querquedula were in the same pond. A

game guard in the wetlands made similar observations in 1987 and 1993 while

patrolling an area near Nguru lake, about 36 km NW of Damasa (H. Hassan pers.

comm.). It is not known whether these records were of the same individual.

Although albinism is not unusual in birds, there is not, to my knowledge, any report

of its occurrence in Spur-winged Geese.

Received 19 February 1993 Augustine U. Ezealor

Revised 25 June 1 993 Dept of Biological Sciences,

Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria

On the laying period of the Egyptian Goose Alopochen aegyptiacus in the delta of

the River Senegal

Brown et al. (1983) indicate that the laying period in Senegal of the Egyptian Goose

Alopochen aegyptiacus extends from July to October, i.e. over the rainy season.

However, in early 1 993, we observed six different broods of this species, all in the delta

of the River Senegal: a pair with one duckling about one week old on 18 January

(Senegal); an adult with nine juveniles about three-quarters of the size of the adult on 1 7

January (Senegal); a pair witli six juveniles about one third the size of the adults on 30

March (Senegal); a pair with four juveniles about half tlie size of adults on 22 January

(Mauritania); a pair with four juveniles about half to two-thirds the size of the adults on

22 January (Mauritania); a pair with five juveniles about two-thirds the size of the

adults on 24 January (Mauritania).

Assuming an incubation period of 28-30 days and a fledging period of 75-80 days

(Brown et al. 1983), the laying dates of the January observations ranged from early

October to around 10 December, and for the March observation the beginning of

February.

Similar observations outside the period defined by Brown et al. (1983) have

previously been made by Jarry (in Morel & Morel 1990) who discovered two nests in

the Djoudj National Park in January 1975 while Dupuy (1976) and Roux et al. (1977)

report families respectively from October to February and from 15 October to 15

February and till May, which indicate laying in February. We therefore conclude tliat

the laying period is not limited to July-October but can continue until January or

February, particularly when aquatic resources are not limited. With the artificial flood

due to the Diama Dam, it is possible that the Egyptian Goose is now able to breed

during a longer period than formerly.

1993

Short Notes

95

References

Brown, L.H., Urban, E.K. & Newman, K. (1983) The Birds of Africa, vol. 1.

Academic Press, London.

Dupuy, A.R. (1976) Données nouvelles concernant la reproduction de quelques espèces

aviennes au Sénégal. Oiseau Rev.fr. Om. 46: 47-62.

Morel, G. J. & Morel, M.-Y. (1990) Les Oiseaux de Sénégambie. ORSTOM, Paris.

Roux, F., Jarry, g., Maheo, R. & Tamisier, A. (1977) Importance et origine des

populations d’anatidés hivernant dans le delta du Sénégal. Oiseau Rev. fr. Om. 47:

1-24.

Received 21 May 1993

Revised 24 August 1 993

P. Triplet*, B. Trolliet*, P. Yèsou* & B. Tréca^

‘ONC-CNERA Avifaune Migratrice, F-85340 Ile d’Olonne, France

mSTOM, BP 1386, Dakar, Senegal

A long-lived Common Bubul Pycnonotus barbatus in Nigeria

Keith et al. (1992) quote an 18 year-old individual from Chad as the longest-lived

Common Bulbul Pycnonotus barbatus in the wild. As this record has not been

published, details ought to be put on record.

The bird concerned was ringed (British Trust for Ornithology ring no. CR40257) at

Mallamfatori, Lake Chad (Nigeria) (13®37’N, 13°20’E) on 27 August 1968 and

retrapped on 27 September. It was recaptured and released on 4 February 1987

(information kindly supplied by the B.T.O). It was half way through active primary

moult in August and September 1 968, and was most probably already adult (juvenile

birds had only a partial moult at that time). This species breeds in the area mainly from

March to May (pers. obs.), before the rains. This would mean that it hatched in the first

half of 1967 or earlier, and was 19 years old when recaptured. From its wing length

(101 mm) it was probably a male: the range for 38 non-juveniles (March-May) was 93-

104 mm (mean 96.6), and the species shows fairly well-marked sexual dimorphism in

size (Britton 1972; pers. obs.).

The locality of the 1987 recapture was reported as Maiduguri, some 193 km from

where the bird was ringed, but I am sure it would in fact have been at Mallamfatori, as

the person who reported it gave his address as the Lake Chad Research Institute, which

has a station there (though its postal box, and hence address, is in Maiduguri).

As reported by Keith et al. (1992), there is an even older record for this species

from a captive bird, and an increasing number of passerine species have produced

comparable results in the wild. These figures need to be compared to the considerably

shorter mean hfe expectancies quoted by these authors (1.4-2 years), but I believe the

96

Short Notes

Malimbus 1 5

means would be greater if ringers undertaking mark-recapture studies were to observe

colour-marked birds and did not rely only on retraps (Dowsett 1985). Some individuals

are very hard to recapture after the experience of being ringed. Our knowledge of

longevity could also be improved if ringers made a point of revisiting sites where many

resident birds have been ringed in the past. Any ringer wishing to know of such

localities, in West Africa or elsewhere, could contact me for details from the Tauraco

Afring data bank.

I thank Humphrey Crick for his helpful comments on a draft of this note.

References

Britton P.L. (1972) Weights of African bulbuls (Pycnonotidae). Ostrich 43: 23-42.

Dowsett R. J. (1985) Site-fidelity and survival rates of some montane forest birds in

Malawi, south-central Africa. Biotropica 17: 145-154.

Keith S., Urban E.K. & Fry C.H. (1992) The Birds of Africa, vol. 4. Academic Press,

London.

Received 21 May 1993

Revised 24 August 1 993 R. J. Dowsett

12 rue des Lavandes, F-34190 Ganges, France

1993

97

Book Reviews

Enquête Faunistique et Floristique dans la Forêt de Nyungwe, Rwanda. Ed. by R. J.

Dowsett, 1990. 140 pp. Tauraco Reæarch Report 3, Tauraco Press, Jupille-Liège. £7

(inc. P & p) from 194 rue de Bois de Breux, B-4020 Jupille-Liège, Belgium.

This is a collection of papers on various aspects of the biology of this important forest.

Three chapters (including the one on the study area) and the annexe are in French, four

(including the two on birds) in English. One of the bird chapters deals with the

behavioural ecology, status and distribution of Nyungwe forest birds, the other with the

zoogeography and systematics of forest birds of the Albertine Rift, of which Nyungwe

is a part. Both pay special attention to the Albertine endemics and threatened species,

and Chapter 3 contains a lot of new behavioural and ecological information about these

species and others, including the call of what was probably the Itombwe Owl Phodilus

prigoginei. Chapter 4 has a section on spéciation in the Apalis warblers of the region.

Other chapters deal with vegetation, mammals, butterflies, amphibians and reptiles,

while the annexe examines Cyamudongo Forest, an outlier of Nyungwe.

Alan Tye

La Réserve de Conkouati: Congo. Le secteur sud-est. By P. Hecketsweiler & J.

Mokoko-Ikonga, 1991. 323pp. lUCN, Gland. ISBN 2-8317-0080-9.

La Réserve de Conkouati: Congo. Le secteur sud-ouest By C. Doumenge, 1992. 231

pp. lUCN, Gland. ISBN 2-8317-0095-7.

Paperbacks £12.50 each from lUCN, 219c Huntingdon Road, Cambridge, UK.

Both of these reports are based on impact studies carried out for petroleum companies,

BP in the south-east sector and Chevron in the south-west. The Conkouati Reserve is

situated in south-western Congo, adjacent to Gabon. Like other faunal reserves in

Congo it is a reserve only on paper, being open to all forms of exploitation (logging,

mining, bush-meat hunting etc.). It encompasses a great variety of habitats: mangrove,

lagoons and marshes, a mosaic of forest patches and grassland savannas, seasonally

flooded forest and tall dry-land forest (extending inland into the great massif of the

Mayombe). Its natural history is very poorly known, like that of most parts of the

country.

Both reports follow the same format, with the main chapters covering the physical

environment, biological inventories, human environment and exploitation of local

resources, and impact of oil exploration. Neither BP nor Chevron found exploitable oil

in the area so their impact will have been limited - except for BP’s reprehensible

98

Book Reviews

Malimbus 15

method of opening up its seismic transects Üirough forest and savanna with a bulldozer,

when this can be done with small teams on foot.

Hecketsweiler spent only 2\ months in the field (June to August 1 990), in the

middle of the diy season, and Doumenge a similar period in the dry season of 1991.

With limited time and assistance, their contribution to the study of the biological

resources is inevitably restricted. The chapters on floristic and faunistic inventories

occupy only a few score pages, about a quarter of the main text. Both authors are

botanists by training and most of the text on biological resources, as well as most of the

appendices, are taken up with details of floristic transects and plant lists. Birds are

covered by less than a page in the main text and a tentative, partial list in an appendix of

just over 120 species, about a quarter of the potential (cf. Dowsett-Lemaire & Dowsett

1991, Tauraco Res. Rep. 4: 189-239). It is regrettable that some birds were actually

collected for identification, despite which several species listed are extremely unlikely

and are certainly the result of misidentification (cf. Dowsett-Lemaire el al 1993,

Malimbus 15 ); this could have been avoided by submitting the relevant section (or

specimens) to referees.

Overall, Doumenge’ s contribution is of a higher standard than Hecketsweiler &

Mokoko-Ikonga’s, and he pays more attention to the available literature. Like all parts

of southern Congo, Conkouati has been subjected to intensive hunting pressure and the

mammal fauna appears greatly depleted. More detailed surveys need to be carried out to

redefine the status of all hunted species; unless the “reserve” receives some effective

protection (at least in a core area), the future of its wildlife is very dim indeed.

F. Dowsett-Lemaire

Ornithology for Africa. By G.L. Maclean, 1990. xxiii + 270 pp, 16 col. plates,

numerous line drawings. University of Natal Press, Pietermaritzburg. ISBN 0-86980-

737^ (hardback), 0-86980-771-4 (paperback). Paperback 55 Rand.

Although aimed at Africa, the Preface gives away a South African bias: “Our African

sun stays north of the shadows at all times of year” - not for us in West and Equatorial

Africa it doesn’t. For us, the South African term “oversummering” for Palaearctic

migrant visitors is as misleading as “overwintering” might be to a South African, and

the claim that Africa’s universities are souüiem hemisphere ones makes no sense. This

bias might appear trivial were it not for the fact that most of the continent (and its

universities) lies north of the equator.

Maclean’s stated aim is to cater for two groups of readers: invested laymen and

university undergraduates. I am not sure how well he succeeds. Maclean admits that

some sections will be uimecessary for students, but these are easily bypassed. More

seriously, many complex concepts and technical terms, which would probably baffle the

layman, are introduced without explanation (e.g. disulphide bonds, gill pouches) and

only some are included in the glossary. It would not have harmed to define all terms at

1993

Book Reviews

99

first mention. Many unnecessary terms are used too: do we really need “epimeletic”

behaviour, when “parental” will do?

The chapto on flight leaves some questions inadequately answered {e.g. the reason

for the difference in wing shape betwœn soarers and gliders) and some explanations

will leave the novice struggling, e.g. the potentially illuminating illustration of wing

aerodynamics relative to lifestyle using cisticolas is so abbreviated as to baffle a

beginner. The chapter on food and feeding is mainly about feeding methods, with bills

illustrated by colour plates; it is pitched about right for an introductory text. That on

zoogeography is interesting to someone who knows the birds discussed but will not

mean much to an African student who has no idea what a cotinga looks like or does.

Ecology is dealt with in a chapter on “Adaptations to environments”; this is fairly

successftil and interesting but is marred by hinting at details which are not explained.

For example, in the account on salt glands, countercurrent flow and active ion transport

are mentioned but not explained at all This would leave both student and layman

wondering what was meant. The migration and navigation chapter is good, illustrated

by a surprising variety of migration patterns, all well-explained. Two wide-ranging

chapters on breeding biology form the biggest topic section of the book.

The text is in some places attractively composed (e.g. the chapter on classification

and origin digresses on feather structure and colour), but in other places dry. Some

sœtions are up-to-date (tiiCTe is one on DNA hybridization) and others rather dated (e.g.

the behaviour chapter: no behavioural ecology here, and not much elsewhere in tiie

book). Not enough is made of the prime role that bird studies have played in many areas

of biological advance. I spotted few eirors, most of which did not concern Africa, such

as “trogons cannot adapt to savanna woodland”, whereas some central American

species inhabit what in West Africa would be tenned Guinea Savanna.

As an ornithological text, it is not bad, but there are more interesting ways to learn

about birds than in an ornithology course, via behaviour and ecology courses,

biogeography courses etc, all of which can use birds as examples. Such courses could

use this book as a source. Unfortunately, most African universities md students cannot

afford a gr^t range of boofe and must stick to one or two for a course basis. In such a

case, I would not recommend using this as one; but then, I would probably not

rœommend any “straight ornithology” book at all

Alan Tye

Les Zones Humides au Niger et leur Importance pour les Oiseaux d'Eau. By W.C.

Mullié, M. Salifou, J. Brouwer & A. Kounou, 1993. 48 pp. Département de Formation

en Protection des Végétaux, Niamey. Available free from lUCN, Programme pour le

Sahel, BP 10933, Niamey, Niger.

This A4 spiral-bound booklet, which is entirely in French (not even an English

summary), reports ground censuses of waterbirds carried out. over two-week periods

100

Book Reviews

Malimbus 15

during two winters. The counts were part of the IWRB annual waterbird census and Hie

results are presumably summarised in their annual reports (see reviews Malimbus 14:

32-33, 14: 68). Ten sites were visited in 1992 and 16 in 1993 (only 6 in both years) of

which most had never been censused before; all were in SW Niger. Counts for several

species and sites indicated tlieir international importance by the criteria of the Ramsar

Convention but several key sites were under threat of destruction or actually being

destroyed, including a major Niger River floodplain area and the last Borassus

aethiopia forest in Niger. The bulk of tlie report consists of species accounts and site

descriptions, but also includes some climatic and hydrological data, notes on relevant

conservation legislation in Niger and marmnal observations from VV National Park.

Alan Tye

1993

101

Notices

Results of questionnaire on use of W.A.O.S. funds

As mentioned in the Editorial of the last issue, the response to the questionnaire on the

future of the Society and of Malimbus was encouraging, in that 82 replies were received

(by the close at mid-May) out of a total membership of about 250. The responses

regarding Malimbus were dealt with in the last issue; here we deal with the first part of

the questionnaire, which covered the use of Society funds. Most of the subscription

income currently goes towards the publication of Malimbus, and this will continue to be

the case, but a small surplus has built up (see Accounts in last issue) and members were

asked to indicate which one of the following proposals for use of this surplus they

would support.

1 . Invest to build up a reserve, to keep the subscription rate down.

2. Contribute towards the support of a West African postgraduate student

undertaking a research degree in West African ornithology.

3. Award small grants to West African students for research projects in West

African ornithology.

4. Award small grants to expeditions to West Africa which have an ornithological

component.

The results for and against these four proposals were:

(the “for” total is >100% because some members indicated support for more than one

proposal).

There is thus a clear preference for supporting West African students in small

ornithological projects and a definite disinclination to support expeditions. These results

mirror the preferences of Council, which feels that there is a comparatively large

number of funding sources available to expeditions but very few for West African

students. Council also feels that the future of West African ornithology must lie with

West Africans and that the Society should play a role in encouraging the development

of indigenous ornithological research. This is consistent with the Society’s aim of

promoting scientific interest in the birds of West Africa.

As a corollary, members were asked for their reactions to the idea of increasing

subscriptions to raise funds specifically for one of the above proposals. In favour were

57%, while 37% were against; once again proposal 3 received twice as much support as

any of the others. If subscriptions were raised for this purpose, 52% said they would not

102

Notices

Malimbus 15

resign but some qualified this by stating that they would only accept a small rise. At the

other extreme, only three members said they would resign if such an increase were

implemented.

In view of this, Council has decided to offer small grants to West Africans for

research projects in West African ornithology. Although the questionnaire specified

students. Council feels that it should not entirely restrict grants to students but should

broaden the eligibihty to include qualified scientists and amateurs. However, preference

will be given to student applicants. For the present, no increase in subscription is

envisaged in order to increase the funds available for this purpose.

N.J. Skinner & A. Tye

Résultats du questionnaire sur l'usage des fonds de la S. O. O. A.

Comme il a été dit dans l’éditorial du dernier numéro, la réaction devant le

questionnaire sur l’avenir de la Société et de Malimbus était encourageante, en ce que

82 réponses étaient reçus (à la date-limite de mi-mai) de la part d’un total d’environ 250

membres. Les réponses au sujet de Malimbus furent traitées dans le numéro précédent;

nous analyserons ici la première partie du questionnaire, qui concerne l’utilisation des

fonds de la Société. La majeure partie des recettes fournies par les abonnements est

actuellement consacrée à la publication de Malimbus et il en sera encore ainsi dans le

futur, mais un léger excédent s’est constitué (cf les comptes au dernier numéro) et les

adhérents avaient à indiquer laquelle des propositions ci-dessous ils appuieraient pour

l’usage de cet excédent;

1 . Investir pour constituer une réserve et ne pas augmenter le prix de l’abonnement.

2. Participer aux frais de recherches d’un étudiant ouest-africain de 3ème cycle

entreprenant un doctorat en ornithologie ouest-africaine.

3. Allouer de petites bourses à des étudiants ouest-africains pour des projets de

recherche sur l’ornithologie ouest-africaine.

4. Allouer de petites bourses à des expéditions dans l’Ouest africain ayant un intérêt

ornithologique.

Voici les résultats pour ou contre ces quatre propositions:

(le total des “pour” est >100% parce-que certains membres ont choisi plus d’une

proposition).

Il y a donc une nette préférence en faveur de l’aide à des étudiants ouest-afiicains

pour de petits sujets d’ornithologie et un refus manifeste d’aider des expéditions. Ces

1993

Notices

103

résultats reflètent les préférences du Conseil d ’Administration qui estime qu’il y a

comparativonent un plus grand nombre de sources de financement pour les expéditions

mais très peu pour les étudiants ouest-africains. Le Conseil estime aussi que l’avenir de

romithologie ouest-afiicaine doit être entre les mains des Africains de l’Ouest et que la

Société devrait jouer un rôle en encourageant le développement d’une recherche

omitihologique autochüione. Cela concorde avec les objectifs de la Société de susciter

un intérêt scientifique envers les oiseaux de l’Ouest afncain.

Corollairement, on demandait aux membres leur réaction à l’idée d’augmenter les

abonnements pour trouver des fonds destinés précisément à l’une des propositions ci-

dessus. Il y eut 57% pom et 37% conte: de nouveau, la proposition 3 recueillit deux

fois plus de vok que les autres. Si les abonnements étaient augmentées dans ce but,

52% déclarent qu’ils ne se retireraient pas mais certains avec cette réserve qu’ils

n’accepteraient qu’une légère hausse. A l’opposé, seuls trois membres disent qu’ils se

retireraioit si une telle augmentation était appliquée.

En présence de ces résultats, le Conseil a décidé d’offrir de petites subventions à

des ressortissants ouest-africains pour des projets de recherches d’ornithologie de ladite

région. Bien que le questionnaire précisât ''étudiants”, le Conseil estime qu’il ne devrait

pas limiter les bourses uniquanent à des étudiants mais devrait étendre la candidature à

des scientifiques et des amateurs qualifiés. Cependant, la préférence sera donnée aux

candidatures d’étudiants. Pour le moment, aucune hausse des cotisations n’est

envisagée pour augmenta* le fonds destinés à ce projet.

N. J Skinner & A. Tye

W.A.O.S. Research Grants

Following the results of a questionnaire survey of members’ opinions (see above),

Council has decided to offer small grants to support ornithological research in West

Africa. Initial conditions for the awards are given below, altliough these may be

changed by Council at any time. For the purposes of these awards. West Africa is

defined as comprising the following countries: Cape Verde, Sao Tomé e Principe,

Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Chad, C.A.R., Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea,

Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial

Guinea, Gabon, Congo, Cabinda region of Angola, Zaire, Rwanda, Burundi.

1. Not more tiian £1000 will be disbursed from the fund in any one calendar year

and no single grant will exceed £500. Grants may be made as a single sum or in

instalments as Council deems fit.

2. Applications will only be considered from students at West African universities,

qualified West African scientists and West African amateur ornithologists; preference

will be given to students, and especially to postgraduate degree research.

3. The subject of the research must be primarily ornithological and the research

must take place within West Africa.

104

Notices

Malimbus 15

4. Applications may be submitted at any time, to the Secretary to Council,

1 Uppingham Road, Oakham, Rutland, LE 15 6JB, U.K.

5. Apphcations must be submitted in duplicate, in either English or French, and

must include the following sections, of which sections a-d combined should not exceed

four typed pages:

a. aim of the research;

b. scientific justification for the research;

c. relevant background of related studies;

d. detailed account of methods to be employed; location and biotope of study

site(s); timing and duration of study;

e. detailed list of equipment and projected expenditure, indicating precisely for

which items funding is requested from WA.O.S.;

f. statement of funding which may already have been promised or granted by other

bodies;

g. statement of other funding bodies to which application has been made;

h. statement that any permits required for the research (e.g. ringing licences, permits

to work within the proposed study area etc.) have been acquired or applied for

(note that grants will not be disbursed until proof is supplied that such permits

have been acquired);

i. full curricula vitae of all participating investigators, including evidence of

nationality and list of previous scientific publications (selected reprints may be

sent as supporting documents);

j. degree for which the research may be registered and institution at which it will be

carried out;

k. name, address and qualifications of supervisor(s); preferably include supporting

letters from supervisor (s); for professionals, similar details should be provided

from Head of Department; for amateurs, reference of competence from an

established ornithologist or professional scientist.

l. names and addresses of two additional academic referees (other than supervisors).

It must be emphasised that applications cannot be considered unless all the above

material is supphed.

6. Applicants must give an undertaking to provide brief {c. one page) reports at six-

monthly intervals from the date the award is made. Grant recipients must also provide a

final report on completion of the project or of the part of it for which W.A.O.S. funding

was made, in a form suitable for publication in Malimbus. Applicants will be

encouraged to submit their full research results for publication in Malimbus and

editorial assistance may be made available to grant recipients to this end.

7. Applications will be considered by Council and may be sent by Council for

scientific comment to any other authority it considers appropriate. Council’s decision

regarding which projects to award and the amount of any grant to be made is final.

Alan Tye

for W.A.O.S. Council

1993

Notices

105

Bourses de Recherches de la S. O. O. A.

Au vu des résultats d’une enquête auprès des adhérents (cf. ci-dessus), le Conseil a

décidé d’offrir un certain nombre de petites bourses pour aider la recherche

ornithologique en Afrique de l’Ouest. Les conditions préliminaires à remplir sont

données ci-dessous, bien qu’elles puissent être modifiées à tout moment par le Conseil.

En ce qui concerne ces bourses, l’Afrique de l’Ouest est définie par les pays suivants;

les Iles du Cap-Vert, Sâo Tomé et Elle du Prince, Mauritanie, Mali, Niger, Tchad,

R.C.A., Sénégal, Gambie, Guinée-Bissau, Sierra Leone, Libéria, Côte d’ivoire, Ghana,

Togo, Bénin, Nigéria, Cameroun, Guinée Equatoriale, Gabon, Congo, région de

Cabinda en Angola, Zaïre, Rwanda et Burundi.

1. Il ne sera pas déboursé plus de £1000 par année civile et aucune bourse

n’excédera £500. Les dotations pourront être versées en une fois ou par tranches selon

la décision du Conseil.

2. Seules seront examinées les candidatures des étudiants d’universités ouest-

africaines, de scientifiques qualifiés et d’ornithologues amateurs de l’Ouest africain; la

préférence ira aux étudiants et particulièrement à ceux préparant une tJièse.

3. Le sujet de la recherche doit être d’abord l’ornithologie et se déroulera en

Afrique de l’Ouest.

4. Les candidatures peuvent être remises à n’importe quelle date à: The Secretary to

Council, 1 Uppingham Road, Oakliam, Rutland LE 15 6JB, UK.

5. Les candidatures doivent être remises en double exemplaire, soit en anglais soit

en français, et comprendre les rubriques suivantes, dont abcd n’excèderont pas un total

de quatre pages dactylographiées.

a. but de la recherche;

b. justification scientifique de cette recherche;

c. état des connaissances relatives au sujet;

d. description détaillée des techniques à utiliser; lieu(x) et biotope(s) du ou des

site(s) de l’étude; calendrier et durée;

e. hste détaillée du matériel et des dépenses envisagées, en précisant pour quel poste

le financement de la S. 0.0. A. est sollicité;

f. désignation des fonds qui pourraient être déjà promis ou accordées par d’autres

organismes

g. désignation des autres organismes de financement auxquels des demandes

auraient été faites;

h. indiquer que toutes autorisations de recherches (p. ex. permis de baguage, permis

de travailler sur le site d’étude envisagé etc...) ont été obtenues ou sollicitées

(noter que les bourses ne seront versées qu’après obtention de la preuve de ces

autorisations);

i. cunicultm vitae complet de tous ceux qui participent à cette recherche, y compris

document de nationalité et liste des publications scientifiques (un choix de tirés

à part pourra étayer le dossier);

106

Notices

Malimbus 15

j. diplôme pour lequel celte recherche peut être enregistrée et laboratoire où elle se

déroulera;

k. nom, adresse et qualifications du ou des directeur(s); si possible, avec une lettre

de recommandation de ces directeurs; pour les professionels, ees détails devront

être fournis par le responsable du département; pour les amateurs, attestation de

compétenee par un omitliologue qualifié ou un professionnel;

l. noms et adresses de deux autres autorités académiques (en sus des directeurs).

Nous insistons sur le fait que les candidatures ne seront examinés qu’après réception de

tous les documents cités ci-dessus.

6. Les candidats s’engageront à fournir un bref rapport (c. une page) tous les six

mois à partir de l’obtention des fonds. Ils devront aussi fournir à la elôture du projet (ou

d’une de ses phases), financé par la S. O. O. A., un rapport final qui convienne à la

publication dans Malimbus. Il est recommandé aux boursiers de la S.O.O.A. de

soumettre la totalité de leurs résultats de recherches à Malimbus et la Rédaetion pourra

les aider à cet effet.

7. Les candidatures seront examinées par le Conseil et pourront être soumises à

toute autre personnalité jugée compétente. Les décisions du Conseil sur le choix des

projets à finaneer ou sur le montant des bourses seront sans appel.

Alan Tye

pour le Conseil d’Administration de la S.O.O.A.

Recent Literature Supplements

One of the respondents to the recent questionnaire suggested resurrecting tlie Recent

Literature Supplements to Malimbus, whieh used to be produced by Prof C.H. Fry. In

the Editorial of the last issue, I welcomed the idea, but explained why they had lapsed. I

am delighted to be correeted by Prof Fry and by Dr R.J. Dowsett, Editor of Tauraco,

who inform me that the supplements have in fact been continued. Four hundred

references were abstracted in Tauraco 2(1), and a similar number will appear in the next

issue. This is considerably more African titles than covered by any other abstract

service. The bibliography 1971-90, eompiled by Hilary Fry and checked and expanded

by Dr Dowsett and Dr F. Dowsett-Lemaire, is scheduled to be published at the end of

1993. If anyone wishes to assist in preparation of the supplements, he or she is welcome

to contact Dr Dowsett at 12 rue des Lavandes, 34190 Ganges, France.

Alan Tye

Suppléments de Bibliographie Récente

Une des personnes interrogées par le récent questionnaire suggérait de reprendre les

“Recent Literature Supplements” de Malimbus, préparés habituellement par le Prof

1993

Notices

107

C.H. Fry. Dans l’éditorial du dernier numéro, bien que je trouve l’idée excellente, j’ai

expliqué pourquoi ils avaient cessé de paraifre. J’ai le plaisir d’être contredit par Prof.

Fry et par le Dr R. J. Dowsett, Editeur de Tauraco, qui m’apprennent que les

suppléments continuent en effet. Quatre cents références ont été analysées dans

Tauraco 2(1) et autant paraîtront dans le prochain numéro. Cela fait bien plus de

références africaines que n’en offre aucun autre service bibliographique. La

bibliographie 1971-90, préparée par Hilary Fry, revue et augmentée par les Drs Dowsett

et F. Dowsett-Lemaire, devait paraître fin 1993. Si quelqu’un désire aider à la

préparation des suppléments, qu’il veuille bien s’adresser à M. Dowsett, 12 rue des

Lavandes, 34190 Ganges, France.

Alan Tye

Languages of publication fiîMtdimbm

Since analysing the results of the recent questiormaire (see the previous issue and

elsewhere in this one) more replies have continued to be received. These largely

confirm the analysis results. One additional suggestion, from a German member, was

that papers should be accepted in German. This it has not bœn possible to accept, since

German is not a language widely understood in West African ornithological cirles, and

every journal has to have its language limits: indeed, Malimbus is exceptional these

days in accepting papers in more than one language. However, I should like to assure

German contributors, and others whose first language is not English or French, that I

and the editorial board will provide every assistance to authors in polishing their

contributions in our two languages of publication. Language difficulties should not be

allowed to prevent the publication of important scientific data and authors should not

shy from submitting their work in language that may not be perfect.

Alan Tye

Langues de publication dans Malimbus

Depuis l’analyse des résultats du récent questionnaire (cf. le numéro précédent ainsi que

celui-ci), d’autres réponses ont continué de nous parvenir. Elles confirment dans

l’ensemble cette analyse. Un adhérent allemand a en outre suggéré que Ton accepte les

articles en allanand. Cette proposition n’a pas été retenue car l’allemand n’est pas une

langue répandue dans les milieux ornithologiques de TOuest africain et toute revue doit

avoir ses limites sur le plan linguistique: en effet. Malimbus est actuellement une

exception puisqu’il accepte des textes en plus d’une langue. Cependant, je tiens à

assurer aux auteurs allanands, et à ceux dont la langue maternelle n’est ni l’anglais ni le

français, que le comité de rédaction et moi-même leur procurons toute Laide nécessaire

à l’amélioration de leur manuscrit dans Lune ou l’autre langue de la revue. Les

108

Notices

Malimbus 15

difficultés linguistiques ne sauraient être un obstacle à la publication d’importantes

données scientifiques et les auteurs ne doivent pas hésiter à soumettre leurs travaux sous

une forme qui laisserait à désirer.

Alan Tye

W.A.O.S. biennial meeting, 6-8 May 1994

The third biennial meeting of tire Society will be held on 6-8 May 1994 at Kampen,

near the IJssel estuary in the Netherlands, based on an hotel there. It may also be

possible to offer an alternative of cheaper accommodation. A package by minibus from

Harwich via the Hook of Holland, arranged by Roger Beecroft of Halcyon Holidays,

may be available for members travelling to the meeting from Britain. For full details of

the meeting and travel package, send a self-addressed envelope to one of the following:

Mrs A.M. Moore, 1 Uppingham Road, Oakham, Rutland LE 15 6JB, U.K.;

Dr M.-Y. Morel, 1 route de Sallenelles, 14860 Bréville-les-Monts, France;

J. Nap, Henri Dunantstraat 7, 8264 AB Kampen, Netherlands.

Amberley Moore

Réunion bisannuelle de la S.O.O.A., 6-8 mai 1994

La troisième réunion bisannuelle de la Société se tiendra du 6 au 8 mai 1 994 à Kampen,

près de l’embouchure de l’IJssel, aux Pays-Bas, dans un hôtel local. II sera sans doute

possible de proposer un logement moins cher à quelques membres. Pour recevoir par la

suite plus de détails sur la réunion, envoyez une enveloppe avec vos nom et adresse à;

Mme M.-Y. Morel, 1 route de Sallenelles, 14860 Bréville-les-Monts, France, ou à

M. J. Nap, Henri Dunantstraat 7, 8264 AB Kampen, Pays-Bas, ou à

Mme A. M. Moore, 1 Uppingliam Road, Oakliam, Rutland LE 15 6JB, Angleterre.

Amberley Moore

British Birdwatching Fair 1993

Once again, generous sponsorship (which provided half the cost of mounting the stand)

by the Bird and Wildlife Bookshop of Piccadilly, London, enabled the Society to

present a display at the annual Birdwatching Fair, held at Rutland Water on 20-22

August 1993. During the tliree days of the fair, the W.A.O.S. stand attracted many of

the 10500 visitors.

Ian Wallace generously donated one of his paintings, a watercolour of a Blue Fairy

Flycatcher Elminia longicauda, which was raffled. The wiimer was Mr J. Spencer of

1993

Notices

109

Cambridge. The Rev. and Mrs Torn Gladwin kindly donated books for additional

prizes, which wctc won by Mrs H. Corbet and Mr J. Knowles. The money raised was

sufficient to cover Üie remaining expenses of running the stall and to make a modest

addition to tibe Society’s funds. New members were recruited and the fair provided an

opportunity to meet some of the ornithologists currently working in West Africa.

Thanks are due to Francis Stone and Geoffrey Field, who travelled to Rutland

Water to man the stall.

The fair this year was in aid of tiie BirdLife International Polish Wetlands Projet

and the organisers expect it to have raised £40000 for this purpose.

Amberley Moore

The ecological roles and value of sandgrouse: request for information.

Sandgrouse of the genus Pierocles inhabit hot, semi-arid and arid biotopes, preferring

stony areas or low shrubby growüi. They feed predominantly on hard seeds, especially

of legumes (Fabaceae). Six species are endemic to Africa, and six are shared between

northern Africa and Asia. India and Madagascar each have one endemic species. All are

adapted to exploit the often ephemeral productivity of semi-arid ecosystems (Maclean

1976 Pma Ini Om, Congr. 16: 502-526, 1985 S, Afr. J. Wild! Res. 15; 1-6, Thomas

1984a & Afr. J. ZooL 19: 113-120, 1984b J. Arid Environ. 7: 157-181). The natural

history of sandgrouse (Pteroclidae) has been reviewed by Maclean & Fry (1986 pp.

422-441 in Urban, E.K., Fry, C.H. & Keith, S. (eds) The Birds of Africa, vol. 2,

Academic Press, London) and Campbell & Lack (1985 A Dictionary of Birds, Poyser,

Calton). Although sandgrouse behavioural and physiological ecology is fairly well

known, there is little recent documentation of their demography, ecological roles or

value as a sustainable natural resource. Sandgrouse can occur at very high densities.

Meinertzhagen (1954 Birds of Arabia, Oliver & Boyd, London) reported that huge

flocks of Pin-tailed Sandgrouse P. alchata darkened the Arabian skies early this

century, and Baker (1921 The Game-birds of India, Burma and Ceylon, John Bale, Sons

& Danielsson, London) speculated that this was file '‘quail” which provided for the

wandCTing Israelites. Baker (1921) and Lynn-Allen (1951 Shot-gun and Sunlight: the

Game Birds of East Africa, Batchworth, London) described file great value placed on

sandgrouse hunting at their traditional watering sites and in conjunction with falconiy,

and their importance as a source of protein for indigenous peoples in East Aftrca and

India. Ali & Ripley (1969 Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan, Oxford

University Press, London) tell of “prestige” shoots of Black-bellied Sandgrouse P.

orientalis for ent^taining British Viceroys, Governors and notables. Witherby (1902

Bird Hunting on the White Nile, The Office of “Knowledge”, London) reported

“sandgrouse shooting at many points along the banks of the White Nile”. Recently,

commercial shooting of Namaqua P. namaqua and Spotted P. burchelli Sandgrouse has

beoi offered at R 450 (US$ 150) per hunter per morning in South Africa. Although this

110

Notices

Malimbus 15

embryonic industry supplements agriculture in a semi-arid environment, we believe that

this resource is under-valued and under-utilized.

Although any information (published or unpublished) on the ecology of sandgrouse,

particularly in terms of tlieir ecological roles as consumers and dispersers of seed and as

a source of food and recreation for humans, is welcome, we specifically require answers

to the following questions.

1 . Where are high population density nuclei for each species of sandgrouse?

2. How big are these populations?

3. What are their limiting factors {e.g. habitat destruction for agriculture, human

predation etc.)l

4. Are these populations utilized for human food or recreation (hunted, trapped,

netted etc.J!

5. If so, how many birds are taken each hunting season, year?

6. Is tliis for subsistence, socializing or commerce?

7. What are the values of these bags, as protein sources or as commercial (paid)

hunting?

Please specify sandgrouse species, locality, country, or region wherever possible.

Please also send information or addresses of any biologists, hunters,

conservationists, farmers etc. who might have such information.

R.M. Little & T.M. Crowe

Gamebird Research Programme, FitzPalrick Institute,

University of Capetown, Rondebosch 7700, Soutli Africa

Le rôle et la valeur écologique des gangas; demande dMnformation.

Les gangas du genre Pterocles habitent les milieux semi-arides et arides des régions

chaudes et préfèrent les zones caillouteuses ou une végétation buissonante basse. Ils se

nourrissent principalement de graines dures, en particulier de légmnineuses (Fabaceae).

Six espèces sont endémiques de l’Afrique et six se répartissent entre l’Afrique du Nord

et l’Asie. L’Inde et Madagascar ont chacun une espèce endémique. Toutes sont

adaptées à l’utilisation de la production souvent éphémère des écosystèmes semi-arides

(Maclean 1976 Proc. Int. Om. Congr. 16: 502-526, 1985 S. AJr. J. Wildl. Res. 15: 1-6,

Thomas 1984a 5. Afr. J. Zool 19: 113-120, 1984b J. Arid Environ. 7: 157-181). Une

révision de la famille des gangas (Pteroclidae) a été faite par Maclean & Fry (1986 pp.

422-441 in Urban, E.K., Fry, C.H. & Keith, S. (eds) The Birds of Africa, vol. 2,

Academie Press, London) et Campbell & Lack (1985 A Dictionary of Birds, Poyser,

Calton). Quoique l’écologie comportementale et physiologique soit assez bien connue,

on a peu de données récentes sur leur démograpliie, leur rôle écologique ou leur valeur

comme ressource naturelle durable. Les gangas peuvent atteindre de très fortes densités.

Meinertzhagen (1954 Birds of Arabia, Oliver & Boyd, London) rapportait que

d’énormes vols de Gangas cata P. alchata obscurcissaient le ciel d'Arabie au début du

siècle et Baker (1921 The Game-birds of India, Bumta and Ceylon, John Baie, Sons &

1993

Notices

111

Danielsson, London) se demandait s’il ne s’agissait pas des “cailles” qui nourissaient

les Hébreux pendant l’Exode. Baker (1921) et Lynn-Allen (1951 Shot-gun and

Sunlight: the Game Birds of East Africa, Batchworth, London) signalaient la faveur

dont jouissait la chasse au ganga aux points d’eau traditionnels, associée à la

fauconnerie, et son importance comme source de protéines pour les indigènes de l’Est

africain et de l’Inde. Ali & Ripley (1969 Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan,

Oxford University Press, London) parlaient des chasses de prestige au Ganga unibande

P. orientalis pour les loisirs des Vice-roi, gouverneurs et personnalités britanniques.

Witherby (1902 Bird Hunting on the White Nile, The Office of “Knowledge”, London)

parlait du “tir au ganga en de nombreux points des rives du Nil Blanc”. Récemment, on

a proposé une chasse touristique des Gangas namaqua P. namaqua et de Burchell P.

burchelli à 450 R (1 50 $US) par chasseur et par matinée en Afrique du Sud. Bien que

cette industrie rudimentaire s’ajoute à l’agriculture dans un milieu semi-aride, nous

croyons que cette ressource est sous-estimée et sous-exploitée.

Bien que toutes les données (publiée ou inédites) sur l’écologie des gangas, en

particulier sur leur rôle écologique comme consommateurs et disséminateurs de graines

et comme source de nourriture et de loisirs, soient les bienvenues, nous sollicitons plus

précisément une réponse aux questions suivantes:

1 . Où sont les points de plus forte population pour chaque espèce de ganga?

2. Quelle est l’importance de ces populations?

3. Quels sont les facteurs hmitants (p. ex. destruction de l’habitat par l’agriculture,

prédation par l’homme etc.)l

4. Ces populations sont-elles exploitées pour l’alimentation humaine ou pour les

loisirs (chasse, piégeage, capture au filet etc.)l

5. Si oui, combien d’oiseaux est-il pris à chaque saison de chasse ou par année?

6. S’agit-il d’un moyen de subsistance, de relations sociales ou de commerce?

7- Quelle est la valeur de ces prises comme source de protéines ou comme chasse

(rémunérée) commerciale?

Veuillez préciser autant que possible l’espèce de ganga, la localité, le pays ou la

région.

Veuillez aussi nous envoyer renseignements ou adresses de tous biologistes,

chasseurs, spécialistes de la protection, cultivateurs etc. qui pourraient détenir de telles

données.

R.M. Little & T.M. Crowe

Gamebird Research Programme, FitzPatrick Institute,

University of Capetown, Rondebosch 77(X), South Africa

112

Notices

Malimbus 15

Red-eyed Dove -- Tourterelle à collier - Sireptopdia semüorquMm

Photo M.E.X Gore

Instructions aux Auteurs

Malimbus publie des Articles, des Notes courtes, des Analyses d’ouvrages, des Lettres

et des illustrations traitant de l’ornithologie ouest-africaine. Les Notes courtes sont des

articles de moins de 1000 mots (références comprises) ou de 2 pages imprimées. Les

textes sont acceptés en anglais et en français. Ceux déjà publiés ailleurs, en tout ou

partie, seront normalement refusés. Autant que possible, les manuscrits auront été

auparavant soumis au moins à un ornithologue ou biologiste pour un examen minutieux.

Les manuscrits seront envoyés pour critique à au moins un lecteur compétent.

Les textes soumis seront tapés en deux exemplaires, d’un seul côté de la page,

double interhgne et avec larges marges. Les tirages sur imprimante matricielle ne seront

acceptés que s’ils ont la “qualité-courrier”. Les auteurs ne doivent pas envoyer un

double de leur disquette en même temps que l’article qu’ils soumettent, mais sont priés

d’indiquer s’ils peuvent le faire dans le cas où leur article serait accepté. Les disquettes

seront retournées aux auteurs. Consultez l’Éditeur pour des détails supplémentaires,

c’est-à-dire les programmes de texte compatibles.

Les Conventions concernant les tableaux, les chiffres, le système métrique, les

références, etc. peuvent être trouvées dans ce numéro et doivent être soigneusement

suivies. Notez en particulier que les dates s’abrégeront comme 2 fév 1990 mais dans un

texte pourront s’écrire en entier; que les heures s’écriront comme 6.45, 17.00; que les

coordonnées s’écriront comme 7°46’N, 16°4’W; que les nombres jusqu’à dix s’écriront

en entier, excepté devant une unité de mesure (p. ex. 6 m), que les nombres à partir de

11 s’écriront en chiffres sauf au début d’une phrase. Toute Référence citée dans

l’article, et aucune autre, doit figurer dans la bibliographie.

Les Articles contenant de longues Listes d’Espèces seront sous forme de tableaux

(p. ex Malimbus 1: 49-54) ou sous forme de texte comme dans Malimbus 1: 90-109.

Les noms et la séquence systématique des listes suivront Brown et al. (1982), Urban et

al. (1986) et Fry et al. (1988) The Birds of Africa, vols 1-3 (Academie Press, London)

pour les non-passereaux et White (1960-1963) Revised Checklists of African Passerine

Birds, Hall & Moreau (1970) An Atlas of Spéciation in African Passerine Birds (British

Museum (Natural History), London) ou Serle & Morel (1975) A Field Guide to the

Birds of West Africa (Collins, London) pour les passereaux, à moins de dormer dans le

texte les raisons pour s’écarter de ces auteurs.

Les Figures doivent être préparées pour une reproduction directe, permettant une

réduction de 20 à 50%; on se servira d’encre de chine sur papier blanc de boime qualité

ou calque épais et de caractères Letraset (ou équivalent) selon le cas. Pour le dessin des

Figures, tenir compte du format de Malimbus.

Tous les Articles (mais non les Notes courtes) comporteront un Résumé,

n’excédant pas 5% de la longeur totale. Le Résumé mentionnera brièvement les

principales résultats et conclusions de l’Article et ne sera pas un simple compte rendu

du travail. Les résumés seront publiés à la fois en anglais et en français et seront traduits

au mieux par le Rédaction.

Vingt Tirés-à-part des Articles (mais non des Notes courtes) seront envoyés gratis

à l’auteur ou à l’auteur principal. Les tirés-à-part ne seront ni agrafés, ni reliés ou

recouverts; ces sont de simples extraits de la revue.

Malimbus 15 (2) October 1993

Contents

Population density of Red-throated Bee-eaters Merops bullocki

in a pristine habitat.

H.Q.P. Crick. 61-67

Additions and corrections to the avifauna of Congo.

F. Dowsett Lemaire, R. J. Dowsett & P. Bulens. 68-80

Nichoirs artificiels utilisés par le Petit Calao à bec rouge

Tockus erythrorhynchus.

M.S. Diop & B. Tréca 81-88

Short Notes

Nouvelles données de distribution pour deux espèces d'oiseaux au

Burkina Faso. G. Balança & M.N. de Visscher. 89-90

The status of the Black Swift Apus barbatm in western West Africa.

W. Gatter. 90-91

Manx Shearwater Puffinus puffinus, new to Ivoiy Coast.

R. A. Cheke. 92

An unusual record of Fulvous Tree-Duck Dendwcygna bicolor

breeding in the Hadejia-Nguru Wetlands, northeastern Nigeria.

A. U. Ezealor. 92-93

Albinism in Spur-winged Goose Plectropterus gambensis.

A. U. Ezealor. 93-94

On the laying period of the Egyptian Goose Alopochen aegyptiacus

in the delta of the River Senegal.

P. Triplet, B. Trolliet, P. Yésou & B. Tréca. 94-95

A long lived Common Bulbul Pycnonotus barbatm in Nigeria.

R.J. Dowsett. 95-96

Book Reviews 97-100

Notices

Results of questionnaire on use of W.A.O.S. funds.- 101-103

W. A. O.S. Research Grants. 103-106

Recent literature supplements. 106-107

Languages of publication of Malimbus. 1 07- 1 08

W.A.O.S. biennial meeting, 6-8 May 1994. 108

British Birdwatching Fair 1 993. 1 08-109

Ecological roles and value of sandgrouse; request for information. 109-1 1 1

MALIMBUS

Journal of the West African Ornithological Society

Revue de la Société d’Ornithologie de FOuest Africain

Volume 16 (1994) Index

Compiled by J.H. Elgood

2

I Systematic Names

Nomenclature follows Dowsett, R.J. & Forbes-Watson, A.D. (1993) Checklist of Birds

of the Afrotropical and Malagasy Regions, Tauraco Press, Liège (= DFW), except

where taxa considered subspecies by DFW are treated as full species by authors (e.g.

Acrocephalus baeticatus used by an author would be separately listed, although

submerged in A. scirpaceus by DFW). Synonyms used in articles in the journal (mainly

from The Birds of Africa) are referred by parentheses to the names used by DFW

(unless very close, e.g. sharpei/ sharpii) and page numbers are also given under DFW’s

name. Where a species has been split by DFW but not by an author, the broader

specific name is given in parentheses {e.g. Anhinga ( melanogaster ) rufa, the latter name

being that used by DFW). Names in parentheses with an “ = ” sign are DFW names,

thus '‘Campephaga ( = Lobotos) lobata” means that the author used Campephaga while

DFW use Lobotos; ‘'Alcedo (Corythornis) cristatus” means that at least one author

used Corythornis but DFW use Alcedo. All references to a species are listed under the

DFW name (e.g. Alcedo), whatever genus the author may have used, but under the

alternative name are listed only those so-called by authors. The aim of this system is

that all references should be findable by using DFW names, whether those names are

used by authors or not.

Italic numbers signify an illustration.

Accipiter badius 1 3

erythropus 13, 35, 105

melanoleucus 13, 78, 105

tachiro 13, 35, 105

Acrocephalus arundinaceus 23

rufescens 42

schoenobaenus 23, 42

scirpaceus 23, 42

Actitis hypoleucos 11, 15

Actophilornis africanus 14, 79

Agapornis swindernianus 37, 107, 122

Agelastes meleagrides 12, 14

Alcedo (Corythornis) cristata 16

(Corythornis) leucogaster 17, 109

quadribrachys 16, 82

Alethe diademata 2^, 41, 115

poliocephala 23, 115

Amandava subflava 28, 47

Amaurornis flavirostris 14

Amblyospiza albifrons 27, 45, 86

Anas acuta 123

Andropadus ansorgei 22, 113

curvirostris 22, 40, 113

gracilirostris 22, 40, 114

gracilis 22, 40, 113

latirostris 22, 40, 114

virens 22, 40, 114

Anhinga (melanogaster) rufa 77, 127

Anous stolidus 80

tenuirostris 80

Anthreptes collaris 26, 118

fraseri 26, 116, 118

longuemarei 44

rectirostris 26, 85, 118

Anthoscopus flavifrons 118

Anthus cervinus 19

leucophrys 19, 112

similis 19, 84

trivialis 19, 84, 112, 124

Apalis flavida 43

nigriceps 24, 85, 116

sharpii 24, 116, 122

Apaloderma narina 108

Apus (Tachymarptis) aequatorialis 82,

108

affinis 16, 108

apus 16, 108

caffer 16, 37, 108

pallidus 82

Ardea cinerea 13, 104

goliath 12

melanocephala 10, 78

purpurea 13, 77

Ardeola ralloides 5, 15

Arenaria interpres 80

Aviceda cuculoides 13

Baeopogon indicator 22, 40, 114

Bathmocercus cerviniventris 12, 24

Batis minor 44

occulta 117, 122

Bias musicus 26

Bleda canicapilla 22, 114

eximia 114

syndactyla 22, 114

Bostrychia olivacea 104, 122

hagedash 78

3

Botauras stellaris 13

Bradornis pallidus 44

Bubo africanus 16

leucostictus 108, 122

poensis 108

Bubulcus ibis 12, 104

Buccanodon duchaillui 18, 38, 111

Burhinus senegalensis 79

vermiculatus 79

Buteo auguralis 14, 78, 104

Butorides striatus 12, 104

Bycanistes (Ceratogymna) cylindricus

18, 122

(Ceratogymna) fistulator 18, 83, 110

Calidris ferraginea 36

minuta 5, 36, 80

temminckii 36

Calonectris diomedea 77

Calyptodchla serina 22, 114

Camaroptera brachyura 24, 85, 116

chloronota 24, 43, 116

superciliaris 43, 116

Campephaga ( = Lobotos) lobata 12,

22, 84

phoenicea 22, 84

quiscalina 22, 40

Campethera caroli 19, 38, 112

maculosa 18, 111, 122

nivosa 19, 38, 111

Canirallus oculeus 106

Caprimulgus climacurus 16

inornatus 37

nigriscapularis 37

Centropus grillii 37

leucogaster 16, 108

monachus 37

senegalensis 16, 108

Ceratogymna atrata 18, 83, 110

( = Bycanistes) cylindricus 122

elata 18, 33, 110

( = Bycanistes) fistulator 110

Cercococcyx mechowi 16, 107

olivinus 16, 107

Cercotrichas ( = Erythropygia)

leucosticta 115, 122

podobe 5

Ceryle ( = Megaceryle) maxima 16, 82

rudis 16, 82

Ceuthmochares aereus 16, 107

Ceyx lecontei 37, 109

pictus 17, 109

Chaetura ( = Rhaphidura) sabini 16, 82

( = Telecan thura) ussheri 16

Charadrius dubius 36

forbesi 15, 79

tricollaris 57-58

Chiidonias leucopterus 36

(Sterna) niger 80

Chlorocichla falkensteini 40

flavicollis 22

simplex 22, 40, 114

Chloropeta natalensis 42

Chrysococcyx caprius 16, 107

cupreus 16, 107, 115

klaas 16, 107

Ciccaba ( = Strix) woodfordii 16

Cichladusa ruficauda 33

Ciconia episcopus 13

Cinnyricinclus leucogaster 20

Circaetus cinereus 13, 35

Circus aeruginosus 13

macrourus 5

Cisticola aberrans 85

brachyptems 24

cantans 42

erythrops 24, 42

galactotes 43

lateralis 24, 42, 116

natalensis 43

Clamator glandarius 1 5

(Oxylophus) levaillantii 15, 107

Clytospiza ( = Euschistospiza)

dybowskii 46

monteiri 46

Columba guinea 4

iriditorques 15, 106

unicincta 15

Coracias abyssinica 17

naevia 17

Coracina azurea 22

Corvus albus 20, 86

Corythaeola cristata 15, 81, 103, 107

Corythornis ( = Alcedo) cristata 16

( = Alcedo) leucogaster 17, 109

Cossypha cyanocampter 23, 41, 85

niveicapilla 23

Coturnix chinensis 35, 78

Crecopsis (Crex) egregia 14, 36, 106

Crinifer piscator 15, 81

Criniger barbatus 22, 114

calurus 22, 114

olivaceus 12, 23, 100, 101, 114, 122

ndussumensis 41

Cuculus clamosus 16, 107, 115

gularis 16

solitarius 15, 37, 107

Cypsiurus parvus 16, 82, 108

4

Delichon urbica 19, 84

Dendrocygna viduata 78

Dendropicos fuscescens 19, 38

gabonensis 19, 112

poecilolaemus 38

( = Thripias) pyrrhogaster 112

Dicrurus adsimilis 20

atripennis 20

ludwigii 20

Drymocichia incana 10, 24, 43

Dryoscopus gambensis 20, 84, 112

sabini 20

Dryotriorchis spectabilis 13, 105, 122

Dyaphorophyia (Platysteira) blissetti 26

(Platysteira) castanea 26, 44, 117

(Platysteira) concreta 26

Egretta alba 13

garzetta 13

gularis 13

intermedia 35

Elanus caeruleus 13, 78

Elminia (Trochocercus) nigromitrata 26

Emberiza cabanisi 44

( = Miliaria) calandra 124

forbesi ( = affinis) 44

Eremomela badiceps 25, 116

Eremopteryx leucotis 5

Erythrocercus mccallii 26, 118

Erythropygia (Cercotrichas)

leucosticta 115, 122

Estrilda astrild 28, 47, 85

atricapilla 47

( = Lagonosticta) larvata 47

melpoda 28, 94=99, 120

nonnula 47

Euplectes afer 46

ardens 27, 46

gierowii 34

hordeaceus 27

macrourus 27

Eupodotis melanogaster 14

Eurystomus giaucurus 17, 83, 110

gularis 17, 37, 83, 110

Euschistospiza (Clytospiza) dybowskii 46

Falco ardosiaceus 14, 35

biarmicus 14

subbuteo 78

tinnunculus 14

Ficedula albicollis 43

hypoleuca 25, 43

semitorquata 43

Francolinus ahantensis 14, 78, 106, 122

bicalcaratus 14

lathami 14, 106

Fraseria cinerascens 44, 85

ocreata 43, 85, 117

Galerida modesta 56-67

Gallinago gallinago 36

Gallinuia angulata 14, 36, 79

Glareola pratincola 79

Glaucidium tephronotum 108, 122

Guttera pucherani 14

Gymnobucco bonapartei 37

calvus 18, 110

peli 110

sladeni 38

Gypohierax angolensis 1,8, 13, 78, 105

Halcyon badia 17, 108, 115

chelicuti 17, 82

leucocephala 17, 83

malimbica 108

senegalensis 17, 109

Haliaeetus vocifer 13

Heliolais (Prinia) erythroptera 43

Hieraaetus ayresii (dubius) 6, 78, 105, 122

Himantopus himantopus 15, 36, 79, 106

Hippolais polyglotta 23, 42

Hirundo abyssinica 112

fuligula 84

( = Pseudhirundo) griseopyga 2

lucida 19

nigrita 19, 39, 84

preussi 33

rufigula

rustica 19, 39, 112

senegalensis 19, 108

smithii 39

Hydrobates pelagicus 77

Hylia prasina 25, 43, 117

Hyliota violacea 25, 117, 122

Hypargos ( = Mandingoa) nitidulus 28, 46

Illadopsis (Malacocincla, Trichastoma)

cleaveri 23, 41, 115

(Malacocincla, Trichastoma)

fulvescens 23, 41, 115

(Trichastoma) rufescens 116, 122

(Malacocincla, Trichastoma)

rufipennis 23, 115

Indicator conirostris 18, 111

maculatus 18, 38, 111

willcocksi 84, 111

5

Ixobrychus minutas 12, 35, 77

sturmii 104

Ixonotus guttatus 114

Jynx torquilla 84

Kaupifalco monogrammicus 14

Lagonosticta (Estrilda) larvata 47

rara 28

rabricata 47, 85

rufopicta 28, 47

senegala 28, 93

Lamprotomis caudatas 40, 74, 86

chalcurus 40

cupreocauda 122

(Spreo) pulcher 98

purpureiceps 40

splendidus 86

Laeiarius ferrugineus 20, 84

leucorhynchus 20, 39, 84, 112

Lanius collaris 20, 39, 84, 87

excubitor 5

senator 20

Larus fuscus 36, 80

ridibundus 80

sabini 80

Limosa lapponica 80

Lobotos (Campephaga) lobatus 12, 22, 84

Lonchura bicolor 28, 47, 88^93, 94-99, 120

cucullata 28, 88-93, 94-99, 120

fringilloides 28, 47, 120

Lophaetus occipitalis 14, 105

Luscinia megarhynchos 23

Lybius bidentatos 18

( = Tricholaema) hirsutus 18

vielloti 18, 83

Lymnocryptes minimus 32

Macheiramphus aicinus 13, 35

Macrodipteryx longipermis 16, 82

Macronyx croceus 19, 39, 112

Macrosphenus concolor 25, 116

kempi 25, 117, 122

Malacocincla ( = Illadopsis) cleaveri 23, 41

( = Illadopsis) Mvescens 23, 41

( = Illadopsis) rafipennis 23

Malaconotus cruentus 20

lagdeni 112, 122

multicolor 20, 112

Malimbus ballmanni 12, 27, 86

cassini 45

malimbicus 27, 45, 120

nitens 27, 45, 120

rubricollis 27, 45, 120

scutatus 27, 119

sp„ 115

Mandingoa (Hypargos) nitidula 28, 46

Megabyas flammulatus 10, 25, 85, 117

Megaceryle (Ceryle) maxima 16, 82

Melaenornis annamarulae 25

Melichneutes robustus 18

Melierax (Micronisus) gabar 5, 13

Melocichla (Sphenoeacus) mentalis 23

Merops albicollis 17, 83, 110

breweri 8

gularis 17, 83, 109

malimbicus 2

muelleri 17, 83, 109

nubicus 17

pusillus 17, 83

superciliosus 83

Mesopicos goertae 19, 84

( = Thripias) pyrrhogaster 19

Micronisus ( = Melierax) gabar 1 3

Miliaria (Emberiza) calandra 124

Mil vus migrans 13, 105

Mirafra africana 84

Motacilla aguimp 84

Clara 19

flava 19, 112

Muscicapa adusta 43

caerulescens 25, 34

cassini 85

comitata 25, 117

epulata 25, 117

( = Myioparus) griseigularis 43, 117

olivascens 25, 117, 122

striata 25, 117, 124

ussheri 117, 122

Mycteria ibis 13

Myioparus (Muscicapa) griseigularis

43, 117

plumbeus 117

Neafrapus cassini 108

Necrosyrtes monachus 1 3

Nectarinia adelberti 26, 85, 119

batesi 118

bouvieri 44

chloropygia 26, 119

coccinigaster 27, 85

cuprea 26, 85

cyanolaema 26, 119

johannae 27, 119

6

Nectarinia minulla 119

olivacea 26

osea 44

preussi 34

rubescens 44

seimundi 118

superba 27, 44, 119

venusta 26

verticalis 26, 119

Neocossyphus ( = Stizorhina) finschi 115

poensis 23, 41, 115

Neotis denhami 14

Nesocharis capistrata 28, 47

Nettapus auritus 35, 78

Nicator chloris 23, 115

Nigrita bicolor 28, 46, 86, 120

canicapilla 28, 46, 120

fusconata 28, 46, 120

luteifrons 46

Numenius arquata 80

phaeopus 11

Nycticorax nycticorax 12, 77

Oceanodroma leucorhoa 77

Onychognathus fulgidus 20, 86

Oriolus brachyrhynchus 20, 39, 86

nigripennis 20, 40

Ortygospiza atricollis 86

Otus icterorhynchus 108, 122

leucotis 16

Oxylophus ( = Clamator) levaillantii 107

Pachycoccyx audeberti 52

Pandion haliaetus 35, 78

Parmoptila rubrifrons 28

woodhousei 46

Parus funereus 26

leucomelas 85

Passer domesticus 74, 86

griseus 28, 120

Pelecanus onocrotalus 5

rufescens 15

Pernis apivorus 13, 35, 78, 105

Petronia dentata 46

Phalacrocorax africanus 12

Phalaropus fulicarius 80

Philomachus pugnax 5

Phoeniconaias minor 7, 12

Phoeniculus ( = Rhinopomastus)

aterrimus 5

bollei 17, 83, 110

castaneiceps 17, 110

Phoenicurus phoenicurus 124

Pholidornis rushiae 25, 33, 117

Phyllanthus atripennis 23, 42

Phyllastrephus albigularis 41

icterinus 22, 40, 1 14

leucolepis 12

( = Pyrrhurus) scandens 22

xavieri 41

Phylloscopus sibilatrix 24, 42, 116

trochilus 24, 42

Picathartes gymnocephalus 20, 21

Pirinestes ( = Pyrenestes) ostrinus 28

Pitta angolensis 38

Platalea alba 78

Platysteira ( = Dyaphorophyia) blissetti 26

( = Dyaphorophyia) castanea 26, 44, 1 1 7

( = Dyaphorophyia) concreta 26

cyanea 26

Plectropterus gambensis 78

Plocepasser mahali 92

Ploceus albinucha 27, 119

baglafecht 45

cucullatus 27, 45, 98, 99, 119

heuglini 86

melanocephalus 45

nigerrimus 27, 45, 119

nigricollis 27, 119

ocularis 45

pelzeni 86

preussi 27, 45

superciliosus 27, 45

tricolor 27, 34, 86, 119

velatus 4

Podica senegalensis 14

Podiceps ( = Tachybaptus) ruficollis 77

Poeoptera lugubris 34, 86

Pogoniulus atroflavus 18, 38, 111

bilineatus 18

scolopaceus 18, 38, 111

subsulphureus 18, 38, 111

Poicephalus gulielmi 37, 106

senegalus 80

Polyboroides typus 13, 105

Porphyrula (Porphyrio) alleni 14, 36, 79

Prinia bairdii 43

( = Heliolais) erythroptera 43

subflava 24, 116

Prionops caniceps 20, 112

Prodotiscus insignis 18, 84, 111

Psalidoprocne nitens 19, 38, 112

obscura 19, 84, 112

Pseudhirundo (Hirundo) griseopyga 2, 19

Pseudochelidon eurystomina 1-9, 4, 71

Psittacula krameri 81

Psittacus erithacus 15, 81, 106

7

Pteronetta hartlaubii 13, 78, 105

Ptilostomus afer 74, 86

Pycnonotus barbatus 22

Pyrenestes (Pirinestes) ostrinus 28

sanguineus 120, 122

Pyrrhurus (Phyllastrephus) scandens 22

Queiea erythrops 27, 45, 120

quelea 27

Rhaphidura (Chaetura) sabini 16, 37,

82, 108

Rhinopomastus (Phoeniculus)

aterrimus 5

Riparia congica 32

paludicola 33, 38

riparia 19, 38

Rostratula benghalensis 15, 36

Rynchops flavirostris 80

Sarothrura elegans 14

pulchra 14, 106

rufa 36

Sasia africana 38, 111

Saxicola rubetra 23

Scopus umbretta 6, 13

Serinus mozambicus 85

Sheppardia cyomithopsis 23, 41

Smithornis capensis 112

rufolateralis 112

Spermophaga haematina 28, 47, 120

Sphenoeacus ( = Melocichla) mentalis 23

Spizaetus africanus 14, 32, 78, 106, 122

Sporopipes squamifrons 93

Spreo ( = Lamprotornis) pulcher 98

Stephanoaetus coronatus 14, 35, 78, 106

Stercorarius longicaudus 80

pomarinus 80

Sterna albifrons 80

dougallii 80

( = Chlidonias) nigra 80

Stiphrornis erythrothorax 23, 41, 115

Stizorhina (Neocossyphus) finschi 23, 115

Streptopelia decipiens 4

semitorquata 6, 15, 106

vinacea 4

Strix (Ciccaba) woodfordii 16, 108

Sturnus vulgaris 6

Sylvia atricapilla 24

borin 24, 42

communis 33

Sylvietta denti 25, 85, 116

virens 25, 43, 116

Tachybaptus (Podiceps) ruficollis 12, 77

Tachymarptis ( = Apus) aequatorialis 108

Tauraco macrorhynchus 15, 107

persa 15, 37, 107

schuetti 37

Tchagra australis 20, 38, 84, 112

minuta 20

Telecan thura melanopygia 108, 122

(Chaetura) ussheri 16, 108

Terpsiphone bates! 44

rufiventer 26, 44

viridis 26

Thescelocichla leucopleura 114

Threskiornis aethiopicus 12

Thripias (Dendropicos, Mesopicos)

pyrrhogaster 19, 112

Tigriornis leucolophus 35, 77, 104, 122

Tockus ( = Tropicranus) albocristatus 1 10

camurus 83, 110

fasciatus 17, 83, 110

hartlaubi 17, 83, 110

nasutus 5

Trachyphonus purpuratus 18, 38, 111

Treron calva 15, 76, 80, 106

Trichastoma ( = Illadopsis) cleaveri 115

( = Illadopsis) fulvescens 1 1 5

( = Illadopsis) rufescens 116, 122

( = Illadopsis) rufipennis 1 1 5

Tricholaema (Lybius) hirsuta 18, 38,

111

Tringa glareola 5

nebularia 5,11

ochropus 15, 106

stagnatilis 36, 80

totanus 36

Trochocercus ( = Elminia) nigromitratus

26

nitens 26, 44

Tropicranus (Tockus) albocristatus 18, 1 10

Turdus pelios 23, 85

( = Zoothera) princei 122

Turnix hottentotta 35

sylvatica 14, 79

Turtur afer 15, 106

brehmeri 15, 36, 106

tympanistria 15, 37, 106

Tyto alba 16, 53-55

Upupa epops 17, 83

Urocolius macrourus 4

Urotriorchis macrourus 14, 35, 105, 122

8

Vanellus senegallus 15 Zoothera (Turdus) princei 122

spinosus 79 Zosterops senegalensis 27, 119

Vidua macroura 28

wilsoni 46

Errata

P.22, line 3. Following Coracina azurea, “C. quiscalina” implies Coracina; should

read “Campephaga quiscalina”. Similarly “C. phoenicea” (line 6) denotes

Campephaga phoenicea and “C lobata'' (line 8) Campephaga iobata.

P.24, last full line. For “C. chlownota"' read “C. brachyura” .

P.35, four lines from bottom. For ''coturnix'' read ''Coturnix'\

P.80, six lines from bottom. For Rhyne hop s'’ read '' Rynchops" .

P.85, penultimate line. For '' Langonosticta" read "'Lagonosticta”.

II Authors and Contents

Akinpelu, A.L Moult and weight cycles in two species of Lonchura in Ile-Ife,

Nigeria. 88-93

Akinpelu, A.I. Breeding seasons of three estrildid species in Ile-Ife, Nigeria. 94-99.

Alexander-Marrack, P. Notes on a breeding colony of the African River Martin

Pseudochelidon eurystomina in Gabon. 1-9

Allport, G.A. & Fanshawe, J.R. Is the Thick-billed Cuckoo Pachycoccyx audeberti

a forest dependent species in West Africa? 52-53

Book Reviews. 59-66, 126-129

Cable, T.T. First record of Three-banded Plover Charadrius tricollaris in Ivory

Coast. 57-58

Change of editorial address. 73

Corrigendum. 125

Demey, R. & Fishpool, L.D.C. The birds of Yapo Forest, Ivory Coast. 100-122

Erard, C. & Morel, G. J. La sous-espèce du Cochevis modeste Galerida modesta en

Sénégambie. 56-57

Farnsworth, S.J. Corn Bunting Emberiza calandra in Mauritania and West Africa.

124-125

Germain, M. & Cornet, J.-P. Oiseaux nouveaux pour la République Centr-

africaine ou dont les notifications de ce pays sont peu nombreuses. 30-51

Gore, M.E.J. Bird records from Liberia. 74-87

Halleux, D. Annotated bird list of Macenta Prefecture, Guinea. 10-29

News & Letters. 67-68, 130-133

Society Notices. 69-72, 134-140

Tréca, B. Des pythons mangeurs de canards. 123-124

Yalden, D.W. A note on the diet of Barn Owls Tyto alba at Djoudj, Senegal. 53-55

MAUMBÜS

Journal of the West African Ornithological Society

Revue de la Société dOrnithologie de TOuest Africain

smfHs.

VOLUME 16 Number 1 June 1994

ISSN 0331-3689

West African Ornithological Society

Société d’ Ornithologie de l’Ouest Africain

Council 1994:

President: Dr Gérard J. Morel

Vice-president: John H. Elgood

Treasurer and Membership Secretary: Robert E. Sharland

Member of Council: Dr Max Germain

Secretary to Council: Mrs Amberley Moore

Managing Editor: Dr Alan Tye

Editorial Board: Dr R.A. Cheke, G.D. Field, Prof. C.H. Fry, A.A. Green, Prof. K.

Howell, G.S. Keith, Dr J.F. Walsh, Dr R. Wilkinson

Matintbus distribution: G.D. Field

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1994

1

Notes on a breeding colony of the African River Martin

Pseudochelidon eurystomina in Gabon

by Peter Alexander-Marrack

van Alkemadelaan 350/401, 2597 AS Den Haag, The Netherlands

Received 1 1 August 1992

Revised 1 February 1994

Summary

Observations of a breeding colony of African River Martins are reported from

the Port Gentil area, Gabon. An “open-bill” display, social gathering of nest-

material, and hole excavation are described. Predation by Palm-nut Vultures

Gypohiemx angolensis is inferred.

Résumé

Les observations sur une colonie d’Hirondelles de rivière aux environs de

Port Gentil, Gabon, sont présentées. Une parade du “bec-ouvert”, le

ramassage social des matériaux du nid et le creusement des troux sont décrits.

La prédation par le Vautour palmiste Gypohierax angolensis est inferée.

Introduction

Recent sununaries of the biology of the African River Martin Pseudochelidon

eurystomina have been compiled by Turner & Rose (1989) and Keith et ai (1992).

Breeding on sand bars on tiie Congo and Oubangui rivers has been described by

Ch^in (1953). During the early rainy season a part of the population breeds in the

coastal savannas of Gabon. H. Morand showed me a breeding colony near Gamba

(2'’45’S, 10’00’E) on 29 Oct 1988; some limited observations from this locahty have

been incorporated by Keith et al (1992). In September-October 1989 I made more

detailed observations of a breeding colony further north near Animba, 30 km SSE of

Port Gentil (0“58’S, 8°54’E), which are reported in this paper. There is no evidence

that the River Martins nested in this area during the three preceding years although a

flock of over 100 was seen flying over on 4 Sep 1988. They were again absent in

1990 and 1991 Stouthamer pers. comm.).

2

P.D. Alexander-Manack

Malimbus 16

Locality and Terrain

The main Animba breeding colony was situated in grassy savanna surrounded by

swamp forest. This site is 5 km from the Atlantic coast and 4 km from the nearest

river. A second, much smaller, colony was discovered in a separate savanna plain 2.5

km to the south-east. In contrast to the Gamba colony, where nest holes were

preferentially located in old sand ridges elevated 1.5 m above the surrounding plain,

both of the Animba colonies were constructed on a very gently inclined surface

within the plain, although in both cases well above the level reached by flooding

during the early part of the rainy season.

The soil consists mainly of white sand. Vegetation comprises grasses {Loudeiia

simplex, Rhynchelitrum filifolium) and sedges (Cyperus tenax) (P. Christy pers.

comm.). In September, at the end of the dry season, the grass was short, partly due

to seasonal burning, partly to grazing by buffalo and other herbivores, allowing

good views of the birds at the entrances to nest holes. With the onset of the rains,

the grass grew rapidly and, by the end of October, visibility of the nest holes was

much more restricted. Access to the edge of the colony by vehicle was possible

until 15 Oct 1989. Thereafter flooding of lower-lying parts of the plain necessitated

walking or wading the last 2 km of track. The main colony was situated close to an

old sand track leading to an abandoned village. The area was occasionally visited

by local farmers seeking freshwater fish in the surrounding swamp forest, and by

hunters.

Chronology

Although westward migration of River Martins across Gabon may begin as early as

April ^rosset & Erard 1986), the main passage occurs between June and early

September (Erard 1981). All the birds seen on passage in northeast Gabon in August

were in adult plumage (P. Christy pers. comm.). The birds arrive on the coast at

Gamba from mid-August onwards (D. Sargeant pers. comm.).

The first arrival of River Martins in the Animba study area was noted on 10 Sep

1989, when two birds flew over. On 23 Sep 1989, the main colony was discovered by

P. Stouthamer. My own observations began on the following day and continued every

weekend until tiie abandonment of the colony, with the exception of 5 Nov 1989

when heavy rain prevented access. Observations of the activities at the main colony

are summarised in Table 1.

The smaller colony had about 100 holes on 24 Sep 1989 (although at least one

was occupied by Grey-rumped Swallow Hirundo griseopyga), and was close to the

location where a colony of Rosy Bee-eaters Merops malimbicus had nested the

previous year, but not in 1989. It appeared to be progressively abandoned during the

study period, with no evidence of successful breeding. Few holes showed signs of

1994

Breeding African River Martins

3

fresh sand excavation on 15 Oct. Possibly the majority of the River Martins moved to

the main colony. All observations which follow refer to the main colony.

Table 1. Chronology of activitie§ at a colony of Pseudochelidon eurystondna at

Animba, Gabon, in 1989.

Sep October Nov

Colony area, density and population

The approximate area of the main colony was estimated (by pacing out the perimeter

with a compass) as 3900 m^ on 24 Sep 1989. Locally there were as many as 9 holes

per m^, although many of these were probably abortive attempts (or perhaps used by

unpaired individuals for roosting). The minimum distance between pairs of birds on

the ground was estimated (from photographs) as about 60 cm, equivalent to 2-3 pairs

perm^

Table 1 shows some estimates of numbers of individuals visible at the surface of

the colony, made in the late afternoons (17.00-17.45) when the majority had returned

from feeding. Because some birds were already within the holes (incubating), these

figures are minimum estimates.

Displays and calls

Observations were made from inside a vehicle on the perimeter of the colony. All

birds further than 2 m away ignored the car.

An “open-bill” display given on the ground was noted during the first four weeks,

but was most p-evalent on 24 Sep 1989. One bird, with bill open, wings drooped and

quivering and throat feathers raised, approached another from the side or from

4

P.D. Alexmider-Mamck

Malimbus 16

Figure 1. *‘Open-biir displays of River Martins. The sketches are traced from

photographs.

1994

Breeding African River Martins

5

behind, keeping its head lower than the second bird and often looking up at it (Fig. 1).

This display was accompanied by distinctive “greek greek” calls. In one case, the first

bird attempted to copulate with the second. In most cases, the second bird was not

receptive and repulsed the first. An open bill without wing -quivering, by an

unreceptive bird, preceded attack. No successful copulations were actually observed;

it is possible that this takes place in depressions within the colony where the birds are

obscured from view by clumps of grass. Soliciting birds were sometimes persistent

and were repeatedly driven off. However, an unsuccessful individual often tried its

luck with other birds in adjacent parts of the colony. On one occasion, two birds were

seen apparently attempting copulation with a third bird, all three with open bills; they

all flew off together. In another case, a soliciting bird was driven off by the second

bird, A^iiich then proceeded to sohcit a third individual. Once a soliciting bird, after

being driven off, entered a hole. In another case, a displaying bird (with open bill)

was mounted by one which was not displaying. In another, a soliciting bird

^proached a second, which did not attack but assumed a parallel position with wings

droqping and throat feathers raised, before entering a nearby hole. This was repeated

three times at the same location within 5 min., but the first bird did not follow the

secOTid into the hole.

This display was not confined to the area around the nest-holes; soliciting

individuals continued to display to other birds within a flock collecting nest material

from the periphery of the colony. D. Sargeant (pers. comm.) has observed the same

display on the beach at Gamba, some kilometres from the colony there, and Brosset

& Erard (1977) recorded a somewhat similar display at M Tassa (northeast Gabon) in

February -March, when the birds were on eastward passage.

The interpretation of the “open-bill, wing-quivering” display as pair-bonding

courtship (mentioned in Keith et al. 1992) has been questioned by R. Wilkinson

(pers. comm.) who suggests that it may simply be sohciting copulation. However, he

notes that the pseudo-juvenile behaviour appears strange for a supposed male

soliciting copulation with a female. Could the displaying individuals be females?

Further observations are required, but resolution of the problem is hindered by the

identical appearance of the sexes and the restless nature of the birds, which makes

observations of individuals necessarily short.

Other displays were rare. Some birds were seen digging sand, but only for a few

seconds at a time. One soliciting bird was later seen trying to pull grass stems, as if

collecting nest material. Both these cases may be examples of (ritualised)

displacement activity.

Erard (1981) and D. Sargeant (pers. comm.) have noted that the birds often fly

close together in pairs in large flocks, noticeable even when feeding high up. It is

possible that the birds were displaying in flight, as observed in October over the

Congo coast Powsett-Lemaire & Dowsett 1991) and on southwestward migration in

northeast Gabon as early as April-May (“vols aile dans aile par paires et trios”:

Brosset & Erard 1986). It is not known how this behaviour relates to displays on the

6

P.D. Alexander-Marrack

Malimbus 16

ground.

The calls of birds at the colony were tape-recorded on 1 Oct 1989 when most of

the birds were present, and on 1 5 Oct 1 989 when there were reduced numbers.

Copies of these recordings have been deposited with the British Library of Wildhfe

Sounds and with C. Chappuis. A large variety of calls was notai. The “greek’’ call

associated with the “open-bill” display has already been mentioned. Other calls

included a high-pitched “prree” and a deeper “yuk”. Adults returning to nest-holes at

dusk gave a soft call before entering (presumably to inform a partner already inside),

and calls also provided a signal for change-over of adults in holes in the early

morning. On 29 Oct 1989, nestlings were heard calling “kyow kyow kyow” within

the nest-holes.

Daily Movements

Bird behaviour at the colony was once observed at dusk (30 Sep 1989) and at dawn

the following day. All birds roosted in holes during the night. There was no surface

activity until 5.57 (some four minutes after the onset of a general dawn chorus in the

neighbouring forest), when the River Martins began streaming out of the holes. The

mass exodus took 6 min. A small proportion (about 100 birds) reappeared overhead

at 6.07, some calling; more birds then came out of the holes, their place being taken

by the returning birds. By 6.10, a general return to the colony was underway. “Open-

bill” displays on the ground began at 6.15. Many birds remained on the surface,

displaying and preening until 7.15 when there was a heavy rain shower, at which

most flew up or entered holes. After the shower, at 7.25, there were fewer birds on

the surface and these were more restless, flying up together at about one-minute

intervals. The River Martins were disturbed by larger birds flying over, such as

Ayres’ Hawk-Eagle Hieraaetus dubius, Hameikop Scopus umbrella and Red-eyed

Dove Streptopelia semitorquala. The flock flew around almost silently for a minute,

in a formation resembhng that of European Starhngs Stumus vulgaris, before landing

and resuming normal social vocalizations. More Martins returned at 8.20, and “open-

bill, wing-quivering” displays continued. Some nest material was brought to holes at

8.55. By 9.15, there were less than 100 birds at the surface of the colony, but a flock

of about 150 was seen collecting nest material from an area of longer grass on the

south side of the colony. By 10.05 most of the birds had flown off, leaving none at

the surface; however, several birds flew out of holes when I approached on foot. The

time of general mid-moming departure from the colony was quite variable; on 24 Sep

1989, there were only some 20 birds overhead at 8.40, while on 15 Oct 1989 there

was little activity in the area after 8.10.

Until about 16.15, activity was limited to a few birds returning to or leaving nest-

holes. Thereafter a flock resumed collecting nest-material in the longer grass, and

most of the colony gradually returned and resumed displays, preening, and

1994

Brœding African River Martins

7

excavation of holes. Birds at neighbouring nest-holes generally tolerated each other

i^> to a minimum distance of about 0.6 m. In one case, two birds repeatedly attacked

each other, flying up to 1 m above ground level. At 17.55 the majority left again to

feed. They returned between 18.15 and 18.25, and entered the holes directly; few

remained above ground as dusk fell.

Nest-holes and materials

On 30 Sep 1989, two birds were observed excavating the same hole with their feet.

Each took its turn to dig within the hole, while the other was positioned a few cm

behind, moving the pile of sand, generated by the bird in fi-ont, further away fi-om the

entrance to the hole.

Further excavation activity was noted up to 22 Oct 1989, no doubt in

maintenance of the holes to counter effects of caving and rain. More of the holes

constructed along the old sandy vehicle track were washed in by rain than those in the

grassy area, where the sand was firmer.

Martins were seen bringing nest-material to the holes on 1 Oct 1989. It consisted

of grass stems (about 15 cm long) and shorter pieces of 4-5 cm. On 8 Oct 1989,

bundles of short grass were brought.

The dimensions of four holes were studied (after abandonment of the colony) on

17 Dec 1989. The average horizontal length was 152 cm (range 130-179 cm) and the

average maximum vertical depth below the surface was 66 cm (range 50-80 cm).

Two of the holes were straight; in the other two there was a shght deviation to the

right. The terminal chamber was not noticeably wider than the rest of the hole. A thin

layer of rotting grass stems was found at the bottom of the hole. In the colony in

general, there appeared to be no preferred orientation to the holes.

Food

Adult River Martins, probably fi*om the Animba colony, were seen feeding over the

river, 5 km southeast of the colony, and as far as 16 km to the northwest. From 8 Oct

1989, adults were seen bringing food to the nests. Sometimes the items were large

enough to protrude from the bird’s bill; such items, tentatively identified through

binoculars, included day-flying moths (Lepidoptera) and a grey beetle (Coleoptera).

In most other cases, on arrival at the nest-hole, movements in the throat of the adult

suggested manipulation of a bolus in preparation for feeding the nestlings. Some

adults were once observed apparently eating sand, and one bird tried to eat the

remains of a broken egg shell on the ground.

Faecal sacs were carried out of the hole and dropped by the flying adult some

metres away. Pellets were dumped near the entrance of the hole by the adult, walking

8

P.D. Alexander-Marrack

Malimbus 16

away from it. In samples of pellets and encapsulated faeces collected on 24 Sep, 1

Oct, and 15 Oct 1989, 65% of prey items were alate ants (Formicidae), while 24%

were termites (Isoptera) (Fry 1992).

Nestlings

Two naked nestlings were seen on 15 Oct 1989. One of them, found dead at the

surface, was collected, preserved in alcohol, and subsequently deposited at the British

Museum, Tring (Reg. No. A/1991.1.1). The other was seen crawling around outside

the entrance of a hole. After several adults attacked it, it moved back into the hole.

No feathered nestlings were seen, although the remains of some were found on 29

Oct 1989 scattered around the entrances of 20 nest holes. These consist»! mainly of

partly grown flight feathers, the longest being 88 mm; the ratio of sheath length to

total feather length for 36 feathers was 0.31 ± 0.06 (x ± s.d.).

Predation

On 15 Oct 1989, nine Palm-nut Vultures Gypohierax angolensis were seen on the

ground at the colony, on the same day that naked River Martin nestlings were seen at

the surface. On 29 Oct 1989, 18 Palm-nut Vultures (including five immatures) were

seen at the colony, when feathers of River Martin nestlings were found. The presence

of these raptors deterred many of the adult Martins from entering the nest-holes. As I

approached on foot, the raptors flew off and the Martins resumed their normal traffic

in and out of nest-holes, until I was within 30 m of the colony.

Although local villagers are known to trap Black-headed Bee-Eaters Merops

breweri at their nest holes for food, there was no evidence of human interference at

the Martins’ colony.

Colony abandonment

The last positive sightings of River Martins were made on 29 Oct 1989. The colony

must have been abandoned some time between this date and 11 Nov 1989. No

fledglings were seen in the area but D. Sargeant (pers. comm.) observed six

immatures near Gamba on 7 Dec 1989. P. Christy (pers. comm.) has seen large

numbers of immatures on eastward migration at Makokou (northeast Gabon) in

February-March.

1994

Breeding African River Martins

9

Acknowledgments

I thank Patrice Christy, Hilary Fry, Dave Sargeant and Roger Wilkinson for

comments on the manuscript, Hilary Tye for help with the figure, and Pierre Bulens,

Marc Studer and Christiane Boeuf for help in studying the Animba colony. I am

grateful to the late Hervé Morand for showing me the colony at Gamba, and to

Passchier Stouthamer for discovering the Animba colony.

References

Brosset, a. & Erard, C. (1977) New faunistic records from Gabon. Bull Bril Om.

Club 97: 125-132.

Brosset, A. & Erard, C. (1986) Les Oiseaux des Régions Forestières du Nord-est

du Gabon. VoLl. Ecologie et comportement des espèces. Société Nationale de

Protection de la Nature, Paris.

Chapin, J.P. (1953) The birds of the Belgian Congo. Part 3. Bull Am. Mus. Nat Hist

75A.

Dowsett-Lemaire, F. & Dowsett, R.J. (1991) The avifauna of the Kouilou basin in

Congo. Tauraco Res. Rep. 4: 189-239.

Erard, C. (1981) Sur les migrations de Pseudochelidon eurystomina Hartlaub au

Gabon. Oiseau Rev. fr. Om. 51: 244-246.

Fry, C.H. (1992) Myrmecophagy by Pseudochelidon eurystomina and other African

birds. Bull Bril Om. Club 112A: 87-96.

Keith, S., Urban, E.K. & Fry, C.H. (1992) The Birds of Africa^ vol.4. Academic

Press, London.

Turner, A. & Rose, C. (1989) A Handbook to the Swallows and Martins of the

World. Christopher Helm, Bromley.

10

Malimbus 16

Annotated bird list of Macenta Prefecture, Guinea

by Dominique Halleux

24 rue du faubourg du Temple, 7501 1 Paris, France

Received 7 November 1992

Revised 26 May 1993

Summary

An annotated list of 319 birds is presented for a prefecture of Guinea not

visited by ornithologists since 1960. Included are 50 new species for Guinea.

The hst highlights a great avifaunal diversity, similar to that of the nearby

forests of Gola (Sierra Leone) and Nimba (Guinea, Liberia, Ivory Coast). It

includes five Red Data Book species, two records of Red-winged Grey

Warbler Drymocichla incana 1600 km west of its known range and the first

description of a Shrike Flycatcher Megabyas flammulata nest.

Résumé

L’auteur présente une hste annotée de 319 espèces d’oiseaux observées dans

la préfecture de Guinée Forestière de Macenta non prospectée par les

ornithologues depuis 1960. Cette liste apporte un total de 50 nouvelles

espèces à la liste des oiseaux du pays et met en lumière la grande richesse

avierme du massif forestier de Ziama, similaire à celle des forêts voisines de

Gola (Sierra Leone) et de Nimba (Guinée, Libéria, Côte d’ivoire). Cette hste

contient cinq espèces du Red Data Book, deux observations de la Fauvette

grise à ailes rousses Drymocichla incana, 1600 km à l’ouest de son domaine

de répartition jusqu’ici reconnu, et la première description du nid du Gobe-

mouches écorcheur Megabyas flammulata.

Introduction

This hst is mainly the result of a three-year stay in the region of Macenta. Macenta

Prefecture (8°3rN, 9°32’W) is located within the Guinée Forestière Province in

southeastern Guinea, and lies between Gola Forest in Sierra Leone (150 km) and Mt

Nimba forests on Guinea’s border with Liberia and Ivory Coast (80 km). This area

has recently been made accessible by the rehabilitation of the Guéckédou-Sérédou

road in 1989. The boundary between savanna and evergreen forest crosses the

Prefecture. The local avifauna thus comprises species of these two biomes, with some

1994

Birds of Macenta, Guinea

11

Paleaarctic migrants. Very few previous data are available from this region, with just

two reports from Berlioz (1958) and Berlioz & Roche (1960), concerning the birds of

Ziama forest near Sérédou.

Geographical context

Relief is uneven and average altitude outside of the Ziama Massif is about 450-5 50m.

This massif rises to 1200 m, and runs north-south through the middle of the

prefecture.

The average annual rainfall is 2300 mm, with a single dry season occurring from

December to March. The wettest months are July to September. In 1991, the mean

maximum and minimum temperatures were JO'C and 20°C.

This region lies towards the northwestern limits of the Upper Guinea forest block.

Native evergreen tropical moist forest remains at higher altitudes, mostly on the

Ziama Massif and on some of its surrounding hills. Although the forest extends to the

massif summit, most of it lies below about 900 m. An extensive mature forest also

occurs on the massifs western and southeastern slopes, towards the Liberian border,

with an average altitude of 500-600 m. The lower-lying northern areas support semi-

deciduous forest, where a marked dry season and Saharan Harmattan winds cause

heavy leaf fall and seasonal opening of the canopy. A large area of permanent

savanna woodland including patches of Hypparhenia-àomindAQà. grassland and

gallery forests occurs down the northeastern slopes of the Ziama Massif in Kouankan

Sub-prefectme.

During the last 20 years, the forests have been severely encroached by

uncontrolled clearing for upland rice cultivation, along the edges and in the interior.

This is increasing, largely because of immigrating farmers from drier, northern

regions of Guinea. It has also been accelerated by road rehabilitation, which has

greatly improved access. The previous dense, native forest has been transformed into

a mosaic of secondary regeneration areas first dominated by Albizia, Harungana,

Musanga and Trema, together with coffee grown under tree cover, and humid

Pennisetum grassland. Imperata grasslands are now spreading through the remaining

forest-grassland mosaic in the northwest of the Ziama Massif, as soils degrade.

Methods

The species list is not exhaustive, being based principally on approximately 90 one-

day visits devoted to ornithology in the Macenta region during 1988-1991. My work

in agricultural development also took me into the field almost daily. Specific sites

visited include forest relicts to the northwest of Pasima, the main road from Macenta

to Nzébéla ferry, the Sérédou region, and a dirt road between Sérédou and the

12

D. Halleux

Malimbus 16

Quinquina Station’s 'Toste 5”. The last was the most regularly visited. Attention was

focussed on forest species, especially those of the Ziama Massif. Observations of

nocturnal Strigidae and C^rimulgidae are veiy incomplete.

Where additional data have been obtained from other observers, the source is

acknowledged. All data given without references are personal observations. An

asterisk indicates a new record for Guinea (cf. Walsh 1987, Morel & Morel 1988).

Square brackets enclose uncertain records, which are not included in the total count

number.

Results

The list which follows includes 319 confirmed species, of which 50 are new for

Guinea (cf. Walsh 1987, Morel & Morel 1988). The number of new bird species for

Guinea seems high, but the country has long been closed to foreign scientists and

there have been no resident ornithologists.

The high avian diversity indicates that the Macenta region is as rich as the nearby

and better-studied Gola Forest in Sierra Leone and Nimba Forests in Liberia (Colston

& Curry-Lindahl 1986, Allport et al. 1989). However, the 1200 m high Ziama Massif

is not sufficiently high or isolated from the surrounding habitats for local endemism

to have evolved.

Several threatened or near-threatened species occur in Macenta, including

Criniger olivaceus, Campephaga lobata, Bathmocercus cerviniventris, Picathartes

gymnocephalus, Melaenomis annamarulae and possible records of Malimbus

ballmanni and Agelastes meleagrides. Phyllastrephus leucolepis has not been

recorded, but might be expected to occur in lowland forests southeast of Ziama near

the Liberian border. The Macenta forests also support some mammals that are

otherwise rare in West Africa. Guinea’s last remaining Forest Elephants Loxodonia

afiicana eye lotis, still occur on the southeastern slopes of Ziama, together with some

Forest Buffaloes Syneerus eaffer nanus. A small population of Dwarf Hippopotamus

Choeropsis liberiensis also exists. Leopards Panthera pardus and Golden Cats Felis

auraia are present.

Little Grebe Tachybaptus mficoUis. Sérédou pond, Jun.

Long-tailed Cormorant Phalacrocorax africanus. Sérédou pond, Jun.

Little Bittern Ixobrychus minutus. Uncommon, open wetlands, Jul, Aug.

Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax. Frequent, open streams near

Macenta.

Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis. Abundant, open areas, dry season. The most common

species of Ardeidae.

Green-backed Heron Butorides striatus. Uncommon, open wetlands and streams

near Macenta and Sérédou.

1994

Birds of Macenta, Guinea

13

Western Reef Heron Egretta gularis. Uncommon; single birds with Green-backed

Herons.

Little Egret K ganetta. Common; small flocks (3-7) in open wetlands.

Great White Egret K alba. Frequent, widespread, open wetlands.

Purple Heron Ardea purpurea. Frequent, open wetlands.

Grey Heron A cinerea. Uncommon; wide^aead except on the Ziama Massif, single birds.

Hamerkop Scopus umbretta. One record of 4-6 individuals on open wetlands near

Macenta, Feb 1989.

Yellow-biUed Stork Mycteria ibis. One record of a single sub-adult, Macenta town.

Mar 1991.

Woolly-necked Stork Ciconia episcopus. Two observations of single birds,

souflieast of Ziama Massif

Hartlaub*s Duck Pteronetta hartlaubi. Frequent, small streams in forest mosaic area

around Macenta. Pairs or small groups. Ni^tial displays observed Apr.

*Cuckoo-Falcon Aviceda cuculoides. Uncommon, lowland forest around Ziama

Massif

Honey Buzzard Pemis apivorus. Uncommon, Palaearctic winter imtil April, forests

and grassland-forest mosaic.

Bat Hawk Machaeramphus alcinus. One record of two birds, Ziama Massif, Feb

1990. May be overlooked.

Black-shouldered Kite Elanus caeruleus. Common, open areas. Nests Mar.

Black Kite Milvus tmgrans. Common, open areas. 150 migrating northwest over

Sérédou Pass in half an hour, 18 Feb 1990.

Palmnut Vulture Gypohierax angolensis. Common, all types of habitat with trees.

Hooded Vulture Necrosyrtes monachus. Two records of single birds soaring over

Macenta town. Common further north in Guinea.

Brown Snake Eagle Circaetus cinereus. Rare, grassland-forest mosaic on Ziama

Massif and around Macenta, Jun. Single birds.

•Congo Serpent Eagle Dryotriorchis spectabilis. Single record near Irié in lower

storey of mature secondary forest. Mar.

Harrier Hawk Polyboroides typus. Common. The most often seen medium-sized

raptor in the area. Forest and forested mosaic. Nest observed Jan.

Western Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus. Frequent wintering in savanna areas

near Macenta.

Gabar Goshawk Micronisus gabar. Rare, open grasslands north of Macenta, Jan.

African Goshawk Acdpiter tachiro. Uncommon, various forested habitats up to 900

m on the Ziama Massif Probably overlooked.

Shikra A batUus. Uncommon, gardens and wooded grasslands.

•Red-thighed Sparrowhawk A erythropus. Uncommon to frequent, primary and

secondary forest and Macenta gardens.

•Black Sparrowhawk A melanoleucus. Frequent, primary and secondary forest,

and forest-grassland mosaic.

14

D. Halleux

Malimbus 16

^Long-tailed Hawk Urotriorchus macroums. Uncommon, Ziama forest and forest-

grassland mosaic. Observed flying at middle levels below canopy.

Lizard Buzzard Kaupifalco monogrammicus. Common in semi-open areas,

roadsides, grassland-forest mosaic. Nest Feb.

Red-tailed Buzzard Buteo auguralis. Frequent, grassland-forest mosaic and

secondary forest.

Long-crested Eagle Lophaetus occipitalis. One bird in 1990 in north of prefecture in

grassland-forest mosaic.

Cassinis Hawk Eagle Spizaetus africanus. One pair and an immature over Macenta

town, Jul 1991.

Crowned Eagle Stephatwaetus coronatus. Uncommon, Ziama Massif forests above

Sérédou, where it is well known by hunters. Threatened because its huge size makes

it a valuable target.

Kestrel Falco tinnunculus. Recorded in Sérédou, Apr (Wilson 1990).

Grey Kestrel F. ardosiaceus. Uncommon, savanna areas northeast of Macenta.

*Lanner F, biamticus. Locally common, open lands.

[White-breasted Guineafowl Agelastes meleagrides. Reported by hunters on Ziama

Massif but requires confirmation.]

Crested Guineafowl Guttera pucherani. Not observed, but well known by hunters.

According to them, it is becoming increasingly rare.

Latham's Forest Francolin Francolinus lathami. Common in forest undergrowth

(Wilson 1990).

Ahanta Francolin F. ahantensis. Frequent, dense imdergrowth of secondary forest.

Double-spurred Francolin Francolinus bicalcaratus. Abundant, savanna areas.

Nesting Dec-Jan.

Little Button-Quail Tumix syivaüca. Common, open savanna areas near Macenta.

White-spotted Crake Sarothmra pulchra. Common, old farmlands and clearings.

* Buff-spotted Crake S. elegans. Report of a singing bird in dense undergrowth

within secondary forest near Sérédou Forest Research Centre (Wilson 1990).

■•African Crake Crex egregia. Frequent, moist grasslands east of Macenta, Apr.

Black Crake Anumromis Jlavirostris. Common, open pools or slow streams with

aquatic vegetation.

^Allen’s Gallinule Porphyrio alleni. Sérédou pond, Jun.

* Lesser Moorhen Gallinula angulaia. Rare, observed only in one small pond on the

Liberian border track, west of Macenta near the tea plantation.

Fin foot Podica senegalensis. Common, forested streams on Ziama Massif up to 800 m.

Denham's Bustard Neotis denhami. Single record of a bird flying low over

Macenta, Feb 1989.

Black-bellied Bustard Eupodods melanogaster. One bird regularly seen in an open

savaima near RC^ Coffee Centre, east of Macenta.

African Jacana Actophilomis africana. Common, single birds or pairs on open

ponds. Juveniles c. 15 days old, Jun, Sérédou pond.

1994

Birds of Macenta, Guinea

15

Painted Snipe Rostratula benghalensis. Open wetlands near Sérédou (Wilson 1990).

Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopm. Single record in Mar 1991 of six birds

flying over Macenta.

Forbes’s Plover Charadrius forbesL Single record from grassland near Macenta RC^

Coffee Centre, Feb 1990.

Senegal Wattled Plover VaneUus senegaUm. Uncommon, in newly-cleared, large

rice-fields.

Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus. Frequent, sandy stream banks, Palaearctic

winter.

Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos. Frequent. Single birds or pairs along

streams during Palaearctic winter. Departs end Apr.

African Green Pigeon Treron calva. Frequent, all habitats from wooded savannas to

primary forest. Small groups of 3-6.

Blue-headed Wood-Dove Tartar brehmeri. Common, paths in primary and

secondary forests. Commonly heard Ziama Massif, up to 1000 m.

Tambourine Dove T. tympanistria. Frequent, shyer than preceding species and may

be overlooked. Denser vegetation of seccaidary forests.

Blue-spotted Wood-Dove T. afer. Abundant, grassland-forest mosaic areas around

farmlands and on tracks.

Bronze-naped Pigeon Cohimba irUUtorqaes. Common, Ziama and its surroundings.

Easily observed in fruiting Trema guineensis or on harvested rice fields.

African Wood Pigeon C anicincta. Uncommon, Ziama Massif forests, mostly

during the wet season. Single calling birds May-Jun; small groups feeding in fruiting

trees Aug.

Red-eyed Dove Streptopelia semiterqaata. Abimdant, open lands and farmlands.

Grey Parrot Psittacas erühracas. Single record of two birds near Sérédou, 1989.

Abundant in Yomou prefecture, to the south of Macenta.

Green Turaco Tauraco persa. Abundant, all wooded habitats. On Ziama Massif up

to 1200 m.

Crested Turaco T. macrorhynchus. Frequent, primary and secondary forest. Singly

or in pairs, Ziama Massif and its surroundings.

Grey Plantain-eater Crinifer piscator. Abundant, savanna woodlands northwest of

Ziama Massif. Singly or in groups of 4-6.

Blue Plantain-eater Coryûtaeola cristata. Common, primary and secondary forest

and wooded edges of old clearings, up to 900 m. Hunted for meat and for feathers,

which are used in Loma bird-man dancing dress.

Great Spotted Cuckoo ClanuUor glandarias. Single record of a pair in a Macenta

garden, Feb 1990.

Levaillant’s Cuckoo C levaiUantU. Frequent in and around Ziama. Single birds in

old farmlands, forests and woodlands, Apr-Jul.

Red-chested Cuckoo Cacalas soUtarias. Single record, Ziama Massif in primary

forest near Sérédou.

16

D. Halleux

Malimbus 16

Black Cuckoo C clamosus. Frequent, wcxxied habitats firran savanna woodland to

primary forest, Apr-Jun.

•African Cuckoo C gularis. Single record in savanna woodland east of Macenta,

Mar 1989.

Dusky Long-tailed Cuckoo Cercococcyx mechawi. Collected at Sérédou in 1959

(Berlioz & Roche 1960).

Olive Long-tailed Cuckoo C oUvinus. Rare. Heard Ziama Massif, Apr.

Klaas’s Cuckoo Chrysococcyx klaas. Frequent, wide range of wooded habitats.

Recorded once in a mixed species flock on Ziama Massif at 1000 m.

Didric Cuckoo C caprius. Common, gardens and semi-open lands. Heard mostly

during the wet season.

Emerald Cuckoo C cupreus. Uncommon, primary and secondary forests.

Yellowbill Ceuthmochares aereus. Common, primary and secondary forest. Often

around mixed species flocks up to 1000 m where it often hides in dense hanas.

[Black-throated Coucal Centropus leucogaster. No confirmed record, but well

known to Ziama hunters.]

Senegal Coucal C senegalensis. Abundant, open or semi-open areas. Nest Feb.

Barn Owl Tyto alba. Frequent, Macenta town.

White-faced Owl Otus leucotis. Wooded savanna northeast of Macenta in 1990.

Spotted Eagle Owl Bubo africanus. Common, forests and all open habitats

including road sides.

African Wood Owl Ciccaba woodfmrdi. Secondary forest and forest-grassland

mosaic.

Long-tailed Nightjar Caprimulgus dimacurus. One record, Macenta, Mar 1991.

Standard-wing Nightjar Macrodpteryx longipennis. Common. Observed in display

flight every year in Jan at RC^ Coffee Centre, Macenta.

Common Swift Apus apus. Very abundant Palaearctic wintering species, all habitats.

Last birds observed during the first week of May after termite display flights.

•White-rumped Swift A caffer. Uncommon. Single birds or pairs chasing flying

termites in a large mixed flock of swifts. Mar,

Little Swift A affinis. Frequent, single birds or small groups. No colonies recorded.

Palm Swift Cypsiurus parvus. Abundant and widespread. Pairs or small groups in

open or partly-open habitats with oil palms.

•Sabine’s Spinetail Chaetura sabini. Common, small flocks (2-6) on and near

Ziama Massif.

•Mottle-throated Spinetail C ussheri. Uncommon. Single birds over slopes of

Ziama Massif, Jun-Jul 1991.

CJiant Kingfisher Ceryle tnaxima. Common, wooded streams in partly-open areas.

Singly or in pairs.

Pied Kingfisher C rudis. Frequent, Sérédou pond.

Shining Blue Kingfisher Alcedo quadribrachys. Frequent, partly-open streams.

Malachite Kingfisher Corythomis cristata. Common, small open ponds. Nest JuL

1994

Birds of Macenta, Guinea

17

White-bellied Kingfîsher C leucogaster. One record in a forest stream southwest of

Ziama Massif (Wilson 1990).

Pygmy Kingfîsher Ceyx picta. Common, partly-open habitats in forest-grassland

mosaic and farmlands.

Woodland Kingfisher Halcyon senegalensis. Widespread and common in many

semi-open habitats. Nest-digging, Apr.

Blue-breasted Kingfisher H, malimbica. Uncommon, semi-forested habitats.

Recorded up to 1000 m on Ziama Massif.

Chocolate-backed Kingfisher H badia. Collected near Sérédou (Berhoz & Roche

1960).

Grey-headed Kingfîsher H leucocephala. Common, open habitats and the more

qpen areas of grassland-fca-est mosaic. Nests recorded Macenta, Mar, Apr.

Carmine Bee-eater Merops nubiens. One record west of Macenta, Feb 1 990 (J.M.

Garreau pers. comm.); probably a vagrant from northern wintering areas near Kankan

prefecture where it is seasonally common (pers. obs.).

White-throated Bee-eater M albicoUis. Abundant and widespread in dry season, all

open and semi-open habitats. Small groups of 5-20.

Little Bee-eater M pusillus. Common to abundant, open habitats and large

clearings. Nests recorded Macenta, Apr.

Black Bee-eater M. gularis. Locally common, gaps and edges of secondary forests.

Nest excavation cm Ziama Massif, Mar.

Blue-headed Bee-eater M muelleri. Frequent, Ziama Massif. May be overlooked as

it perches low in dense vegetation. Same habitats as Black Bee-eater but appears to

prefer dense secondary growths with Albizia sassa and A. zygia surrounded by forest.

Fledglings Jul.

Abyssinian Roller Coradas abyssinien. Seasonally frequent, farmlands when fields

are burned ^eb-Mar). Numbers vary between years: abundant 1989, rare 1990, no

record 1991.

Rufous-crowned Roller C naevia. Uncommon, dry season. Single birds.

Broad-billed Roller Eurystonms ^aucums. Common to abundant, forest-grassland

mosaic rather than pure forest, thus differing from the following species.

Blue-throated Roller K gularis. Frequent, forest edges and clearings, up to 700 m.

Nests recorded Apr.

Hoopoe Upupa epops. Single record in northern part of prefecture, Feb 1990.

*Bufr-headed Wood-Hoopoe Phoeniculus bollei. Frequent, small groups of 4-6 on

dead trees in clearings and secondary forest.

•Forest Wood-Hoopoe P, castaneiceps. Uncommon, secondary forest and old

plantations within grassland-forest mosaic.

Black Dwarf Hornbill Tockus hartlaubi. Uncommon, Ziama mature secondary

forest. Two observations of feeding of juveniles, Mar-Apr.

Pied Hornbill T. fasciatus. Abundant to very abundant in all wooded habitats except

primary forest.

18

D. Halleux

Malimbus 16

White-crested Hornbill Tropicranus albocristatus. Common, primary and

secondary forest, often recorded near driver ant columns.

Yellow-casqued Hornbill Ceraiogymna data. Common, primary and secondary

forests in Ziama. Calls Apr-Jun.

*Black-casqued Hornbill C atrata. Uncommon, secondary forest and forest-

grassland mosaic. Single recca*d west of Ziama in 1989, more common on the east

side of Ziama and in the prefecture of Nzérékoré to the east.

Piping Hornbill Bycanistes fistulator. Frequent, clearings and grassland-forest

mosaic. Small noisy groups of 5-10.

Brown-cheeked Hornbill B. cylindricus. Uncommon. Single bird or pair on the

western slopes of Ziama Massif. Calls over primary forest Feb-Mar.

Double-toothed Barbet Lybius bidentatus. Frequent, in pairs in woodland savannas.

Nest excavated Jan.

Vieillot’s Barbet L vieilloti. Uncoimnon, open woodland savaimas. Single birds.

Hairy-breasted Barbet L. hirsutus. Uncommon, primary and mature secondary

forest in Ziama.

Naked-faced Barbet Gymnobucco cahus. Abundant, all types of wooded habitats.

Small groups of 7-10.

* Yellow-spotted Barbet Buccanodon duchaillui. Uncommon, primary and

secondary forest and old clearings. Small groups or pairs, from high canopy to

undergrowth.

Speckled Tinkerbird Pogoniulus scolopaceus. Abundant, farmbush, forest-grassland

mosaic and secondary forests. Single birds in mixed species flocks. Nest Jun,

Lemon-rumped Tinkerbird P. bilineatus. Very few certain records in forest and

forest edges.

Yellow-throated Tinkerbird P. subsulphurem. Common to abundant, secondary

forest and forest roads and old clearings, especially in fruiting Trema guineensis.

Red-rumped Tinkerbird P. atroflavus. Uncommon. Single birds or pairs along the

edges of primary and secondary forest iq) to 1000 m.

Yellow-billed Barbet Trachyphonus purpuratus. Single sighting at an abandoned

coffee plantation north of Macenta. May have been overlooked.

Spotted Honeyguide Indicator maculatus. Two records from Sérédou and lower

southeastern slopes of Ziama Massif (Wilson 1990).

*Thick-billed Honeyguide /. conirostris. Uncommon, forest edges and coffee

plantations. Inconspicuous and may have been overlooked.

* Lyre-tailed Honeyguide Melichneutes robustus. Ziama Massif from 900 m

upward. Mar- Jun. Display songs regularly heard in Ziama along Macenta-Sérédou

road.

Cassinis Honeyguide Prodotiscus insignis. Uncommon, lowland forests in the

Ziama region. Inconspicuous and may have been overlooked,

Golden-backed Woodpecker Campethera maculosa. Uncommon, mature

secondary and primary forest in Ziama in mixed species flocks, Apr-May 1991 .

1994

Birds of Macenta, Guinea

19

* Brown-eared Woodpecker C caroU. Uncommon, primary and mature secondary

forest on Ziama Massif.

BufT-spoUed Woodpecker C nivosa. Frequent, mature secondary forests.

Cardinal Woodpecker Dendropicos Juscescens. One record from Sérédou, Jul

1991.

G^bon Woodpecker D. gabonensis. Common, all wooded habitats.

Grey Woodpecker Mesopicos goertae. Frequent, gardens and wooded savannas.

Fire-bellied Woodpecker M pyrrhogaster. Frequent, primary and, particularly,

secondary forest.

Sand Martin Riparia riparia. Rare, grasslands. Single birds among swallow flocks

during Palaearctic winter. Mostly observed dming the northerly migrations in Mar.

Bam Swallow Hinmdo rustica. Abundant winter visitor. Leaves beginning of Apr

after the first termite flights, a major source of premigration food.

Red-chested Swallow H, ludda Abundant, open areas.

•White-throated Blue Swallow H. nigrita. One pair regularly recorded on the Diani

liver near Nzébéla in 1 989 and 1 990.

Mosque Swallow H, senegalensis. Common, open areas. Nest-building May.

Lesser Striped Swallow H. abyssinka. Abundant, open areas. Nest-building May.

•Grey-rumped Swallow Pseudohirundo griseopyga. Abundant, grasslands near

Macenta, May-Sep.

House Martin Delichon urbica. Rare, in mixed swallow flocks during northerly

migration. Mar.

Square-tailed Roughwing PsaUdopwcne nUens. Abundant, forests along roads and

paths. Nest Ziama Jul.

Fantee Roughwing P. obscura. Common, open areas.

Yellow Wagtail MotadUa flava. Abundant, moist grasslands during the Palaearctic

winter. Very abundant during the northerly migrations, leaves in Mar. At this time,

some of the birds show good breeding plumage, most are M / flava and around 5%

M / ihunbergi.

•Mountain Wagtail M dam. Locally common, mountain streams. Displays Mar.

African Pied Wagtail M. aguimp. One record Dec 1989 by a small pond west of

Ziama Massif.

Plain-backed Pipit Anthus leucophrys. One record of a pair with young in short

^ass within the RC* Coffee Cenfte in Macenta, May 1991. Probably overlooked.

•Long-billed Pipit A similis. Common, rocky areas around Macenta (Jean Lefebvre

quarry) and the lower slopes of Ziama Massif and its surroundings.

Tree Pipit A tridaUs. Three records of single birds in the foothills of Ziama Massif,

Apr 1989 and 1990, on northerly migration.

Red-throated Pipit A cervinus. Occasional, open grassland on northerly migration,

Apr.

Yellow-throated Longclaw Macronyx croceus. Abundant, open grasslands. Two

nests, Apr, May.

20

D. Halleux

Malimbus 16

Grey-headed Helmet Shrike Prioiwps caniceps. Uncommon. Groups of 5-8 at mid

to high levels in primary forests and an old coffee plantation, 500-700 m.

Gambian Puffback Shrike Dryoscopus gambensis. Single record in a lowland

secondary forest north of Macenta. May have been overlooked.

*Sabine*s Puffback Shrike D. sabini. Single record in primary forest canopy

(Wilson 1990).

*Lesser Tchagra Tchagra minuta. Common in humid grasslands dominated by

Pennisetum, Apr-May. Small groups of 3-5, appearing for one or two weeks.

Brown-headed Tchagra T. australis. Frequent, bushes in clearings on and near

Ziama Massif up to 1000 m. Single birds or pairs.

Tropical Boubou Laniarius ferrugineus. Common, often heard in semi-open

habitats.

Sooty Boubou L leucorhynchus. Uncommon, forests around Ziama Massif. Nest-

building in bushes within a montane forest clearing on Ziama Massif at 900 m. May.

*Many-coloured Bush-Shrike MaJaconotus multicolor. Frequent, dense hanas in

primary forest on Ziama Massif.

Fiery-breasted Bush-Shrike M cruentus. Uncommon, middle strata of primary and

secondary forests on Ziama Massif

Fiscal Shrike Lanius collaris. Abundant, open habitats. Nests recorded Mar, Apr,

May.

Woodchat Shrike L senator. One bird recorded each Dec-Jan during three years in

savanna woodland near Macenta RC^ Coffee Centre.

Western Black-headed Oriole Oriolus brachyrhynchus. Common, all forest types;

observed on Ziama Massif up to 900 m.

Black-winged Oriole O. nigripennis. Uncommon, Ziama Massif forests where it is

sympatric with the preceding species.

Square-tailed Drongo Dicrurus ludmgii. Frequent, primary and secondary forest.

Lone birds, pairs or family groups.

Shining Drongo D. atripennis. Common, many wooded habitats; on Ziama Massif

up to 800 m.

Glossy-backed Drongo D. adsimilis. Common, all wooded and semi-wooded

habitats.

Chestnut-winged Starling Onychognathus fulgidus. Common, primary and

secondary forests on Ziama Massif Groups of 5-10.

Amethyst Starling Cinnyricinclus leucogaster. One group of seven birds (mostly

females and young) in forest southeast of Sérédou, Jun 1990.

Pied Crow Corvus albus. Common, all semi-open habitats. Nest Mar.

White-necked Rockfowl Picathartes gymnocephalus. Common in all suitable areas

including large overhanging rocks inside mature forest. Common and widespread 20

years ago according to local hunters. Recorded outside Ziama 10 km north of

Macenta. Rarely recorded except at nests, during Jul-Jan breeding season (Fig. 1).

Recorded once at ant column. Nine nest sites were recorded in Ziama at 1 .5-4 m high.

1994

Birds of Macenta, Guinea

21

they were used by a single pair, even if two or three nests were present. Locally

named “Kouma Oni”, it is well known to Ziama hunters, who are used to sheltering

and trapping rodents and hyræces along rocks on which rockfowl nest. Rodent traps

are said not to catch rockfowl. Hunters sometimes catch it at night on the nest, but the

species is here mainly threatened by destruction of its habitat.

Figure 1. White-necked Rockfowl Picaihaiies gymnocephalus at nest.

22

D. Halleux

Malimbus 16

*Blue Cuckoo-Shrike Coracina azurea. Frequent, Ziama primary or secondary

forest. Single birds or pairs; one family group M.

Purple-throated Cuckoo-Shrike C. quiscalina. Frequent, Ziama forests and

surrounding forest-grassland mosaic. Canopy to low undergrowth.

Red-shouldered Cuckoo-Shrike C. phoenicea. One record of a male on Ziama

Massif at 900 m, primary forest canopy.

“Western Wattled Cuckoo-Shrike C lobata. Uncommon. Five records in Ziama

primary and secondary forest, above 800 m. More or less associated with high-strata

mixed species flocks. Inconspicuous. Call is a very soft high-pitched ‘ftsit tsit”.

Garden Bulbul Pycnonotus barbaius. Abundant, all habitats from true forest to

gardens.

Plain Greenbul Andropadus curvirostris. One report in forest above Sérédou

(Wilson 1990).

Little Grey Greenbul A gracilis. Common, primary and secondary forest. Solitary

or with mixed bird parties.

“Ansorge’s Greenbul A ansorgei. Common to abundant, Ziama Massif forest edges.

Slender-billed Greenbul A graciUrostris. Common, primary and secondary forests.

Single birds or pairs. Often seen in fruiting Trema guineensis along forest paths.

Little Greenbul A virens. Common, forest undergrowth and forest edges.

Yellow-whiskered Greenbul A. latirostris. Abundant, primary and secondary

forests. Groups of 3-5.

Golden Bulbul Calyptocichla serina. Rare, forest canopy from 900 m on Ziama

Massif.

Honeyguide Bulbul Baeopogon indicator. Common, wooded areas, especially

secondary forest. Single birds or pairs.

Yellow-throated Leaf-love Chlorocichla flavicoUis. Frequent, wooded savannas

near Macenta.

Simple Leaf-love C simplex. Common, bushes and forest edges.

Swamp Palm Bulbul Theselocichla leucopleura. Abundant, moist areas of

secondary forest and forest-grassland mosaic. Groups of three.

Leaf-love Phyllastrephus scandens. Common, wooded areas. Usually in highly

vocal groups of 4-6.

“Icterine Bulbul P. icterinus. Abundant, lower strata of primary forest up to 800 m

on Ziama Massif. Small groups in mixed species flocks.

“Bristle-bill Bleda syndactyla. Single bird recorded at ant column at 1000 m, Jul

1989. Also recorded by Wilson (1990).

Grey-headed Bristle-bill B. cankapiUa. Frequent, Ziama and surrounding forested

areas.

Bearded Bulbul Criniger barbotas. Abundant, undergrowth of all wooded areas of

Ziama and surrounding regions. Noisy groups of 5-8.

White-bearded Bulbul C calurus. Abundant, forest undergrowth and old clearings.

Noisy groups of 2-3, often associated with mixed flocks.

1994

Birds of Macenta, Guinea

23

Yellow-bearded Bulbul C olivacem. Frequent, forest on Ziama Massif up to 900 m.

Not recorded in the surrounding lowland forests. Silent Usually single birds or pairs,

but five apparent adults once recorded together.

Nicator Nicaior chhris. Common, all wooded habitats from lowlands up to 1000 m.

Usually single birds.

Whincbat Swdcola mbeira. Abundant, open habitats during winter. Departs Mar.

Fire-crested Alethe Alethe Sademaia. Frequent, secondary forests on Ziama Massif

to 900 m, in the vicinity of ant columns.

*Brown-chested Alethe A poUocephala. Common, secondary forests, often by ant

columns.

Whiskered Redbreast Shepparttia cyomithopsis. Frequent, mature secondary

forests around 900 m.

Forest Robin Stiphromis eryihrothorax. Frequent, forests on Ziama Massif at 600-

900 m.

Blue-shouldered Robin-Chat Cossypha cyanocampter. Recorded at Sérédou

(Berlioz & Roche 1960).

Snowy-crowned Robin-Chat C. niveicapilla. Uncommon, bushes near coffee

plantations surrounded secondary forest. Probably overlooked.

White-tailed Ant-Thrush Neocossyphm poensis. Frequent, rocky areas within

jnimary forest on Ziama Massif.

•Finsch’s Flycatcher-Thrush Stizorhina finschL Frequent, mature secondary forest

and abandoned clearings on and around Ziama Massif up to 800 m.

Nightingale Luscima megarhynchos. Common during Palaearctic winter, wooded

savannas and gardens near Macenta. Song often heard.

Œive Thrush Turdus pelios. Common, gardens and open areas with isolated trees.

Brown Akalat Malacocincla Julvescens. Common on and around Ziama Massif in

primary and secondary forest and old coffee plantations.

White-breasted Akalat M. mfipennis. Present in dense undergrowth within

undisturbed forest (Wilson 1990).

^Blackcap Akalat M deaveri. Common in forest undergrowth (Wilson 1990).

Capuchin Babbler Phyllanthus atripennis. One record of five birds in the tea

plantation west of Macenta.

Sedge Warbler Acrocephalus schoenobaenus. Rare, bushes along open small

streams in Mar, during northerly migration.

Reed Warbler A scirpaceus. Frequent, Dec-Feb in open bush savannas near

Macenta.

Great Reed Warbler A amndinaceus. Twice heard in humid area with Pennisetum

tussocks west of Ziama Massif, Feb and Mar.

Moustached Warbler Sphenoeacm mmialis. Abundant, all humid grasslands with

Pennisetum tussocks.

Melodious Warbler Hippolms polyglotta. Common, Dec to mid-Mar in savanna

woodland and gardens.

24

D. Halleux

Malimbus 16

Garden Warbler Sylvia horin. Rare during Palaearctic winter in bushes at forest

edges, farmlands and gardens.

Blackcap S. atricapUla. Rare, primary and secondary forests on Ziama Massif up to

900 m. Mar 1990.

Willow Warbler PhyUoscopus trochilus. Recorded at Sérédou (Berlioz 1958).

Wood Warbler P. sibilatrix. Uncommon, Palaearctic winter in primary and

secondary forest canopy.

Red-faced Cisticola Cisticola erythrops. Common, marshy open habitats.

Whistling Cisticola C lateralis. Common, moist semi-open areas and gardens.

Shortwing Cisticola C. brachyptera Common, short grasslands.

Tawny-flanked Prinia Prinia subflava. Conunon, forest edges and forest-grassland

mosaic up to 900 m in Ziama.

* Black-capped Apalis Apalis nigriceps. Common, primary forest on Ziama Massif

above 700 m. Six to eight individuals usually joining mixed-species flocks foraging

within the canopy, preferring higher strata.

Sharpe*s Apalis A sharpei. Common, primary and secondary forest on Ziama

Massif. Immatures Jun. Two or three birds usually associated with mixed-species

flocks, middle to low strata.

*Red-winged Grey Warbler Drymocichla incana. Three surprising records of a

single bird corresponding to the description of this central African species on 4 Jun,

16 and 18 Jul 1989. All three records were in the same grass tussocks in a flooded

marshy area near the Macenta tea plantation. Observations were made in good

afternoon light, first with 10 x 40 Zeiss binoculars, then with a 20 x 77 Kowa

telescope on tripod at a distance of 25 m. The bird was strikingly light grey on the

upperparts, with the underparts almost whitish, becoming pale buff on the belly and

under-tail coverts. The primaries on the closed wings made a small chestnut-brown

patch. The bill was long and black, eyes white-grey, and legs pale, perhaps pinkish.

The tail was grey, lightly scaled, long and was sometimes flicked. The bird was

alone, constantly moving, and was most of the time hidden in the grass and bushes 30

cm above the pond’s surface. It sometimes flew low and straight to a nearby grass

island like a Grasshopper Warbler Locustella naevia. It was completely silent. The

uniform grey, long tail, light grey back and whitish eye rule out confusion with Red-

winged Warbler Prinia eryihroptem.

Black-capped Stream Warbler Bathmocercus cerviniventris. Locally common in

humid, open sites near old clearings within mature forest on Ziama Massif.

Yellow-browed Camaroptera Camaroptera superciliaris. Frequent, Ziama Massif

and surrounding areas. More silent and thus less noticeable than other camaropteras.

Single birds in undergrowth or lianas within primary and secondary forest.

Green-backed Camaroptera C, chloronota. Abundant, all wooded habitats

including coffee plantations. Single birds in dense low and middle strata.

Grey-backed Camaroptera C chloronota. Common, forest edges and abandoned

clearings.

1994

Birds of Macenta, Guinea

25

Rufous-crowned Eremomela Eremomela badiceps. Common. Small groups in

mixed species flocks foraging in the canopy, or monospecific groups.

Green Crombec Sylvtetta virens, A few certain records within undergrowth in

wooded habitats.

Lemon-bellied Crombec S. denti. Common in undergrowth of forest edges and

often associated with mixed flocks in lower and middle canopy strata. Distinction

between the two crombec species was difficult because of the great similarity

between the local subspecies.

Olive Longbill Macmsphenus concolor. Common, primary and secondary forest. In

mixed qjecies flocks, favouring dense lianas. Frequently heard in Ziama. Nest 2.5 m

high in a liana. Mar.

*Kemp*s LongbUl M kempt. One recOTd of a single individual in a mixed species

flock in mature secondaiy forest at 800 m near Sérédou.

Green Hylia H^a prasma. Abundant, all wooded habitats. Single birds or pairs,

sometimes eating arboreal ants Oecophylla.

Tit-Hylia Phalidomis rushiae. Frequent. Groups of 4-5 in light undergrowth of

secondary forest and plantations. Up to 1000 m on Ziama Massif

Spotted Flycatcher Musckapa siriata. One record in RC^ Coffee Centre in Macenta

among isolated trees in open grassland.

Little Blue Flycatcher M eptdata. Small groups recorded twice in mixed-species

flocks in the Ziama forest canopy.

* Olivaceous Flycatcher M olivascens. One record in secondary forest on the

southeastern slopes of the Ziama Massif (Wilson 1990).

Ashy Flycatcher M caemlescens. Regularly recorded at wooded river edges and

humid areas of secondary forest.

Dusky Blue Flycatcher M comiiaia. One record in secondaiy forest (WilscMi 1990).

Ussher’s Dusky Flycatcher Artomyim ussheri. Abundant, forested areas. Groups of

3-7.

Pied Flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca. Common during the Palaearctic winter, on and

around Ziama Massif among bushes along forest edges.

*Aima*s Forest Flycatcher Melaenomis annamarutae. Three records at 800 m near

the SEQUINA tree nursery, Mar-Apr 1991. First recorded in Guinea on eastern

slopes of Ziama Massif, Apr 1990 (Wilson 1990).

Violet-backed Flycatcher Hyliota violacea. Frequent, Ziama Massif and

surrounding secondary forests up to 800 m. In mixed-species canopy flocks.

Shrike Flycatcher Megabyas flammulata. Frequent in and near old clearings,

favouring the canopy of Albizia and Piptadeniastrum species. A nest recorded in Ziama

in Mar 1 991 is the first to be described. It was 15m high in the fork of an Albizia sassa

at 850 m above Sérédou, in secondary growth. Both male and female incubated. The

nest was hemi^herical, about 4 cm diameter. It was hght grey, looked smooth and

seemed to consist of mosses and vegetable fibres. It was tightly bound to the bark,

probably by spider webs. It was very inconspicuous, looking like a bump on the foric.

26

D. HaUeux

Malimbus 16

* Black and White Flycatcher Bias musicus. Frequent and widespread in patchy

forest and its edges, and in coffee plantations. Display flights May.

Scarlet'spectacled Wattle-eye Platysteira cyanea. Common, gardens and grassland-

forest mosaic edge.

Chestnut Wattle-eye P. castanea. Abundant, primary and secondary forests on

Ziama Massif up to 900 m. Common member of mixed-species flocks in low and

middle strata.

Red-cheeked Wattle-eye P. blissetti. Uncommon, low dense undergrowth of

lowland secondary forest edges around Ziama Massif May have been overlooked.

* Golden-bellied Wattle-eye P. concreta. Common, primary and secondary forest

around mixed-species flocks in the lower strata.

Chestnut-cap Flycatcher Erythrocercus maccalli. Common to abundant, forests

above 700 m on Ziama Massif. In mixed-species flocks in high and medium strata.

Small groups of 6-9 noisy individuals.

Blue-headed Crested Flycatcher Twchocercus nitens. Three records from Ziama

Massif in forest undergrowth up to 900 m.

Dusky Crested Flycatcher T. nigromitratus. Frequent, primary and secondary

forest, 600-900 m. In mixed-species flocks in low forest undergrowth. Typical two-

note call.

Red-bellied Paradise Flycatcher Terpsiphone rufiventer. Abundant, forest

undergrowth. Single birds or pairs, sometimes associated with mixed species flocks.

Nest Jul.

Paradise Flycatcher T. virUBs. One record from Ziama Massif near the Sérédou pass

at 700 m.

*Dusky Tit Pams Junereus. Uncommon. Small noisy groups of 8-12, sometimes

associated with mixed-species flocks above 800 m on Ziama Massif.

Scarlet-tufted Sun bird Anthrepies fraseri. Frequent, often in lower and middle

forest strata. In small numbers in most mixed-species flocks.

Yellow-chinned Sunbird A rectirostris. Recorded in primary and secondary forest

canopy on Ziama (Wilson 1990).

Collared Sunbird A collaris. Abundant, forest and forest edges. Groups of 3-6.

Olive Sunbird Nectarinia oUvacea. Common, forest and plantation undergrowth.

Single birds or pairs within the lower strata.

Olive-backed Sunbird N. verticaUs. Uncommon in wooded patches in open lands

and gardens.

Blue-throated Brown Sunbird N, cyanolaema. Common visitors to April-flowering

Pentadesma butymcea in lowland secondary forest.

Buff-throated Sunbird N. adelberti. Frequent, flowering trees and low bushes at

edges of lowland forest and in forest canopy.

Variable Sunbird N, venusta. Occasional records at forest edge on Ziama Massif.

Olive-bellied Sunbird N. cMoropygia, Frequent, clearings and edges of secondary forest.

Copper Sunbird N. cuprea. Abundant, open, bushy savannas.

1994

Birds of Macenta, Guinea

27

Splendid Sunbird N. mccinigasier. Frequent, gardens and small woodlots in semi-

open areas on and around Ziama Massif.

Johanna* s Sunbird N, johannae. One record from Quinandou on Ziama massif, Feb

1989 (Ledm 1989).

Superb Sunbird N. superha. Uncommon, clearings and forest edge on Ziama

Massif.

Yellow White-eye Zosterops senegalemis. Common, gardens, old clearings and

forest edges up to 1000 m.

^Grosbeak Weaver Amblyospiza albifrons. Frequent, gardens and grassland-forest

mosaic. Small groiqjs feeding on fruiting Trema gaineensis.

Village Weaver Ploceus cucullaius. Very abundant. Colonies in most villages,

where it is considered a good omen.

Vieillot’s Black Weaver P. nigerrimus. Very abundant. Breeds in colonies (6-30

nests) in relict trees over stagnant ponds, Mar-Aug.

Compact Weaver P. supercUiosus. Uncommon, moist grassland.

Yellow-mantled Weaver P. tricolor. Frequent, secondary forest and old plantations

around Macenta. Feeding young at nest, Apr.

* Maxwell* s Black Weaver P. albmucha. One record in a mixed species flock on

Ziama Massif. Common in the southern Nzérékoré prefecture.

Black-necked Weaver P, nigiicoUis. Common, most wooded habitats and gardens,

ascending Ziama Massif along clearings and forest edges. Prefers semi-open habitats.

Western Golden-backed Weaver P. preussi. Five records of single birds or pairs on

and aroimd Ziama Massif.

[Gola Malimbe Malimbus baUmanni. One brief sighting of a bird resembling this

species in a moist forested area near the Quinquina Station’s “Poste 5” above Sérédou

at 1000 m.]

Red-vented Malimbe M. scutatus. Common, humid areas within primary and

secondary forest. Groups of 5-6 noisy birds. Nest-building Feb.

Kue-billed Malimbe M nitem. Common, forest undergrowth on Ziama Massif.

Single birds or pairs.

Red-headed Malimbe M mbricolUs. Common, primary and secondary forest.

Crested Malimbe M. malimbicus. Common. Pairs or small family groups in

secondary forest and plantations. Nest Apr.

*Red-headed Quelea Quelea erythrops. Common. Groups of 2-10 birds in flocks of

seed-eaters in rice fields before the harvest in M and Aug.

[Red-billed Quelea Q, quelea. Noted as common in fields around Sérédou but

without supporting data (Wilson 1990).]

Red-collared Whydah Euplectes ardens. Common, rice fields and humid

grasslands.

Fire-crowned Bishop K hordeaceus. Common, open humid Pennisetum grassland.

Yellow-mantled Whydah £1 macrourus. Very abundant, open and semi-open

grasslands.

28

D. Halleux

Malimbus 16

Grey-headed Sparrow Passer griseus. Common, small towns.

Pin-tailed Whydah Vitbia macroura. Frequent, open grassland, mostly moist areas.

Green-backed Twinspot Hypargos nitidulus. Rare, humid parts of mature

secondary forest along clearings. One bird favoured the middle strata. May have been

overlooked.

Crimson Seedcracker Pirenestes ostrinus. Frequent, grassy edges of swamps or

inundated rice fields.

Grey-headed Negro Finch Nigrita canicapilla. Common, forest patches, old

clearings and secondary forest. Nest-building Apr.

Chestnut-breasted Negro Finch N. bicolor. Frequent, abandoned clearings and

secondary forest edges up to 800 m. Nest-building Jun.

White-breasted Negro Finch N. fiisconata. Uncommon in mixed-species flocks

along forest edges.

*Red-fronted Flower-pecker Weaver-Finch Pamtoptila rubrifrons. A single and a

pair in low bushes near a moist area in Ziama Massif forest, one with a mixed species

flock. Both records were made in Black-capped Stream Warbler sites.

Bluebill Spermophaga haematina. Common in dense bushes in moist parts of forest,

and along forest paths.

*Grey-headed Olive-back Nesocharis capistrata. Two records in 1991, one of them

in a fruiting Ficus in grassland-forest mosaic. Mar and Aug.

Orange-cheeked Waxbill Estrilda melpoda. Abundant, tall grass habitats and small

bushes. On Ziama Massif up to 1000 m. Flocks of 6-15.

Common Waxbill K astrild. Abundant, grassland around Macenta, where several

hundred slept in Pennisetum tussocks during Feb and Mar.

Bar-breasted Fireflnch Lagonosticta mfopicta. Common, open grasslands with

Pennisetum. Usually in pairs.

Red-billed Fireflnch L senegala. Abundant, all open habitats near villages.

Black-bellied Fireflnch L rara. Frequent, grasslands. Often in groups of 3^.

*Orange-breasted Waxbill Amandava subjlava. One record of six birds in newly-

cut, humid grassland near Macenta, Aug 1 990.

Magpie Mannikin Lonchura fringilloides. Frequent, newly cleared lands with relict

trees. Nest-building Jul-Aug.

Black and White Mannikin L bicolor. Common, grass clearings or forest edges up

to 1000 m. Nests recorded Mar, Jun.

Bronze Mannikin L cucuUata. Abundant, all open habitats and gardens.

Acknowledgments

I am grateful to G.D. Field and Dr J.F. Walsh for their helpful comments on the

manuscript. I thank R. Wilson for sending me his report on Ziama birds and A. Le

Dru for giving me his data on Guinea birds. I give special thanks to Mr Mamadou

1994

Birds of Macenta, Guinea

29

Oury Bah, Directeur National des Forêts et de la Chasse, for his constant kind

support.

References

Allport, G., Ausden, M., Hayman, P.V., Robertson, P. & Wood, P. (1989) The

Conservation of the Birds of Gola Forest, Sierra Leone. Study Rep. 38,

International Council for Bird Preservation, Cambridge.

Berlioz, J. (1958) Note sur quelques oiseaux de la Guinée française. Bull. Mus. Nat

Hist Nat 2ème sér., 3: 298-301.

Berlioz, J. & Roche, J. (1960) Etude d'une collection d’oiseaux de Guinée. Bull.

Mus. Nat Hist Nat 32: 272-283.

Colston, P.R. & Curry-Lindahl, K. (1986) The Birds of Mount Nimba, Liberia.

British Museum (Natural History), London.

Ledru, a. (1989) Atlas de Répartition des Oiseaux de Guinée. Unpubhshed report.

Morel, G. J. & Morel, M.Y. (1988) Les oiseaux de Guinée. Malimbus 10: 143-176.

Walsh, J.F. (1987). Records of birds seen in north-eastern Guinea in 1984-85.

Malimbus9: 105-122.

Wilson, R. (1990) Annotated Bird List for the Forêt Classée de Ziama and

Immediate Environs. Unpublished report commissioned by lUCN.

30

Malimbus 16

Oiseaux nouveaux pour la République Centrafricaine ou

dont les notifications de ce pays sont peu nombreuses

par Max Germam* et Jean-Paul Comef

‘44 rue Cluseret, 92150 Sureties, France

mSTOM, B.P. 1386, Dakar, Sénégal

Reçu 10 juillet 1993

Revu 19 janvier 1994

Résumé

Nous fondant sur nos investigations en République Centiafricame et étude de

spécimens déposés au Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (Paris) au cours

des 20 dernières années, nous signalons de ce pays 12 espèces qui n’y avaient

pas, jusqu’ici, été enregistrées. Des informations faunistiques sont également

apportées qui ont trait à quelques aufres espèces et concernent souvent des

dormes récentes, notamment certaines de celles fournies par Carroll (1988).

Summary

Based on field observations and the examination of specimens received

during the last 20 years by the Muséum National d’Histoire Natmelle (Paris)

12 species which had not been previously documented from Central African

Repubhc are reported. Additional informati<Mi on other spœies mid on some

recent records, especially those provided by Carroll (1988), is also presented.

Introduction

Le propos, essentiellement faunistique, de cette note est de faire état d’un certain

nombre de captures et observations ayant porté, en République Centrafricaine, sur des

espèces qui n’en avaient pas jusqu’ici été signalées, de première notificaticm récente

pour ce pays (postérieure à Green 1983) ou dont les records préexistants sont peu

nombreux. La plupart des données que nous rapportons ont été recueillies au cours

d’investigations virologiques (ORSTOM et Institut Pasteur) aymit nécessité, de 1969

à 1978, la capture et la dissection d’un grand nombre d’oismux; elles ne représentent

qu’une part de l’information ornithologique réunie en cette circonstance. Certaines

d’entre elles, qui contribuent à p-éciser sensiblemoit la gfegraphie d’une réparition,

nous paraissent présenter un intérêt immédiat alors que s’élabore une checkhst des

oiseaux de RCA (R. J. Dowsett en prép.). Cmroll (1982, 1988), s’essayant à dresser

1994

Oiseaux de la R.C.A.

31

une telle liste, y a introduit quelque confusion, ayant insuffisamment tenu compte de

la littérature préexistante et s’étant quelquefois risqué à faire état d’observations

originales qui eussent appelé plus de réserve critique (RJ. Dowsett & M. Germain en

prép.); il lui est en outre arrivé de mal interpréter des informations non publiées

venues en sa possession, donnant alors place à des observations inexistantes

(Germain 1992). Les informations reprises par Carroll (1988), seule facilement

accessible, ne s’accompagnent pas de renvois précis à leurs sources respectives; il

nous a donc paru indispensable d’inclure, dans la seconde des listes qui vont suivre,

celles de nos observations ayant été mises à contribution par cet auteur (bassin de la

Lobaye et région de Bangui principalement), chaque fois qu’elles portent sur des

espèces entrant dans le propos que nous avons défini. Nous l’avons fait dans le souci

de confirmer leur authenticité et de préciser leur locahsation.

Présentation des données

Le corps principal de notre information provient de captures au filet conduites de

septembre 1971 à décembre 1978 (environ 4500 oiseaux capturés, MG et JPC). Ont

également été retenues un certaine nombre de captures intéressantes réalisées en 1969

et 1 970 par Dr Jérôme Moindroit, qui fut le premier en charge du programme

épidémiologique ayant permis ces observations. Des oiseaux n’ont

qu’ exceptionnellement été obtenus au fusil. Certaines données font référence à des

spécimens de RCA déposés au Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris

(MNHN), par Charlotte Choux (CC), Raymond Pujol (RP), Jérôme Moindrot (JM) ou

l’un de nous (MG, auquel cas la mention MNHN figure seule). Le matériel provenant

de Lotémo, dans l’extrême sud du département de la Lobaye, a été récolté par notre

collègue Jean-Pierre Hervé (JPH). Une collection de référence avait été constituée, à

l’Institut Pasteur de Bangui, à partir du matériel récolté en RCA (387 spécimens).

Cette collection, entreprise dè 1 969 par J. Moindrot et à laquelle il sera quelquefois

fait référence (IPB), fut perdue quelque dix ans plus tard, du fait de malencontreuses

initiatives auxquelles nous n’eumes aucune part. Toutes les déterminations en avaient

été vérifiées par l’un de nous (MG).

Nous dénommons “exemplaire” tout oiseau ayant été déterminé en main, même

s’il n’a pas été conservé. Les sujets figurant dans les collections du Muséum se

signalent par la mention MNHN.

Les divisions phytogéographiques sont celles proposées par Boulvert (1986), soit,

du sud au nord: domaine congo-guinéen, secteurs de la forêt dense humide (SF) et

périforestier (SPF, mosaïque forêt-savane); dom. soudano-guinéen (DSG); dom.

médio-soudanien (DMS); dom. soudano-sahélien (DSS). On trouvera, en annexe, un

index des localités citées; celles-ci sont toutes à moins de 600 m d’altitude, à

l’exception de Bouar (100 m), Bocaranga (1070 m) et Sarki (1170 m), qui

appartiennent à l’étage submontagnard.

32

M. Germain & J.-P. Comet

Malimbus 16

C*est d*im secteur de 150 km de rayon, s’étendant du sud-ouest au nord de

Bangui, que provient le plus grand nombre des captures et observations; forêt dense

de la basse Lobaye et savanes périforestières la jouxant, entrée des savanes soudano-

guinéennes leur succédant au nord. Dans plusieurs des stations: Botambi (SF),

Landjia, Mboko, Ndélé près Bangui, Géringou, Ngoundji (SPF) et Bozo (DSG), des

captures s’étendant sur plusieurs jours consécutifs ont été régulièrement pratiquées,

plusieurs fois par an et en toutes saisons, pendant les sept années qu’a duré le

programme (la mention ‘*près Bangui”, pour le village de Ndélé, est une convention

de notre part, visant à écarter toute confusion avec la localité du même nom située

dans le nord de la RCA). Des captures ponctuelles ont également été conduites dans

les régions de Berbérati (Nassoulé, Gamboula), Carnot (Nandobo), Sarki,

Bossembélé (Bogoin), Bouca (Marali), Sibut, Grimari (Zagwa), Bambari (Marago) et

Bangassou (Nagtelaka); les régions de Bossangoa (Doumba), Rafaï, ainsi que la zone

subsahélienne (Garba, lac Mamoun), ont été prospectées par J. Moindrot. Dans la

région de Bangui, la saison des pluies s’étend d’avril à octobre; mars et novembre

sont des mois de transition. L’étiage de l’Oubangui a lieu de février à avril.

Espèces nouvelles pour la République Centrafricaine

Aigle-autour africain Spizaetus africanm. Une femelle immature capturée par un

villageois à Mboro (SF, près de Mbaïki), début janvier 1975. Aile 343; queue 260;

tarse 79, emplumé jusque sur la base des premières phalanges; tête roux rosé, striée

de brun sur la calotte; poifrine comme la tête, un peu plus claire, striée; ventre et

sous-caudales blancs, ces dernières, ainsi que les flancs, tachées de roussâtre; parties

supérieures bnmes; rœtrices brunes barées de plus sombre, avec hseré blanchâtre à

l’extrémité. Exemplaire perdu ^PB). Espèce forestière connue, dans cette région, de

la rive zaïroise de l’Oubangui (Libenge, Schouteden 1%2).

Bécassine sourde Lymnocryptes minimus. Landjia (SPF, près de Bangui), 24 jan

1970, un ex., MNHN. Cette espèce est un visiteur d’hiver régulier autour du lac

Tchad; ses notifications scmt peu ncttnteeuses au sud de la zone sahélienne, tant au

Cameroun qu’au Soudan (Louette 1981, Nikolaus 1987).

Hirondelle de rivage du Congo Riparia congica. Une femelle (ovaire très petit)

tuée, 7 mai 1978, dans une bande d’une hentaine de petites Riparia, sur un banc de

sable de l’Oubangui, quelques km en aval de Bangui. Parties inférieures

uniformément blanches, du menton aux sous-caudales; amorce bilatérale d’un

bandeau pectoral d’un brun grisâtre clair, à bords flous; parties dorsales du même

brun, un peu plus sombre et unifomie; aile 88; spécimen perdu (TPB). Cette espèce,

dont la distribution épouse les cours inférieur et moyen du Congo, n’avait pas

jusqu’ici été observée en amont d’Impfondo, sur l’Oubangui (Keith ei al 1992). Sa

capture près de Bangui accroît de quelque 400 km sa distribution connue le long de

cet affluent. Elle n’induit pas de sympatrie partielle avec THirondelle paludicole R.

1994

Oiseaux de la R.C.A.

33

paludicola, observée dans la même région mais peu susceptible de s’y reproduire;

suivant Hall & Moreau (1970), ces hirondelles constituent avec l’Hirondelle de

rivage R. riparia une super-espèce. Il semble s’agir d’une implantation faible ou

d’incursions liées à un certain erratisme, soit à partir de l’aval, soit à partir du bassin

de la Lua (région de Géména, Zaïre) où l’espèce a été observée (Schouteden 1 %2).

R. congica est toutefois considérée comme sédentaire dans ses quartiers les mieux

cormus (Chapin 1953, Turner & Rose 1989).

Hirondelle de Preuss Himndo preussi. Géringou (SPF, entre Bangui et Damara), 12

juin 1 976, mâle, MNHN. Autres exemplaires: Géringou, avr et juin, femelles;

Landjia, avr, mâle. Populations sporadiquement implantées, toujours le long de cours

d’eau, dans le domaine congo-guinéen et le sud du domaine soudano-guinéen,

observées de la région de Berbérati à celle de Bagassou: Nassoulé (sep), Bangui (avr,

juin, août), rivière Ombella au nord de Damara (avr, sep), Ngaoda (avr), Kembé

(mars), Dékolo (avr). nidifie sous les ponts, en colonies qui peuvent être très denses

(environ 2800 nids sous le pont enjambant la Mbari à Dékolo). Construction observée

en avril, des jeunes encore au nid ou s’essayant à voler à la mi-juin.

Merle à queue rousse Cichladusa ruficauda. Six specimens de Bangui (SPF),

déposés au MNHN: mâles 17 jan 1978, 13 fév 1978, 25 mars 1978 immature;

femelles 25 mars 1978, 17 nov 1971; adulte non sexé 21 nov 1967 (RP).

Régulièrement observé dans les parcs et jardins de Bangui, qui sont les heux où il est

apparu le plus souvent dans nos filets (7 ex. en tout); également obtenu à Landjia et

Mboko, en savane arbustive, en janvier et juin; à Botambi (SF), dans des clarières de

culture (juin et août); non rencontré ailleurs en RCA. Manifestement sédentaire, cet

oiseau se reproduit vraisemblablement en saison sèche: chant surtout entendu de

février à mai; un ovaire en début d’activité constaté début janvier; capture dans le

même filet d’une femelle et d’un immature, fm mars. L’aire de distribution connue de

l’espèce intéresse l’ouest de l’Angola et la basse vallée du Congo jusqu’au confluent

de l’Oubangui; les observations faites à Bangui révèlent sa présence près de 550 km

en amont de ce dernier point. Cet oiseau serait à rechercher sur tout le cours inférieur

de rOubangui, le long duquel il a probablment progressé. Tout dorme à penser que

son installation dans la région de Bangui est relativement récente; l’habitude qu’il a

de se percher très en évidence, au sommet d’un buisson ou d’un arbuste, pour émettre

un chant particulièrement sonore, le brun-roux vif de son plumage, sa fréquentation

des jardins, rendent en effet peu vraisemblable qu’il soit demeuré inaperçu

d’observateurs tels que Dybowski, AUine et Blancou.

Fauvette des jardins Sylvia communis. Sarki (DSG), 23 jan 1973, capture de deux

mâles et ime femelle (IPB). Ces captures sur les contreforts orientaux de l’Adamaoua

n’offrent rien d’inattendu; 5. communis est un visiteur d’hiver signalé du Cameroun,

du Tchad, du Soudan et du nord du Zaïre (Louette 1981, Salvan 1967-1969, Nikolaas

1987, Schouteden 1%2).

Astrild-mésange Pholidomis rushiae. Botambi (SF), 10 mai 1978, capture d’une

femelle. Ventre et croupion d’un jaune franc: il s’agit de P. r. denti, sous-espèce

34

M. Germain & J.-P. Comet

Malimbus 16

occupant le centre et Test du bloc forestier équatorial, à laquelle Louette (1981)

rapporte également les populations du sud-est du Cameroun. L’ovaire était au repos.

Gobe-mouches à lunettes blanches Muscicapa caemlescens. La Maboké (SF), 2

juil 1966 (RP), un adulte, MNHN. Capture contribuant à combler, pour cette espèce

forestière, un hiatus marginal de la répartition connue, entre le sud du Cameroun et le

nord du Zaïre (Louette 1981, Hall & Moreau 1970).

Etourneau à queue étroite Poeoptem lugubris. La Maboké, 13 juil 1968, un mâle,

(RP) MNHN. Même remarque géographique que l’espèce précédente.

Soui-manga de Reichenow Nectarinia preussi. Sarki (DSG), 27 jan 1973: un mâle,

bec 15, MNHN; une femelle, bec 13, MNHN. Espèce orophile forestière dont l’aire

occidentale intéresse, au Cameroun, les grands massifs du sud-ouest, les bombements

du rehef dans la région de Yaoundé et l’Adamaoua (Germain et al 1973); sa capture

sur les prolonguements orientaux de ce dernier plateau n’offre donc rien de

suprenant. Louette (1981) note que les populations de la région de Yaoundé et de

l’Adamaoua se caractérisent par un bec plus court (inférieur aux 16-19 de la forme

nominale) et reconnaît la sous-espèce genderuensis-, nos spécimens présentent bien

cette même caractéristique. Ils ont été capturés dans une ripisylve; l’ovaire de la

femelle était actif.

Tisserin tricolore Ploceus tricolor. Deux spécimens de la Maboké (SF), MNHN: 14

juil 1966 (RP), adulte non sexé, poitrine et ventre d’un brun terne et sombre; 12 juil

1968 (RP), non-sexé, subadulte, même caractères de coloration mais haut de la

poitrine taché légèrement de roux. Espèce forestière présente dans le sud du

Cameroun (race nominale) et au Zaïre. Les caractères de coloration donnent à penser

que les exemplaires de le Maboké sont des femelles de la race interscapularis

Reichenow (à laquelle sont rapportées les populations voisines du nord-ouest du

Zaïre, région de Géména, Schouteden 1962) ou l’expression d’un cline entre les deux

formes.

Euplecte de Gierow Euplectes gierowü. Bangui (SPF), 19 août 1969 (CC), un mâle

en plumage nuptial, MNHN. Non signalée du Cameroun (Louette 1981), cette espèce

l’est par contre, au Zaïre, de régions voisines de la nôtre (territoires de Bosobolo et

Géména notamment, Schouteden 1962).

Espèces dont la première notifîcation pour la RCA est récente ou les records

existants peu nombreux

La fonction de cette partie est notamment de préciser le contenu et la localisation

d’un certain nombre d’observations non publiées que la liste fournie par Carroll

(1 988) rapporte de façon ambiguë ou peu précise. Lorsque nos observations ont pour

effet d’étendre sensiblement une aire géographique ou de donner lieu à des

considérations d’ordre infraspécifique, remarque en est faite dans le texte. Les

références figurant entre parenthèses après l’annonce de chaque espèce sont celles

1994

Oiseaux de la R.C.A.

35

des notifications déjà existantes; Bouet (1 944) rend compte des spécimens déposées

au MNHN par Dybowski au retour de sa mission dans les régions qui nous

intéressent (1891-92), ainsi que des récoltes d’Alline dans les années 1930. Nos

propres notifications ne viennent qu’à la suite.

Blongios nain Ixobrychm nunutm. (Bouet 1955, Snow 1978, Green 1984, Carroll

1988). Espèce présente en touts saisons à Bangui et dans ses environs (Landjia,

Mboko), neuf ex., dont deux certainement de la sous-espèce paléarctique minutus

(oct-nov). Observation d’un immature à Bozo, oct.

Butor à tête blanche Tigriomis Imcolophus. (Snow 1978, Carroll 1988, Green &

Carroll 1991). Bobia, un ex., avr (TPB); Kinga, un ex. tué par xm chasseur, juil.

Aigrette intermédiaire Egretta intermedia. Pragesco 1961, Carroll 1988, Green &

Carroll 1991, Bretagnolle 1993). Landjia 19 déc 1974, observation de deux individus.

Erratique saisonnier dans le sud de la RCA.

Sarcelle à oreillons Nettapus auritus. (Malbrant 1952, Snow 1978, Gren 1983,

Carroll 1988, Bretagnolle 1993). Landjia, 19 nov 1972, observation d’un individu.

Déjà signalée de la région de Bangui (Snow 1 978).

Balbuzard pêcheur Pandion haliaetus. (Blancou 1948, Jehl 1974, Carroll 1988).

Migrateur observé une seule fois: étangs de Landjia, 3 oct 1 971 .

Bondrée apivore Pemis apivorus. (Jehl 1974, Carroll 1988, Bretagnolle 1993).

Migrateur paléarctique ayant ses quartiers d’hiver dans le bloc forestier. Une obs.,

Mboko, 5 oct 1 971 ; ex. tué dans la région de Bangui, 6 déc 1 969 (IPB).

Faucon des chauves-souris Machaeraniphus alcinus. (Berlioz 1934, Blancou 1938-

1939, Snow 1978, Carroll 1988). Bangui, 20 jan, une obs.

Circaète brun Circaetus cinereus. (Green 1983, Carroll 1988, Bretagnolle 1993).

Une obs., méridionale pour cette espèce: Bozo 31 jan, adulte (en savane arborée).

Autour tachiro Accipiter tachiro. (Snow 1978, Friedmann 1978, Carroll 1988).

Botambi, deux mâles, MNHN: 17 avr 1970 (JM) et 20 oct 1971. Il s’agit de A. l

toussenelii.

Autour minuUe A erythropus. (Bouet 1944, Carroll 1988, Green & Carroll 1991).

Landjia, 6 mai 1970 (JM), mâle, MNHN; Bangui 24 jan 1974, femelle immature,

MNHN. La Maboké, une obs., jan.

Autour à longue queue Urotriorchis macrourus. (Carroll 1988, Green & Carroll

1991). Kinga: une obs., juil.

Aigle blanchard Stephanoaetus coranatus. (Carroll 1988, Green & Carroll 1991).

Un ex. tué par un chasseur dans les environs de Pisa, mars 1 972.

Faucon ardoisé Falco ardosiaceus. (Snow 1978, Green 1983, Carroll 1988,

Bretagnolle 1993). Deux obs.: Gomoka, juil, Damara, nov.

Caille bleue cotumix chinensis. (Bouet 1944). Landjia, 16 jan 1974, capture d’un

adulte mâle.

Tumix nain Tumix hottentota. (Germain 1992). Rappel: Mboko, 24 jan 1975, une

femelle, MNHN. Il s’agit de T. h nam.

36

M. Germain & J.-P. Comet

Malimbus 16

Râle nain à poitrine chatain Sarothura rufa. (Urban et al 1986). Bangui: 10 nov

1968 (PR), 23 août 1969 (CC), femelles, MNHN.

Râle africain Crex egregia. (Bouet 1944, Snow 1978, Green 1984, Carroll 1988,

Green & Carroll 1991). Bangui, 10 nov 1968 (RP), immature, MNHN. Boukoko, une

obs., déc.

Petit poule d’eau africain GaUinula angulata. (Berlioz 1939, Snow 1978, Carroll

1988, BretagnoUe 1993). Landjia, 13 jan 1975, ex. femelle. Boukoko, une obs., mai.

Poule d* Allen Porphyrio aUeni. (Carroll 1988). Boukoko, 19 mai, femelle, ovaire

actif. Landjia, ime obs., juin. Un ex., Bangui, juil. (JM, IPB).

Rhynchée Rostratula beng^aUnsis. (Green 1983, Carroll 1988, BretagnoUe 1993).

Landjia, trois femelles capturées en jan, deux en mai-juin (ovaires actifs). Autres ex.:

Boda, fév; Bobia, mai; lac Mamoun (JM), mars.

Echasse blanche Hinumtopus himantopus. (Jehl 1974, Green 1983, Carroll 1988,

Green & Carroll 1991 , BretagnoUe 1993). Landjia, une obs, jan.

Petit Gravelot Charadrius dubius. (Jehl 1974, Green 1983, Carroll 1988, Green &

CarroU 1991). Landjia: visiteur d’hiver régulier, mais en très faible nombre; un ex.,

jan 1975.

Pluvier à front blanc C marginatus. (CarroU 1988, Green & CarroU 1991). Bangui,

mai, un ex., femelle immature. Landjia et plages de l’Oubangui dans cette même

région: isolés et petits groupes, mai, nov, déc.

Bécasseau minute Caüdris minuta. (Jehl 1974, CarroU 1988, Green & CarroU 1991,

Germain 1 992). Hivernant régulier à Landjia, plusieurs captures en déc.

Bécasseau de Temminck C temmincldi. (Jehl 1974, Green 1984). Landjia, 13 jan,

un ex. (IPB).

Bécasseau cocorli C fermginea. (Green & CarroU 1991). Landjia, 7 oct 1973, une obs.

Bécassine des marais Gallinago gaUinago. (Jehl 1974, Green 1983, 1984, Green &

CarroU 1991). Landjia: hivernant assez abondant, 16 ex. entre 16 déc et 18 fév. Lac

Mamoun, un ex., mars (JM).

Chevalier gambette Tringa totanus. (Dragesco 1961, Jehl 1974, Green 1983, 1984,

BretagnoUe 1993). Visiteur d’hiver peu nombreux dans le sud de la RCA. Une obs.,

Landjia, précoce: 12 août 1972, deux individus.

Chevalier stagnatile T. stagnatilis. (CarroU 1988, Green 1984, Green & CarroU

1991). Landjia, 30 jan, un ex. mâle.

Goéland brun Larus fuscus. (CarroU 1988). Une observation isolée: Bangui, sur le

fleuve, 9 jan 1 973, adulte de la race nominale (dessus ardoisé sombre).

Guifette leucoptère Chüdonias lemoptems. (Jehl 1974, Green 1983, CarroU 1988,

BretagnoUe 1993). Bangui (île Mboulou), 5 fév et 2 avr 1978, mâles, MNHN.

Fréquemment observé sur l’Oubangui, le plus souvent en petits groupes, entre 5 fév

et 21 mai. Plus fortes densités en fin de saison sèche: plus de 100 observées sur

quelques km, 23 avr 1 978. Observé une seule fois sur les étangs de Landjia, 16 déc.

Tourterelle à tête bleue Turtur brehmeri. (Bouet 1944, Friedmann 1978, Green 1984,

CarroU 1 988, Green & CarroU 1991). Botambi et Ue Bokassi, juin et oct: trois ex.

1994

Oiseaux de la R.C.A.

37

Tourterelle tambourinette T, tympanistria. (Blancou 1938-39, Snow 1978,

Friedmann 1978, Carroll 1988). Assez nombreuses captures dans les régions de

Bangui, Bozo, Sibut, Bambari, Bangassou, Rafaï, en toutes saisons et toujours en

sous-bois.

Perrroquet vert à tête rouge Poicephalm guUelmi. (Bouet 1944, Carroll 1988,

Green & Carroll 1991). Botambi, un ex., nov (JM, IPB).

Inséparable à collier noir Agapomis swinderniana. (Snow 1978, Carroll 1988,

Green & Carroll 1991). Mbaïki, mai, un ex., tué par un chasseur.

Touraco vert Tauraco persa. (Bouet 1944, Carroll 1988, Green & Carroll 1991).

Boboui, août, im ex. (IPB).

Touraco à bec noir T. schuetii. (Blancou 1948, Bouet 1961, Snow 1978, Carroll

1988). Non signalé du département de la Lobaye (mention erronée dans une liste non

publiée que Carroll a eu en main, cf. Germain 1992), mais connu de Bangui (Alline

m Bouet 1961), ainsi que de Zémio, localité-type de T. s. sharpei.

Coucou solitaire Cuculus soUtarius. (Blancou 1948, Snow 1978, Friedmann 1978,

Green 1983, Carroll 1988, Green & Carroll 1991). Mbaïki, avr, une obs.

Coucal noirou Centropus grilUi. (Blancou 1938-39, Carroll 1988). Landjia, déc, une

obs.; Bangassou, avr, une obs.

Coucal à nuque bleue C monachm. (Bouet 1944, Snow 1978, Green 1983, Carroll

1988). Une obs. à Landjia, mars, et une à Bonganou, avr. Dans la région de Bangui,

aujourd’hui très savanisée, l’espèce du genre la plus communément observée est C.

senegalensis.

Engoulevent à épaulettes noires Caprimulgus nigriscapularis. (Carroll 1988,

Germain 1992). Exemplaires: Kapou, mai, femelle, ovaire actif; Bozo, août, mâle.

Engoulevent terne Caprimulgus inomatus. (Blancou 1938-39, Snow 1978, Carroll

1988, Green & Carroll 1991). Bozo, déc, un ex. mâle.

Martinet épineux de Sabine RhaphiAira sabini. (Blancou 1938-39, Carroll 1988,

Green & Carroll 1991, Germain 1992). Landjia, avr, une obs. de deux (rappel);

observé sur l’Oubangui, 20 km en amont de Bangui, avr, (F. Bretagnolle corn. pers.).

Martinet à croupion blanc caffer. (Berhoz 1939, Malbrant 1952, Snow 1978,

Carroll 1988, Green & Carroll 1991, Bretagnolle 1993). Bozo, 13 août 1977, mâle,

IPB. Obs.: Mbaïki, 5 jan; environs de Sibut, mai (F. Bretagnolle corn. pers.).

Petit Martin-chasseur à tête châtaine Ceyx lecontei. (Friedmann 1 978, Carroll

1988, Green & Carroll 1991). La Maboké: 19 avr 1966, ime femelle; 14 juin 1966, un

immature, (RP) MNHN. Botambi, juil, un ex., IPB; Lotémo, sep et nov, plusieurs ex.

(JPH).

Rolle à gorge bleue Eurystomus gularis. (Snow 1978, Carroll 1988, Green &

Carroll 1991). La Maboké, mai, une obs.

Barbu â gorge grise Gynmobucco bonapartei. (Bouet 1944, Snow 1978, Carroll

1988, Green & Carroll 1991). La Maboké, 30 juil 1968, (RP) MNHN. Exemplaires:

Botambi, nov, (JM, IPB); Mboko, oct; Ngoundji, mai. Observé près de Bangui et

Mbaïki, jan, fév.

38

M. Germain & J.-P. Comet

Malimbus 16

Barbu de Sladen G. sladenL (Carroll 1988). Mongoumba, jan 1975, une obs. d’un

isolé (face nue et bec sombres, touffes claires). Signalé de la rive zaïroise de

rOubangui dans la même région (Schouteden 1 962).

Petit Barbu grivelé Pogonmlus scohpaceus. (Friedmann 1978, Carroll 1988, Grreen

& Carroll 1991). Botambi, trois ex., mâles, juil, déc; Géringou, nov, un ex. mâle.

Barbu à croupion rouge P. atwflams. (Friedmann 1978, Carroll 1988, Green &

Carroll 1991). La Maboké, un ex., août.

Petit Barbu à gorge jaune P. suhsulphureus. (Blancou 1958, Snow 1978,

Friedmann 1978, Carroll 1988). La Maboké, 24 mai 1966 (RP), mâle, MNHN.

Géringou, nov, un ex.

Petit Barbu à taches jaunes Buccanodon duchaillui. (Snow 1978, Carroll 1988,

Green & Carroll 1991). Botambi, avr, un ex. femelle.

Barbu hérissé Tricholaema hirsuta. (Bouet 1944, Snow 1978, Carroll 1988), La

Maboké, 21 déc 1966 (RP), adulte, MNHN. Géringou, nov, un ex. mâle.

Tachyphone pourpré Trachyphonus purpuratus. (Bouet 1944, Snow 1978,

Friedmann 1978, Carroll 1988, Green & Carroll 1991). Rafaï, déc, un ex. (JM, IPB).

Indicateur Uichtii Indicator nmculatus. (Friedmann 1978, Carroll 1988). Gomoka,

oct, un ex. (JM, IPB). Landjia, mai, un ex. mâle; Lotémo, sep (JPH), trois mâles, une

femelle, ovaire en activité (cette capture dans la Lobaye annule la réserve faite par

Germain 1992).

Picule Sasia africana. (Carroll 1988, Green & Carroll 1991). La Maboké, 23 avr

1966 (RP), femelle, MNHN. Botambi, plusieurs ex., jan, juin, oct, nov.

Pic tacheté Campethera nivosa. (Bouet 1944, Snow 1978, Friedmann 1978, Carroll

1988). Exemplaires; Botambi, juil; Géringou, fév, dont deux femelles ovaires actifs.

Pic à oreillons bruns C caroli. (Bouet 1944, Snow 1978, Friedmann 1978, Carroll

1988, Green & Carroll 1991). Exemplaires: Botambi, avr, juil; Mboko juil; Ngoundji,

jan.

Pic à poitrine tachetée Dendropkos poecilolaemm. (Bouet 1944, Snow 1978, Carroll

1988, Green & Carroll 1991). Exemplaires: Botambi, jan; Mboko, déc; Bozo, fév.

Pic cardinal D. fuscescens. (Blancou 1938-39, Snow 1978, Green 1983, Carroll

1988, Bretagnolle 1993). Exemplaires: Mboko, mars, juin, sep; Ndélé près Bangui,

mars, juin; Boda, oct

Brève à poitrine fauve Pkta angolensis. (Friedmarm 1978, Carroll 1988, Germain

1992). Botambi, 3 juil 1975, femelle, aile 118, manteau vert sombre, sus-caudales

bleues sans nuance violacée (P. a, angolensis), MNHN. Comme on le remarquera,

cet exemplaire appartient à la sous-espèce présente dans le sud-est du Cameroun,

tandis que celui récolté beaucoup plus loin à Lest par Friedmarm, près de Baroua, est

de la race longipennis.

Hirondelle hérissée à queue courte Psalidoprocne nitens. (Green & Carroll 1991).

La Maboké, 17 avr 1966 (RP), femelle, MNHN.

Hirondelle paludicole Riparia paludkola. (Carroll 1988). Etangs de Landjia (ex.):

23 avr 1970, adulte (JM, IPB); 3 mars 1976, trois mâles (ailes 96, 97, 100) et trois

1994

Oiseaux de la R.C.A.

39

femelles (ailes 94, 96, 96), gonades des deux sexes au repos. Les caractères de

coloration sont ceux de R. p. paludibula: gorge, poitrine et flancs d’un brun grisâtre

clair, ventre et sous-caudales blancs. La distance entre Landjia et le lieu

d’observation de l’espèce le moins éloigné (sud-est de Sahr, au Tchad, Hall &

Moreau 1970) est 480 km. Carroll signale sa présence dans le parc de Manovo-

Gounda-Saint Floris. Dans le sud du Tchad, elle est présente toute l’année (Salvan

1967-69) et la reproduction a été observée en jan-fév (Dragesco 1961). La place

qu’occupent des tendances dispersives ou franchement migratoires dans le

comportement des diverses populations afrotropicales d ’Hirondelles paludicoles reste

très mal connue (Curry-Lindahl 1981, Turner & Rose 1989); il semblerait qu’elle soit

d’importance très irréguhère, dans le temps comme dans l’espace. Les incursions très

méridionales constatées en RCA pourraient avoir été favorisées (au travers de

perturbations ayant intéressé l’entomofaune?). par les déficits pluviométriques qui

ont affecté, à partir de 1967, la zone sahéhenne.

Hirondelle de rivage R. riparia. (Jehl 1974, Carroll 1988, Keith et al. 1992).

Mboko, 25 jan 1975, femelle, aile 103, MNHN. Landjia, 21 jan, deux ex. mâles;

plusieurs observations en jan-fév. Keith et al. (1992) signalent la reprise, dans l’ouest

de la RCA, d’un sujet bagué au Danemark.

Hirondelle à longs brins Hirundo snüthii. (Hall & Moreau 1970, Green 1983,

Carroll 1988, Green & Carroll 1991, Bretagnolle 1993). Sarki, jan, un ex.

Hirondelle noire H. nigrita. (Bouet 1944, Carroll 1988, Green & Carroll 1991).

Observée, par couples, sur les plans d’eau méridionaux: Oubangui dans la région de

Bangui, fév, avr, juin; Mbaïki, avr, rivière Lobaye à Bagandou, jan; rivière Kadéi

près de Gamboula, sep.

Hirondelle de cheminée H. ntstica. Nous nous bornerons ici à signaler la reprise à

Boda (par un chasseur), le 15 déc 1974, d’un juvénile bagué au nid le 1 juil de la

même année, à Romanswiller, Bas-Rhin, France.

Alouette sentinelle Macronyx crocem. (Hall & Moreau 1970, Green 1983, Carroll

1988). Observé, le plus souvent par paires, à Landjia et Bonganou, mars-juin.

Tchagra à tête brune Tchagra australis. (Bouet 1944, Hall & Moreau 1970, Carroll

1988, Green & Carroll 1991). La Maboké, deux ex. 1966, dont un en sep 1966 (RP),

MNHN. Obtenu à Botambi, déc; à Landjia, Mboko, Ndélé près Bangui, Géringou,

mars, mai, nov et déc; à Bozo, jan; Nassoulé, sep.

Gonolek noir Laniarius leucorhynchus. (Bouet 1944, Hall & Moreau 1970, Carroll

1988, Green & Carroll 1991). Ngoundji, 28 oct 1971, un ex., MNHN; mars, un ex.

Egalement obtenu à Bangui, juin; Boda, juil; Nandobo, sep; Rafaï (JM), déc.

Pie-grièche fiscale Lanius callaris. (Oustalet 1904-05, Malbrant 1952, Hall &

Moreau 1970, Carroll 1988). Quelques captures et observations dans la région de

Mbaïki-Bangui-Damara (juin^oût, oct, déc) et 50 km au sud-est de Carnot (sep). Il

s’agit, comme au Cameroun, de L c. smithii, mais il est ici beaucoup moins commun.

Loriot à tête noir Oriolus hrachyrhynchus. (Bouet 1944, Hall & Moreau 1970,

Carroll 1988, Green & Carroll 1991). Mbaïki, mai, une obs. Manifestement peu

40

M. Germain & J.-P. Comet

Malimbus 16

abondant, à la différence de ce qui s’observe dans le sud du Cameroun (Germain et

al 1973).

Loriot à ailes noires O, nigripennis. (Hall & Moreau 1970, Carroll 1988, Green &

Carroll 1991). Bangui, fév, un ex. (IPB).

Merle métallique à tête pourprée Lamprotomis purpureiceps. (Bouet 1944, Hall &

Moreau 1970, Carroll 1988, Green & Carroll 1991). Gomoka, avr, un ex. (IPB).

Bosongo, avr, une obs.

Merle métallique à queue violette L. chalcurus. (Blancou 1938-39, 1958,

Schauensee 1949, Malbrant 1952, Hall & Moreau 1970). Sarki, jan, un ex. mâle.

Merle métallique à longue queue L, caudatus. (Malbrant 1952, Hall & Moreau

1970, CarroU 1988). Garba, fév, un ex. aPB).

Ëchenilleur pourpré Campephaga quiscalina. (Carroll 1988, Green & CarroU

1991). Mboko, 17 mai, capture d’un couple, femeUe avec ovaire actif, sous-espèce

nominale. Ngoundji, mai, un ex. femelle; Bonganou, avr, obs. d’un mâle, dans un

masssif de parasoliers. Les observations centrafricaines prolongent sensiblement à

l’est l’aire connue de la sous-espèce.

Bulbul ÿracile Andropadus gracilis. (Friedmann 1978, Carroll 1988). Botambi, juil,

un ex. femeUe. Egalement capturé à Rafaï, en même temps que A. virens, déc (JM).

Bulbul curvirostre A curvirostris. (Hall & Moreau 1970, Friedmann 1978, Carroll

1988). Botambi, jan, un ex. de chaque sexe; Ngoundji, oct, deux mâles (dont un IPB).

Bulbul à bec grêle A gracüirostris. (Friedmann 1 978, Carroll 1 988). La Maboké, 1 5

sep 1966 (RP), deux ex., MNHN. Cette espèce existe donc bien dans le bassin de la

Lobaye (Carroll 1988).

Bulbul à moustaches jaunes A latirostris. (Hall & Moreau 1970, Friedmann 1978,

Carroll 1988, Green & Carroll 1991). La Maboké, deux ex. (RP), MNHN: 20 avr

1966, mâle; 6 août 1968. Cette espèce est, après A. virens, l’Andropadus le plus

fréquemment capturé dans les sous-bois du sud-ouest de la RCA; Lotémo, La

Maboké, Botambi, Ndélé près Bangui, Geringou. Egalement obtenu à Nagbalaka et

Rafaï. Des ovaires (108 examinés) ne sont trouvés actifs que de mai a août, tandis que

chez A. virens cette même période se prolonge jusqu’en novembre.

Bulbul à queue blanche Baeopogon indicator. (Friedmann 1978, Carroll 1988). La

Maboké, 13 juil 1968 (RP), mâle, MNHN; Ngoundji, 21 déc 1972, femelle, ovaire

actif, MNHN. Egalement obtenu à Bozo, avr.

Bulbul de Falkenstein Chlorocichla falkensteini. (Carroll 1988). Kouango, 7 nov

1970 (JM), adulte, MNHN. Plusieurs captures en savane arbustive à Mboko et

Bangui, juin, oct-déc.

Bulbul modeste C simplex. (Carroll 1988). Plusieurs captures: Botambi, Bangui et

environs, Bozo, Marali, Nassoulé, fév-déc. A Botambi, capturé une seul fois (juin),

en lisière de canopée, dans des filets placés à 15 m du sol. Ovaires en activité: sep-

dec, fév.

Bulbul ictérin Phyllastrephus icterinus. (Carroll 1988, Carroll & Green 1991).

Botambi: 8 mai 1973, mâle, MNHN; 24 jan 1974, femelle, MNHN. Autres ex.:

1994

Oiseaux de la R.C.A.

41

Botambi, mai; Lotémo, sep (JPH), un mâle et trois femelles (deux ovaires en

activité).

Bulbul icterin tacheté P. xavieri. (Bouet 1944, Hall & Moreau 1970, Carroll 1988,

Green & Carroll 1991). Botambi ex.: mâle, 22 jan 1974, MNHN; mâle, jan, c^turé

en liséré de canopée, à 1 5 m du sol; mâle, avr, Lotémo, sep, deux mâles.

Bulbul à gorge blanche P. albigularis. (Friedmann 1978, Carroll 1988). La Maboké,

2 juin 1966 (RP), male, MNHN; Bangui (Kouanga), 10 déc 1969 (JM), un ex.,

^fl^îHN. Botambi, une vingtaine d’ex., jan, mai, juil-déc; Géringou.

Bulbul de Reichenow Criniger ndussutnemis. (Hall & Moreau 1970, Keith et al

1992). Nous avons rapporté à C. calurus emini, dont un specimen provenant de

Botambi a figuré dans la collection IPB, tous les Criniger (19 ex.) que nous avons

capturés dans la région de Bangui et en basse Lobaye, à l’exception d’un seul qui

nous a paru devoir l’être à C ndttssumensis: Botambi, mai, mâle, aile 92, bec plus fin

(hauteur à la base 5.5 mm), sous-caudales assez fortement lavées de roussâtre.

Merle rouge-gorge Sheppardia cyomithopsis. (Hall & Moreau 1970). La Maboké,

sans date (RP), un adulte, MNHN. Capture qui annonce une continuité de distribution

de cette espèce entre ses deux aires subspécifiques d’Afrique équatoriale: Cameroun

méridional à Gabon et nord-est du Zaïre (où il est signalé des abords de Mobaye, Hall

& Moreau 1970). Comparé avec ceux du Gabon et du Cameroun, ce spécimen (aile

72 sur l’oiseau en peau, mâle?) se présente avec des flancs légèrement plus ternes,

d’un brun châtain plutôt que roux clair.

Rouge-gorge de forêt Sdphromis eryütroihorax. (Friedmann 1978, Carroll 1988).

La Maboké, 6 août 1968 (RP), immature, MNHN. Botambi, huit ex., jan, avr, juil,

nov, déc; Bangui et Raf^ (JM), d^.

Cossyphe à ailes bleues Cossypha cyanocampter. (Carroll 1988, Keith et al 1992).

Botambi: jan, un ex. mâle; nov, femelle.

Alèthe à huppe romstAledte diademata. (Friedmann 1978, Cairoll 1988). Botambi,

14 jan 1972, immature mâle, MNHN; 16 autres ex., avr, mai, juil, août. La Maboké,

jan, un ex. (JM); Gomoka, nov, un ex.

Grive fourmilière à queue blanche Neocossyphus poensis. (Friedmann 1978,

Carroll 1988). La Maboké (RP), un ex., sans date, MNHN; Botambi, 13 jan 1972,

femelle, MNHN. Comparés avec ceux du Cameroun et du Gabon, ces exemplaires

ont leurs parties dorsales d’un brun sensiblement plus chaud et des rectrices externes

portant moins de blanc à leur extrémité (M p. praepectomlis). Egalement capturé

dans la région de Bangassou: Nagbalaka, avr, im mâle.

Grive akalat brune Malacocincla fulvescens. (Hall & Moreau 1970, Friemann

1978, CarroU 1988). La Maboké, 16 mai 1966 (RP), mâle, MNHN; Bouar, 1970

(RP), adulte, MNHN. Botambi et île Bokassi, plusieurs captures, jan, juin, août, oct;

ovaires trouvés actifs en juin et oct Egalement obtenu à Bangui, entre cette ville et

Damara, à Bozo et à Rafaï.

Grive akalat à tête noire M. cleaveri. (White 1962, Green & Carroll 1991). La

Maboké, 19 mai (RP), mâle, MNHN.

42

M. Gemiain & J.-P. Comet

Mdimbus 16

Cratérope capucin Phyllanthm atripennis. (Bouet 1944, Hall & Moreau 1970,

Friedmann 1978, Carroll 1988). Botambi, 7 avr 1977, MNHN; “Oubangui”, sans date

(RP), MNHN. Les caractères de coloration sont ceux de P. a, bohndorffi. Quatre ex.

capturés à Rafaï, déc (JM).

Phragmite des iQnc% Acrocephalm schoenobamm. (Jehl 1974, Carroll 1988, Green

& Carroll 1991). Bangui, 31 oct 1972, un ex., MNHN. Egalemait capturé à Landjia,

20 avr 1978, un mâle.

RousseroUe effarvate A scirpacem. (Jehl 1974, Cairoll 1988). Ngoundji, 24 jan

1972, mâle, MNHN. Autres captures: Bangui, 29 déc 1971, une femelle; Mboko, 2

mars 1972, im ex.; Landjia, jan 1976, deux femelles et un mâle; Rafaï, 15 d& 1970

(JM), un ex.

RousseroUe des cannes A rufescens, (Carroll 1988). Route Bangui-Mbaïki, 23 juin

1966 ^), un ex., Bangui, 13 août 1969 (CC), mâle, MNHN. Egalement capturé à

Mboko: juil, deux femelles dont une avec ovaire actif; août, ime femelle.

Gobe-mouches jaune Chloropeta natalensis. (Carroll 1988). Bangui, 7 août 1%9

(CC), femelle, MNHN. Egalement capturé à Kapou, Mboko, Landjia, Géringou,

Ngoundji, Gomoka, Bozo, Marali, en mai (un ovaire en activité), sep, oct, d&-fév.

HypolaYs polyglotte Hippolais polygtotta. (Carroll 1988). Ngoundji: 17 mars 1972,

femelle, MNHN; jour suivante, un mâle. Mbaïki, 5 mars 1974, une obs. très probable.

Il est à remarquer que H. icterina est également connu de la RCA, où Dybov^ski Fa

obtenu sur la haute Kouma (“Poste de la Haute Kémo”), MNHN (Bouet 1944).

Fauvette des jardins Sylvia borin. (Jehl 1974, Carroll 1988). Visiteur d'hiver

abondant dans les savanes préforestières du sud-ouest e la RCA: Mboko (savane

arborée et cultures, 37 ex.), Landjia, Kapou, Bangui, Ngoundji, Bobui, Géringou,

Bozo. Egalement capturée dans la région de Bambari et à Rafaï. Dates exhêmes de

capture: 17 oct et 20 avr.

Pouillot fitis Phylloscopus trochilm. (Schauensee 1949, Malbrant 1952, Carroll

1988). Un mâle capturé à Mboko le 21 déc 1971, un mâle et une femelle le 2 mars

1972; Landjia, 21 jan 1975, un mâle; Géringou, 24-27 nov, trois ex. de chaque sexe.

Pouillot sifTleur P. sibilatrix. (Carroll 1 988). Captures: la Maboké, 29 jan 1 970, un

ex. (JM); Kapou, 28 déc 1971, une femelle; Mboko, 21 déc 1971, un mâle; Bozo, 26

nov 1974, un mâle et une femelle.

Cisticole à face rousse Cisticola erythrops. (Bouet 1944, Hall & Moreau 1970,

Green 1983, Carroll 1988). Bangui: 24 nov 1967 (RP), un ex., MNHN; 13 et 15 août

1969 (CC), mâle et femelle, MNHN; 29 déc 1971, femelle, MNHN. Mboko, 29 fév

1972, femelle, MNHN. Ngoundji, 17 mars 1972, mâle, MNHN. Nomb*eusœ captures

dans la région de Bangui; également obtenu à Bozo, dans la région D^ara-Sibut et à

Nassoulé. Ovaires trouvés actifs en sep-oct.

Cisticole chanteuse C. cantam. (Blancou 1938-9, Bouet 1944, Carroll 1988).

MNHN, mâles; Ngoundji, 26 et 27 jan 1972, 17 mars 1972; Marali, 13 juil 1972.

Autres localités de capture: Kapou, Mboko, Géringou, Bozo, Zagwa.

Cisticole siflleuse C lateralis. (Blancou 1938-39, Hall & Moreau 1970, Green 1983,

1994

Oiseaux de la R.C.A.

43

Canx>ll 1988). MNHN: La Maboké, 22 sep 1966 (RP), un ex.; Ngoundji, 27 jan 1972,

une femelle; Bogoin, 3 fév 1972, deux femelles. Autres localités de capture: Botambi,

Mboko, Ndélé près Bangui, Nandobo.

Cisticole roussâtre C galactotes. ^Berlioz 1935, Green 1983, Carroll 1988). Capturé

à Landjia (étangs, 36 ex.), Mboko, Kapou, Géringou. Un ovaire trouvé actif en août.

Cisticole striée C naialensis. (Bouet 1944, Malbrant 1952, Friedmann 1978, Carroll

1988). Mboko, oct, une femelle.

Fauvette à ailes rousses Prinia erythroptera. (Bouet 1944, Hall & Moreau 1970,

Carroll 1988). Ngoundji 27 mai 1972, femelle, MNHN. Egalement capturée à

Mboko, oct; Bozo, fév, avr, Marali, sep; Zagwa, nov.

Fauvette-roitelet rayée Prinia bairdii. (Carroll 1988, Green & Carroll 1991).

Botambi, jan, un mâle (IPB).

Fauvette des buissons à tête grise Apalis flavida. (Blancou 1938-39, Hall & Moreau

1970, Carroll 1988, Germain 1992). Ngoundji, mars, un ex. mâle.

Fauvette grise à ailes rousses Drymocichla incana. (Blancou 1938-39, Hall &

Moreau 1970, Carroll 1988, Germain 1992). Sarki, jan, un ex. mâle (IPB).

Camaroptère à sourcils Camaroptera superciliaris. (Friedmaim 1978, Carroll

1988). Capturé à Botambi, jan; Bangui, juin et oct; Ndélé près Bangui, sep; Ngoundji,

jan.

Camaroptère à dos vert C. chloronota. (Friedmaim 1978, Carroll 1988). La

Maboké, six ex. (RP) au MNHN: 16 mars, 21 avr (deux), 6, 19 et 31 mai 1966;

Botambi, 10 jan 1972, un ex., MNHN. Autres captures: Botambi, août, oct; environs

de Bambaii, nov.

Fauvette crombec verte Sytvietta virens. ^Ball & Moreau 1970, Carroll 1988, Green

& CaiToll 1991). La Maboké, 31 mai 1966 (RP), mâle, MNHN. Autres localités de

capture: Botambi, Landjia, Bangui, Boboui, Gomoka, Nassoulé, en toutes saisons.

Hylia y trit Hytia prasina. friedmaim 1978, Carroll 1988). Botambi, 10 jan 1972,

male, MNHN; quelques autres captures, jan, juil, oct, nov. Capturé une fois à Ndélé

près Bangui, juin.

Gobe-mouches pygmée Muscicapa oibista. (Blancou 1938-39). Bouar, 1970 (RP),

un ex., MNHN.

Gobe-mouches à gorge grise M griseigtdaris. (Friedmann 1978, Carroll 1988). La

Maboké, 6 août 1 968 (RP), un ex., MNHN.

Gobe-mouches noir Ficedula hypoleuca. (Blancou 1938-39, Carroll 1988). MNHN:

Bangui, 17 nov 1970 (IM), un ex.; Ngoundji, 24 jan 1972, femelle. Autres ex., peu

nombreux: Ngoundji et Bozo, entre 23 oct et 9 mars, Kapou un obs. Rappelons que le

Gobe-mouches à collier F. albicollis a été obtenu en RCA par Dybowski, sur la haute

Kouma (MNHN, Bouet 1944): trois mâles, début mars 1892, ayant revêtu leur

plumage d’été, et dont le réexamen (MG) écarte toute éventuahté de confusion avec

F. semitorqmta.

Gobe-mouches forestier Fraseria ocreata. (Bouet 1944, Carroll 1988, Green &

Carroll 1991). Ile Bokassi, obs. d’un petit groupe, juin.

44

M. Gennain & J.-P. Comet

Malimbus 16

Gobe-mouches à sourcils blancs F. dnerascens. (Hall & Moreau 1970, Friedmann

1978, Carroll 1988). Captures: sur File Bokassi, juin; Nagbalaka, avr, immature.

Gobe-mouches pâle Bradomis palUdus. (Blancou 1938-39, Carroll 1988). Plusieurs

captures dans la région de Bangui, en mars, juin, oct-jan, uniquement dans le secteur

périforestier.

Gobe-mouches soyeux à joues noires Bâtis minor. (Bouet 1944, Green 1984,

Carroll 1988). Bogoin, 4 fév 1972, mâle, race erlangeri, MNHN. Une vingtaine

d’ex., capturés à Mboko, Ndélé près Bangui, Ngoundji, Géringou, Bozo, Marali et

Bogoin, en jan-juin, août-nov.

Gobe-mouches caronculé Platysteira castanea. (Friedmann 1978, Carroll 1988,

Green & Carroll 1991). La Maboké, 2 et 6 mai 1966 (RP), une femelle, un immature,

MNHN. Botambi (forêt), 14 ex.: jan, mars-mai, juil-août, oct, dont deux femelles en

état de pondre en avr et mai. Les autres captures intéressent les savanes méridionales:

Mboko, Ngoundji, Bo, Bozo et environs de Bambari, mais toujours dans des galeries

forestières, à l’exception de celle de Mboko (savane arbustive, avr, un couple).

Gobe-mouches noir huppé Trochocercus nitens. (Carroll 1988, Green & Carroll

1991). Botambi, juil, femelle, ovaire en activité.

Moucherolle à ventre roux Terpsiphone rufiventer. (Hall & Moreau 1970,

Friedmann 1978, Green 1983, Carroll 1988, Green & Carroll 1991). Capturé à

Botambi (entre jan et nov): six ex., dont un couple, en jan (femelle avec ovaire en

debut d’activité) et une femelle en état de pondre en mars. Egalement obtenu à

Lotémo, sep, un ex. de chaque sexe. Il s’agit dans tous les cas de la sous-espèce

schubotzi, décrite de Bangui (dos roux, tête gris bleuté).

Moucherolle de Bates T. batesi. (Green 1984, Carroll 1988, Green & Carroll 1991,

Germain 1992). Rappel: un mâle capturé à Botambi, oct.

Soui-manga violet Anthreptes longuemarei. (Blancou 1938-39, 1958, Hall &

Moreau 1970, Friedmann 1978, Green 1983, Carroll 1988). Capturé à Ngoundji, oct;

Sarki, jan; Rafaï, déc (JM). Observé à Bozo (accouplements en jan) et Kapou, fév.

Soui-manga à gorge verte Nectarinia rubescens. (Carroll 1988, Green Sc Carroll

1991). Exemplaires: Mboko, Bangui, Géringou, fév, mars, juin; Mbaïki, jan, une obs.

Soui-manga de Bouvier Nectarinia bouvieri. (Blancou 1938-39, Hall & Moreau

1970). Bangui, 20 août 1%9 (CC), femelle, MNHN. Egalement obtenu par Moindrot

(IPB), à Bangui, sep, Rafaï, déc.

Soui-manga à touffes oranges N. osea. (Schauensee 1949, Malbrant 1952, Hall &

Moreau 1970). Bozo: 8 sep 1976, deux mâles en plumage nuptial incomplet (un au

MNHN).

Soui-manga superbe N superba. (Blancou 1948, Hall & Moreau 1970, Friedmann

1978, Carroll 1988). Deux ex., Landjia et Mboko, mai et oct; observé à Pisa, mai.

Bruant de Cabanis Emberiza cabanisi. (Blancou 1938-39, Bouet 1944, Friedmann

1978, Green 1983, Carroll 1988). Exemplaires: Ngoundji, Mboko, Landjia, Bo, en

jan, mai-juil, sep, oct.

Bruant à ventre jaune K forbesL (Blancou 1938-39, Hall & Moreau 1970, Green

1994

Oiseaux de la R.C.A.

45

1983, Carroll 1988, Bretagnolle 1993). Sarki, jan, un ex.

Gros-bec à front blanc Amblyospiza albifrons. (Carroll 1988, Green & Carroll

1991). Bangui, 20 août 1969 (CC), mâle, MNHN. Egalement captué à Botambi, oct;

Bo et Bozo, juin.

Tisserin baglafecht Ploceus baglafecht. (Germain 1992). Deux mâles, MNHN:

Ngoundji, 27 mai 1972 et Marali, 13 juil 1972. Egalement capturé à Bogoin, fév, un mâle.

Tisserin noir de Vieillot Ploceus nigerrimus. (Hall & Moreau 1970, Carroll 1988,

Green & Carroll 1991). Hall & Moreau (1970) ne le signalent que des abords du

confluent de TUellé. Commun dans les milieux anthropisés du sud-ouest de la RCA

(régions de Bangui, Damara, Bozo et Marali), où ses colonies, souvent associées à

celles de P. cucullatus, ne sont guère susceptibles d’être longtemps passées

inaperçues: il semblerait donc que sa forte implantation actuelle y soit le fait d’une

progression géographique assez récente, à partir du nord du Zaïre et du sud du

Cameroun. Très nombreuses captures dans la région de Bangui; des ovaires actifs en

mars, avr, juil, sep et oct. Egalement commun dans la région de Berbérati. Il nous a

par contre paru manquer ou être beaucoup moins fréquent dans l’est du pays (région

de Bangassou, 1974).

Tisserin à tête noire Ploceus melanocephalus. (Hall & Moreau 1970, Carroll

1988). Capturé ou observé à Mboko, Landjia, Géringou, Kapou, en juin, août-oct.

Tisserin gros-bec P. superciliosus. (Blancou 1938-39, Bouet 1944, Hall & Moreau

1970, Carroll 1988, Green & Carroll 1991). La Maboké, 1 juin 1966 (RP), mâle,

MNHN. Nombreuses captures â Mboko, Landjia, Ndélé près Bangui, Ngoundji,

Géringou, Gomoka et Bozo; déc-mars, sep. oct.

Tisserin à lunettes P. ocularis. (Berlioz 1939, Malbrant 1952, Hall & Moreau 1970,

Green 1983, Carroll 1988, Green & Carroll 1991). Bangui, 30 août 1969 (CC),

femelle, MNHN; Mboko, 24 août 1972, mâle, MNHN. Fréquentes captures à Mboko,

Landjia, Géringou; avr-août, oct-déc; un ovaire actif en juin. Egalement capturé à

Sarki, jan.

Malimbe de Cassin Malimbus cassini. (Carroll 1 988). Botambi, juil, capture d’un

mâle (IPB). L’espèce est connue du Zaïre limitrophe (territoires de Gemena et

Libenge, Schouteden 1962).

Malimbe à bec bleu M. nitens. (Friedmann 1978, Carroll 1988, Green & Carroll

1991). Un ex. capturé dans la région de Bangui, déc, par Moindrot, (IPB); également

obtenu à Rafaï, déc.

Malimbe à tête rouge M mbricollis. (Carroll 1988, Green & Carroll 1991). La

Maboké, 17 juil 1968 (RP), mâle, MNHN.

Malimbe huppé M. malimbicus. (Bouet 1944, Hall & Moreau 1970, Friedmann

1978, Caroll 1988, Green & Carroll 1991). Botambi, 11 jan 1972, mâle, MNHN;

août, femelle.

Travailleur à bec rouge Quelea erythrops. (Hall & Moreau 1970, Green 1983,

Carroll 1988, Bretagnolle 1993). Quelques captures et observations à Bangui et dans

la région environnante: Botambi, Kapou, Landjia, Mboko; fév, mars, juin-août.

V

46

M. Germain & J.-P. Comet

Malimbus 16

Vorabé Euptectes afer. (Blancou 1939-39, Green 1983, Carroll 1988, Bretagnolle

1993). Captoé à Landjia et Bangui, jum-oct, mais difficile à idaitifiCT en dehors de la

période nuptiale.

Veuve noire K ardms. (Blancou 1938-39, Green 1983, CmtoU 1988). Nombreuses

captures et obsarations de mâles en plumage nuptial, août-déc, dans les savanes des

régions de Bangui, Bozo, Bouca, Sibut, Carnot, Bambari.

Petit Moineau soukie Petmma dmtata. (Malbrant 1952, Hall 1970, Carroll 1988).

Bogom, 3 fév 1972, femelle, MNIM; même date, deux ex. dont une fanelle, ovaire

actif. Bozo, fév, un ex.

Combassou noir Vidua wUsonL (Blancou 1938-39, Hall & Moreau 1970). Nous

avons rapporté à cette espèce la seule veuve du groupe Hypochem que nous ayons

eue en main: Landjia, oct, mâle; plumage noir à reflets violacés (ni bleus, ni vols),

remiges et rectrices brunes, bœ blanc, frés légèrement rosé, iris tam, aile 65 (IPB).

Esp^e que son parasitisme associe à Lagonosticta rufopicta (Payne 1985).

Bengali tacheté à ventre roux Clytmpha nwnteiri. (Blancou 1938-39, Bouet 1944,

Malbrant 1952, Hall & Moreau 1970, Carroll 1988). La Maboké, 15 sep 1966 (RP),

mâle, MNHN; Bangui 20 nov 1967, et 15 août 1969 (CC), mâle, MNHN. Très

nombreuses captures, en toutes saisons, dans la région de Bangui (principalement

dans le secteur péri forestier, mais quelques captures intéressent la zone forestière) ;

également capturé dans les régions de Bozo, Sibut, Marali, Carnot, Berbérati,

Bocaranga, Bambari, Bangassou, Rafaï. Ovaires en activité, sep-d&.

Bengali tacheté à ventre noir C dybowski. (Blancou 1938-39, Bouet 1944, Blancou

1958, HaU & Moreau 1970, Friedmaim 1978, Carroll 1988). Bangui, 18 août 1969

(CC), mâle, MNHN, La localité type de Pespèce est sur la haute Kouma (‘'haute

Kémo”, Dybowski). Beaucoup moins souvent capturé et observé que Pespèce

pr&édaite: Bangui et Kapou, d&; Bo, juin; Bozo, mars, juin, sep; Nandobo, mars,

s^; Sarki, jan; Rafaï, déc (JM).

Bengali vert tacheté H^rgm nitidulm. (Friedmann 1978). La Maboké, 18 mai

1%6 ^P), mâle, MNHN. En RCA, Pespèce n’etait jusqu’ici connue que de PEst

(environs de Baroua).

Sénégal! nègre Nigrita cmicapUla. (Friedmann 1978, Cæroll 1988, Green & Carroll

1991). Exemplaires: Botonbi, mai (IPB), août; Mboko, sqp, nov; Bangui, nov; Ndélé

p'ès Bangui, juin, une fonelle avec ovaire actif.

Sénégal! nègre à front jaune N. luteifrom. (Carroll 1988). Bozo, mars, ex. mâle.

Bosongo, juil, une obs.

Sénégal! brun à ventre roux K bkohr. (Friedmaim 1978, Carroll 1988). Géringou,

10 juin 1977, femelle, MNHN. Egalement capturé à Botambi et à Rafaï, déc, par

Moindrot.

Sénégal! brun à ventre blanc N. fiiscmata. (Carroll 1988, Gréai & Carroll 1991).

Botambi, mai, juin, deux ex. mâles; Ngoundji, mai, ex. mâle.

Astrild fourmilier à gorge rousse PamwptUa wmémusé. (Hall & Moreau 1970,

Friedmann 1978, Carroll 1988). Botambi, jan, ex. femelle.

1994

Oiseaux de la R.C.A.

47

Gros-bec sanguin Spermophaga haematina. (Hall & Moreau 1970, Carroll 1988).

Assez nombreuses captures dans les zones forestière et périforestière de la région de

Bangui, en toutes saisons; ovaires actifs de juil à nov. Egalement capturé à Bozo,

nov; Nandobo, sep.

Sénégal! vert à joues blanches Nesocharis capistrata. (Blancou 1938-39, Hall &

Moreau 1970, Green 1983, Carroll 1988). Bangui, 22 nov 1967 (RP), mâle, MNHN.

Capturé, toujours en faible nombre, à Mboko, juin; Bozo, août, sep; dans les régions

de Bossangoa (Doumba), juil; de Bocaranga (Saiid), jan, fév, de Bambari (Marago),

nov.

Sénégal! à cape noire Estrilda nonnula. (Bouet 1944, Hall & Moreau 1970, Green

1983, Carroll 1988). Bangui, 28 août 1969 (CC), mâle, MNHN. Commun en toutes

saisons dans la région de Bangui: ex. de Mboko, Landjia, Bangui, Kapou, Ngoundji,

Géringou; des ovaires actifs en sep et oct. Aucune obs., dans cette même région, de

l’espèce voisine E. atricapilla, laquelle a par contre été signalée de l’extrême sud-

ouest de la RCA (préfecture de la Sangha-Mbaère: Green & Carroll 1991).

Sénégal! ondulé K astrild. (Bouet 1944, Hall & Moreau 1970, Carroll 1988, Green

& Carroll 1991). Assez nombreuses captures et observations dans la région de

Mbaïki-Bangui, en toutes saisons; une femelle en état de pondre en sep. Egalement

obtenu à Bozo et près de Bambari.

Amarante masqué K larvata. (Oustalet 1904-05, Blancou 1938-39, Hall & Moreau

1970, Green 1983, Carroll 1988, Germain 1992). Bozo, sep, capture d’un couple;

Maiali, une obs.

Amarante pointé Lagonosticta rufopicta. (Malbrant 1 952, Hall & Moreau 1 970,

(jreen 1983, 1984, CaiToll 1988). Mboko, 24 août 1972, mâle, MNHN. Plusieurs fois

capturé dans la région de Bangui, en zone périforestière: Kapou, Bangui, Mboko,

Landjia, Ngoundji et Géringou, en toutes saisons. Un ovaire actif en oct.

Amarante flambé L rubricata. (Blancou 1938-39, Hall & Moreau 1970, Carroll

1988). MNHN: Mboko, 24 août 1972, femelle; Ngoundji, 25 jan 1972, femelle.

Capturé en toutes saisons dans la zone périforestière de la région de Bangui, ainsi

qu’a Bozo, Marali, Sarki et Zagwa. Ovaires actifs de sep à déc.

Ventre-orange Anutndava suhfUtva. (Malbrant 1952, Hall & Moreau 1970, Green

1983, Carroll 1988, Bretagnolle 1993). Capturé dans le secteur périforestier de la

région de Bangui, en toutes saisons: Mboko, Landjia, Kapou, Bangui, Géringou. Un

ovaire actif en nov.

Spermète-pie Lonchura fringilloides. (Bouet 1944, Hall & Moreau 1970, Carroll

1988). Capturé plusieurs fois dans le secteur périforestier de la région de Bangui:

Mboko, Landjia, Bangui, Bonganou, Géringou, Ngoundji, Boboui, en jan, juil, oct et

nov.

Spermète à bec bleu L bicolor. (Cairoll 1988, Green & Carroll 1991). Capturé ou

obsCTvé en toutes saisons dans la région de Mbaïki-Bangui, notamment à Botambi,

Landjia, Mboko et Géringou. Egalement capturé ou observé à Bozo, Marali, Carnot,

Nandobo, Marago; Rafaï (JM). Des ovaires actifs en sep-nov.

48

M. Germain & J.-P. Comet

Malimbus 16

Remerciements

Nous tenons tout particulièrement à remercier MM. C. Erard et F. Roux qui nous ont

ouvert les collections du Muséum et souvent aidés de leurs avis. Nous soimnes

redevables à Mme. C. Choux, MM. le Dr. J. Moindrot et R. Pujol, d’un précieux

matériel déposé dans ces mêmes collections. Mm. R.J. Dowsett, R.A. Cheke, A.A.

Green et A. Tye nous ont fait bénéficier de judicieuses remarques. Nos

remerciements vont également à MM. F. Bretagnolle, J. Germain, J.-P. Hervé, le Rev.

M. Martorell et le Médecin-Colonel Morel, pour des récoltes ou des observations,

ainsi qu’a M. N. Rankpaira, pour toute la part qu’il a prise au travail de capture.

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Snow, D.W. (1978) An Atlas of Spéciation in AJHcan Non-Passerine Birds. British

Museum (Natural History), London.

Turner, A. & Rose, C. (1989) a Handbook to the Swallows and Martins of the

World. Christopher Helm, London.

50

M. Gennain & J.-P. Comet

Malimbus 16

Urban, E.K., Fry, C.H. & Keith, S. (1986) The Birds of Africa, vol. 2. Academic

Press, London.

White, C.M.N. (1962) A Revised Check List of African Shrikes, Orioles, Drongos,

Starlings, Crows, Waxwings, Cuckoo-Shrikes, Bulbuls, Accentors, Thrushes and

Babblers. Government Printer, Lusaka.

Annexe

Index des localités citées.

Conventions: SF, secteur de la forêt dense humide; SPF, secteur périforestier, DSG,

domaine soudano-guinéen; DMS domaine médio-soudanien; DSS domaine soudano-

sahélien.

Oiseaux de la R.C.A.

52

Malimbus 16

Short Notes

Is the Thick-billed Cuckoo Pachycoccyx audeberü a forest dependent species in

West Africa?

The Thick-billed Cuckoo is a rare or sparsely distributed bird of moist woodland,

with a wide range covering much of the Afrotropical region (Fry et al. 1988). Its

habits of calling frequently and of making long, high flights at certain times of year

make it a fairly obvious species, so this status assessment is probably accurate.

The Thick-billed Cuckoo is a known brood parasite but the only confirmed host

is Retz’s Helmet-Shrike Prionops retzii (Fry et al. 1988). Several other species of

helmet-shrike occur in the eastern and southern part of the cuckoo’s range. The

Chestnut-fronted Helmet-Shrike P. scopifrons is suspected to be a host in East

African coastal forests, where it is more common than Retz’s Helmet Shrike (Short &

Home 1985, pers. obs.). Other members of the genus Prionops may be parasitised,

but the White helmet-Shrike P. plumatus is ignored as a host (Vernon 1984).

The western subspecies of Thick-billed Cuckoo P. a. brazzae occurs throughout

W Africa from Zaire to Guinea. It is generally an uncommon bird, being patchily

distributed in savanna woodland, gallery and forest edge habitats. The only potential

hosts in this region are the Red-billed P. caniceps and White Helmet-Shrikes. Since

the latter is ignored elsewhere, Colston & Curry-Lindahl (1986) concluded that the

cuckoo solely parasitises the former species in this region, stating that it is “..limited

by the distribution of its host species”. The Red-billed Helmet-Shrike is a bird of

closed canopy and gallery forest (Mackworth-Praed & Grant 1973) but has

occasionally been recorded in cocoa plantations on the periphery of forested areas

(Allport et al. 1989). Thus, although the cuckoo is frequently recorded outside forest

and is rarely seen within it, it must, nevertheless, be forest dependent as a breeding

bird in W Africa.

The Thick-billed Cuckoo was Usted as a “Candidate” for inclusion in the African

bird Red Data Book (Collar & Stuart 1985) but there was insufficient evidence of

threats for the species as a whole to be considered at risk (N.J. Collar pers. comm.).

This is a justifiable assessment since its wide range in south and east Africa must

guarantee its continued survival. The situation in west Africa, however, gives cause

for greater concern. The loss of forest in the Upper Guinea area over the last twenty

years has been alarmingly rapid and widespread (Sayer et al 1992), fragmenting the

once intact regional populations of forest fauna and flora. Commoner species, which

occur at higher densities, such as the Red-billed Helmet-Shrike, are likely to

withstand the effects of this reduction of their ranges, but rarer animals, such as the

Thick-billed Cuckoo, could now have been reduced to populations which are no

longer viable, and consequently risk local extinction.

1994

Short Notes

53

References

Allport, G., Ausden, M., Hayman, P.V., Robertson, P. & Wood, P. (1989) The

Conservation of the Birds of Gola Forest, Sierra Leone. Study Rep. 38,

International Council for Bird Preservation, Cambridge.

Collar, N.J. & Stuart, S.N. (1985) Threatened Birds of Africa and Related Islands.

ICBP/IUCN, Cambridge.

Colston, P.R. & Curry-Lindahl, K. (1986) The Birds Of Mount Nimba, Liberia.

British Museum (Natural History), London.

Fry, C.H., Ketth, S. & Urban, E.K. (1988) The Birds of Africa, vol. 3. Academic

Press, London.

Mackworth-Praed, C.V. & Grant, C.B.H. (1973) Birds of West Central and

Western Africa^ vol. 2. Longman, London.

Sayer, J.A., Harcourt, C.S. & Collins, N.M. (1992) The Conservation Atlas of

Tropical Forests: Africa. Macmillan, Basingstoke.

Short, L.L. & Horne, J.F.M. (1985) Notes on some birds of the Arabuko-Sokoke

forest. Scopus 9: 1 17-126.

Vernon, C.J. (1984) The breeding biology of the Thick-billed Cuckoo. Proc. 5 Pan-

Afr. Om. Congr.: 825-840.

Received 6 July 1992

Revised 11 February 1994

Gary A. Allport & John R. Fanshawe

BirdLife International, Wellbrook Court, Girton Road, Cambridge CB3 ONA, U.K.

A note on the diet of Bam Owls Tyto alba at Djoudj, Senegal

A small batch, 155g, of Bam Owl pellets was collectai from the car park at ‘T.C.”

(Parc Campement), Parc National des Oiseaux de Djoudj, Senegal (c. 16'’20’N,

16”20’W) on 18 and 23 March 1992. The identity of the predators is certain, as they

were visible roosting in the trees there. Skulls and jaws were extracted from each

pellet, working “dry”, and are presented in Table 1 as Minimum Numbers of

Individuals (MNI), that is the highest number in any one category (skulls, left

dentaries, right dentaries) needed to explain the total contents of the batch.

Rodent remains were initially identified by reference to Rosevear (1%9), and the

identities later checked against reference collections in the Mammal Section, British

Museum (Natural History). However, the taxonomy of many African rodents is

unstable, and there is little correspondence (or cross-reference) between Rosevear

(1969) and the recent checklists for Senegal (Hubert et al. 1973, Duplantier &

Granjon 1 992). I have attempted to reconcile these. The identity of non-rodent prey is

discussed later.

54

Short Notes

Malimbus 16

The overwhelming majority of the 79 prey items was Multimammate Rats

Mastomys natalensis (Table 1). These are common commensal rodents throughout

sub-Saharan Africa, and were probably caught by the owls around the park

headquarters. Taxonomically, what was formerly regarded (e.g. by Rosevear 1969) as

a single wide-ranging species is now believed to contain two or three species,

distinguished primarily by their chromosome counts. The Djoudj specimens are

probably referable to M erythroleucus (see Duplantier & Qranjon 1992). Three other

rodents were represented, a pygmy mouse Nannomys haussa, a small gerbil Gerbillus

nanus (upper molar row m*'^, 2.95 mm) and the grass rat Arvicanthis nilohcus. The

two Arvicanthis were very young, barely weaned, and were recognised primarily

from isolated teeth. The gerbil is presumably the species referred to by Duplantier et

al (1991) as G. henleyi, since G. nanus and G. henleyi are both small gerbils with a

chromosome count of 2n = 52 (Lay 1983); G. nanus is the earher name. The only

non-rodent prey were four shrews and two small birds. The shrews, with an upper

tooth row (i-m’) length of 6.98 mm in the best preserved skull, seem referable to

Crocidura planiceps (see Hutterer & Happold 1 983). The two passerines are small

seed-eaters with bill lengths of about 1 1.6 and 12.1 mm, and a tarsus length of 17.5

mm; these measurements closely match Yellow-crowned Bishop Euplectes afer,

which is abundant in the area.

Table 1. Prey of a pair of Barn Owls Tyto alba at Djoudj, Senegal, March 1992.

Weights interpreted by comparison with skeletons of British prey species.

This diet is remarkable for the extent to which it is dominated by a single prey

species, and for the scarcity of “truly wild” prey; although murid rodents typically

provide around 80% of the diet in southern Africa, and M natalensis is predominant

among them, 94% provided by a single species is notable (Wilson et al 1988). It may

be that the seasonally flooded lowlands around P.C. support few “wild” rodents;

1994

Short Notes

55

alternatively, Üie abundance of commensal rodoits may make it unnecessaiy for the

owls to hunt ftirtiher afield. It would require trapping studies to estabhsh the former

point, though the latter is very evident from casual observation. These Bam Owls

were clearly not exploiting the abundant waders present, as were those in Bissau

reported by Heim de Balsac (1965).

I thank Steve Rums^ for stimulating this note, and (through the Wetland Tmst) for

tiie o^ortunity to participate in the bird ringing activities at Djoudj; I also thank the

University of Manchester for an Overseas Travel Grant which partly defrayed the

costs.

References

DuPLANTffiR, J.M., Granjon, L. & Ba, K. (1991) Découverte de trois espèces de

rongeurs nouvelles pour le Sénégal: un indicateur supplémentaire de la

désertification dans le nord du pays. Mammalia 55: 313-3 15.

DuPLANTffiR, J.M. & Granjon, L. (1992) Liste révisée des rongeurs de Sénégal.

Mammalia 56: 425-431.

Hem de Balsac, H. (1965) Quelques enseignements d’ordre faunistique tirés de

Fétude ahmentafre de Tyto alba dans l’ouest de l’Afrique. Alauda 33: 309-322.

Hubert, B., Adam, F, & Poulet, A. (1973) Liste préliminaire des rongeurs du

Sénégal hé^mmalia 37: 76-87.

Hutterer, R. & Happold, D.C.D. (1983) The shrews of Nigeria (Mammalia:

Soricidae). Bonn, zool Monogr. 18: 1-79.

Lay, D.M. (1983) Taxonomy of the genus Gerbillm (Rodentia, Gerbillinae) with

comments on the apphcations of generic and subgeneric names and an annotated

list of ^ecies. Z Saüget. 48: 329-354.

Rosevear, D.R. (1969) The Rodents of West Africa. British Museum (Natural

Histoiy), London.

Wilson, R.J., Wilson, M.P. & Fry, C.H. (1988) Tytonidae. Pp. 105-110 in Fry,

C.H., Keith, S. & Urban, E. (Eds), The Birds of Africa, voL 3. Academic Press,

London.

Rœeived21 May 1993

Revised 8 Septonber 1993 D.W. Yalden

Deparfrnent of Environmental Biology,

The University, Manchester M 13 9PL, U.K.

56

Short Notes

Malimbus 16

La sous-espèce du Cochevis modeste Galerida modesta en Sénégambie

Le Cochevis modeste occupe une bande de territoire relativement étroite qui traverse

obliquement le continent depuis le sud de la Sénégambie et la Guinée jusqu’au

Soudan méridional (Keith et al. 1992). White (1961), puis Dean & Keith (in Keith et

al. 1992) reconnaissent quatre races à cette espèce: G. m. modesta Heuglin qui

s’étendrait du Burkina Faso et du N Ghana jusqu’au Darfour et au NW de l’Ouganda

(giffardi Hartert n’est plus reconnue et est incluse dans modesta, avis également

partagé par P.R. Colston in litt., à l’examen des séries du British Museum); bucolica

Hartlaub du N Zaïre jusqu’au W Ouganda; strumpelli Reichenow du Cameroun;

nigrita Grote de la Sénégambie au Sierra Leone et jusqu’au Mali.

Dans un récent article. Jones (1991) conclut que la population de Cochevis

modeste de la Gambie appartient à la sous-espèce giffardi. De plus, elle rappeUe que

la population de Casamance (territoire sénégalais au sud de la Gambie) appartient à la

sous-espèce nigrita qui est beaucoup plus foncée que modesta. Que la population

sénégambieime fût divisée en deux sous-espéces, seulement distantes d’une centaine

de kilomètres, et sans obstacle naturel important, semblait peu probable et nous

amena à étudier la série de spécimens de la collection ORSTOM de Mbour, collectés

par l’un de nous, GJM, et que B. Tréca voulut bien nous confier.

Le lot reçu du Sénégal comprend neuf spécimens collectés entre Tambacounda et

Kédougou, Casamance orientale (voir carte in Morel & Morel 1990), sur cuirasses

latéritiques. Leur plumage est bien homogène; dessus brun foncé, chaque plume

bordée d’un liseré chamois, poitrine lavée de fauve roussâtre et grivelée de petites

taches brun foncé. La longueur d’aile phée des cinq mâles varie de 79.5 à 82.5 mm (x

80.6), celle des quatre femelles de 75.5 à 76.5 mm (x 76.0). Les poids moyens des

mâles (15-17 g, x = 16.5) sont du même ordre de grandeur que ceux des femelles (15-

22 g, X 16.7).

Trois mâles et une femelle collectés au Mali (Ban Markala, delta intérieur du

Niger, Koulikoro et Bougouni) et deux mâles du nord Cameroun (Kapsicki et

Garoua) sont identiques, en tenant compte du fait que les individus en plumage frais

sont plus pâles, plus sable (ce sont les hserés des plumes qui dorment la teinte de fond

des parties supérieures) que ceux en plumage usé (c’est la partie centrale foncée des

plumes qui domine). Ils sont bien différents de deux spécimens (un de chaque sexe)

de Tchang (plateau camerounais) de la sous-espèce strumpelli, caractérisés par leur

grande taille (aile 90 et 86), leurs parties supérieures très foncées et leurs parties

inférieures lavées de caimelle clair, et d’un autre (de sexe indéterminé, aile 90) de

Moundou, Tchad, proche de strumpelli mais plus clair. Ils diffèrent aussi beaucoup de

quatre spécimens de nigrita du Fouta Djalon, Guinée, dans le même état d’usure du

plumage, qui ont (1) les plumes du dos quasi noires avec des hserés cannelle, de tels

hserés s’observant également sur les ailes (couvertures et surtout vexiüe externe des

rémiges secondaires), (2) les parties inférieures nettement lavées defauve, (3) la

poitrine plus franchement marquée de grosses taches noirâtres. Ces quatres spécimens

1994

Short Notes

57

ont une longeur d’aile moyenne de 82.1 (80.5-83); ils sont étiquetés femelle mais

l’identification du sexe peut être douteuse.

Les Cochevis modestes des régions du Sahel méridional, du nord Cameroun, du

Mali moyen et du Sénégal oriental paraissent bien appartenir à une même sous-

espèce, à dessus foncé mais non noirâtre. Il ne nous fait pas de doute qu’il ne s’agit

pas de la sous-espèce nigrita mais de modesta (incluant gijfardi) que l’on trouve

ailleurs en Afrique de l’Ouest au Nigéria, au Ghana et au Burkina Faso (spécimens au

British Museum, P. R. Colston in litt).

Il nous est agréable de remercier Rachel M. Jones pour ses commentaires et Peter R.

Colston pour les informations qu’il nous a transmises sur le matériel du British

Museum.

Bibliographie

Jones, R.M. (1991) The status of larks in the Gambia, including first records of Sun

Lark Galerida modesia. Malimbus 13: 67-73.

Keith, S., Urban, E.K. & Fry, C.H. (1992) The Birds of Africa, vol. 4. Academic

Press, London.

Morel, G. J. & Morel, M.-Y. (1990) Les Oiseaux de Sénégambie. ORSTOM, Paris.

White, C.M.N. (1961) A Revised Check-list of African Broadbills, Pittas, Larks,

Swallows, Wagtails and Pipits. Government Printer, Lusaka.

Reçu 21 décembre 1993

Revu 12 avril 1994 C. Erard* & G. J. MoreP

‘Laboratoire d’ Ornithologie, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle,

55 me Buffcai, 75005 Paris, France

^1 route de Sallenelles, 14860 Bréville-les-Monts, France

First record of Three-banded Plover Charadrius tricoUaris in Ivory Coast

On 14 August 1993, 1 observed a Three-banded Plover in a flooded rice field 5 km

east of Bouaké, Ivory Coast. The bird was feeding and resting in and around shallow

pools of water and on exposed mudflats.

Upon realising the significance of the sighting, I returned to the site with

reference materials, including Urban et al. (1986). The bird was relocated and the

identification confirmed. The white forehead, light grey face and pink legs served to

separate it from the only similar species ~ Forbes’s Plover C. forbesi. The bird called

on numerous occasions, particularly when it was flushed; the calls fitted those

described in Urban et al (1986) for Three-banded Plover. Other more circumstantial

evidence supporting this identification is that Forbes’s Plover is known to be present

58

Short Notes

Malimbus 16

in Ivory Coast only during the period November to April and is typically found in

drier habitats than Three-banded Plover (Urban et ai 1 986).

This bird was seen regularly by myself and by students at the nearby International

Christian Academy for a period of over two weeks, imtil 30 August.

This species is not included in ThioUay’s (1985) list of the birds of Ivory Coast.

Subsequent published notes on birds in Ivory Coast (e.g. Walsh 1986, Balchin 1988,

Holy oak & Seddon 1990, Demey & Fishpool 1991) do not mention it. Urban et ai

(1986) give northern Nigeria as its nearest location of regular occurrence and

consider it a vagrant elsewhere in West Africa. Their map shows two vagrants in

countries neighbouring Ivory Coast - one in southern Mali, near the Ivory Coast

border, and one in southern Ghana. This sighting seems therefore to constitute the

first record of Three-banded Plover in Ivory Coast.

References

Balchin, C.S. (1988) Recent observations of birds from the Ivory Coast. Malimbus

10: 201-206.

Demey, R. & Fishpool, L.D.C. (1991) Additions and annotations to the avifauna of

Côte d’Ivoire. Malimbus 12: 61-86.

Holyoak, D.T. & Seddon, M.B. (1990) Notes on some birds of the Ivory Coast.

Malimbus 11: 146-149.

Thiollay, J.M. (1986) The birds of the Ivory Coast. Malimbus 7: 1-59.

Urban, E.K., Fry, C.H. & Keith, S. (1986) The Birds of Africa, vol. 2. Academic

Press, London.

Walsh, J.F. (1986) Notes on the birds of the Ivory Coast. Malimbus 8: 89-93.

Received I February 1994

Ted T. Cable

Department of Forestry, Kansas State University,

Manhattan, Kansas 66506, USA

1994

59

Book Reviews

The Wild Bird Trade. Anon., 1992. 24 pp. WCI Policy Report 2, New York

Zoological Society AThe Wildlife Conservation Society, New York.

Flight to Eitinction. The Wild-Caught Bird Trade. By D. Bowles, D. Currey, P.

Knights & A. Michels, no date (1992). 27 pp. Animal Welfare Institute /

Environmental Investigation Agency, Washington DC/London. ISBN 0-9516342-2-4.

These two reports cover the same issue and reach the same conclusion: that

international trade in wild-caught birds should immediately be banned. The Wild Bird

Trade is a policy statement by one of the world’s foremost conservation

organisations, and one which has long bear involved in bird protection issues. Flight

to Extinction provides more of the background upon which both reports are grounded

^lA help is acknowledge in the WCI report); it is die fact-packed result of detailed

investigations by EIA in the world’s top bird exporting and importing countries.

Some of these facts are of great concern to bird conservation in West Africa. Senegal

is the world’s number one bird exporter, die biggest importing block is the European

Community and the biggest single importing country the U.S.A. There is excellent

evidence that trade is the direct cause of declines to near-extinction in many species,

espœially parrots. Taking account of mortality between capture and final sale in the

importing country, some 14-20 milhon birds are caught for international trade each

year, while huge domestic markets in some countries add an unknown extra burden.

The Convoition on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) has failed to

confrol this trade and is ignored by most exporting and importing states, whether

signatories or not. Its regulations do not even work properly in the two countries with

die best controls (U.K. mid U.S.A.).

Both reports conclude that the wild bird trade as it currently exists must be

stoj^d, because it is endangering many species, and that a moratorium on all trade is

the only way to achieve this. As a resident in the world’s number two exporting

country, this is a conclusion with which I completely agree. Time is needed to

develop and institute workable controls and a moratorium should encourage captive

brewing and research on sustainable management of wild populations. Anyone who

still beheves that the concept of sustainable use, so favoured by some conservation

organisations, can be made to work under current conditions should read these

reports. To restart trade with good controls from a zero-point will be easier than

trying to work existing regulations onto a market which is completely out of control.

The Wild Bird Trade is primarily a position statement, useful for influencing

policy-makers, while Flight to Extinction is more useful as a source of facts. Both are

cIot and concise; I hope they succeed.

Alan Tye

60

Book Reviews

Malimbus 16

Storks, Ibises and Spoonbills of the World. By J.A. Hancock, J.A. Kushlan &

M.P. Kahl, 1992. 385 pp., 49 colour plates, 40 colour photographs. Academic

Press, London. ISBN 012-322730-5. £65.00.

Of the making of bird books there is no end, and the market is apparently

inexhaustible. Popular at present are books dealing with related species on a world-

wide basis, sub-divided into the manageable, e.g. the Christopher Helm series, and

the coffee table type. At first sight this book belongs to the latter - it weighs some 5

lb - but it is not a coffee table production, which implies something intellectually

lightweight, and it is certainly not for bedtime reading.

A book of 385 pages, dealing with only 49 species, and including 54 triple-

columned pages of references, Js not aimed at the dilettante, though the

introductory sections, covering Classification, Conservation, Courtship and

Reproduction, Feeding Behaviour and Ecology, and illustrated with some splendid

photographs (almost all by the authors themselves) can be read as much by the non-

expert as the speciahst - indeed the opening Classification paragraphs predicate a

surprising lack of knowledge among readers.

However, the authors quickly move on to explaining their taxonomic criteria

(for a really excellent discussion see pages 153-154 on whether the American

Eudocimus ibises constitute one or two species). In their survey they include the

Shoebill Balaeniceps rex but exclude the Hamerkop Scopus umbretta, a decision

African readers will regret as, despite the obvious differences, the Hamerkop is

always regarded as close to the storks and, on a practical level, among family

monographs it is unlikely to find a niche elsewhere.

The bulk of the book consists of species accounts, of 3-11 pages each (about

some ibises very little is known), including one full-page painting and a

distribution map. Pages are double column except for the first page of each enfiy,

which I find disconcerting. The maps for all the species I know, though inevitably

small-scale, seem adequate. The paintings by Alan Harris and David Quinn are

meticulously detailed, not always totally successful in giving life to the birds, but

some - the supreme example Quinn’s Shoebill - marvellously evocative.

Rightly, stress is laid on conservation. Large, slow-flying birds are particularly

at risk to hunting pressure; wetlands are drained, food chains poisoned, even the

large trees needed for nest colonies cut down. The status of some, particularly

Asian, species is already near catastrophe. For Africa, I suspect the authors are a

little complacent in suggesting there is no immediate threat. Of the 49 species, 1 5

occur in West Afiica, either as residents or migrants, and I think that anyone who

has spent long in any part of the region will agree that locally, little by little,

numbers are diminishing. One example: the only breeding colony of African

Spoonbills Platalea alba I knew in Sierra Leone used to be secure because of local

taboos. With outsiders moving into the area, those taboos were eroded and even 12

years ago the yoxmg were increasingly pillaged for food; I do not suppose that trend

1994

Book Reviews

61

has been reversed since.

However, this book is both very readable and as comprehensive as the available

evidence allows and will remain the basis for future researches. Anyone

particularly interested in this group needs this book. For more general birdwatchers

I suspect the price is rather high.

G.D. Field

Enquête Faunistique dans la Forêt du Mayombe et Check-liste des Oiseaux et

des Mammifères du Congo. By F. Dowsett-Lemaire & R. J. Dowsett, 1989. Tauraco

Research Report 2.

Flore et Faune du Bassin du Kouilou (Congo) et leur Exploitation. Ed. by R.J.

Dowsett & F. Dowsett-Lemaire, 1991. Tauraco Research Report 4.

Both available from Tauraco Press, rue de Bois de Breux 194, B^020 Jupille-Liège,

Belgium.

Report no. 2 summarises the results of the authors’ three weeks’ field work in the

eastern part of Mayombe in the dry season of 1989 (part of the UNDP /UNESCO

“Projet Mayombe”). They added 50 species to the Congo bird list, of which 16

represent important range extensions southwards from Gabon. The most interesting

discovery was of Zooihera gumeyi on a montane stepping-stone between Cameroon

and Angola. The report includes the first attempt at a comprehensive review of the

avifauna of Congo since Malbrant & Maclatchy’s (1949). Their compilation listed

500 species but, in view of the under-explored nature of the country and the diversity

of habitat, the authors predicted that this figure should increase to at least 700.

Indeed, subsequent additions were recently published by these authors and P. Bulens

(1993 Malimbus 15: 68-80).

Report no. 4 is a more substantial work. Commissioned as an environmental

impact study for an onshore oil exploration drilling campaign by Conoco, the report

presents the results of seven months’ field work in the coastal basin area. The impact

of human activity on soil erosion (a major problem in this area) is understated in this

report. However, its value hes in the wealth of new data presented on the fauna. Half

of the 22 chapters (especially those on mammals and hunting) are in French, the rest

in English.

The first of the two ornithological chapters reviews the onshore distribution of

mainly forest birds and includes observations on the ecology, behaviour and

vocalisations of selected species. The songs of Canirallus oculeus, Muscicapa

olivascens and Pholidomis rushiae are described for the first time. Based on

62

Book Reviews

Malimbus 16

differences in voice and ecology, Criniger calurus and C ndmswnensis are treated as

separate species. Sonograms are included for the latter and five other species. Some

corrections to three Phyllastrephus species identifications on the Alauda recordings

(disk ALA 10, no. 5) are proposed. The authors attribute the rarity of Stephanoaetus

coronatus, Guttera plumifera and Agelastes niger in the area to intensive hunting

pressure, while Merops breweri may be threatened by the loss of nest sites as large

parts of the sandy savannas are planted with Eucalyptus, as well as snaring by

villagers. Seasonal patterns of Ireeding and moult are reviewed. Wing lengths and

weights of 76 species of ringed birds are tabulated.

The second ornithological chapter briefly reviews the status of seabirds off the

Congo coast. One old (1943) record of Phalacrocorax capensis has been overlooked.

The apparent absence in recent years of Sula capensis points to a decline in the

wintering population in this area. Statistics of ringed Palaearctic terns {Sterna

hinmdo, S. paradisaea and 5. sandvicensis) recovered on the West African coast

between Cameroon and Angola are analysed. As elsewhere along the coast, trapping

of terns by children is a problem here.

This report, which is lavishly illustrated with seven beautiful colour plates, is

essential reading for anyone studying the avifauna of Congo and adjacent countries.

Peter Alexander-Marrack

A Directory of African Wetlands. By R.H. & J.S. Hughes, 1992. xxxiv + 820 pp.,

48 maps. lUCN, Gland, United Nations Environment Programme, Nairobi & World

Conservation Monitoring Centre, Cambridge. ISBN 2-88032-949-3. Paperback

available from WCMC, 219c Huntingdon Rd., Cambridge CB3 ODL, U.K. or lUCN,

rue Mauvemey 28, CH-1 196 Gland, Switzerland.

This book aims to identify important sites and “hydrological units” in order to guide

conservation planners. Its data were gathered from maps and literature and from

requests to country experts, from whom the response was generally poor. The detail

given is limited by space, despite the book’s 4 cm thickness, and two more detailed

works are recommended, although only one of them is referenced!

Countries are considered in alphabetical order within regions, although no map is

given to show where to find a particular country, and the contents fist is so long (22

pages) that it is hard to use that to find your country. This makes the book’s use

unnecessarily difficult. WAOS’s W Africa falls into three regions. The longest

country account for W Africa, by far, is Zaire’s (53 pp.), the shortest Guinea-Bissau’s

(4); most countries get 6-10. Each region has an interesting introduction of about 8

pages, covering topography, climate, wetland types, vegetation and fauna. This

includes fascinating detail on the hydrological history of the area (although this might

1994

Book Reviews

63

be considered rather irrelevant to the stated purpose) and lengthy species Usts. The

bird hsts are a httle odd, including many common species (rendering it difficult to get

at the conservation value) and non-wetland ones. There is some attempt to identify

critical species in the country and wetland accounts, although full species hsts are not

repeated in these accounts; this is probably justifiable as there would otherwise be

unnecessary repetition, but many of the fauna and flora sections in country accounts

are still too brief, e.g. the importance of Guinea-Bissau for Palaearctic waders is

acknowledged by half a sentence, and Banc d’ Arguin’ s birds get only three

sentences. Each country chapter has topography and climate sections (the latter

seeming unnecessarily detailed) and a list of wetlands, then individual wetland

descriptions include location, area, altitude, hydrology, biology, human impact and

conservation status. Referencing is incomplete, although some key works are cited in

the text.

A few httle shortcomings suggest that the book was finalised in a hurry. The

faima sections in the regional introductions have occasional statements referring to

countries not in that region, suggesting that the decision on how to group countries

was changed at a late stage. In one introduction, many birds are referred to as “E

only”, with no indication of what that means (not east, nor Europe). The coverage of

wetlands seems comprehensive, but many of those discussed are not mapped,

although they could easily have been. Also, the maps often have names displaced or

repeated in additional places.

Despite these quibbles, there are apparently few errors of fact and the book is

definitely more readable than most WCMC publications. It is an indispensable source

of reference on African wetlands.

Alan & Hilary Tye

Checklist of Birds of the Afrotropical and Malagasy Regions. Volume 1. Species

limits and distribution. By R.J. Dowsett & A.D. Forbes- Watson, 1993. 374 pp.

Tauraco Press, Liège. ISBN 2-87225-000-X.

A Contribution to the Distribution and Taxonomy of Afrotropical and Malagasy

Birds. Ed. by R.J. Dowsett & F. Dowsett-Lemaire, 1993. 389 pp. Tauraco Research

Report 5, Tauraco Press, Liège. ISBN 2-87225-0 10-X.

Paperbacks, £15 each incl. airmail postage, from Aves a.s.b.l., Maison de

l’Environnement, Rue de la Régence 36, B-4000 Liège, Belgium.

These two important works (along with a promised Volume 2) are destined to replace

White (l%0-65) as the commonly-used basis for Afrotropical bird taxonomy. In this

64

Book Reviews

Malimbus 16

they will be competing with The Birds of Africa (Brown et al 1982, Urban et al

1986, Fry et al 1988, Keith et al 1992, et seq.) but happily the two treatments

largely coincide. The stated intention of the Checklist is to up-date White’s work and,

for Madagascar, that of Sclater (1924-30). All off-shore islands are included,

although the South Atlantic and Prince Edward groups are treated in a separate

section, as not being truly Afrotropical.

The Checklist is in two parts: a systematic list (86 pp.) and country distribution

tables (173 pp.), with indices to English, French and scientific names. The systematic

hst includes, for each species, a selective synonymy (a complete one is to be in

Volume 2), key taxonomic references, alternative generic attributions, and subspecies

\\iiich are sometimes regarded as full species. Each species is provided with selected

references to the standard literature {e.g. Birds of Africa, Hayman et al 1986, Serle &

Morel 1977) for colour illustrations, where possible, and to selected pubhshed vocal

recordings. The species are numbered according to a new adaptable system,

permitting ordering and sorting of databases.

The vernacular names included reflect local usage within Africa and, thankfully,

no attempt to standardise is made, as this is the function of scientific names. A further

sensible decision is to include regional qualifiers (European, African etc.) only where

necessary to distinguish between species found together. Good sense is also shown

with regard to the use of hyphens and apostrophes. In all, this is the best treatment of

vernacular names to appear in years.

The family sequence adopted is conventional, largely following Voous (1977),

Hall & Moreau (1970), Snow (1978) and Birds of Africa, but not Sibley & Monroe

(1990), which is considered still too controversial. The approach to superspecies

employed is, however, stricter than that of most previous authors.

To check the list’s accuracy and assess its opinions, I examined three groups:

wheatears Oenanthe and relatives, Cisticola spp., and Gulf of Guinea endemics.

The treatment of wheatears is non-commital, with few superspecies. '"Oenanthe"'

bifrasciata is retained therein, despite the arguments of Tye (1988, 1989a, b) and

Clancey (1990), all of which are ignored in the bibliography, although one is

mentioned in the Tauraco Research Report 5 (“TRR5”). The cisticolas are similarly

treated conservatively, with no sphts for C brunnescensicinnamomea, laisidistinctus,

aberranslemini and others. Most of the cisticola decisions are adequately justified in

TRR5, although the whealear reasoning therein is less satisfactory.

Many of the Gulf of Guinea endemic species are suppressed {e.g. Bostrychia

bocagei, Treron sanctithomae, Dicrurus modes tus) although the more distinctive

ones and others are accorded specific rank (e.g. Otus hartlaubi, Zoonavena

thomensis, the Zosterops spp., starlings and sunbirds). Terpsiphone atrochalybeia is

recognised, but not T. smithii. A line has to be drawn somewhere, but any line is

arbitrary and some decisions are puzzling {e.g. reverting to merging Speirops

lugubris with S. melanocephalus). Endemics of conservation interest elsewhere in

Africa are similarly suppressed. Most such decisions are scientifically reasonable, but

1994

Book Reviews

65

undesirable from a conservation standpoint.

The distribution tables forming the bulk of the Checklist are difficult to check

without returning to original references; they have therefore to be taken at face value.

The few species which I checked seem up-to-date, and the main use of the tables may

be as a quick reference to discover whether one’s records really are unusual.

However, they will quickly become out-dated as faunistic knowledge increases.

TRR5 contains two papers, by one or both of the editors. First comes

“Afrotropical avifaunas: annotated country checkhsts”. These are, in fact, expanded

versicms of the tables in the Checklist and they completely obviate the need of the

67% of the Checklist that the latter occupy. It is a great shame that the two

pubhcations were not combined, with three sections in one volume - a systematic list,

country tables and the second p^r of TRR5. As issued, one needs the two separate

publications, of different sizes (which will be a continual irritation to users, rendering

their bookcases untidy or forcing a separation), and the bulk of the Checklist is rather

a waste of paper. The extra detail in the tables of TRR5 consists in separating each

coimfry into its own table (several countries are combined in regional tables in the

Checklist), slight up-dates ovct the Checklist (noted as such) and references for each

species’s status entry, mostly to pubhshed annotated hsts for the country, and with

explanatory footnotes where necessary. The references are up to 1993, with

Malimbus appearing frequently; further substantial information was obtained from

many correspondents. For countries which I know, the treatment appears generally

meticulous and reliable. Rarity records are treated critically and reasons given for

rejection or doubt.

The second paper, “Comments on the taxonomy of some Afrotropical bird

species”, gives the reasoning for all cases where the treatment of the Checklist

diverges from White (1960-65) or Sclater (1924-30). The arguments are mostly

sensible but individual workers will have their points of disagreement, especially if

their wcrk has been overlooked. The reasons given for the suppression of Gulf of

Guinea species are often not very convincing and the authors did not request

information from some recent visitors to the islands, regarding work in press and

vocal recordings (deposited at the British Library of Wildlife Sounds) which would

support some specific separations. Generally, the authors are “lumpers” and they

place, occasionally, too much reliance on minor vocal characteristics to justify splits

or mergers.

On a practical level, the quality of the bindings could have been better for works

which will be much consulted: the cover of the TRR5 copy became half-detached on

first reading. Of the few typographic errors noticed, only those relating to

nomenclature are of importance e.g. Agapomus {Checklist), Malacocichla (TRR5).

In summary, these publications are the most thoughtful and comprehensive

treatment of Afrotropical bird taxonomy and nomenclature to have appeared since

their acknowledged antecedents, and they thoroughly deserve to become the

systematic basis for Afrotropical ornithology in the future.

66

Book Reviews

Malimbus 16

References

Brown, L.H., Urban, E.K. & Newman, K. (1982) The Birds of Africa, vol. 1.

Academic Press, London.

Clancey, P.A. (1990) The generic status of the Buff-streaked Chat of the southern

Afrotropics. Gerfaut SO: 179-191.

Fry, C.H., Keith, S. & Urban, E.K. (1988) The Birds of Africa, vol. 3. Academic

Press, London.

Hall, B.P. & Moreau, R.E. (1970) An Atlas of Spéciation in African Passerine

Birds. British Museum (Natural History), London.

Hayman, P., Marchant, J. & Prater, T. (1986) Shorebirds. Groom Helm, London.

Keith, S., Urban, E.K. & Fry, C.H. (1992) The Birds of Africa, vol. 4. Academic

Press, London.

ScLATER, W.L. (1924-30) Systema Avium Aethiopicarum. 2 parts. British

Ornithologists’ Union, London.

Serle, W. & Morel, G.J. (1977) A Field Guide to the Birds of West Africa. Colhns,

London.

Sibley, C.G. & Monroe, B.L. (1990) Distribution and Taxonomy of Birds of the

World. Yale University Press, New Haven.

Snow, D.W. (Ed.) (1978) An Atlas of Spéciation in African Non-passerine Birds.

British Museum (Natural History), London.

Tye, a. (1988) Foraging behaviour and selection of prey and perches by the

Buffstreaked Chat Oenanthe bifasciata. Ostrich 59: 105-1 15.

Tye, a. (1989a) The systematic position of the Buff-streaked Chat

Oenanthe/Saxicola bifasciata. Bull. Brit. Omithol. Club 109: 53-58.

Tye, a. (1989b) Superspecies in the genus Oenanthe. Bonn. zool. Beitr. 40: 165-182.

Urban, E.K., Fry, C.H. & Keith, S. (1986) The Birds of Africa, vol. 2. Academic

Press, London.

Voous, K.H. (1977) List of Recent Holarctic Bird Species. British Ornithologists’

Union, London.

White, C.M.N. (1960, 1962) A check list of the Ethiopian Muscicapidae (Sylviinae).

Occ. Pap. Nat Mus. S. Rhodesia 24B: 399^30; 26B: 653-738.

White, C.M.N. (1961) A Revised Check List of African Broadbills [... etc].

Government Printer, Lusaka.

White, C.M.N. (1962) A Revised Check List of African Shrikes [... etc]. Govemmait

Printer, Lusaka.

White, C.M.N. (1963) A Revised Check List of African Flycatchers [... etc].

Government Printer, Lusaka.

White, C.M.N. (1965) A Revised Check List of African Non-passerine Birds.

Government Printer, Lusaka.

Alan Tye

1994

67

News & Letters

OrDÎthological Societies in The Gambia

Dear Sir,

The Gambia Ornithological Society (GOS) was founded in 1975. It promotes

interest in the bird-life and general natural history of The Gambia and supports local

wildlife conservation. Local programmes include evening bird walks, weekend trips

further afield and indoor evening meetings. These activities are intended for GOS

members but we are happy for visitors to join our meetings when possible. Although

it has proved impossible to maintain contact with overseas members. Life

Membership of GOS applies for as long as and whenever the member is in The

Gambia. Telephone numbers and a contact address are given below.

The existence of a “Gambian Ornithological Society” has recently been brought

to our notice. We wish them every success but the similarity of the names of the two

societies may lead to confusion. We wish to emphasise that the two societies and

their officers are quite distinct. The President of the Gambia Ornithological Society is

the President of The Gambia, H.E. Sir Dauda Kairaba Jawara, and the Vice-President

of the society is the Director of the Department of Wildlife Conservation, Dr A.

Camara.

A number of local bird-guides offer their services to visiting ornithologists.

Several are very competent and are reliable guides to some of the more interesting

sites away horn the hotels. Some have recently joined GOS and, while we are glad of

their support, we must emphasise that possession of a GOS membership card is in no

way an endorsement of their abihties.

GOS is pleased to receive records from visiting ornithologists. These will be

entered on our database and unusual sightings critically considered by a rarities

committee.

Donal Murray, Chairman (office 394847, home 371486)

Bill Snow, Hon. Secretary (462932)

The Gambia Ornithological Society, P.O. Box 757, Banjul, The Gambia

African Bird Club

From 1 January 1994, the African Bird Club will provide a focus for gathering

information on a continental basis and making it more accessible to both resident and

overseas birders. It aims to foster an interest in bird conservation in the region, to

68

News & Letters

Malimbus 16

promote and work with local African societies, to produce a twice-y early colour

bulletin featuring identification papers and site guides, to encourage visits to lesser-

known parts of the region, to locate and publish information on globaUy threatened

and near-threatened species and to develop a Conservation Research Fund. Anyone

can join; the standard membership rate is £12 per year. The ABC is also seeking

Founder Members to fund its launch and first year of operation. Founder Membership

is available as a one-off payment of £30 and includes the first year’s subscription. For

a comprehensive membership leaflet, please contact: The Membership Secretary, The

African Bird Club, c/o Birdlife International, Wellbrook Court, Girton Road,

Cambridge CB3 ONA, U.K.

A dater du 1 janvier 1 994, FAfrican Bird Club sera un centre de collecte de données à

l’échelle continentale et en faciletera l’usage à la fois aux ornithologues résidents et à

ceux d’outre-mer. Le club a comme buts de stimuler l’intérêt pour la protection des

oiseaux dans la région, de promouvoir les sociétés africaines locales et de travailler

avec elles, d’éditer un bulletin semestriel en couleur présentant des articles

d’identification et des guides régionaux, d’encourager la visite des secteurs les moins

connus de la région, de rechercher et publier les données sur les espèces menacées

d’extinction générale ou en danger et de créer un Fonds de Recherche pour la

Conservation. Chacun peut adhérer: la cotisation ordinaire est de £12 par an.

L’A.B.C. recherche aussi des Membres Fondateurs pour financer son lancement et la

première année de fonctionnement. La qualité de Membre Fondateur s’acquiert par

un versement unique de £30 et comprend la première année de souscription. Pour

obtenir une notice complète d’inscription, veuillez vous adresser à: The Membership

Secretary, The African Bird Club, c/o BirdLife International, Wellbrook Court,

Girton Road, Cambridge CB3 ONA, UK.

1994

69

Society Notices

Editor* s Report for 1993

Malimbus Volume 15 contained 112 pages in the usual two issues (June and

October), an increase of 36 pages ova* the previous year (which was the slimmest

volume ever). Since Malimbus began publication in 1979, the average number of

pages per volume has bœn 125.

During the 21 scioitific papas wae received, along with 1 1 book reviews

and 12 notices or other items. Eighteen scientific papers were published in Volume

15, wth 13 book reviews and 10 notices or other items; a list of members of the

Society was also issued. One paper was withdrawn by its authors during the year,

none was rejectol. Of the 18 scientific articles published, 15 r^uired revision by

tiieir authors (beyond minor editorial changes), a process which occupi^ between 3

and 28 montiis (mean 7 months). The delay between receiving a final acceptable

version of a p^er and its pubhcation ranged from 1 to 7 months (mean 3.7 months);

tire longer delays were caused entirely by papers waiting for an issue to fill. The

delay between rœeiving an initial submission and its publication was thaefore 4-30

mondis (mean 9 months). Most papers are therefore pubhshed vritiiin a year of being

received.

Since the delay between receiving an initial submission and an acceptable

revision is so variable, it is impossible to predict exactly how lage the coming issues

will be. The size of an issue is not usually known until the month of going to press.

However, there is a steady sfream of papers coming in, which should allow us to

maintain output at over 100 pages for the coming Volume 16, and hopefully beyond,

although it may be some time before the peak of 227 pages (1988, with the

publication of Avifaune du Niger) is beaten. As mentioned in a recent editorial

(appeal!), we are entirely dependent on the flow of papers from authors.

I am hoping eventually to regularise the timing of appearance of issues, at March

and September each year, but this goal is proving elusive; at present it is subject to

the variations in rate of appearance of acceptable final versions of manuscripts,

because there is no appreciable backlog of papers ready for publication. Until

submissions increase substantially, the months of issue will probably continue to

vary.

The production process of Malimbus changed somewhat when I moved to

Tanzania in 1991. At present the processing of words and the typesetting (by a desk-

top publishing program and laser printer) are done in Tanzania and camera-ready

copy is then sent to Geoffrey Field in Britain, who, along with our Treasurer and

Secretary, ensures that the printing and distribution of the journal go smoothly. I

should like to ex|^ess my gratitude to this whole team for their constant kind support.

70

Society Notices

Malimbus 16

AU of the full-length papers in Malimbus and over 80% of the Short Notes are

subject to peer-review by two (occasionaUy one or three) referees. Therefore I should

also like to thank aU of the referees who have spent time, sometimes a lot of it, in

reviewing papers. I am extremely grateful for their painstaking work.

Finally, there would be no journal without the authors: thanks to all, and keep the

papers coming.

Alan Tye

Rapport du Rédacteur pour 1993

Le Volume 15 de Malimbus comprenait 1 12 pages avec les deux numéros habituels

(juin et octobre), 36 pages de plus que Tannée précédente (le plus mince volume

jamais publié). Depuis le début de parution de Malimbus en 1 979, le nombre moyen

de pages a été de 125.

Au cours de Tannée, nous avons reçu 21 articles scientifiques ainsi que 11

analyses de livres, 12 avis ou autres sujets. Dix-huit articles scientifiques furent

publiés dans le Volume 15, avec 13 analyses de livres et 10 avis ou autres sujets; une

hste des adhérents à la Société a aussi été fournie. Un seul article a été retiré par les

auteurs durant cette année; aucun n’a été refusé. Sur les 18 articles scientifiques

publiés, 15 demandaient une révision par leurs auteurs (outre les corrections

mineures), tâche qui prit de 3 à 28 mois (7 mois en moyenne). Le délai entre la

réception d’un manuscrit bon à imprimer et sa pubhcation fut de 1 à 7 mois (3,7 mois

en moyenne): les plus longs délais étaient uniquement dus à des articles attendant de

compléter un numéro. Le délai entre la réception d’un manuscrit proposé et sa

parution était donc de 4 à 30 mois (9 mois en moyenne). La plupart des articles ont

ainsi été publiés moins d’un an après leur réception.

Comme le délai entre la réception d’un manuscrit et sa dernière révision est très

variable, il est impossible de prévoir exactement l’importance des numéros à venir.

Elle n’est habituellement cormue que le mois même où le numéro va à l’impression.

Cependant, il y a une rentrée constante de manuscrits, ce qui devrait nous permettre

de maintenir la production à plus de 100 pages pour le prochain Volume 16 et,

espérons-le, au delà, quoique nous soyons loin de battre le record de 227 pages (en

1988 avec la publication de VAvifaune du Niger). Comme il est indiqué dans un

récent éditorial (en fait, un appel), nous dépendons entièrement du volume de

manuscrits envoyés par les auteurs.

J’espère à la longue fixer les dates de sortie des numéros, soit mars et septembre

de chaque année, mais cet objectif paraît hors d’atteinte; pour le moment, il subit les

aléas du retour des versions définitives des manuscrits, car nous ne disposons d’aucun

arriéré appréciable d’articles prêts à publier. Tant que les soumissions

n’augmenteront pas sensiblement, les dates de parution continueront de varier.

Le système de production de Malimbus changea un peu quand je suis parti en

1994

Society Notices

71

Tanzanie en 1991. Actuellement, l’élaboration des textes et la saisie (sur logiciel

d’édition de bureau et imprimante laser) sont effectuées en Tanzanie et un exemplaire

prêt à filmer est alors envoyé en Grande-Bretagne à Geoffrey Field, qui, avec le

Trésorier et la Secrétaire, veille à la bonne marche de l’impression et de la

distribution de la revue. Je tiens à exprimer ma gratitude à toute cette équipe pour

leur aide constante et affable.

Tous les longs articles et plus de 80% des notes courtes de Malimbus sont soumis

à une lecture critque par deux (parfois un ou trois) lecteurs. C’est pourquoi je

voudrais aussi remercier tous les lecteurs qui ont donné de leur temps et parfois

beaucoup pour la critique des manuscrits. Je leur suis très reconnaissant de leur

travail consciencieux.

Enfin, il n’y aurait pas de revue sans les auteurs d’articles: merci à tous et

continuez de nous en envoyer.

Alan Tye

River Martin - Hirondelle de rivière - Pseudochelidon eurystomina

Photo: Peter Alexander-Marrack

72

Society Notices

Malimbus 16

West African Ornithological Society

Revenue Account for the year ended 31 December 1993

Balance Sheet as at 31 December 1993

R.E. Sharland, F.C.A.

Hon. Treasurer

Instructions to Authors

MaUntbiis publishes Papers, Short Notes, Reviews, Letters, News and Notices, and

illustrative material covering the field of West African ornithology. Written

contributions are accepted in English or French; editorial assistance will be made

available to authors whose first language is not one of these. Papers and Short Notes

cover original contributions; material published elsewhere, in whole or in part, wiU

not normally be accepted. Short Notes are articles not exceeding 1000 words

(including references) or two printed pages in length. Wherever possible, manuscripts

should first have been submitted to at least one ornithologist or biologist for critical

scrutiny. Manuscripts wiU be sent for critical review to at least one relevant authority.

Items for News and Notices should not exceed 1000 words.

Contributions, of which two copies are required, should be typed on one side of

the paper with double spacing and wide margins. Dot-matrix printouts wiU only be

accepted if they are of “near-letter” quality. Authors should not send a diskette copy

with their initial submission, but are requested to indicate whether they can do so if

their paper is accepted. Diskettes will be returned to authors. Consult the editor for

further details, e.g. for acceptable word processing programs.

Conventions regarding tabular material, numbers, metric units, references, etc.

may be found in this issue and should be adhered to carefully. Note particularly the

following: dates should be in the form 2 Feb 1990 but months standing alone in text

may be written in full; times of day are written 6.45, 17.32; coordinates are written in

the form 7°46’N, 16°4’E; numbers up to ten are written in full, except when followed

by abbreviated units (e.g. 6 m), numbers from 1 1 upwards are written in figures

except at the beginning of a sentence. All References mentioned in the article, and

only such, must be entered in the bibhography.

Articles containing lengthy Species-lists should be in tabular form (e.g.

Malimbus 1: 22-28 or 1: 49-54) or of the textual format of Malimbus 1: 90-109.

Taxonomic sequence and scientific names must follow Dowsett & Forbes-Watson

(1993, Checklist of Birds of the Afrotropical and Malagasy Regions, Tauraco Press,

Liège) or The Birds of Africa (Brown et al 1982, Urban et al 1986, Fry et al 1988,

Keith et al 1992, Academie Press, London), unless reasons for departure from these

authorities are stated in the article. Vernacular names should preferably also follow

these authorities.

Figures should be prepared as for final reproduction, allowing for 20-50%

reduction, using indian ink on good quality white paper or heavy tracing, and

adhesive transfer lettering as appropriate. Diagrams produced by a computer printer

are rarely of acceptable quality. When designing Figures, pay attention to the page-

shape of Malimbus.

All Papers (but not Short Notes) should include a Summary, not exceeding 5%

of the total length. The Summary should include brief reference to major findings of

the paper and not simply review what was done. Summaries vrill be pubhshed in both

English and French and will be translated as appropriate by the Editorial Board.

Twenty Offprints of Papers (but not of Short Notes) will be sent to single or

senior authors, gratis. Offprints will not be stapled, bound, or covered; they are

merely cut from copies of the journal.

Malimbus 16 (1) June 1994

Contents

Notes on a breeding colony of the African River Martin

Pseudochelidon eurystomina in Gabon.

P. Alexander-Marrack 1-9

Annotated bird list of Macenta Prefecture, Guinea.

D. Halleux 10-29

Oiseaux nouveaux pour la République Centrafricaine ou dont les

notifications de ce pays sont peu nombreuses.

M Germain & J. -R Cornet 30-51

Short Notes

Is the Thick-billed Cuckoo Pachycoccyx audeherti a forest dependent

species in West Africa? G.A. Allport & J.R Fanshawe 52-53

A note on the diet of Barn O^ls Tyto alba at Djoudj, Senegal.

D.W. Yalden 53-55

La sous-espèce du Cochevis modeste Galerida modesta en Sénégambie.

C. Erard & G. J. Morel 56-57

First record of Three-banded Plover Charadrius tricollaris in

Ivory Coast T.T. Cable 57-58

Book Reviews 59-66

News & Letters 67-68

Society Notices 69-72

MALIMBUS

Si,

I

Bird

Journal of the West African Ornithological Society

Revue de la Société d'Ornithologie de TOuest Africain

VOLUME 16 Number 2

ISSN 0331-3689

November 1994

West African Ornithological Society

Société d ’Ornithologie de l’Ouest Africain

Conseil 1994:

Président: Dr Gérard J. Morel

Vice-Président: John H. El good

Trésorier et chargé des abonnements: Robert E. Sharland

Secrétaire Générale: Mme Amberley M. Moore

Membre du Conseil: Dr Max Germain

Rédacteur en Chef: Dr Alan Tye

Comité de Rédaction: G.D. Field, Dr W. Gatter, Dr L.G. Grimes, Dr G. J. Morel, Dr

M.-Y. Morel, Dr J.-M. Thiollay, H.S.S. Thompson, H. Tye, Dr R. Wilkinson

Distribution de Malimbus: G.D.Field

La correspondance doit être adressée comme suit:

- au Rédacteur en Chef (c/o V.S.O., P.O. Box 6297, Dar-es- Salaam, Tanzania)

pour les publications dans Malimbus, y compris éventuellement des photos ou

des dessins au trait;

- au Trésorier (1 Fisher’s Heron, East Mills, Fordingbridge, Hampshire, SP6 2JR,

U. K.) pour les abonnements, les questions financières et les numéros anciens;

- à la Secrétaire Générale (1 Uppingham Road, Oakham, Rutland, LE15 6JB)

pour les demandes des Bourses de Recherches de la Société;

- au Président (1 Route de Sallenelles, 14860 Bréville-les-Monts, France) pour les

questions d’intérêt général.

La Société tire son origine de la “Nigerian Ornithologists’ Society”, fondée en 1964.

Son but est de promouvoir l’intérêt scientifique pour les oiseaux de l’Ouest africain et

de faire avancer l’ornithologie de ces régions principalement au moyen de sa revue

Malimbus (anciennement Bulletin of the Nigerian Ornithologists’ Society).

Les demandes d’adhésion sont les bienvenues. Les cotisations annuelles sont de £10

pour les Membres Ordinaires et de £25 pour les Sociétés (les cotisations peuvent être

payées en £ sterling au Trésorier ou en francs français au Président). Les Membres

Ordinaires reçoivent Malimbus par courrier ordinaire et les Sociétés par courrier

aérien, gratuitement. Un supplément est exigé des Membres Ordinaires pour le

courrier aérien (demander au Trésorier le tariO-

Anciens Numéros: Les Vols 11-14 (1975-78) du Bulletin of the Nigerian

Ornithologists’ Society (du même format que Malimbus) sont disponibles à £2 par

numéro (£4 par volume) ou £15 l’ensemble. Les Volumes 1 à 9 de Malimbus sont

disponibles à £3 par numéro (£6 par volume) et, à partir du Vol. 10, à £5 par numéro

(£10 par volume). On peut acheter la série complète des Vols 1 à 16 de Malimbus au

prix spécial de £110. Frais de port et emballage sont gratuits. Veuillez joindre le

paiement à votre commande et l’adresser au Trésorier.

Bourses de Recherches de la S. 0.0. A.: Les conditions à remplir pour les

candidatures se trouvent dans Malimbus 15: 103-106 et peuvent être obtenues auprès

de la Secrétaire Générale (voir adresse ci-dessus).

1994

73

Change of Editorial Address

As of 31 December 1994, I shall be leaving Amani and the new address for all

editorial correspondence, including manuscript submissions, will be:

Dr Alan Tye

do VSO

P.O. Box 6297

Dar-es-Salaam

TANZANIA*

fax: +255 51 46272

This address is already valid but mail may be sent to my old address (P.O. Box 1,

Amani, Tanga, Tanzania; fax +255 53 42620) as long as it is timed to arrive before

31 December 1994 {i.e. posted airmail before the end of November).

Alan Tye

Changement d’Adresse de la Redaction

A partir du 31 décembre 1994, je quitterai Amani et la nouvelle adresse pour tout

courrier destiné à la rédaction, y compris les soumissions de manuscrits, sera:

Dr Alan Tye

c/o VSO

P.O. Box 6297

Dar-es-Salaam

TANZANIE.

fax: +255 51 46272

Cette adresse est déjà utilisable mais le courrier peut être envoyé à mon ancienne

adresse (P.O. Box 1, Amani, Tanga, Tanzanie; fax +255 53 42620) à condition qu’il

puisse arriver avant le 31 décembre 1994 {i.e. courrier aérien posté avant fin

novembre).

Alan Tye

74

Malimbus 16

Bird records from Liberia

by M.EJ. Gore

Government House, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

Received 11 October 1992

Revised 25 March 1994

Summary

Based on observations from 1988 to 1990, a record is presented of birds

considered by Gatter (1988) to be uncommon or rare, including three species

new for the country. Passer domesticus, Lamprotornis caudatus and

Ptilostomus afer. Also presented are several records of species of which there

are very few records from Liberia and new breeding records. Deforestation

further north may be enabling birds from the Guinea savanna zone to reach

Liberia. A movement of African species was noted down the coast in

September - October.

Résumé

L’auteur, sur la base d’observations de 1988 à 1990, présente ses données sur

les oiseaux considérés par Gatter (1988) comme peu communs ou rares, y

compris trois espèces nouvelles pour le pays. Passer domesticus,

Lamprotornis caudatus et Ptilostomus afer. Sont également rapportées

quelques observations d’espèces rarement signalées au Libéria et de

nouvelles données sur la reproduction. Il est possible que le déboisement plus

au nord permette aux oiseaux de la savanwe guinéenne d’atteindre le Libéria.

Des espèces africaines descendant le long de la côte ont été notées en

septembre - octobre.

Introduction

I was resident in Liberia from February 1988 until I was evacuated by helicopter, at

the height of the civil war, in August 1990. During this period I studied birds daily in

and around Monrovia I also travelled extensively throughout the country: I regularly

visited Lake Pi so and Robertsport (in Mar 1988 with W. Gatter and G. Hodgson) and

the Firestone Estate on the coast, visited Yekepa and Nimba Mountain in the north-

1994

Birds in Liberia

75

Figure 1. Map of Liberia, showing localities mentioned in the text

76

M.E.J. Gore

Malimbus 16

east of the country on five occasions, in March, June and November 1988, November

1989 and February 1990, travelled to Sapo National Park in River Cess County in

November 1988 in company with Kevin and Christine Carlson and made an

extensive tour of the remaining rain forest in Lofa County in company with Wulf

Gatter in March 1989. Observers are identified by their initials. All locations

mentioned are given in Figure 1.

I have used Gatter (1988) as a basis for this paper, recording only species which

he considered to be uncommon or rare, confirming his view of the status where there

was any doubt and commenting where my observations suggest a different status or

where I saw a species in regions outside what he considered to be their normal range.

Three new species are added to the Liberian list, one of which he included in his

paper. There are few breeding records from Liberia and I have included all evidence

of breeding, even of the most common species. Î have also included records of

species which appear to be declining in numbers.

At the time of writing Liberia is still in turmoil, the country divided under the

control of three warring factions. After four years of civil war there are few signs of a

political solution and little likelihood that the country can return to a semblance of

normality in the near future. Uncontrolled logging is being carried out as the only

source of foreign exchange available to the main rebel faction, which controls most

of the area which until recently was still under primary forest. And starving villagers

have eaten every wild creature they have been able to trap or shoot. Deforestation to

the north and east of Liberia has decimated the forest in Sierra Leone and much of

Guinea as well as further up the West African coast. Two of the new records and one

previously unconfirmed relate to species which normally occur in the Sudan or

Guinea savanna zones. I believe that the opening of the forest has enabled these birds

to move down the coast through open country; more such records are likely to occur

in the future. I noted a similar phenomenum in The Gambia. Between 1981 and 1991 a

number of species formerly confined to the Sudan zone had appeared in The Gambia

in increasing numbers as the desert moved inexorably southwards (Gore 1981, 1991).

Finally, I have commented on an apparent movement of African species

southwards (in fact westwards along the coast in Liberia), from late August to early

October, which I noted on two consecutive years and which has not previously been

reported. Most obvious were the flocks of Green Pigeon Treron calva but several

other species were observed only at this time of the year which suggests such a

movement.

Species list

For ease of reference I have followed the same order as Gatter (1988). The status

abbreviations given in parentheses at the end of each of the species notes are those

used for that species by Gatter (1988) as follows:

1994

Birds in Liberia

77

RB resident breeder

R(B) resident, but breeding unproven

(RB) resident and breeding status unproven; species may leave during the rains

PM Palaearctic migrant

NM Nearctic or Neotropical migrant

AfM migrates within Liberia and neighbouring areas

AfM/B migrates to and from Liberia to breed in Liberia

AfM/NB migrates to and from Liberia to spend the non-breeding season in Liberia

V vagrant

? indicates doubt about the status immediately preceding the question mark,

but not of occurrence

a abundant

c common

u uncommon

r rare

u-c

uScN

(*)

means the species is not uncommon, or is locally uncommon and locally

common

uncommon in south, common in north etc.

all possible further information needed.

Dabchick Podiceps ruficollis. Seen only on a small lake at Liberia Agriculture

Company estate (LAC) where 2-3 were present Jun and Nov 1988. (RB, AFM, u)

Cory’s Shearwater Cahnectris diomedea. Seen commonly, up to 12 (once 20) often

in view at a time, 15-35 km off Monrovia, Dec-Mar 1988-90. (PM, u)

Leach’s Petrel Oceanodroma leucorhoa. One c. 16 km off Marshall River, 14 Feb

1988. (PM, r (*))

Storm Petrel Hydrobates pelagicus. Few records on regular offshore boat trips; c. 6

14 Feb 1988; 2-3 on several occasions, Dec-Mar 1988-90. (PM, u)

Darter A/i/ri/igfl rufa. Only record: a single near Yekepa, Mar 1988. (AfM/NB, u)

Little Bittern Ixohrychus minutus. Four singles seen separately in swamps in

Monrovia suburbs, 12 Sep 1988. The birds must have been migrants either Palaeartic

or intra-African as the swamps were in densely populated areas and the birds could

not have survived persecution for any length of time. (RB, AfM?, PM, u (*))

Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax. Regularly seen for most of the year (no records

Jun- Aug) along St Paul’s River, (max. 30, adults and immatures, 12 Feb 1989) but no

breeding colony located. (PM, AfM/B?, u)

Tiger Bittern Tigriornis leucocephala. A juvenile recovered from a boy at the

Firestone Rubber Plantation and subsequently released Nov 1988; he said he had

taken it from a nest in mangrove bordering the Marshall River. (RB, u)

Purple Heron Ardea purpurea. Singles seen on numerous occasions at Omega

swamp throughout the year (except Jun-Aug when area not visited) but no evidence

78

M.EJ. Gore

Malimbus 16

of breeding; one at Zwedru, Mar 1988. (PM, AfM/NB?, u)

Black-headed Heron Ardea melanocephala. Flocks of 6-10 regularly seen at dusk

flying down the St Paul’s River, Dec-Feb 1988-90; max. 24, early Jan 1989. (AfM/NB

u)

Hadada Boystrychia hagedash. Only record: a pair in forest along the Sinoe River

bordering Sapo National Park, Nov 1988. (R(B), AfM u-c)

African Spoonbill Platalea alba. Single circling over St Paul’s River, Nov 1988.

(AfM, u)

White-faced Tree Duck Dendrocygna viduata. Seen in parties of 2-8, infrequently

but throughout the year, at Omega swamp and once, a pair, at Lake Piso, 27 Nov

1988. (RB, AfM, u)

Pygmy Goose Nettapus auritus. Small numbers seen regularly throughout the year,

and apparently resident, on a complex of small lakes near the Voice of America

station (VOA) but no young seen; c. 15 at LAC, 2 Jun 1988. (R(B), u).

Spur-vringed Goose Plectropterus gambensis. One in a swamp at LAC, 2 Jun 1988.

(RB. AfM, r)

Hartlaub’s Duck Pteronetta hartlaubii. Two at Yekepa, Nov 1988 (with K&CC) and

four at Lofa (with WG), Mar 1989, on both occasions flying over forest. (RB, u)

Osprey Pandion haliaetus. Fairly common winter visitor on the coast. (PM, u)

Palmnut Vulture Gypohierax angolensis. No longer common; now a scarce

resident, having been shot for “fun” by hunters. One or two (both adults and

juveniles) seen regularly, but not invariably, near the coast on both the Marshall and

Lofa Rivers and several inland at Lofa (with WG), Mar 1989. (RB, AfM, c)

Black Sparrowhawk Accipiter melanoleucus. Singles seen on three occasions in

forest adjoining the St Paul’s River. (R(B), u)

Red-tailed Buzzard Buteo auguralis. Not common; only one record, two near

Zwedru, Nov 1988. (AfM/B, c)

Cassin’s Hawk-eagle Spizaetus africanus. Regularly seen throughout the year in

vicinity of VOA. (Listed by Gatter (1988) as Hieraaetus africanus. RB, u)

Ayres Hawk-eagle Hieraaetus dubius. Two records: singles over forest at Yekepa,

March 1988 and Robertsport, 30 Oct 1988. (R(B), r(*))

Crowned Eagle Stephanoaetus coronatus. Two sightings: single near Firestone

Rubber Estate, Jun 1988; pair at Lofa, Mar 1989. (RB, u)

Black-shouldered Kite Elanus caeruleus. Seen only at Yekepa where I recorded 1-2

on every visit, Feb, Mar, Jun and Nov. (R?, AfM, u)

Honey Buzzard Pernis apivorus. Not a common migrant; seen only once, near

Robertsport, Feb 1988. (PM, c)

Hobby Falco subbuteo. Singles at Yekepa, 5 Nov 1988 and over Mamba Point,

Monrovia, Feb 1990. (PM, u)

Blue Quail Coturnix chinensis. Recorded only once: a covey of c. 10 in open

grassland near Lake Piso (with WG and GH), Mar 1988. (R?)B, AfM, u)

Ahanta Francolin Francolinus ahantensis. Pair with chicks near Zwedru, 5 Apr

1994

Birds in Liberia

79

1988. (RB,c)

Button Quail Tumix sylvatica. Two or three in open grassland near Lake Piso (with

WG and GH), Mar 1988. (AfM/B, r (*))

Lesser Moorhen Gallinula angulata. Only record: one at LAC, 2 Jun 1988. (RB ?,

AfM, R(*))

Alien’s Gallinule Porphyria alleni. Only record: one at LAC, 2

Jun 1988. (RB?, AfM, u)

African Jacana Actophilornis africana. No longer common anywhere near the coast

or inhabited areas, undoubtedly due to shooting. I saw only one, on a swamp near

Ganta, Apr 1988. (RB, AfM?, c)

Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus. Single on swamp on outskirts of

Monrovia, Nov 1988. (AfM/PM?, u(*))

Senegal Thick-Knee Bur/tmus senegalemis. Two at VOA, Feb 1989. (AfM, r(*))

Water Thick-knee Burhinus vermiculatus. Apparently resident on sandy beaches

bordering the estuaries; seen throughout the year on the Marshall and Lofa Rivers.

No breeding records. (RB, AfM?, u-c)

Common Pratincole Glareola pratincola. Pairs behaving as if breeding near Lake

Piso, Mar 1988 and Omega swamp. May 1989. (AfM/B, u)

Forbes’s Banded Plover Charadrius forbesii. Two records; a flock of five at LAC,

24 Nov 1988 and c. 10 at Guthries Plantation, Mar 1990, both groups presumably

African migrants as I visited both areas at different times during the year and did not

encounter them. (RB?, AfM, c)

Spur- winged Plover Vanellus spinosus. One on a sand spit in Monrovia Port, 26

Dec 1988 to early Mar 1989. (V, r (*))

Spur-winged Plover - Vanneau éperonné - Vanellus spinosus

Photo; Michael Gore

80

M.EJ. Gore

Malimbus 16

Bar- tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica. Two flying off Mamba Point, Monrovia, 11

Oct 1988. (PM, r(*))

Curlew Numenius arquata. Only sighting: one off Mamba Point, Sep 1988. I saw

none on the mudflats adjoining the main rivers. (PM, u(*))

Marsh Sandpiper Tringa stagnatilis. Two in estuary of Marshall River, 28 Oct 1988.

(PM, r-u(*))

Turnstone Arenaria interpres. Small parties, up to c. 15, seen at entrance to Marshall

River, Mar and Oct 1988, and at St Paul’s River, Sep 1988. (PM, u)

Grey Phalarope Phalnropus fulicarius. One bird and subsequently three together c.

30 km off Monrovia on two separate occasions in Feb 1990. (PM, r(*))

Little Stint Calidris minuta. Small numbers seen regularly among other waders in

estuary of Marshall River, Feb- Mar 1988 and 1989 and Nov 1988. (PM, u)

Long-tailed Skua Stercorarius longicaudus. One positively identified, 24 km off

Monrovia, Mar 1990. (PM, r (*))

Pomarine Skua Stercorarius pomarinus. Common (sometimes up to ten in view

simultaneously) 10-40 km off Monrovia on numerous occasions Dec-Mar 1988-89

and 1989-90. (PM,u(*))

Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus. Once; a single off Mamba Point,

Monrovia, 17 Nov 1988. (PM, u)

Sabine’s Gull Larus sabini. Three watched flying west of Mamba Point, 11 Aug 1989

(an early date, cf. Brown et al. 1982); parties of 3-6 seen c. 50 km off Monrovia on

several occasions. Feb-Mar 1990. (PM, r (*))

Black-headed Gull Larus ridibundus. One first-winter bird off Mamba Point,

Monrovia, 1 Oct 1988. (PM, u)

Noddy A/ioms stolidus. Two individuals seen flying with flock of Black Terns Sterna

nigra off Mamba Point, Monrovia on 1 Jul and 7 Aug 1989; one immature, again with

S. nigra, there early Jun 1990. (V(*))

White-capped Noddy Anous tenurostris. One with flock of Sterna nigra off Mamba

Point, Monrovia, 20 and 27 Oct 1988. (V(*))

Little Tern Sterna albifrons. Common passage migrant on the coast; flocks of 10-20

frequently seen Feb-Mar and Sep-Oct 1988-90. (PM?/AfM?, u)

Roseate Tern Sterna dougallii. Only one flock of c. 40 positively identified, with

many birds in breeding plumage, roosting on sandbank at entrance to Marshall River,

12 Mar 1988. (PM, u)

Black Tern Sterna nigra. Over- summering flocks of 100-200 birds present off

Monrovia each year, Apr- Aug 1988-90. (PM, a)

African Skimmer Rhynchops flavirostris. Seen only twice: one feeding at dusk on

St Paul’s River, 12 Jan 1989, and an immature with a flock of Sterna nigra off Mamba

Point, Monrovia, 8-9 Aug 1989. (RB?, AfM, u (*))

Green Pigeon Treron calva. Common on the coast only in Aug-Sep 1988-89, when

flocks were frequently observed moving eastwards. (RB, AfM, a)

Senegal Parrot Poicephalus senegalensis. Frequent seasonal visitor to British

1994

Birds in Liberia

81

Embassy garden in Monrovia, Nov-Mar. Max. c. 10, Mar 1990. (RB?, r, introduœd?

e»

Rose-ringed Parakeet Psittacula krameri. Occasional, irregular visitor throughout

the year to British Embassy garden, Monrovia, (max. flock of seven which was

present on most days for four weeks in Feb-Mar 1990). (RB?, AfM, r (*))

Grey Parrot Psittacus erithacus. Rock of seven at Sapo National Park, Nov 1988,

were the only wild birds I saw. Presumed escapees seen regularly around Monrovia.

(RB,c)

Great Blue Turaco Corythaeola cristata. Seen only on the periphery of Sapo

National Park, Nov 1988, where common. (RB, r-c)

Grey Plantain-eater Crinifer piscator. Two near Robertsport, 7 Feb 1988; two

regularly in garden by St Paul’s River, Dec 1988 to Jan 1989; next seen, four in Jan

1990. As I have no records for other times of the year I believe they are migrants.

(R(B). u)

Senegal Coucal Centropus se negate nsis. Young in the nest, in gardens in Monrovia,

Feb and Apr 1990. (R(B), c)

Senegal Coucal - Coucal du Sénégal - Centropus senegalensis

Photo: Michael Gore

82

M.EJ. Gore

Malimbus 16

Standard-winged Nightjar Macrodipteryx longipennis. Males in breeding plumage

on outskirts of Monrovia, Feb-Mar 1989-90. (AfM/B, u-c)

Sabine’s Spinetail Chaetura sabini. C. 10 over Nimba Mountain, Apr 1988; none

seen on subsequent visits in Feb and Nov. Several in Lofa (with WG), Mar 1989. (RB,

AfM?, u-c)

Mottled Swift Apus aequatorialis. Small group seen over forest in Lofa (with WG),

Mar 1989. (V, AfM, r)

Pallid Swift Api/s pallidus. One positively identified, flying with European Swifts A.

apus over lower reaches of Lofa River, 31 Oct 1988. (PM, r (*))

Palm Swift Cypsiurus parvus. Common wherever there are plantations of palms, in

some places (I noticed them in Grand Gedah county) villagers erect artificial thatched

nesting sites, from which they take the young for food. Half grown young in one such

structure near Zwedru, Nov 1988. (RB, c)

Giant Kingfisher Ceryle maxima. Seen regularly along the lower reaches of all the

main rivers throughout the year. (RB, AfM?, u)

Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis. Perhaps increasing; regularly seen along the St Paul’s,

Farmington and Lofa Rivers; breeding colony of 4-8 nest holes in bank near St Paul’s

River Bridge, active Nov 1989. (RB, AfM?, u)

Shining-blue Kingfisher Alcedo quadribrachys. Five chicks, near fledging, taken by

children from nest in bank of Marshall River, 29 Oct 1988. (RB, c)

Striped Kingfisher Halcyon chelicuti. One record; single at Yekepa, Nov 1988.

(AfM/NB, V (*))

Striped Kingfisher - Martin-chasseur strié - Halcyon chelicuti

Photo: Michael Gore

1994

Birds of Liberia

83

Grey-headed Kingfisher Halcyon leucocephala. Non-breeding visitor to coastal

areas, Oct-Feb; 1-2 present in British Embassy garden, Monrovia, each year. (AfM/B,

AfM/NB, u-c)

White-throated Bee-eater Merops albkoUh. Abundant passage migrant, Mar-Apr

and Oct-Dec; none seen other months. (AfM/NB, a)

Black Bee-eater Merops gularis. Total of c. 10 at Yekepa, Mar 1988; two at Zwedru,

Apr 1988, none on subsequent visits in Jun and Nov; several near Lake Piso, Mar

1988; common and apparently breeding in roadside banks on edge of Gola Forest

(with WG), Mar 1989. (RB, AfM/B, u-c)

Blue-headed Bee-eater Merops muelleri. Pair in clearing in primary forest in Lofa

County (with WG), 8 Mar 1989. (RB, r-u (*))

Carmine Bee-eater Merops nubiens. Five near Lake Piso, 7 Feb 1988. (AfM/NB, r)

Little Bee-eater Merops pusiUus. Several pairs nesting in holes in low banks near

Lake Piso, Feb and Mar 1988. (RB, AfM/B, u-c)

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater Merops superciliosus. Common in mangrove along the

lower reaches of the Marshall and Lofa Rivers, Mar-Apr 1988 and 1989. Not seen at

any other time. (PM?, AfM/B?, u, (*))

Broad-billed Roller Eurystomus glaucurus. Pair entering nest hole high in a palm

tree near Omega swamp. May 1988. (AfM/NB, AfM/B, a)

Blue- throated Roller Eurystomus gularis. Common on edge of forest in Lofa

County (with WG), Mar 1989. (RB, AfM, u-c)

Hoopoe Upupa epops. One seen in garden near St PauPs River by R. Tillin, a

reliable observer, in Nov 1989. (PM?, AfM/NB?, r)

Buff-headed Wood-Hoopoe Phoeniculus bollei. Three records: single near Zwedru,

Apr 1988; a pair and a single at Yekepa, Nov 1988. (R(B), u (*))

Piping Hornbill Bycanistes fistulator. Flocks of 6-12 regularly seen throughout the

year at VOA and over the lower reaches of Lofa River. (R(B), AfM, u-c)

Black-casqued Hornbill Ceratogymna atrata. Present in small numbers in forest at

Sapo National Park, Nov 1988 and at Lofa County, Mar 1989, where they were just

hanging on despite deforestation and shooting. (R(B), u~c)

Yellow-casqued Hornbill Ceratogymna elata. Recorded only in primary forest in

Lofa County (with WG), where a total of c. 10 was seen over a three-day period, Mar

1989. (RB. u-c)

Red-billed Dwarf HornbiU Tockus camurus. Several individuals seen (with WG) in

primary forest in Lofa County, Mar 1989. (RB, u-c)

Pied Hornbill Tockus fasciatus. Male at nest hole high in a tree at Zwedru, Nov 1988.

The commonest hornbill in and around Monrovia when trees were fruiting. (RB, c-a)

Black Dwarf Hornbill Tockus harthubi A male feeding a female in a nest hole 30

m up in a tree in primary forest at Lofa, Mar 1989 (with WG) is the first documented

breeding record. Not seen elsewhere. (R(B), r-u)

Vieillot’s Barbet Lybius vieUloti. Seen once: a pair in open woodland near Lake

Piso, Nov 1988. (RB, u)

84

M.EJ. Gore

Malimbus 16

Willcocks’s Honey-Guide Indicator willcocksL One in northern Lofa County (with

WG), 8 Mar 1989. (R(B), u(*))

Cassin’s Honeyguide Prodotiscus insignis. Seen in secondary forest at Nimba (with

K&CC), Nov 1988. (R(B), u (*))

European Wryneck 7y/ix torquilla. One at Yekepa, Nov 1988, seen by my wife.

(PM, u (*))

Grey Woodpecker Mesopicos goertae. One in garden near St Paul’s River, Nov

1988, seen by K&CC. (R(B), r-u (*))

Rufous-naped Bush-Lark Mirafra africana. Two or three singing in grassland at

Yekepa on the Guinea border, Nov 1989. Other ground-nesting birds, e.g. Long-billed

Pipit Anthus similis, were feeding young at this time and their behaviour would

suggest that they were about to breed. (AfM/NB, r (*))

House Martin Delichon urbica. 4-6 feeding over British Embassy compound in

Monrovia, 27 Dec 1988 and 1 Jan 1989. (PM, r(*))

African Rock Martin Hirundo fuligula. Seen only in the area of Yekepa mine

where 8-10 were present on every visit. (RB, u (*))

White-throated Blue Swallow Hirundo nigrita. Common along the lower reaches

of all the rivers I visited, nesting under bridges. (RB, u-c).

Fanti Rough-wing Swallow Psalidoprocne obscura. Common at Nimba, Mar 1988;

none seen on subsequent visits in Jun and Nov 1988. Common in forest clearings and

along streams near Buchanan, Nov 1988, with total of 20 counted in one area which

indicates a movement towards the coast during the rains. (RB), AfM, u (*))

Long-billed Pipit Anthus similis. Pair carrying food in grassland high in the Nimba

Hills, Nov 1989. (RB, u-c)

Tree Pipit Anthus trivialis. 1-3 seen in gardens at Yekepa Nov 1988, Nov 1989 and

Feb 1990 and at Lofa, Mar 1989. (PM, u-c)

African Pied Wagtail Motacilla aguimp. Seen only on St Paul’s River near the

coast, pair feeding young in nest under jetty, Jan 1990. (RB, u)

Wattled Cuckoo-Shrike Campephaga lobata. Male in secondary forest in Lofa

County (with WG), 6 Mar 1989, is my only record of this endangered bird. (RB, r (*))

Red-shouldered Cuckoo Shrike Campephaga phoenicea. One male in secondary

forest at Nimba, 6 Mar 1989. (RB, r (*))

Gambian Puff-back Shrike Dryoscopus gambensis. .Only record is one near Lake

Piso, Mar 1988. (RB, u-c)

Bell Shrike Laniarius ferrugineus. One seen and heard in British Embassy garden,

16 and 20 Sep 1988 during what appeared to be a migration of African birds down the

coast, including the very obvious movement of Treron calva. (R(B), r (*))

Sooty Boubou Laniarius leucorhynchos. One in secondary bush at Zwedru, 8 Nov

1988. (RB, u(*))

Brown- headed Tchagra Tchagra australis. At least two singing males in open bush

at LAC, Jun 1998. (R(B), u (*))

Fiscal Shrike Lanius collaris. Breeding prior to the rains in Feb-Mar when several

1994

Birds in Liberia

85

nests were found in and around Monrovia. (RB, a)

Blue-shouldered Robin-Chat Cossypha cyanocampter. Seen only in secondary

forest and gardens at Yekepa, where present on all my visits. (RB, u (*))

Olive Thrush Turdm pelms. Single birds appeared in the British Embassy garden in

Mar-Apr 1988 and subsequently, infrequently during the dry seasons, (RB, r-u)

Black-capped Apalis Apalk nigriceps, A pair entering a nest in hanging moss high

in a tree on Nimba Mountain, Nov 1988. (RB, r-u (*))

Grey-backed Camaroptera Camaroptera brachyura. Nesting recorded only during

the latter part of the rains; two newly hatched young in nest in low bush in British

Embassy garden, Nov 1988; carrying food in same area, Nov 1989. (RB, a)

Rock-loving Cisticola Cisticola aberrans. Two on cliff at Mamba Point, Monrovia,

2 Oct 1988, during period of apparent migration of African species. (RB, u (*))

Lemon-bellied Crombec Sylvktta denti. Pair feeding two young in nest attached to

top of a single thorn stem at Yekepa, 5 Nov 1988. Several unoccupied or used nests

were subsequently found in the Yekepa area. (RB, r-u)

White-browed Forest Flycatcher Fraseria cinerascem. Single in forest at Lofa

County (with WG), Mar 1989. (R(B), r (*))

Forest Flycatcher Fraseria ocreata. Pair feeding young c. 10 m up in tree in forest

clearing at Sapo National Park, Nov 1988 would appear to be the first confirmed

breeding record. Elsewhere only seen in forest at Lofa (with WG), Mar 1989. (R(B),

u-c)

Ca^in^s Grey Flycatcher Muscicapa cassini. Nest containing two young on tree

trunk over stream in Lofa County (with WG), Mar 1989. (RB, c)

Shrike Flycatcher Megabyas flammuiatu. Several seen in clearing at Sapo National

Park, Nov 19ffi and at Lofa, Mar 1989. (RB, u)

Black Tit Pams leucomelas. One in British Embassy -garden, Monrovia, 26 Apr 1988

is the first confirmed record for Liberia. (Included in Gatter 1988 on the basis of this

record, RB, V(*).)

Yellow-chinned Sunbird Anthreptes rectirostris. Not uncommon in secondary bush

at VOA; several seen Nov 1988. (RB, U"C(*))

Buff- throated Sunbird Nectarima adelberti. Local; seen only in secondary bush at

Yekepa and LAC, Nov 1988. (RB, AfM, u-c)

Splendid Sunbird Nectarima coccinigaster. One in garden at Yekepa, Jun 1988.

((RB). AfM, r-u(*))

Copper Sunbird Nectarima cuprea. One in garden at Yekepa,. Jun 1988. (RB, AfM,

r-u (*))

Yellow-fronted Canary Serinus mozambicus. Pair seen regularly in British

Embassy garden in Monrovia throughout 1989. (R(B), r-u(*))

Waxbill Estrilda astrild. Seen only in secondary growth bordering gardens at

Yekepa where small group was present, Nov 1988. (RB, r-c)

African Fire-Finch Langonmticta rubricata. Small parties, max. c. 10 in open

country near Robertsport, Mar 1988 (with WG and GH) and on several occasions in

86

M.EJ. Gore

Malimbus 16

same area during 1989; not seen elsewhere. (RB, u-c)(*))

Chestnut-breasted Negro-Finch Nigrita bicolor. Nest-building in thick foliage c. 10

m up in a small tree in a clearing at Sapo National Park, Nov 1988. (RB, c)

Quail Finch Ortygospiza atricolUs. A large flock of c. 50-80 on roadside near Lake

Piso, Oct 1988; not seen on other visits in Feb, Mar and Nov. (R(B), u-c (*))

House Sparrow Passer domesticus. Single male in British Embassy garden on 13 Jul

1989 is the first record for Liberia. The same, or another, male was seen c. 100 metres

away (during a gun battle outside the Embassy!) on 28 Jun 1990.

Grosbeaked Weaver Amblyospiza albifrons. Total of c. 8 in swamp and adjoining

bush at Yekepa, Nov 1988. (B(AfM), r, (*))

Gola Malimbe Malimbus ballmanni. Two pairs seen within 0.5 km of each other

near the research station at Sapo National Park, Nov 1988. They were feeding high

up, but beneath the canopy; one pair was carrying nesting material. (RB, r-c (*))

Weaver Ploceus sp. Two sightings of an unidentified species including black-

masked males with pure yellow on forhead and crown: a flock of c. 30 at LAC, Nov

1988; c. 6 at Guthries Plantation, Mar 1990. (Two candidate species placed in square

brackets: P. heuglini and P. pelzelni.)

Yellow- mantled Weaver Ploceus tricolor. Two or three in forest clearings at Sapo

National Park, Nov 1988, and Lofa, Mar 1989. (RB, u)

Splendid Glossy Starling Lamprotornis splendidus. Flocks appeared (sometimes

50+) each year in open woodland and gardens bordering St Paul’s River and at

Guthries Estate in Sep-Oct, coinciding with the observed arrival of other African

migrants. (RB, AfM? u-c)

Long-tailed Glossy Starling Lamprotornis caudatus. A pair was seen in a garden

bordering St Paul’s River, Jan-Mar 1989, by R. Tillin, who subsequently recorded

them on video. The video tape confirms the identification. First record for Liberia

Chestnut- winged Starling Onychognathus fulgidus. One record: small flock in

northern Lofa County (with WG), 7 Mar 1989. (RB, u (*))

Narrow-tailed Starling Poeoptera lugubris. One record: two in northern Lofa

County (with WG), 6 Mar 1989. (RB, u (*))

Black-winged Oriole Oriolus brachyrhynchus. One in forest at Lofa, 8 Mar 1989.

(RB, u(*))

Pied Crow Corvus albus. Surprisingly rare; seen only at VOA where 1-2 pairs

appeared to be resident, nesting in the radio pylons. (RB, r-u)

Piacpiac Ptilostomus afer. A single bird visited the British Embassy garden on

several mornings from 19 May to 15 Jun 1988; not seen subsequently. It would fly in

from some waste ground and then move off towards the beach. At first I assumed that

it was an escapee from a ship, but it appeared to be wild and in view of the number of

other Sahel species which are now appearing in Liberia, as the forest has been

cleared, I am of the view that it was a wild bird. First record for Liberia. (V?, r(*), ?

escaped bird)

1994

Birds in Liberia

87

References

Brown, L.H., Urban, E.K. & Newman, K. (1982) The Birds of Africa, voL 1.

Academic Press, London.

Gatter, W. (1988) The birds of Liberia: a preliminary list with status and open

questions. Verh. orn. Ges. Bayern 24: 689-723.

Gore, M.EJ. (1981) Birds of The Gambia. Checklist 3, British Ornithologists’

Union, London.

Gore, M.E.J. (1991) Birds of The Gambia, 2nd ed. Checklist 3, British

Ornithologists’ Union, Tring.

Fiscal Shrike - Pie-grièche fiscale - Lanius collaris

Photo: Michael Gore

88

Malimbus 16

Moult and weight cycles in two species of Lonchura in

Ile-Ife, Nigeria

by A. I. Akinpelu

Department of Zoology, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria

Received 10 February 1993

Revised 25 November 1993

Summary

From April 1987 to June 1990 Lonchura cucullata and L. bicolor were

examined for moult and weight. The birds moulted between May and

October. The period of moult was estimated as 183 days for L. cucullata and

145 for L. bicolor. Adult females trapped on nests showed that reproduction

and moult overlapped. Adult males reached their lowest weights in August

and adult females between July and August, during the moult period.

Résumé

Des Lonchura cucullata et des L. bicolor ont été étudiés d’avril 1987 à juin

1990 pour leur mue et leur poids. Les oiseaux muaient entre mai et octobre. La

durée de la mue fut estimée à 183 jours pour L. cucullata et à 145 jours pour L.

bicolor. Les femelles adultes prises au nid montraient que reproduction et mue

chevauchaient. Les mâles adultes atteignaient leur poids minimum en août et

les femelles adultes entre juillet et août, pendant leur mue.

Introduction

As part of a study into the ecology of the Bronze Mannikin Lonchura cucullata and

the Black and White Mannikin L. bicolor (see Akinpelu 1994), their annual cycles

with particular regard to moult and weight were examined.

Methods

The data were collected from mist-netted birds or birds trapped on the nest during the

period April 1987 to June 1990. Each bird was weighed and examined for stages of

1994

Lonchura annual cycles

89

feather growth of the primaries and secondaries. Individual feather growth was

scored on a scale from 0 (= old) to 5 (= fully-grown) (Newton 1966, Pimm 1976,

Wilkinson 1983, Aidley & Wilkinson 1983).

Both species have ten primaries and six secondaries on each wing so that the

primaries have a maximum score of 100 and the secondaries a maximum score of 60.

The scores were regarded as an index of the general state of moult.

PRIMARY MOULT SCORE

Figure 1. Scattergram of date plotted against primary moult score in Lonchura

cucuUata^ where Day 1 = 1 May (plotted values are for 1988 and 1989).

Results

In total, 102 Lonchura cucullata and 74 L. bicolor were examined. Fig. 1 shows the

scattergram of primary moult score in L. cucullata plotted against date. The

regression equation for estimating the duration of moult in an individual is y (date) =

5.07 + L78x where x is the moult score (taking 1 May as day 1). The estimated

duration of primary moult was 183 days. There was no significant difference between

the progression of moult of males and females.

Fig. 2 shows the scattergram of primary moult score in Lonchura bicolor plotted

against date. The regression equation is y = 2.46 + L43x where x is score (taking 2

June as day 1). The duration of moult was estimated as 145 days.

90

A.I. Akinpelu

Malimbus 16

PRIMARY MOULT SCORE

Figure 2. Scattergram of date plotted against primary moult score in Lonchura

bicolor y where Day 1 = 2 June (plotted values are for 1988 and 1989).

Table 1. Simultaneous reproduction and moult in seven females of Lonchura

cucuUata and five females of L. bicolor trapped on the nest

1994

Lonchura annual cycles

91

Replacement of flight feathers followed the pattern usual for passerine birds, with the

primary remiges being dropped consecutively in descending order. It was observed

that moult and feather growth on each wing were usually symmetrical, as found by

Woodall (1975) for Bronze Mannikin.

Table 1 shows that females of both species were moulting even when incubating

eggs. All these females were actively moulting the rectrices as well as the wing, and

all had a brood patch.

o — -_o Lenchuro bicolor

•- —• Lowclwiro cucuHoto

Figure 3. Annual variations in mean body weight of males of two Lonchura

species.

Fig. 3 shows the annual variations in the body weight of males of both species.

Both were at their heaviest in April-May. It was observed that they spent most of

their time feeding during this period. Their weights then dropped sharply from June

to August. Weight began to increase from September to October, during the late

rains.

Having finished laying in May-June 1988 the females lost weight sharply until

July-August, after which weight began to increase to an annual peak in May-June

(Fig. 4).

92

A. I. Akinpelu

Malimbus 16

m -m Lonchuro cuculloto

Figure 4. Annual variations in mean body weight of females of two Lonchura

species.

Discussion

Moult occurred between May and October in both species which coincided with the

period of a lush growth of vegetation and abundant grass seeds used as food (see

Akinpelu 1994). From regression analysis, the estimated duration of moult (183 days)

for Lonchura cucullata was longer than in L. bicolor (145 days) and similar to 183

days for White-browed Sparrow- Weaver Plocepasser mahali in northwestern

Botswana (Jones 1978). Wilkinson (1983) showed that regression analysis can

suggest a longer moult duration than indicated by retrap data It is probable that if

retrap data were available the estimated moult duration in an individual would be

much shorter. However, moult and breeding cycles of adult Lonchura females

showed some overlap.

Breeding and moult are two major events in the annual cycle and impose

energetic demands on the individual. It seems that the protracted moult observed in

Lonchura species and the associated small daily metabolic demand of feather

production do not interfere with the competing demands of reproduction. This is

equally the assertion of Jones (1978) for White-browed Sparrow-Weaver. Payne

1994

Lonchura annual cycles

93

(1969, 1980) suggested that compatibility of breeding and moult in the Scaly-

feathered Finch Sporopipes squamifrons and Red-billed Firefinch Lagonosticta

senegala may permit exploitation, by breeding, of temporary unseasonal rainfall in

arid habitats. In such species it will be advantageous that moult is slow and

comparatively undemanding so that if conditions deteriorate drastically moult can

still be sustained and at the same time no constraint will be imposed on further

breeding should favourable conditions persist or recur.

Adult males reached their lowest weights (Fig. 3) during the latter part of the

rainy season (August) and adult females (Fig. 4) by mid-rainy season (July) perhaps

because of reproductive stresses such as care of fledglings. These periods of lowest

weights fell within the period of annual moult (May- October). The decrease in weight

recorded during the moult is comparable to the findings of Fogden (1972) that most

of the birds he studied in Southeast Asia lost weight during moult.

Acknowledgments

I wish to express my profound gratitude to Professor A.O. Segun and Dr. G.A.O.

Arawomo for their criticisms and assistance, and to Mr. B. Faloba of the Natural

History Museum who accompanied me on most of my field trips.

References

Aidley, D.J. & Wilkinson, R. (1987) Moult of some Palaearctic warblers in northern

Nigeria. Bird Study 219-225.

Akinpelu, a. I. (1994) Breeding seasons of three estrildid species in Ile-Ife, Nigeria

Malimbus 16:94-99.

Fogden, M.P.L. (1972) The seasonality and population dynamics of equatorial forest

birds in Sarawak. Ibis 1 14: 307-342.

Jones, P.J. (1978) Overlap of breeding and moult in the Whitebrowed

Sparrowweaver in northwestern Botswana. Ostrich 49: 21-24.

Newton, I. (1966) The moult of the Bullfinch Pyrrhula pyrrhula. Ibis 108: 41-47.

Payne, R.B. (1969) Overlap of breeding and moulting schedules in a collection of

African birds. CoAîdor 71: 140-145.

Payne, R.B. (1980) Seasonal incidence of breeding, moult and local dispersal of Red-

billed Firef inches Lagonosticta senegala in Zambia. Ibis 122: 43-55.

Pimm, S.L. (1976) Estimation of the duration of bird moult. Condor 1%. 550.

Wilkinson, R. (1983) Biannual breeding and moult-breeding overlap of the

Chestnut- bel lied Starling Spreo pulcher. Ibis 125: 353-361.

Woodall, P.F. (1975) The life history of the Bronze Mannikin. Ostrich 46: 55-86.

94

Malimbus 16

Breeding seasons of three estrildid species in Ile-Ife, Nigeria

By A. I. Akinpelu

Department ofZoology, Obafemi A wolowo University, Ile-îfe, Nigeria

Received 10 February 1993

Revised 25 November 1993

Summary

Reproductive activities of three species of Estrildidae, Lonchura cucullata, L.

bicolor and Estrilda melpoda, were monitored for three years (April 1987 to

March 1990) with the aim of determining the influence of environmental

factors on reproduction. Breeding seasons coincided with the rainy season,

when grass seeds were abundant. Reproduction was bimodal in both species

of Lonchura but unimodal in Estrilda melpoda.

Résumé

Les activités reproductrices de trois espèces d’Estrildidés, Lonchura

cucullata, L. bicolor et Estrilda melpoda, ont été suivies pendant trois ans

(d’avril 1987 à mars 1990) en vue de préciser l’influence des facteurs du

milieu sur la reproduction. Les saisons de reproduction coïncidaient avec la

saison des pluies quand les graines de Graminées sont abondantes. La

reproduction était bimodale chez les deux espèces de Lonchura mais

uni modale chez Estrilda melpoda.

Introduction

This paper presents part of an ecological study of three estrildids, the Bronze

Mannikin Lonchura cucullata, the Black and White Mannikin L. bicolor and the

Orange-cheeked Waxbill Estrilda melpoda. The three-year study investigated

breeding seasons in relation to environmental factors, particularly solar hours,

temperature and rainfall.

Study area and methods

The study was carried out from April 1987 to March 1990 on the 5,065 ha campus of

1994

Estrildîd brœding seasons

95

Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife (7°29*N, 4°33'E)= The area lies within the

tropical lowland moist forest zone of southern Nigeria. Much of the forest has been

cleared for farming and development and this has led to the formation of derived

savanna.

Meteorological data were provided by the meteorological unit of the Teaching

and Research Farm of Obafemi Awolowo University. Systematic searches for nests

were carried out twice a week throughout the year from 7.00 to 11.00. Half of the

study area was covered on each alternate visit and identified nests were marked so

that none was counted twice. Breeding season was taken as the time eggs were found

inside the nests therefore breeding season as defined here was shorter than the full

breeding period.

Figure 1. Climatic data for three yeare (April 1987 to March 1990): (a) solar

hours (histogram) and relative humidity; (b) mean monthly temperatures; (c)

total monthly rainfaU (histogram) and number of rain-days»

96

Ai. Akinpelu

Malimbus 16

Results

Climate

Meteorological data from April 1987 to March 1990 (Fig. 1) show the pattern of solar

radiation, relative humidity, temperature, rainfall and number of rain-days. The rainy

season starts around mid-March and ends in October, with a slight decrease in the

amount of rainfall and number of rain-days during August The decline in rainfall

during August was invariably followed by a spell of heavy rains throughout

September and October. The dry season lasts for about four and a half months from

November to mid-March. Weather data for 1988 showed an early commencement of

rains in February: November to January were the driest months and much of the

vegetation during these months was dry or burnt.

Relative humidity at 9,00 was higher during the rainy season (70-85%) than

during the dry season (38-66%). The mean monthly maximum temperature fluctuated

between 26.7°C and 37.0°C while the mean minimum temperature was between

14.2°C and 23.3°C. The dry season mean minimum temperatures were slightly lower

than those for the rainy season while the dry season mean maximum temperatures

were higher than those for the rainy season. The number of solar hours depends on

cloud cover so was lower during the rains (Fig. 2).

Figure 2. Breeding period of three estrildid species between April 1987 and

March 1990 plotted against rainfall (histogram).

1994

Estrildid breeding seasons

97

Breeding

The number of active nests (with eggs) for 1987, 1988 and 1989 recorded for L.

cucullata was 53, 88, 72, for L. bicolor it was 28, 44, 38 and for E. melpoda 12, 33

and 33 respectively. Fig. 2 shows monthly distribution of all the active nests each

year. The breeding season commenced in mid-April and lasted till mid-August for L.

bicolor and July for E. melpoda. In L. cucullata it commenced from mid-March and

extended until July. A second breeding season in both Lonchura spp. started in mid-

October and lasted till early December except for 1987 when it was observed as early

as September for L. cucullata. The peak number of nests was recorded in May and

June for L. cucullata and L. bicolor respectively. No active nest was observed from

late August to early October and from late December to March of the following year

for L. cucullata. In each year the breeding peak (May-July) for all three species

occurred a few weeks before the rainfall peak. The timing of peak breeding for E.

melpoda varied between years (May 1987, April 1988, June 1989) but was constant

for the other two species.

The proximity of the reproductive peak to the rainfall peak is adaptive, because at

that time there was an abundance of nesting materials (green grass inflorescences):

also, grass seeds, which formed a major part of the diet of nestlings (Table 1), would

be most abundant in the late rains when the eggs had hatched.

Table 1. Number of crops of adults and nestlings of each species containing

specific foods.

98

A.L Akinpelu

Malimbus 16

Discussion

Biannual breeding has been reported previously in a number of tropical birds

including the Chestnut-bellied Starling Spreo pulcher (Wilkinson 1983) and the

Village Weaver Ploceus cucullatus (Din 1986). The three estrildid species

reproduced about the same period of the year with April to August being the major

breeding season and November being a minor reproductive peak for the Lonchura

spp.. Estrilda melpoda did not exhibit this minor peak. All three species bred during

the rains which is contrary to the observation of Woodall (1975) on L. cucullata in

southern Africa where breeding took place in the dry months. Cessation of breeding

during the dry season may have resulted from scarcity of nesting materials and grass

seeds.

A number of factors like the onset of rainfall (Immelmann 1971), changes in food

availability (Earlé 1981) and body condition (Jones & Ward 1976) are important in

the stimulation of breeding in tropical and arid zone birds. Nest building with green

grass inflorescences started in the three estrildid species as early as April when

rainfall may have acted as a proximate factor through the stimulation of fresh green

vegetation. The abundance of alate termites during their prenuptial flights and other

insect larvae during the rainy season may have contributed to peak performance

during the breeding season (Table 1). This conforms with the observations of Skead

(1975), in South Africa, and Thompson (1989) in Sierra Leone, where grass seeds

and insects were fed on by several estrildids, including Lonchura spp..

Acknowledgments

I would like to express my sincere gratitude and indebtedness to Professor A.O.

Segun and Dr. G.A.O. Arawomo for suggesting the problems as well as for guidance

and encouragement throughout this investigation. Their criticisms and valuable

counsel during every stage of this work have been of immense help. I would also

acknowledge with much appreciation the assistance of the staff of the Natural History

Museum and Zoology Department of Obafemi Awolowo University.

References

Din, N.A. (1986) Breeding Biology of some Weaver Birds in lle-lfe Area. Ph.D.

thesis, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.

Earlé, R.A. (1981) Factors governing avian breeding in Acacia savanna,

Pietennaritzburg. Part 1: Extrinsic factors. Ostrich 52: 65-73.

Immelmann, K. (1971) Environmental factors controlling reproduction in African

and Australian birds - a comparison. Ostrich Suppl. 8: 193-204.

1994

Estrildid breeding seasons

99

Jones, PJ, & Ward, R (1976) The level of reserve protein as the proximate factor

controlling the timing of breeding and the clutch size in the Red-billed Quelea

Quelea quelea. Ibis 1 18: 547-574.

Skead, D.M. (1975) Ecological studies of four estrildines in the central Transvaal.

SuppL 11: 1-55.

Thompson, H.S.S. (1989) Diet and breeding seasonality of the Bronze Mannikin

Lonchura cucullata (Swainson) and the Blue-billed Mannikin L. bicolor (Frazer)

in western Sierra Leone. Malimbus 1 1: 73-87.

Wilkinson, R. (1983) Biannual breeding and moult-breeding overlap of the

Chestnut-bellied Starling Spreo pulcher. Ibis 125: 353-361.

Woodall, RF. (1975) On the life history of the Bronze Mannikin. Ostrich 46: 55-

86.

Village Weaver - Tisserin gendarme - Ploceus cucullatus

Photo: Michael Gore

100

Malimbus 16

The birds of Yapo Forest, Ivory Coast

by Ron Demey* and L.D.C. FishpooF

‘Grole Peperstraat 3, B-9100 Sint-Niklaas, Belgium

^c/o BirdLife International, Wellbrook Court, Girton Road, Cambridge CB3 ONA,

U.K.

Received 3 April 1994

Revised 29 August 1994

Summary

The avifauna of the previously ornithologically ignored Yapo Forest is

described in an annotated checklist of 225 species. Yapo Forest consists of

some 24,000 ha of secondary lowland rainforest and constitutes the largest

remaining tract of mature forest within easy reach from Abidjan, Ivory

Coast’s main city. Three species listed as threatened or near- threatened by

Collar & Stuart (1985) occur in Yapo. It holds the most important known

population in the country of one of these, the Yellow- throated Olive Bulbul

Criniger olivaceus. The checklist, based upon observations made during 167

visits over the period 1985-1990, includes notes on breeding, seasonal

occurrence and general ecology of species, and on field identification of some

difficult species.

Résumé

L’avifaune de la Forêt de Yapo, jusqu’ici méconnue des ornithologues, est

décrite dans une liste annotée de 225 espèces. La Forêt de Yapo comprend

quelques 24.000 ha de forêt secondaire ombrophile de plaine, et constitue la

plus vaste formation forestière survivante à proximité d’Abidjan, ville

principale de Côte d’ivoire. Trois espèces classées comme menacées, ou près

de l’être, par Collar & Stuart (1985) ont été observées à Yapo. D’une de

celles-ci, le Bulbul à barbe jaune Criniger olivaceus, Yapo possède la

population la plus importante connue du pays. La liste, basée sur des

observations faites au cours de 167 visites pour la période de 1985-1990,

comprend des notes sur la reproduction, la présence saisonnière et l’écologie

générale des espèces, ainsi que sur l’identification sur le terrain de quelques

espèces difficiles.

1994

Birds of Yapo Forest

101

Introduction

The Forêt de Yapo ~ Yapo Forest - is by far the largest extant tract of mature forest

within easy reach from Ivory Coast’s economic capital, Abidjan. As such, it holds a

wide variety of Upper Guinea forest birds, some of which, such as the Yellow-

throated Olive Bulbul Criniger olivaceus, are easier to see here than anywhere else

known to us in the country. It seems, therefore, surprising that it has hitherto largely

been ignored by ornithologists - it is, for example, not mentioned by Thiollay (1985).

The observations presented in this paper were gathered over the period 1985-

1990 when, in all, we made 167 visits to Yapo, spread over all months of the year and

totalling some 1400 hours in the field. A few complementary data from other

observers have also been included. While we make no claims that the avifaunal

inventory detailed below is exhaustive only a few overnight visits were made,

mistnets were used on a few occasions only and parts of the forest are inaccessible on

short visits we think that the asymptote has almost been reached. At least some of the

obvious absences from the list are real rather than apparent: if Yapo has been little

visited by ornithologists, it is well known to poachers, with the result that the large

hornbills, raptors and guineafowl are scarce or absent, as are large mammals. The

lack of any large rivers or lakes in Yapo explains the lack of birds of riparian habitat.

Description of Yapo Forest

Located some 55 km north of Abidjan, the forest (5°42’N, 4°6’W) is composed of

three sections (Yapo, Mambo and l’Abbé; see Fig. 1), collectively known locally as

Yapo, which at present cover some 24,000 ha. The forest is cut by two main roads

(Abidjan-Agboville and Abidjan-Abengourou), by the country’s only main railway

line (which forms the boundary between the Yapo and Mambo sections) and by an

overhead power line. The area is low-lying (altitude 75 m), more or less flat, with a

few swampy places and a number of small streams, most of which dry to

disconnected pools during the main dry season (December to March). The area

receives an annual average of some 1750 mm of rain, with a peak in June-July and a

smaller one in October. The mean annual temperature is 26.5°C, with a minimum of

21°C and a maximum of 33°C. The forest is of the evergreen type, described as

Diospyros spp. and Mapania spp. forest (Mangenot et al. 1948), and is characterised

by an abundance of species such as Dacryodes klaineana, Piptadeniastrum

africanum, Heritiera utilis, Anopyxis klaineana and Scottellia chevalieii.

Mammal species were rarely encountered in Yapo except for squirrels, which are

common and of which two species were identified (Red-footed Squirrel Funisciurus

pyrrhopus and Giant Forest Squirrel Protoxerus stangeri). A few small groups of

Campbell’s and Lesser White-nosed Monkeys Cercopithecus campbelli and C.

petaurista survive, but these are extremely wary. All the more remarkable, therefore.

4°10 W 4°05'W 4°00'W

102

R. Demey & L.D.C Fishpool

Malimbus 16

1994

Birds of Yapo Forest

103

is the occurrence of Chimpanzees Pan troglodytes, which were heard on a few

occasions. The only antelopes seen were Red-flanked Duiker Cephalophus rufilatus

and Bushbuck Tragelaphus scriptus. Tree Hyrax Dendrohyrax arbor eus are common

and may be heard calling from the early evening till just after dawn. Bosman’s Potto

Perodicticus potto was once spotted at night. Giant Rat Cricetomys emini and Brush-

tailed Porcupine Atherurus sp. are trapped for food by local people.

Yapo was established as a forest reserve of some 30,000 ha in 1930 and has been

selectively managed since that time. Apart from a small area of trials with exotic tree

species (400 ha), the forest has been used as an experimental site for promoting the

sustainable extraction of indigenous forest timber. Initially, mature specimens of non-

commercial tree species were selectively poisoned over large areas which were

subsequently replanted with commercially valuable native trees (e.g. Terminalia

ivorensis, Khaya ivorensis, Heritiera utilis and Aucoumea klaineana). More recently,

the selective poisoning (somewhat euphemistically called “essais de dévitalisation”)

has not been followed by the replanting of trees, but the forest left to regenerate in the

hope that marketable species, released from competition, would put on extra growth.

In 1989 the selective logging of some of these trees began. Thus, Yapo has been

much modified by man; there is nothing remotely approaching primary forest. What

remains, however, is good secondary and in eastern Ivory Coast even this is hard to

find.

In 1986 a wide circular track was built in the forest west of the road to Agboville.

This, combined with the grid system of trails, greatly enhanced accessibility.

In an old and relatively extensive clearing (called the “main clearing” hereafter)

the local headquarters of the state company managing the forest was situated. The

company’s employees and their families were also housed here, forming a small

village with a few cultivated plots and some farmbush. This site was particularly

productive for birds in the early morning, with many forest species coming to feed in

the trees in and around the clearing. Many of the non-forest species appearing on the

Yapo list were also seen here.

We were unable to satisfy ourselves as to what, if any, have been the implications

for the forest avifauna of the tree poisoning, in effect the removal of a number of tree

species. It is possible that the relative paucity of large frugivores (hornbills, Great

Blue Turaco Corythaeola cristata etc.) was caused by the loss of possible food

sources as well as by hunting. On the other hand the increased number of dead

standing trees could be argued to favour woodpeckers, barbets and other hole nesting

species. This is a subject worthy of further study.

Presentation of the data

The data are presented in the form of an annotated checklist including an indication

of abundance, and observations on behaviour, habitat preferences, breeding, and

104

R. Demey & L.D.C. Fishpool

Malimbus 16

seasonal occurrence. Some notes on calls and field identification of some of the more

difficult species are included, where these appear to be missing from the literature.

Abundance is indicated as follows (cf. Gore 1990 and Grimes 1987):

Common invariably encountered, singly (e.g. raptors) or in quite good

numbers

Not Uncommon usually, but not invariably, encountered

Uncommon fairly frequently, but not regularly, encountered

Scarce only irregularly and infrequently encountered

Rare rarely encountered (less than five records).

The indication of abundance is based upon both sighting and call, and is, therefore,

inevitably inexact and relative; it is intended as a guide only. It should also be

understood that assessing specific habitat preferences in a forest like Yapo is

sometimes problematic; it seems much more clear-cut in less disturbed forests, e.g. in

Gabon (cf. Brosset & Erard 1986).

In total, 225 species were identified within the limits of Yapo Forest. These

include three species listed as threatened or near-threatened by the ICBP/IUCN Red

Data Book (Collar & Stuart 1985), while 24 species that occur are listed as candidates

for treatment as threatened (see Appendix).

Many species were found to be much commoner than hitherto supposed, certainly

in Ivory Coast (cf. Thiollay 1985). We have indicated where our findings on the

status of these birds, and of others, differ from those of Thiollay (1985).

Scientific names and sequence of families and species follow Brown et al.

(1982), Urban et al. (1986) and Fry et al. (1988) for the non-passerines and Thiollay

(1985) for the passerines. A change, resulting from the revision of the genus Batis

(Lawson 1984, 1986) is incorporated, and Kemp’s Longbill Macro sphenus kempi is

treated as a full species, following Hall & Moreau (1970).

Systematic list

Dwarf Bittern Ixobrychus sturmii. One sighting, Apr.

White-crested Tiger Heron Tigriornis leucolophus. Rare. Very secretive. A few

records of single birds on branches overhanging forest streams.

Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis. Rare dry season visitor. Seen flying over the main

clearing, Nov-Dec.

Green-backed Heron Butorides striatus. Rare. A few sightings of single birds (once

two together) flying over the main clearing or along streams near a main track, Dec-

Apr.

Grey Heron Ardea cinerea. Two sightings of single birds: one near a small stream

along a main track (Nov) and one flying over (Mar).

Olive Ibis Bostrychia olivacea. One sighting of a single bird flying silently at 9.20 h

along the tarmac road through the Plantation de l’Abbé, 1 Nov 1988.

1994

Birds of Yapo Forest

105

Hartlaub’s Duck Pteronetta hartlaubiL A single bird near a stream along a main

track, 28 May 1987. The rarity of this species is attributable to a lack of suitable

habitat.

Honey Buzzard Pernis apivorus. Scarce. Sightings of one to two birds circling

above the forest in Nov, Dec, Feb, Apr and Jul.

Black Kite Milvus migrans. Common above the main roads through the forest, Nov-

Apr.

Palmnut Vulture Gypohwrax angolensis. Common. Adults and immatures seen in

all months, flying above the forest or perched on big boughs of high trees along wide

tracks and edges.

Congo Serpent Eagle Dryotriorchis spectabilis. Two sightings of adults at two

localities, perched at mid-level along tracks. One seen hunting low along a track

before disappearing into the forest According to Brown et al. (1982) this species is

quite vocal; in Yapo, however, we heard it only once.

Harrier Hawk Polyboroides typus. Not uncommon. Adult on nest (near power line

clearing) mid-Nov to early Feb. A pair with a juvenile in Apr. Other juveniles seen

Jun-Aug. Display flight seen Feb, Jul, Oct

African Goshawk Accipiter tachiro. Not uncommon. Regularly seen at dawn

circling high over the forest, calling. Juveniles seen in Oct, Dec and Jan. One juvenile

seen with aim snake in its talons.

Red-thighed Sparrowhawk A. erythropus. Scarce. A pair seen, silently nest-

building, on 1 Nov at 9.30 h. Nest (undescribed in the literature; cf. Brown et al.

1982, Brosset & Erard 1986) was situated in the fork of a tree next to a track, at a

height of some 15 m: a loose structure consisting of relatively long (^ 40 cm), finger-

thick sticks. Although the site was regularly watched thereafter (especially the next

day), the pair was not seen again.

Black Sparrowhawk A. melanoleucus. Scarce. A few records of singles; once a

pair. Seen flying just above and below the canopy and perching inconspicuously

below the canopy next to a track.

Long-tailed Hawk Urotriorchis macrourus. Not uncommon. The distinctive call

was regularly heard, but the bird seen much less often; mainly middle strata inside the

forest, but also lower down (to just above the forest floor); occasionally near tracks

and clearings. An adult with a juvenile seen in Oct; a single juvenile in Jul. A wholly

grey individual (morph described in Mack worth- Praed & Grant 1970, but not in

Brown et al. 1982) was seen once. Vocalizations include a soft klee-klee-klee-klee-

klee-klee (heard from a pair).

Red-necked Buzzard Buteo auguralis. Rare. Sightings: 8 Nov 1987 (one high above

the forest); 27 Nov 1988 (one); 18 Nov 1989 (two).

Ayres’s Hawk Eagle Hieraaetus dubius. Scarce. Seen flying above and perched

inside the forest, Feb, Apr (a pair), Aug-Oct, Nov (an immature).

Long-crested Eagle Lophaetus occipitalis. One sighting of a bird on the forest edge,

2 Nov 1987.

106

R. Demey & L.D.C Fishpool

Malimbus 16

Cassin’s Hawk Eagle Spizaetus africanus. Rare. A few sightings of singles or pairs.

Crowned Eagle Stephanoaetus coronatus. A resident pair seen and heard regularly.

Display flight of the pair seen in Jun. Once seen with a Piping Hombill Cemtogymrta

fistulaîor and once with a squirrel in its talons.

Latham’s Forest Francolin Francolinus lathami. Probably common, but very

seldom seen. Many heard calling at night (never by day).

Ahanta Francolin F. dhantensis. Uncommon. Along forest edges, wide tracks and

clearings; mostly recorded at dawn, when calling.

Nkulengu Rail Himantornis haematopus. Not uncommon. This species was never

encountered during the day, but duetting pairs were heard just after sunset at a

number of different localities. Does not approach playback of its call.

Grey-throated Rail Canirallus oculeus. Apparently rare. Three sightings at the

same, half-dry bed of a small forest stream of one (twice) and two birds, searching for

food by removing dead leaves with jerking movements of the bill. Due to the extreme

secretiveness of this species and the fact that the call was unknown to us, its

abundance is difficult to assess.

White-spotted Flufftail Sarothrura pulchra. Common. Mostly along the main

tracks in rank herbaceous tangles; never deep inside the forest. Calls throughout the

year.

African Crake Crex egregia. One sighting, of four birds in the main clearing on 8

May; may indicate local movement.

Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus. Scarce. A few sightings of singles at puddles or

small pools along the main tracks, Dec-Mar.

Green Pigeon Treron calva. Common. In groups in the canopy or flying fast over

the forest. Sings whole year round. A pair seen mating in Oct; one on nest in Jan;

nest-building observed in Jun.

Blue-headed Wood Dove Tartar brehmeri. Common, but shy and not often seen.

Lower strata of the forest (usually flushed from ground), singly or in pairs.

Sometimes on tracks. Sings whole year round.

Tambourine Dove T. tympanistria. Common in the forest and along tracks and

edges. Usually in the lower and middle strata. Solitary or in pairs. Juveniles seen in

Apr.

Red-billed Wood Dove T. afer. Common in the main clearing and along edges with

old or new plantations. Absent from the forest proper, even along the main tracks.

Western Bronze-naped Pigeon Colamba iriditorqaes. Common in the forest proper

and along tracks; solitary or in pairs. Sings whole year round.

Red-eyed Dove StreptopeUa semitorqaata. Once seen flying over the main clearing.

Grey Parrot Psittacas erithacas. Scarce. Mostly singles or pairs; a few flocks of up

to 11-13. Most sightings Nov-Feb, but singles also in May and Jul. All were of ssp.

timneh.

[ Red- fronted Parrot Poicephalas galielmi. Three green parrots flying over the

main clearing on 6 Jul 1987 were almost certainly this species, since the only other

1994

Birds of Yapo Forest

107

green parrot oœurring in Ivory Coast is the savanna-dwelling Brown-necked Parrot

P. robustus. ]

Black-collared Lovebird Agapornis swinderniana. Not uncommon. Mostly seen in

flocks of 5-10 birds coming to feed at dawn on the fruit of an oil palm in the main

clearing. Bigger flocks, of up to 20, seen Jan-Jun. Juveniles seen Feb-Jul.

Great Blue Turaco Corythaeola cristata. Not uncommon. Groups of 3-10 birds.

Like all large species, suffers from hunting.

Yellow-billed Turaco Tauraco macrorhynchus. Common throughout, in pairs or

small groups. Immatures seen in Oct and Jan. Green Turaco T. per sa does not occur

in Yapo. In our experience, the two species can fairly easily be separated by their

call. r. macrorhynchus starts abruptly with a single, loud, harsh note followed by a

series of khaw notes. T. persa takes a “run-up” {woop-woop) before starting the series

of khaw notes.

Levaillant^s Cuckoo Oxylophm kvaiUantii. Rare. A few sightings of silent singles,

Dec- Mar.

R^-chested Cuckoo Cuculm soUtarius, Scarce. Heard irregularly the whole year

round (never more than one bird per visit).

Black Cuckoo C. ckimosus. Not uncommon. Mostly heard singing from Oct to Jan.

Never heard in Apr-May and rarely in Jun. Maximum six heard in one day.

Dusky Long-tailed Cuckoo Cercococcyx mechowL Uncommon. Sings whole year

round. Individuals regularly heard calling from the same territory. Recorded calling at

night in places where it was never heard by day.

Olive Long- tailed Cuckoo C. oUvinm. Common. This species, which is generally

considered rare (Fry et al. 1988, Thiollay 1985), is the most frequently heard cuckoo

in Yapo and the one that seems to occur at the highest density. Also calls at night

(seems to prefer dark, moonless nights). Mostly heard Aug-Mar, rarely in Apr-May,

never in Jun.

Cuckoo responses to playback. The Cercococcyx cuckoos and Cuculus clamosus

respond differently to playback of their respective calls. C. clamosus approaches and

resumes calling from a prominent position nearby, while Cercococcyx react by flying

silently at the source of the sound, often passing very close to it. They usually fly on

to a perch in thick cover from where they may or may not call in response.

Chrysococcyx cuckoos, on the other hand, seem unmoved by playback of their calls.

Emerald Cuckoo Chrysococcyx cupreus. Common in forest interior. Sings whole

year round, but mostly heard Oct-Mar. Juveniles seen in Dec and Jan. Once a pair

was seen in a mixed-species flock (Dec).

Klaas’s Cuckoo C. Maas. Common. Mostly clearings and edges. Sings whole year

round. A juvenile seen 28 Feb.

Didric Cuckoo C caprius. One sighting of a juvenile in the main clearing, 7 Feb.

Yellowbill Ceuthmochares aereus. Common. Forest interior or along edges, from

lower strata to just under the canopy; solitary or in pairs. A frequent member of

mixed-species flocks.

108

R. Demey & L.D.C Fishpool

Malimbus 16

Black-throated Coucal Centropus leucogaster. Uncommon. Along wide tracks and

forest edges, in rank vegetation; not in high forest. Singly or in pairs. Sings whole

year round.

Senegal Coucal C. senegalensis. Rare. Only along the outer edges of the forest.

Sandy Scops Owl Otus icterorhynchus. A feather picked up from a path proved, on

comparison with museum material, to be of this species.

Fraser’s Eagle Owl Bubo poensis. Common. Heard and seen on all nights spent in

the forest.

Akun Eagle Owl B. leucostictus. One sighting: a singing pair on a main track, at

night (Aug). The song was reminiscent of B. poensis: the “grunting” part was similar,

but the “hooting” consisted of a more plaintive wail, and there was also a sort of

barking (not present on Chappuis’s 1978 recording).

Red-chested Owlet Glaucidium tephronotum. Song heard and recorded on two

nights (Aug). This species responds well to playback, but, since it is crepuscular as

well as nocturnal, if the bird is to be seen well, playback should be attempted at dusk.

Wood Owl Strix woodfordii. Probably the commonest owl in Yapo. Heard and seen

on all nights in several places.

Sabine’s Spinetail Raphidura sabini. Common in all months. Maximum ten

together (Aug).

Black Spinetail Telacanthura melanopygia. Scarce. Sightings of 1-3 birds.

Mottled Spinetail Telacanthura ussheri. Scarce. Singles or pairs over the main

clearing.

Cassin’s Spinetail Neafrapus cassini. Not uncommon over the main clearing; also

seen elsewhere. Mostly 1-2 birds, sometimes 3-4, max. eight (May).

Palm Swift Cypsiurus parvus. Scarce. Singles or pairs, mostly over the main

clearing.

European Swift Apus apus. Not uncommon from Mar to beginning of Jun and again

from Oct to Jan. Once recorded in Aug. Highest numbers in Apr-May and Oct-Nov

(up to 50 in a day).

White-rumped Swift A. coffer. Two certain sightings, Nov and Apr.

Little Swift A. affinis. Scarce. Mainly above the main clearing. Mostly 1-3 birds,

max. six (May).

Mottled Swift Tachymarptis aequatorialis. One sighting of two calling birds, 2 Feb

1986.

Narina’s Trogon Apaloderma narina. Only one record of a singing bird, well inside

the forest, 1 Feb. The rarity of this species, which is considered frequent in rainforest

(Fry et al. 1988) and described as widely distributed all over the forest zone in Ivory

Coast (Thiollay 1985), seems remarkable.

Chocolate- backed Kingfisher Halcyon badia. Uncommon. Sings whole year round.

Heard frequently but very seldom seen.

Blue-breasted Kingfisher H. malimbica. Scarce. Song heard irregularly the whole

year round.

1994

Birds of Yapo Forest

109

Woodland Kingfisher H. senegalensis. Rare. Three sightings in the main clearing,

Feb, Apr and Aug.

Dwarf Kingfisher Ceyx lecontei. Rare. Seen both in the forest interior and at the

edges, at all levels, not necessarily near water. Once seen in a mixed-species flock.

Pygmy Kingfisher C. picta. Not uncommon in fairly large clearings, never seen in

the forest itself. A juvenile in Oct.

White-bellied Kingfisher Corythornis leucogaster. Scarce. Only recorded near

streams inside the forest. An adult with a juvenile seen 12 Apr. Voice (not described

in the literature): in flight, a high-pitched, vigorous (t)seee, reminiscent of Ceyx picta

but somewhat louder, more piercing. Very useful in announcing the imminent arrival

of the bird, which flies so fast and direct as to be otherwise hard to see at all. The

juvenile was heard to utter tsk, tsk calls.

Blue-headed Bee-eater Merops muelleri. Uncommon along forest paths and narrow,

shady tracks. Never in open areas. Seen all year round, mostly in pairs; one sighting

of a trio. In view of the relative paucity of information about this species (Fry 1984,

Fry et al. 1988, Fry & Fry 1992) some details are given.

Food and foraging. Forages by sallying from a perch (mainly lianas, also thin bare

branches: height: 1-15 m) in short, sweeping flights. Bill snapping sometimes heard.

Food items noted during five observation periods, totalling 90 min., included: 3 very

small insects (swallowed without rubbing or beating), 2 Odonata adults, 2 small and 4

medium-sized butterflies (all these insects were rubbed and beaten, but effortlessly

swallowed whole, with wings and legs still attached).

Breeding. The trio was watched on 1 Dec for 50 min. between 13.00 and 14.00 h.

After some foraging activity (height 1-6 m), two birds alighted on a perch less than 1

m above the ground and each started making alternating fluttering flights above a 30

cm high bank at the edge of the track. They flew a little lower at each flight, until

finally one bird landed briefly. Thereupon a second bird also landed briefly at the

same spot. Both birds repeated this action a few times, each time staying a little

longer, until one bird pecked a few times at the earth before flying off. The same bird

repeated this action two more times without being imitated by its companion. The trio

then assembled again on a branch 3 m away from the spot and resumed foraging. The

whole incident took about 10 min.. Subsequent visits revealed that no burrow was

dug. A pair feeding a juvenile in the canopy (height 20 m) was seen on 1 Mar.

Voice. The s(l)ip contact call is heard frequently and, although not loud, is quite

characteristic and, once learned, greatly assists in locating this unobtrusive species.

Other calls noted: soft, muffled, hoarse little noises (frequently uttered); a soft,

suppressed week week, followed by a few billsnaps.

Black Bee-eater M. gularis. Uncommon. Due to its preference for more open

habitat, more often seen than M. muelleri, although less common in Yapo. Mostly

seen perching conspicuously on dead branches in clearings and along wide, open

tracks. Also a few sightings within the forest proper, then always very high up, in an

emergent tree or in some open space. Encountered all year round, mostly in pairs.

110

R. Demey & L.D.C Fishpool

Malimbus 16

Two sightings of three birds together (Jan, Oct). Four birds flying purposefully over

the forest together, first seen crossing one track, then seen again crossing another,

having apparently flown in a straight line over 5 km of forest (the observer in the

meantime having driven that distance), were perhaps an indication of some local

movement (28 Aug).

Voice. Although the literature states that the species rarely calls (Fry 1984, Brosset &

Erard 1986, Fry et al. 1988, Fry & Fry 1992), the rather loud and distinctive contact

call - clip or wic - was heard at every encounter (also at other places in Ivory Coast,

and in Zaire) and often betrayed the presence of birds perched unobtrusively. No

other calls were heard.

White-throated Bee-eater M. albicollis. Common non-breeding visitor from end of

Oct to May (last sighting: 25 May). In small groups in clearings and near forest edges

and tracks.

Blue-throated l^oWer Eurystomus gularis. Uncommon the whole year round. Singly

or in pairs, along tracks or in emergent trees in the forest.

Broad-billed Roller glaucurus. Although this Afrotropical migrant is common in

the area, it is rare within Yapo and was only seen in large clearings.

Forest Wood-Hoopoe Phoeniculus castaneiceps. Rare. A few records of one or two

birds well inside the forest. Once seen in the main clearing. Remarkably, we have no

records of White-headed Wood-Hoopoe P. bollei, given that this species occurs in

even heavily degraded forest and occurs in small forest remnants less than 50 km

distant.

White-crested Hornbill Tockus albocristatus. Not uncommon. The well

documented habit of following monkey troops was observed a few times. A juvenile

seen on 10 Jan.

Black Dvrarf Hornbill T. hartlaubi. Very secretive. One male in l’Abbé, 5 Feb.

Red-billed Dwarf Hornbill T. camurus. Scarce. More often heard than seen. Song

mostly heard in Nov-Dee; also recorded in Mar, Jul and Sep. A few records of 2-3

birds in mixed-species flocks.

Pied Hornbill T. fasciatus. Common. Mostly a few birds together, sometimes in

groups of up to 35 or even 50 (Nov-Dec). Adults with juveniles in Jan-Feb.

Piping Hornbill Ceratogymna fistulator. Not uncommon. In pairs or small, noisy

groups.

Brown-cheeked Hornbill C. cylindricus. One sighting of 5-7 birds together, 14 Aug

1988.

Black-casqued Hornbill C. atrata. Rare. A few records of 2-4 birds together, inside

the forest. On two occasions, when the birds were heard only, it was not possible to

be certain whether they were this species or Yellow-casqued Hornbill C. elata.

Bristle-nosed Barbet Gymnobucco peli. Rare. A small nesting colony was

discovered in l ’Abbé, Feb 1989.

Naked-faced Barbet G. calvus. Not uncommon. A few small colonies (numbering a

few pairs) in dead emergents or in clearings.

1994

Birds of Yapo Forest

111

Speckled Tinkerbird Pogoniulus scolopaceus. Common in open habitats and in the

forest proper, mainly lower and middle strata; singly or in pairs.

Red-rumped Tinkerbird P. atroflavus. Common. Forest interior, at all levels.

Yellow- throated Tinkerbird F. subsulphureus. Common. Occurs at all levels,

though mainly in the canopy. The Upper Guinea race P. s. chrysopygius has a whiter

throat than the extra-limital nominate race and may thus easily be confused with

Yellow- rumped Tinkerbird P. bilineatus. However, after having compared series of

tape-recorded calls with the recordings of Chappuis (1981), we conclude that P.

bilineatus do&s not occur in Yapo.

Yellow-spotted Barbet Buccanodon duchaillui. Common. At edges and in the

forest proper, mid-level to canopy. Singly or in pairs; occasionally in mixed-species

flocks. Although the main call is described as “a purring brrrr...'" (Fry et al. 1988),

we have rarely heard this. In Yapo the most frequent call (heard at all hours of the

day) consists of a series of hoots, practically indistinguishable from one of the songs

of Hairy-breasted Barbet Tricholaema hirsuta. Once, five birds perched in the canopy

in sight of each other emitted this type of song continuously for more than 30 min. in

late afternoon.

Hairy-breasted Barbet Tricholaema hirsuta. Common. Mainly in the forest proper,

also at edges and in clearings; usually in pairs.

Yellow-billed Barbet Trachyphonus purpuratus. Scarce. Forest interior.

Encountered singly; occasionally in mixed-species flocks.

Cassia’s Honeybird Prodotiscus insignis. Scarce. Mainly seen at edges or in

clearings, singly or in pairs. Occasionally joins mixed-species flocks in the canopy.

Voice (undescribed in the literature): a distinctive buzzy tsrrr-tsrrr-..., uttered in flight.

Spotted Honeyguide Indicator maculatus. One sighting of a bird attracted to melted

beeswax bait.

Thick-billed Honeyguide /. conirostris. Uncommon. Very seldom seen. In one

territory inside the forest singing was heard from exactly the same spot high in the

canopy from May to Jan in three consecutive years. Three sightings in the main

clearing.

Willcocks’s Honeyguide 1. willcocksL Rare. Definitely identified once, in the main

clearing, 1 Jan 1989.

African Piculet Sasia africana. One sighting, the first for Ivory Coast (Demey &

Fishpool 1991), of a pair at the forest edge. Plantation de FAbbé, 6 Nov 1988.

Watched from 9.30 to 11.20 h, while the birds flew back and forth between the forest

and a recently burned clearing at the other side of thé track, to inspect dead trees (8-

10 m high). Voice: a rapid, shrill, piercing see-see-see-see-see, sunbird-like, but

louder, shriller. A soft, rapid tapping was also heard.

Little Green Woodpecker Campethera maculosa. Two records of singles at mid-

level near a main track.

Buff-spotted Woodpecker C. nivosa. Uncommon, forest interior at mid-level; often

in mixed-species flocks. An adult with a juvenile, Dec.

112

R. Demey & L.D.C Fishpool

Malimbus 16

Brown-eared Woodpecker C. carolL Not uncommon. Forest interior, mainly at

mid-level, occasionally within 1 m of the forest floor. Frequently in mixed-species

flocks.

Gabon Woodpecker Dendropicos gabonensis. Not uncommon, inside the forest and

at edges; singly or in pairs. Mainly upper-middle level, occasionally higher; at forest

edges also lower, in bushes.

Fire- bellied Woodpecker D. pyrrhogaster. Uncommon to scarce. Upper strata of

forest interior and edges; in pairs. Once seen in a mixed-species flock.

Rufous-sided Broadbill Smithornis rufolateralis. Not uncommon. Mid-level in

forest interior. Starts displaying before dawn, when still dark (the first bird sound

heard). Only sporadically heard after 9.00 h. Starts again in late afternoon and at

dusk. Sometimes the thin, plaintive theew theew call is not followed by the display

flight. African Broadbill S. capensis was not recorded in Yapo, although Thiollay

(1985) states that it occurs in the undergrowth of primary and secondary forest.

European Swallow Hirundo rustica. Uncommon, Oct-Jan.

Lesser Striped Swallow H. abyssinica. Uncommon, in clearings. A pair collecting

mud for nest-building in May. A fledgling seen 28 May.

Square-tailed Roughwing Psalidoprocne nitens. Common. In small flocks in

clearings and along wide tracks. Biggest flocks 20-25 birds.

Fanti Roughwing P. obscura. Rare. Single birds in the main clearing in the company

of P. nitens, Dec- Jan, Mar and May.

Plain-backed Pipit Anthus leucophrys. One bird in the main clearing, 20 Nov.

Tree Pipit A. trivialis, A single bird in the main clearing, 29 Mar.

Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava. Scarce. Singles in clearings and along tracks

(sometimes narrow, shady ones), Oct-Mar.

Yellow- throated Longclaw Macronyx croceus. One bird in the main clearing, 7 Feb.

Chestnut-bellied Helmet Shrike Prionops caniceps. Common. Middle and upper

strata of the forest. In small groups of 4-9 birds, often in mixed-species flocks.

Juveniles seen May-Nov.

Sabine’s PufFback Shrike Dryoscopus sabinL Not uncommon. Singles or pairs in

the upper strata. A regular member of mixed-species flocks.

Brown-headed Tchagra Tchagra australis. Rare. Shrubbery at the outer edges of

the forest.

Black Boubou Shrike Laniarius leucorhynchus. Rare. Recorded in the main

clearing (once) and along the outer edges of the forest, in tangles, rank vegetation and

thicket. Does not enter the forest proper.

Many-coloured Bush Shrike Malaconotus multicolor. Scarce, A canopy species

which is extremely hard to see, despite its bright colours. A few records of 2-3 birds

singing together (mostly May-Jun and Nov).

Lagden’s Bush Shrike M. lagdeni. Scarce. Singing recorded Oct-Jan and (once) Jul.

Pairs seen nest-building 20 Dec 1986 and 22 Nov 1987. On both occasions the nest

was hidden in the leafy regrowth on the top of a broken-off tree c. 6 m high. While

1994

Birds of Yapo Forest

113

approaching with nesting material (long, thin, barely visible fibres), the birds sang in

duet. Only one further sighting in the vicinity of the nest of a (silent) bird on 6 Dec

1987. A bird was seen carrying food on 27 Oct 1985. Voice (not described in the

literature): most distinctive and typical are a far-carrying, slow hoot, hoot-hoot

followed after a pause by two melodious whistling syllables hweet-huuuu. The

number of hoots may vary. Also other melodious whistles. The quality of the sound is

quite characteristic and not easily forgotten, once heard well.

Black-headed Oriole Oriolus hrachyrhynchus. Common. Mostly canopy, but

occasionally low down (e.g. two birds at 1 m above the forest floor, chasing each

other, calling excitedly and spreading downward pressed tail, 20 Jun). Juveniles seen

Oct-May. A frequent member of mixed- species flocks. Black- winged Oriole O.

nigripennis appears to be absent from Yapo.

Glossy-backed Drongo Dicrurus adsimilis. Common. Mostly along edges and in

(even small) openings in the forest. Always high up, on bare branches below the

canopy. An adult with a juvenile seen 29 May.

Shining Drongo D. atripennis. Common. Mid-level inside the forest A frequent,

noisy member of mixed-species flocks.

Narrow- tailed Starling Poeoptera lugubris. Scarce. In groups of 4-22, in the main

clearing, Oct-Nov. A sighting of a single bird, 8 Mar.

Forest Chestnut-winged Starling Onychognathus fulgidus. Rare. A few sightings

of one or two birds in clearings and along wide tracks, Oct-Jan.

Copper-tailed Glossy Starling Lamprotomis cupreocauda. This species, listed as

near-threatened by Collar & Stuart (1985), is quite common in Yapo, in pairs or small

groups in the canopy. Although essentially frugivorous, it probably also takes insects,

as does Purple-headed Glossy Starling L. purpureiceps in Gabon (Brosset & Erard

1%6), as it is occasionally encountered in mixed-species flocks.

Amethyst Starling Cmnyricinclm leucogaster. One sighting of a flock of about ten

flying over the canopy, Sep.

Blue Cuckoo-Shrike Coracina azurea. Scarce; records scattered throughout the

year. A canopy species, occurring singly or in pairs. Despite' its bright colouring,

quite inconspicuous and easily overlooked if the vocalizations are not known.

Readily joins mixed-species flocks.

Common Bulbul Pycnonotus barbatus. Common in the main clearing and along

roads and edges. Penetrates the forest along the main tracks. Not in the forest proper.

Cameroon Sombre Bulbul Andmpadm curvirostris. Not uncommon. Lower and

middle strata in the forest. A juvenile seen in Apr.

Little Grey Bulbul A. gracUis. Common. An edge species, frequenting the upper and

middle strata along tracks and clearings. In pairs or small groups. Occurs alongside

Ansorge*s Bulbul A. ansorgei. Adults feeding juveniles seen in Jan.

Ansorge’s Bulbul A. ansorgei. Common. Very similar in plumage, behaviour and

habitat preferences to A. gracilis but occasionally also inside the forest, when always

in the canopy.

114

R. Demey & L.D.C. Fishpool

Malimbus 16

Slender-billed Bulbul A. graciürostris. Common. Canopy of high emergent trees in

the forest and at edges; mostly in pairs.

Little Green Bulbul A. virens. Common. Mostly in the lower stratum along tracks

and edges; does not enter true forest. Sings whole year round.

Yellow-whiskered Bulbul A. latirostris. Common. Probably the most numerous

bulbul in the forest proper. Sings in all months, with a marked increase Jun-Dec.

Golden Bulbul Calyptocichla serina. Not uncommon in canopy. Singly or (mostly)

in pairs; sometimes three or four together.

Honeyguide Bulbul Baeopogon indicator. Common. Upper levels, singly or in

pairs. Heard singing in all months.

Spotted Bulbul Ixonotus guttatus. Common. Canopy; rarely lower down (as low as

2-3 m). Always in conspicuous, noisy, monospecific groups, mostly 6-20, once 30.

Four birds building a nest together in an isolated tree in the middle of the main

clearing, at a height of 8 m, Nov. Adults feeding begging juveniles in Jul, Aug, Oct,

Nov.

Simple Leaflove ChlorocichUi simplex. Rare. Does not enter true forest but occurs

on the forest margins in secondary regrowth and abandoned farmplots.

Swamp-palm Bulbul Thescelocichla leucopleura. Scarce. Restricted to those few

swampy areas of the forest supporting rafia palm. Usually in noisy monospecific

groups.

Icterine Bulbul Phyllastrephus icterinus. Common. Lower to middle strata, in small

groups (3-6) in mixed-species flocks. Begging juveniles seen in May, Jul and Oct.

Bristlebill Bleda syndactyla. Not uncommon. Lower level, mostly near the forest

floor. Heard singing all year round. A begging juvenile seen in Jan. A frequent

member of mixed-species flocks.

Green-tailed Bristlebill B. eximia. Rare. Only a few sightings, on or near the forest

floor, singly or with mixed-species flocks (once near driver ants and once catching

emerging termites).

Grey-headed Bristlebill B. canicapilla. Common. The most vocal of the genus. In

pairs or small family groups. Heard singing in all months. A forest floor species,

frequently joining mixed-species flocks and attracted to ant columns -- all three

bristle-bills sometimes attend the same column.

Western Bearded Bulbul Criniger barbatus. Common. Lower and middle strata. In

pairs or small groups. A characteristic member of mixed-species flocks, like the other

members of the genus, but also occurring in small, noisy, monospecific groups.

Red-tailed Bulbul C. calurus. Common. Middle strata. In small, noisy groups with

mixed-species flocks. A begging young seen in May.

Yellow- throated Olive Bulbul C. olivaceus. Common. Middle strata. Always seen

in mixed-species flocks, in small numbers (1-3). Begging young seen in Nov and

Apr. Heard singing in all months. The status of this species, listed as Vulnerable by

Collar & Stuart (1985), is worthy of note; it is definitely rare in Taï Forest, its only

other known locality in Ivory Coast (Thiollay 1985v Gartshore 1989). The song,

1994

Birds of Yapo Forest

115

which consists of three short, harsh syllables, uttered in the same, relatively low

pitch, sounds identical to the recording of White-bearded Bulbul C ndussumensis by

Chappuis (1975).

Western Nicator Nicator chloris. Common, mostly in the lower and middle strata

(cf. Gabon, where mostly in the canopy: Brosset & Erard 1986). Singing noted in all

months.

Forest Scrub-Robin Cercotrichas leucosticta. Rare. Recorded on four different

dates, in May-Jul 1985 (once two birds) and in Apr 1986. Never seen or heard again

thereafter.

Fire-crested Alethe Alethe diademata. Not uncommon. Always on or near the forest

floor. Heard singing in all months. Young birds with adults seen Oct-Nov. Where

driver ants are on the move, this species will be near. Voice: in addition to its usual

song (Chappuis 1975) it also has a curious, subdued song including imitations of

other species. This mimesis, which does not seem to be documented, was heard to

include fragments of Cuculus clamosus, Chrysococcyx cupreus, Halcyon badia,

Forest Robin Sîiphrornis eiythrothorax, Finsch’s Rycatcher-Trhush Neocossyphus

finschi and Malimbus sp.

Brown-chested Alethe A. poliocephala. Scarce, but probably more frequent than

records suggest (twice mist-netted in places where it had never been observed). An

inconspicuous, forest floor species. Seen at ant columns, but much shyer than A.

diademata.

Forest Robin Stiphrornis erythrothorax. Common. Encountered singly, on the

forest floor or low above it. Song heard in all months. Attends ant columns.

White-tailed Ant Thrush Neocossyphus poensis. Common in pairs on the forest

floor or just above it. Regularly attends ant columns. This species can be separated

from N. finschi in the field on behaviour. N. poensis wags its tail up and down like a

chat; N. finschi flicks its white outer tail feathers sideways, scissor fashion. This is

very obvious and is diagnostic. The calls are also very different.

Finsch’s Flycatcher-Thrush N. finschi. Common in pairs in the middle strata. Much

more conspicuous than N. poensis (see above).

Grey Ground Thrush Turdus princeL One sighting of a single bird, on the ground,

well inside the forest Very secretive.

Brown Akalat Trichastoma fulvescens. Common in small groups, perching low on

vegetation (rarely on the ground), often in mixed-species flocks. Begging juveniles

seen in Oct and Dec. Voice: it is perhaps of interest that the so-called “dict-a-fone”

song (cf. Chappuis 1975) was never heard, either in Yapo, or elsewhere in Ivory

Coast (while in RD*s experience in Zaïre this type of song was always part of the

vocalizations).

Pale-breasted Akalat T. rufipennh. Uncommon. Similar in habits and behaviour to

T. fulvescens.

Blackcap Akalat T. cleaveri. Not uncommon. Usually on the forest floor, often

singly. Sings shortly after dawn, rarely thereafter.

116

R. Demey & L.D.C. Fishpool

Malimbus 16

Rufous-winged Akalat T. rufescens. Uncommon, forest floor. Often in pairs. Song

distinctive and far-carrying. Listed as near-threatened by Collar & Stuart (1985).

Wood Warbler Phylloscopus sihilatrix. Uncommon. Edges and clearings, mostly

canopy, Nov-Apr. Sometimes heard singing; occasionally in mixed flocks of small

insectivores.

Whistling Cisticola Cisticola lateralis. Scarce. Only around the periphery of Yapo;

does not penetrate the forest along tracks.

Tawny-flanked Prinia Prinia subflava. Common in regrowth of fairly large

clearings.

Black-capped Apalis Apalis nigriceps. Common. A canopy species occurring in

pairs. Mostly seen in mixed flocks of small insectivores. Rather inconspicuous but

easily detected once its vocalizations are known. Duets.

Sharpe’s Apalis A. sharpii. Common. Canopy; sometimes lower down near edges.

Mostly in pairs in mixed flocks of small insectivores. Both this species and A.

nigiiceps call persistently throughout the day and are often the only birds to be heard

during the heat of midday. Both species, along with other small insectivores of the

canopy, seem to favour leguminous trees with finely divided, bipinnate leaves, e.g.

Piptadeniastrum afiicanum. The leaf structure of such trees (large numbers of very

small leaflets with midribs providing perches) possibly favour the gleaning activities

of these birds.

Yellow-browed Camaroptera Camaroptera superciliaris. Common. Shrubbery in

clearings and along tracks. Adults with one or two young seen Dec-Mar.

Green-backed Camaroptera C. chloronota. Not uncommon, in dense undergrowth

along tracks. Usually skulking and infrequently seen, but distinctive, loud and

prolonged song attracts attention.

Grey-backed Camaroptera C. brachyura. Common. Shrubbery in clearings and

along wide tracks. A juvenile seen 15 Nov.

Brown-crowned Eremomela Eremomela badiceps. Common in canopy, sometimes

descending to mid-level. In pairs or small groups. Juveniles seen in all months from

Mar to Nov.

Green Crombec Sylvietta virens. Common. Dense shrub in clearings and along

tracks. Never in the forest proper.

Lemon- bellied Crombec S. denti. Not uncommon. Mostly in the canopy, but nests

lower down. Nests (in clearing and along a track) found Jan-Apr. A frequent member

of mixed flocks of small insectivores. Inconspicuous, but the song reveals its

presence.

Grey Longbill Macrosphenus concolor. Common. All levels, but mostly upper and

middle strata in the forest proper; also near edges and open areas. A regular member

of mixed- species flocks. Is easy to confuse in the field, at least initially, with Scarlet-

tufted Sunbird Anthreptes fraseri\ they are of similar size and colour while the scarlet

tufts of the sunbird are, in our experience, never visible. M. concolor, however, lacks

any distinctive head markings and has pale flesh-coloured legs, while A.Jraseri has a

1994

Birds of Yapo Forest

117

conspicuous eye=ring and dark greyish-black or brownish legs. These field marks are

often more easily seen than the differences in bill structure and coloration; straight

and dark with a pale base in M. concolor, slightly curved in A. fraseri with upper

mandible dark and gradually tapering to a point, lower mandible pale horn and almost

straight.

Kemp’s Longbill M. kempt Rare. Bushy areas along the forest edge.

Green Hylia Hylia prmina. Common. Mostly middle strata of the forest, singly or in

pairs. Often in mixed-species flocks. Adults with juveniles seen in May and Aug.

Tit-Hylia rushiae. Not uncommon. Mainly in the canopy of lower trees,

but also higher up, in monospecific groups of 3-8. Also joins mixed flocks of small

insectivores. A pair feeding a young in Mar.

Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa striata. Rare. Main clearing and outer edges, Oct-

Nov.

Little Grey Flycatcher M. epulata. Scarce. Middle strata of more open parts of the

forest (near edges or along shady tracks) with high trees. Very unobtrusive.

Olivaceous Flycatcher M. olivascens. Scarce. Middle and lower strata in the forest.

A pair with a juvenile in Feb.

Grey-throated Flycatcher M. griseigukiris. Rare. A few records of singing birds,

along the main clearing and at the outer edge of the Plantation de F Abbé, Sep-Oct

1988.

Dusky Blue Flycatcher M, comitata. Uncommon. A pair seen fairly frequently in

the main clearing.

Ussher’s Flycatcher M. ussheri. Not uncommon. Always high on top of emergent

dead trees or branches. Adult on nest (18 m high in dead tree at edge of main

clearing), Oct. Juveniles seen mostly Jul-Aug, also Apr.

Grey T it- Flycatcher My fpparas plambeus. Two records of singing birds in or near

clearings, Jan and Nov.

Forest Flycatcher Fraseria ocreata. Not uncommon. Forest edge as well as interior,

mostly at mid-level. Mainly singly or in pairs; sometimes three or four together.

Young birds seen in Aug and Dec. Sometimes joins mixed-species flocks.

Violet-backed Hyliota Hyliota violacea. Scarce. Canopy along edges. Singly, in

pairs or small groups (mostly consisting of two pairs). Mostly seen in mixed flocks of

small insectivores.

Shrike Flycatcher Megabyas flammulata. Not uncommon. Canopy, sometimes

lower down. Mostly singly or in pairs. Considered an Afrotropical migrant in Gabon

(Brosset & Erard 1986), but recorded by us in all months. Young birds seen in Mar

and May.

West African occulta. Not uncommon. A canopy species, usually seen in

mixed flocks of small insectivores, singly or in pairs.

Chestnut Wattle-eye Platysteira castama. Common. Middle strata inside the forest.

In pairs or family groups (parents with one young), frequently in mixed-species

flocks. Young birds seen Feb-Nov.

118

R. Demey & L.D.C. Fishpool

Malimbus 16

Golden- bellied Wattle-eye P. concreta. One record: a male in a mixed-species

flock, at a height of 2-3 m, Jan.

Chestnut-capped Flycatcher Erythrocercus mccallii. Not uncommon. Upper and

middle strata. In forest proper or along edges; usually in small groups. Adults with

young seen in Feb and May. A regular member of mixed-species flocks.

Blue-headed Crested Flycatcher Trochocercus nitens. Uncommon. Favours dense

lianas at mid-level. Always recorded in mixed-species flocks.

Dusky Crested Flycatcher T. nigromitratus. Not uncommon. Lower strata, from

ground to 2 m, rarely to 4 m (so always lower than T. nitens). Favours the most

humid parts of the forest. In pairs or small family groups; regularly in mixed-species

flocks. Seen with nesting material in Jan. Adults with begging young in Mar and Jun.

Red-bellied Paradise Flycatcher Terpsiphone rufiventer. Common, noisy and

conspicuous. Mostly mid-level. A typical member of mixed-species flocks. Paradise

Flycatcher T. viridis was never recorded in Yapo.

Forest Penduline Tit Anthoscopus flavifrons. Rare, but probably overlooked due to

its small size, dull colouring and habit of keeping to the canopy of the highest trees.

Under these circumstances it is difficult to identify; it looks rather like a small female

sunbird but the short stubby bill is the give-away. On the rare occasions when it

descends lower, the yellow on the frons remains almost impossible to see. Occurs in

small groups (3-4).

Scarlet-tufted Sunbird Anthreptes fraseri. Common; the commonest sunbird after

Olive N. olivacea. Middle strata in forest proper. A typical member of mixed-species

flocks; up to ten birds per flock. (See Macrosphenus concolor for field

differentiation.)

Yellow-chinned Sunbird A. rectirostris. Not uncommon. Mostly canopy along

forest tracks and clearings. In pairs or family parties.

Collared Sunbird A. collaris. Common. In canopy of tall trees (forest proper),

smaller trees and even bushes (edges and clearings). Mostly in pairs or small family

groups (parents with one young). Regularly in mixed flocks of small insectivores.

Females seen nest-building in Jul and Dec. Begging juveniles in Mar, May-Aug and

Dec.

Little Green Sunbird Nectarinia seimundi. Uncommon. Mostly canopy,

occasionally lower down. Unusual for a sunbird in that it occurs in small

monospecific groups of up to eight, which helps identification.

Bates’s Sunbird N. batesi. Probably rare; difficult to assess, because is very

inconspicuous, small canopy bird. Only a few definite sightings of singles. We agree

with Brosset & Erard (1986) who likened this species to a miniature N. olivacea in its

dull colour, upright posture and strongly curved bill. N. seimundi on the other hand, is

not unlike a small Anthreptes fraseri] these two species differ from N. olivacea and

N. batesi in their brighter colouring, more horizontal postures and straighter bills.

Olive Sunbird N. olivacea. Common; the commonest sunbird. Lower strata. A

regular member of mixed-species flocks. Nest-building seen in Mar.

1994

Birds of Yapo Forest

119

Olive- backed Sunbird N. verticalis. One record: a male high up in a mixed- species

flock, Nov.

Blue-throated Brown Sunbird N. cyanolaema. Common, Canopy in forest proper

or along edges and clearings. In pairs or small groups,,

Buff-throated Sunbird N. adelberti. Uncommon. Edges and clearings. Juveniles

seen Sep- Oct.

Olive-bellied Sunbird N. chloropygia. Common in clearings. In pairs.

Tiny Sunbird N. minulla. Rare (overlooked?). Not readily distinguishable in the

field from N. chloropygia. Reference is made in the literature to blue barring in the

red breast feathers of male minulla, which chloropygia lacks. This is, however,

virtually impossible to see in the field. A more helpful distinction, which equally

applies to females, is bill structure. In minulla the bill is appreciably shorter and less

curved, such that the lower mandible appears to be almost straight except for the very

tip, whereas it is equally curved over most of its length in chloropygia. N. minulla

appears to be dependent on forest, chloropygia being much more catholic in its

choice, occurring from forest edge and clearings to gardens in city centres. Both

species can thus occur at one site; at such sites we have been unable to distinguish

any difference between them in habitat preference.

Johanna’s Sunbird N. johannae. Not uncommon. Upper and middle strata, along

tracks and clearings. Mainly in pairs. A female at a nest. May. An immature male,

Mar.

Superb Sunbird N. superba. Uncommon. Only seen in the main clearing: does not

enter forest proper. An immature male, Nov.

Yellow White-eye Zosterops senegalensis. Scarce in clearings and along wide, open

tracks.

Village Weaver P/dceus cucuUatus, Rare. A few sightings in the main clearing of 2-

20 birds, Apr, Jul, Oct.

Chestnut and Black Weaver Ploceus nigerrimus. Two sightings in the main

clearing, Feb and May.

Yellow-mantled Weaver P. tricolor. A sighting of a single in the main clearing

(May) and a pair with a juvenile (Nov) in the Plantation de l’Abbé. The rarity of this

species in Yapo seems surprising, considering that it occurs in good numbers in small

forest remnants at Adiopodoumé, less than 50 km distant.

Maxwell’s Black Weaver P. albinucha. Scarce. Singly or in small groups (up to 12).

Mainly in the forest, usually high up, but singles occasionally in the main clearing.

Juveniles seen Feb and Dec.

Spectacled Weaver P. nigricoUis. Scarce. Singles occasionally in the main clearing.

Golden-backed Weaver P. preussi. One sighting of a juvenile in the canopy of a big

tree in the forest, 11 Sep 1988.

Red-vented Malimbe Malimbus scutatus. Common. A few always present in the

main clearing, where breeding. Also in the forest canopy, although rarely (because of

lack of palm trees?). Juveniles seen Oct-Dec. Not in mixed-species flocks.

120

R. Demey & L.D.C Fishpool

Malimbus 16

Blue-billed Malimbe M. nitens. Common. Lower strata in the forest and along

edges; in pairs or small groups. Nests (always above forest streams) with eggs Jun-

Mar and nestlings Jun-Mar. A regular member of mixed-species flocks.

Crested Malimbe M. malimbicus. Uncommon. Mainly middle strata in the forest;

occasionally in the main clearing. Singly or in pairs; one record of eight together.

Nest-building Apr-May and Sep. Juveniles seen Feb, May, Aug and Nov. A regular

member of mixed- species flocks.

Red-headed Malimbe M. rubricollis. Scarce. Upper strata above shady tracks.

Mostly in pairs. Sometimes in mixed-sp)ecies flocks.

Red-headed Quelea Quelea erythrops. Two sightings of small flocks (15 birds) in

the main clearing. Mar and Apr.

Grey-headed Sparrow Passer grise us. Scarce near human habitations in the main

clearing.

Seedcracker Pyrenestes sanguineus. An adult in the main clearing (Jul) and a

juvenile in the Plantation de l’Abbé (Nov).

Grey-crowned Negrofinch Nigrita canicapilla. Common. Mostly canopy. Nest-

building observed Oct and Dec. Juveniles seen Aug (once tliree together), Oct and Nov.

Chestnut-breasted Negrofinch N. bicolor. Not uncommon. All levels of the forest.

Nest-building observed in May, Jun, Aug and Oct. juveniles seen in May-Jun.

White- breasted Negrofinch N. fusconota. Scarce. Canopy along clearings and

tracks. Sometimes in mixed flocks of small insectivores.

Red-fronted Antpecker Parr/iop/ito (woodhousei) jamesoni. Scarce. Lower strata in

the forest (below 5 m), occasionally along edges. Mostly in pairs or family groups.

Sometimes in mixed-species flocks. Juveniles seen Dec-Jan and Jun. Voice

(previously undescribed): whseeet, rather vigorous for such a small bird.

Blue-billed Weaver Spermophaga haematina. Scarce, but unobtrusive and probably

more common than records suggest. Low down, occasionally mid-level. Sometimes

in mixed-species flocks. A juvenile mist-netted in such a flock in Mar.

Orange-cheeked Waxbill Estrilda melpoda. Not uncommon in shrubbery and long

grass in large clearings.

Magpie Mannikin Lonchura fringilloides. One sighting of two birds in the main

clearing, 15 Nov.

Blue-billed Mannikin L. bicolor. Not uncommon in clearings and along forest

edges.

Bronze Mannikin L. cucullata. Rare. A small flock in the main clearing, Apr.

Acknowledgments

We wish to thank Jean-Louis Blanchez for having greatly facilitated our

ornithological activities in Yapo, by providing the necessary permits. We also thank

the following for generously supplying their data and notes: T. Bara, J.-L. Blanchez,

1994

Birds of Yapo Forest

121

J. & P. Chandley, A. Jaramillo, J. Mariaux, R.-M. La Fontaine, D. Turner and D.

Wolf, and M. Gartshore for identifying the Sandy Scops Owl feather. L.G. Grimes

and A. Tye are thanked for their comments on the manuscript.

References

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Brown, L.H., Urban, E.K. & Newman, K. (1982) The Birds of Africa, vol. 1.

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Malimbus 16

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Press, London.

Appendix

Species recorded from Yapo Forest included in the ICBPAUCN Red Data Book

(Collar & Stuart 1985)

Status: Vulnerable

Yellow- throated Olive Bulbul Criniger olivaceus

Status: Near-threatened

Rufous- winged Akalat Trichastoma mfescens

Copper-tailed Glossy Starling Lamprotornis cupreicauda

Candidate species for treatment as threatened:

White-crested Tiger Heron Tigriornis leucolophus

Olive Ibis Bostrychia olivacea

Congo Serpent Eagle Dryotriorchis spectabilis

Long-tailed Hawk Urotriorchis macrourus

Ayres’s Hawk Eagle Hieraaetus dubius

Cassin’s Hawk Eagle Spizaetus africanus

A hanta Francolin Francolinus ahantensis

Black-collared Lovebird Agapornis swinderniana

Sandy Scops Owl Otus icterorhynchiis

Akun Eagle Owl Bubo leucostictus

Red-chested Owlet Glaucidium tephronotum

Black Spinetail Telacanthura melanopygia

Brown-cheeked Hornbill Ceratogymna cylindricus

Little Green Woodpecker Campethera maculosa

Lagden’s Bush Shrike Malaconotus lagdeni

Forest Scrub-Robin Cercotrichas leucosticta

Grey Ground Thrush Turdus princei

Sharpe’s Apalis Apalis sharpii

Kemp’s Longbill Macrosphenus kempi

Olivaceous Flycatcher Muscicapa olivascens

Ussher’s Rycatcher Muscicapa ussheri

Violet-backed Hyliota Hyliota violacea

West African Batis Batis occulta

Seedcracker Pyrenestes sanguineus

1994

123

Short Notes

Des pythons mangeurs de canards

Le 16 janvier 1994, au cours du recensement international des oiseaux d’eau au Parc

National des Oiseaux du Djoudj (Nord Sénégal), Féquipe prospectant le marigot du

Petit Djoudj a découvert des filets posés par des braconniers en travers du marigot. A

côté de quelques poissons (silures et Tilapià) de belle taille, nous avons trouvé cinq

Pythons de Séba Python sebae, de 3.5 à 5 m de îongeur, emmêlés dans les filets, et

qui avaient péris noyés (Fig. 1).

Figure. 1. Cinq I^thons de Séba qui avaient chacun ingurgité un Canard pilet

Deux de ces serpents présentaient un fort renflement au niveau de l’estomac et

Fautopsie a montré qu’ils avaient chacun ingurgité un Canard pilet Anas acuta. Le

contenu stomacal des trois autres ne contenait qu’une bouillie non identifiable.

Pouvant atteindre 6 m de Iongeur, le Python de Séba est le plus grand serpent

d’Afrique. Connu pour se nourrir habituellement de petits rongeurs (Larivière &

Dupuy 1978), de gros rongeurs, d’oiseaux terrestres, de petites antilopes et de Suidés

(Schmidt & Inger 1961) ou de batraciens (N. Ndiaye corn, pers.), il apparaît donc

qu’il peut aussi se nourrir régulièrement de canards. Les nombreuses populations

d’Anatidés au Parc National des Oiseaux du Djoudj (120 000-275 000 canards,

Schricke et al. 1991) peuvent ainsi fournir des proies de rechange aux pythons.

Par ailleurs les Pythons de Séba seraient beaucoup plus nombreux qu’on ne le

pensait généralement Les cinq pythons noyés dans les filets étaient en bon état de

conservation et avaient donc été capturés moins de 24 heures avant leur découverte.

Un essai de désherbage des marigots par brûlage des roseaux dans la zone de

Gainthe, en octobre 1993, sur une dizaine d’hectares, avait permis d’observer la fuite

devant le feu d’environ 80 de ces pythons (A. Ndiaye corn. pers.).

124

Short Notes

Malimbus 16

Bibliographie

Lariviere, J. & Dupuy, a. R. (1978) Sénégal, ses Parcs, ses Animaux. Fernand

Nathan, Paris.

ScHRiCKE, V., Triplet, R, Tréca, B., Sylla, S.I. & Diop, I. (1991) Dénombrement

des Anatidés dans le Parc National des Oiseaux du Djoudj et ses environs

(Janvier 1990). Bull, mensuel OJf. Nat. Chasse Cons. Nat. 153: 29-34.

Schmidt, K.P. & Inger, R.F. (1%1) Living Reptiles of the World. Hamish Hamilton,

London.

Reçu 12 avril 1994 Bernard Tréca, ORSTOM, B. P. 1386, Dakar, Sénégal

Com Bunting Emberiza calandra in Mauritania and West Africa

I was birdwatching in the sand dunes about 4 km south of Nouakchott, Mauritania, in

the late afternoon of 27 November 1984 when I noticed a small, plump, greyish

brown bird with streaked plumage, perched near the top of a small bush amongst the

scrub vegetation in the dunes. On closer inspection using 10 x 50 binoculars at a

distance of some 50 m I was intrigued to confirm its identity as a Corn Bunting

Emberiza calandra, a species with which I am familiar in Europe and N Algeria.

The following identification features were noted at the time: plumage generally

greyish brown, streaked darker brown on a paler grey throat and chest, the streaks

becoming lighter brown on the flanks and belly; back and wings streaked brownish,

bill relatively large but short, giving a chunky appearance; moustachial stripe dark

brown; ear coverts and crown streaked light brown. Overall it appeared slightly larger

and heavier than several other species observed on the same day in adjacent areas,

including Tree Pipit Anthus trivialis, Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa striata and

female Redstart Phoenicunis phoenicurus. On approaching closer, the bird flew away

silently towards Nouakchott, without displaying any obvious wing bar or outer tail

colour contrast, the flight being somewhat laboured.

Lamarche (1988) describes Corn Bunting as accidental in Mauritania, citing

observations in Nouadhibou in 1978 (Trotignon in Mahé 1985) and Cap Timirist in

1987. Mahé (1985) quoted southward winter dispersal in Morocco, where the species

breeds. One observation is recorded for Senegal (Morel & Morel 1990). E.D.H.

Johnson {in litt.) caught one at Beni Abbes, SW Algeria, in 1965. The available data

suggest that Corn Bunting remains an accidental species in West Africa

I would like to thank Drs A. Tye and G.J. Morel for commenting on an earlier draft

of this note.

1994

Corrigendum

125

References

Lamarche, B. (1988) Liste commentée des oiseaux de Mauritanie. Etud. Sahariennes

Ouest~Afr. 1(4). Association des Naturalistes Sahariens et Ouest-Africains,

Nouakchott/Pari s.

Mahé, E. (1985) Contribution à V Étude Scientifique de la Région de Banc d’Arguin

2V20*Nil9’‘20'N. Thèse, Univ. des Sciences et Techniques du Languedoc,

France.

Morel, G.J. & Morel, M.-Y. (1990) Les Oiseaux.de Sénégambîe. ORSTOM, Paris.

Received 16 May 1994

Revised 13 August 1994 S.J. Farnsworth

Hammerkop, Frogmill, Hurley, Maidenhead, Berks SL6 5NL, UK.

Corrigendum

Oiseaux nouveaux pour ïa République Centrafricaine ou dont les notifîcations

de ce pays sont peu nombreuses. (Germain, M. & Cornet, J.-P., 1994, Maümbus

16: 30-51).

Une très préjudiciable lacune bibliographique dont j’assume toute la responsabilité

nous a conduits, dans cette note, à considérer la capture prés de Bangui, en mai 1978,

d*une Hirondelle de rivage Riparia congica, comme constituant la première

notification de cette espèce en R.C.A.. C’est en réalité à Jehl (1976, Les oiseaux de

File Kembé (R.C.A.). Alauda 44: 153-167) que Ton doit de pouvoir étendre la

répartition de cette espèce jusqu’au moyen Oubangui, cet auteur en ayant obtenu un

exemplaire le 24 mars 1974, sur File de Kembé, 25 km en amont de Bangui. Que

Malîmbus et ses lecteurs veuillent bien me pardonner cette malencontreuse erreur.

De plus, la page 31, ligne 6, doit se lire: par Carroll dans sa publication de

1988, seule facilement [Le Rédacteur assume toute ïa responsabilité de cette

erreur... A.T.]

Reçu 21 septembre 1994

Max Germain

44 rue Cluseret, 92150 Suresnes, France

126

Malimbus 16

Book Reviews

Cormorants, Darters, and Pelicans of the World. By P.A. Johnsgard, 1993. xiv +

445 pp. +31 pp. of colour plates. Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC. ISBN 1-

56098-216-0. Hardback £38.25.

This partial monograph of the Pelecaniformes excludes the other families which have

never been so treated to date (Fregatidae and Phaethontidae), because it would have

been too much work to include them and comparatively little is known about them.

So states the author in his preface; still, it’s a shame. Johnsgard monographs appear

regularly, and this one follows the established format. There is a series of

comparative introductory chapters, followed by a section on each species. As always,

Johnsgard makes no claim to expert knowledge of the group he is monographing, and

the book is simply a review of current knowledge.

The systematic treatment thoroughly reviews published opinions, and chooses

safe compromises. This results in only one oddity: the classification of all the New

Zealand blue-eyed shags as different species, resulting in comparatively too much

coverage. The other introductory chapters cover comparative morphology,

maintenance and locomotory behaviour, foraging behaviour (including fascinating

summaries of pelican plunge-diving and fishing with domesticated cormorants),

social behaviour, breeding, population dynamics and conservation (although few

species are endangered, this section contains some important lessons). These chapters

are all comprehensively researched; they make rather dry reading but are invaluable

as leads into the research literature. Many sections contain useful comparative tables,

e.g. of breeding productivity. But in this part of the book, the margins occupy more

than one-quarter of the page; who wants to pay for that?

The rest (252 pp.) comprises the species accounts. To assess their usefulness, I

compared the West African species accounts (two cormorants, one darter, two

pelicans) with those in Volume 1 of The Birds of Africa (Brown et al. 1982,

Academic Press, London). Generally, the plumage descriptions are more detailed

than in BoA, especially of young stages. There are more measurements and weights,

but fewer egg measurements. Details for identification in the hand are given, with

keys in an appendix; these might be useful for researchers on this group, who are

among the few individuals likely to buy it. The illustrations (photos plus line

drawings) are less useful than the portraits in BoA, at least for identification. There is

more detail on habitat, food, social behaviour and breeding for most species, although

not substantially for the pelicans. Items of information are much better referenced

than in BoA, and the style is more conversational. All these points are what might be

expected for a monograph, and result in the conclusion that those interested in these

groups (particularly worldwide) will certainly value the book, but the majority of

ornithologists will be content without it.

1994

Book Reviews

127

One point where I think Bo A wins is the maps. Johnsgard’s attempt to show more

detail (usefully, showing major breeding colonies) but could have been better

designed to do so. There are some errors {e.g. dots to indicate colony sizes omitted,

although captions say they should be there). The mapped distributions often differ

from those in BoA, and I think that BoA is usually more correct, particularly as in

some cases Johnsgard’s range descriptions agree with BoA maps, rather than with his

own; as an extreme example. Pink-backed Pelican Pelecanus rufescens is shown

breeding on the Seychelles but not so listed in the text. Some maps are definitely

wrong, e.g. most of Africa is shown as “non-breeding” range of the Darter Anhinga

melanogasîer, whereas it is actually probably resident in much of this range, but

breeding is simply not proven. Others omit some documented records which are

mentioned in BoA.

Apart from the maps, I spotted few errors: a few mis-spellings only. Johnsgard

has fulfilled the task he set himself in his usual thorough fashion.

Darter - Anhinga d’Afrique - Anhinga melanogaster

Photo: Michael Gore

The Birds of CITES and How to Identify Them. By J. Erritz0e, 1993. xxii +199

pp., 10 monochrome + 75 colour plates. Lutterworth Press, Cambridge. ISBN 0-

7188-2894-1, £30 (hardback): ISBN 0-7188-2892-5, £26 (ringbound); ISBN 0-7188-

2895-X, £95 (leatherbound).

Restrictions on trade imposed under the Convention on International Trade in

Endangered Species of wild fauna and flora (CITES) cover 1478 bird species, the

basis for this book. Species which are, or are likely to become, endangered, are

illustrated in colour. A further 1072 “lookalike” species included in the CITES

listings are illustrated in black and white. CITES Appendix III comprises species

128

Book Reviews

Malimbus 16

which aiiy party to the Convention has made subject to jurisdiction and in need of

cooperation from other parties for the purposes of controlling trade; hence about 130

Ghanaian species are included in colour. This is not so interesting for the West

African ornithologist as it may seem, as some of these are local races of species

common worldwide, such as Green Fruit Pigeon, Village Weaver and Cattle Egret,

although the implications of having to restrict trade in even common species merit

consideration.

The title’s claim to be an identification guide is over-ambitious, given the brief

plumage descriptions, poor colours in many plates, lack of comparison with similar

species for families not included in the lookalike list and scant referencing of regional

handbooks and family monographs. It is doubtful whether the book will be useful on

its own as an identification guide but, if misidentification leads to non-CITES species

being erroneously included, this cannot be a bad thing for the birds. The availability

of a leatherbound edition suggests it is aimed partly at the collectors’ market.

However, any attention to the problems caused to wildlife by the bird trade is

welcome, and the support by WWF and Prince Philip in launching this book, together

with its generally attractive appearance, should contribute to raising public awareness

of CITES.

Hilary Tye

Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 1. Ostrich to ducks. Ed. by J. del

Hoyo, A. Elliott & J. Sargatal, 1992. 696 pp., 50 colour paintings, numerous photos.

Lynx Eidicions, Barcelona. ISBN 84-87334-10-5. Hardback c. £95.

The obvious course to take, when reviewing this book from a West African

perspective, is to compare it with The Birds of Africa (Brown et al 1982, Urban et al

1986, Fry et al 1988, Keith et al 1992, Academie Press, London) (henceforth BoA).

However, the two works have very different aims and approaches. The present book

(henceforth HBW) does not attempt to usurp regional works, and the Family is the

basic unit for the biological accounts. The family sections include systematics and

evolution, morphology, habitat, habits, voice, food and feeding, breeding,

movements, relations with man, status and conservation, with the emphasis on

systematics, status and conservation. Family sections are profusely illustrated by

photographs, which are excellent, many illustrating actions; from one photo of

ostriches running, one can see exactly how the legs move.

Following the family account, each species has a concise text and a plate. The

artists have done some brilliant work, especially Lluis Centelles and Francesc Jutglar.

They deserve lots more commissions. All species are illustrated, as are many

subspecies and both sexes if sufficiently different, but the book is not an

identification guide and only breeding plumage is shown. Measurement sections are

1994

Book Reviews

129

very brief and not of great intraspecific use. Every species has a small map, not

normally depicting less than a continent, even if the bird’s distribution is very limited.

Perhaps the biggest mistake is to include voice in the family, not species accounts.

The Introduction admits that such generalizations are of little use, whereas voice can

be a key to specific identification.

Does the family vs species approach otherwise succeed? Accounts for

monospecific families (e g. ostrich) contain much of the detail which would go into

species accounts in Bo A. They are very comprehensive, better illustrated and easier to

read (less telegraphic) than BoA. In multispecific families, the family section permits

more consideration of comparative aspects (taxonomy, competition, etc.) than in

BoA. Non-African information about African species is also better integrated. HBW

has generally more detail for many groups than BoA, especially more biology, but

less detail per species. However, it is difficult to pin down most general statements to

the species for which the information is known. This makes it hard to define gaps in

knowledge for individual species.

Family and species accounts are selectively referenced (major studies, regional

works and information from little- studied areas) at the end of each. The reference to

the original description of each taxon is also given.

The Introduction is a text-book style, but readable, account of the characteristics

of Class Aves: not just a nod to bird biology, but 37 large pages of interesting

material.

Most mistakes are minor, some of an iberian nature (e.g. isquium for ischium).

However, there are some errors of fact or interpretation, and some uncritical

statements: e.g. “large size, colonial nesting and very specialized habits ... make

[herons] extremely vulnerable to any direct attacks and also to environmental

changes. Nevertheless, due to their great capacity for survival, only a few ... are

seriously threatened”. What causes this “great capacity for survival”? The statement

merely begs that question. And what is one to make of the assertion (p. 199) that “By

attracting sunlight, this patch [of dark feathers around an albatross’s eye] improves

vision, as it deviates sunlight that would otherwise strike the eye directly.”? Are the

authors aware of some recent research on relativity? Other statements of a similar

nature are, if not common, rather too frequent for scientific comfort.

Most of us use BoA most as an identification reference. HBW may unnecessarily

have reduced its market by not attempting to compete. To have included more

plumage illustrations and better descriptions would have enabled many to do without

regional works, by buying only this series. Still, the two works basically serve

different functions. HBW is a good introduction to bird families and is excellent on

group biology; it is also the better read. BoA is better for Africa, for individual

species and for identification. Given the prices of the two series, most of us will have

to be content with only one.

Alan Tye

130

Malimbus 16

News and Letters

Request for information on pittas

I am working on a new book, The Pittas of the World, which is intended to

summarise all published and unpublished information for each species in this little

known family (last monograph was Elliot’s in 1895). A colour plate is planned for

each of the 31 species and some colour illustrations for subspecies as well.

I would welcome any unpublished or published information, e.g. trip reports,

field observations with notes on habitat, identification tips, vocalisations, breeding

records, descriptions of nest sites and nests, descriptions of juvenile plumages,

behaviour or diet. Records of birds killed at windows or by other accidents are of

interest, as are current status and populations everywhere; possible threats to survival

will be particularly useful. Even notes from captive birds will be of interest.

Loaned photos used for reference will be returned in due course and contributions

will be gratefully acknowledged in the book, with full name and address. Hease send

any information to: Johannes Erritz0e, Taps Old Rectory, DK-6070 Christiansfeld,

Denmark (fax +45 75 573255).

Demande d’informations sur les brèves

Je travaille à un nouveau livre, The Pittas of the World, dont l’objet est de

résumer toutes les données publiées ou inédites sur chaque espèce de cette famille

peu connue (la dernière monographie est celle d’Elliot en 1895). Une planche en

couleurs est prévue pour chacune des 31 espèces de même que quelques illustrations

en couleurs pour les sous-espèces.

J’apprécierais tous renseignements publiées ou non (mais des lettres en anglais,

allemandais ou danois seulement, s.v.p.), p. ex. comptes rendus de voyages,

observations de terrain avec notes sur l’habitat, conseils pour l’identification, données

sur l’acoustique et la reproduction, descriptions de nids et de leurs emplacements,

descriptions des plumages juvéniles, notes sur le comportement ou le régime

alimentaire. Les relevés d’oiseaux tués contre des vitres ou autres accidents sont

intéressants de même que statut actuel et état des populations où que ce soit; les

menaces possibles contre la survie d’une espèce seront particulièrement utiles. Même

des observations d’oiseaux captifs auront de l’intérêt.

Les photos prêtées et utilisées comme documents seront renvoyées en temps

voulu et la contribution reconnue avec gratitude dans l’ouvrage, avec nom et adresse

complets. Veuillez adresser toutes données à Johannes Erritz0e, Taps Old Rectory,

DK-6070 Christiansfeld, Danemark (fax +45 75 573255).

1994

News & Letters

131

Request for bird observations from Niger

Since the appearance of Giraudoux et al/s very useful Avifaune du Niger: état des

connaissances en 1986 {Malimbus 10. 1-140), a lot more has become known about

the birds of Niger. In coordination with lUCN-Niger and the Département de Faune,

Pêche et Pisciculture, we are trying to prepare an updated description of the avifauna

of Niger. In this context we are requesting the assistance of all those who have, or

know of, documentation of bird observations made in Niger. We are looking

especially for previously unpublished information, but published information is very

welcome, too. Of published information, please send us a copy or bibliographic

reference (as complete as possible). For unpublished information, please mention as

far as possible names of contributors, geographic references, dates of observations,

description of habitats, the species recorded and any details for individual species

regarding abundance, breeding, habitat preference and behaviour. For less common

species a description of the birds observed would be appreciated. All information

used will be duly ackowledged in any resulting publications.

Where possible, we prefer submitted records to be attributable to 30’ squares (30’

latitude by 30’ longitude), or finer. Each 30’ square is approximately 50 x 50 km, and

is identified by the co-ordinates of its centre, as well as by the name of prominent

town, lake etc. lying within it. The boundaries of each square can be identified with

reasonable accuracy even on the Michelin 1:4,000,000 map of NW Africa However,

all data are welcome, even if they can be localised only as referring to, e.g., “the road

between Niamey and Maradi”. To facilitate your work, we can send you copies of a

checklist of bird species reported from Niger, on which the species observed at a

particular site can be ticked, and other details added.

Joost BrouweF & Wim Mullié^

‘ICRISAT Sahelian Centre, B.P. 12404, Niamey, Niger.

Tel. +227 722529, fax 734329, e-mail ICRISATSC@CGNET.COM.

From 15 Dec 94: Dept of Soil Science and Geology, RO. Box 37, 6700 AA

Wageningen, The Netherlands. Tel. (0)8370 84410; fax (0)8370 82419.

'DFPV, B.R 12625, Niamey, Niger.' Tel. +227 732181, fax 732237.

Demande d’informations sur les oiseaux du Niger

En 1988 Giraudoux et al. ont publié Avifaune du Niger: état des connaissances en

1986 {Malimbus 10: 1-140). Depuis la publication de cette liste très utile, les

connaissances sur les oiseaux du Niger se sont beaucoup approfondies. En

collaboration avec TUICN-Niger et le Département de Faune, Pêche et Pisciculture,

nous entreprenons la révision de l’avifaune du Niger. Pour cela nous recherchons

toutes observations et documentation sur les oiseaux au Niger. Aussi demandons-

132

News & Letters

Maiimbus 16

nous l’assistance de tous ceux qui pourraient nous aider. Nous recherchons

particulièrement les observations encore non publiées mais des photocopies d’articles

publiés sont également les bienvenues. Dans ce dernier cas, veuillez nous envoyer

soit une photocopie soit la référence bibliographique. Quant aux observations

inédites, nous vous saurions gré de nous donner, si possible, les noms des

observateurs, les coordonnées géographiques, les dates des observations, une

description de l’habitat, les espèces observées et, pour chaque espèce, son degré

d’abondance, son mode de nidification, son habitat préféré et son comportement.

Pour les espèces plus rares, nous aimerons avoir plus de détails. Toute utilisation de

vos observations sera citée dans les publications à paraître.

Nous préférons recevoir des listes d’espèces classées par carré de 30’ (30’ de

latitude par 30’ de longtitude), ou même des surfaces plus réduites. Chaque carré de

30’ mesure approximativement 50 x 50 km, et est identifié par les coordonnées de

son centre et par le nom d’une ville, d’un lac etc., situés dans ce carré. Les limites de

chaque carré se distinguent assez facilement sur la carte Michelin du Nord-Ouest de

l’Afrique au 1:4.000.000. Toutefois, toutes les données seront les bienvenues, même

si on ne peut les localiser que, par exemple, “le long de la route entre Niamey et

Maradi”. Pour faciliter votre travail, nous pouvons vous envoyer la liste des espèces

observées au Niger, sur laquelle vous indiquerez celles que vous avez observées, avec

indication de la localité ainsi que les autres détails demandés.

Joost Brouwer^ & Wim Mullié^

4CR1SAT Sahelian Centre, B. R 12404, Niamey, Niger.

Tel. +227 722529, fax 734329, e-mail ICRISATSC@CGNET.COM.

Du 15 déc 94: Dept. of Soil Science and Geology, P. O. Box 37, 6700 AA

Wageningen, The Netherlands. Tel. (0)8370 84410; fax (0)8370 82419.

'DFPV, B.P. 12625, Niamey, Niger. Tel. +227 732181, fax 732237.

Ornithological society and bird records in Plateau State, Nigeria

An ornithological society is being set up in Plateau State, Nigeria, and is anxious to

secure as many records as possible from previous inhabitants of or visitors to the

state. We should be very grateful if you could send records to the following address.

Any enquiries about the society are also welcome.

Dr Mark Hopkins

TCNN, P.O. Box 64, Bukuru, Plateau State, Nigeria

1994

News & Letters

133

New journal: Advances in Raptor Studies

In February 1995, a new ornithological journal will commence publication. Advances

in Raptor Studies welcomes original contributions pertaining to all aspects of the

biology of birds of prey, including owls. Manuscripts will be accepted in English,

with a complete summary in the author’s language. For further information

(instructions to authors, subscriptions etc.) write to:

The Editor, Advances in Raptor Studies,

Giovanni Leonard! Editore, Via Santangelo Fulci 28, 95127 Catania, Italy.

Funds for conservation projects

BirdLife International and the Fauna and Flora Preservation Society, with support

from British Petroleum, hold an annual competition for conservation exploration

projects. Projects are judged especially on the level of host country involvement and

the global importance of the conservation issues on which the project is focused.

Proposals for 1995 expeditions must be entered no later than 31 December 1994. For

further information, contact:

Michael K. Poulsen

BirdLife International, Wellbrook Court, Girton Road, Cambridge CB3 ONA, U.K.

Tel. +44 (0)223 277318; fax +44 (0)223 277200

134

Malimbus 16

Society Notices

Third Biennial Meeting of the Society

The third biennial meeting, 6-8 May 1994, was held in the Netherlands at the

suggestion of Peter Alexander-Marrack. Arrangements for the meeting, held in

Kampen, a Hanseatic town on the River Ijssel, were made by Jan Nap. The meeting

was attended by 24 members and guests, from the Netherlands, France and Britain.

The General Meeting of the Society was held on Saturday, 7 May. The minutes

are given below.

Dinner on Saturday evening was followed by a presentation by Frans Schepers

and P. Eklelaar of two field studies set up by International Wader and Waterfowl

Research (WIWO) in West Africa, as part of their research programme into the Afro-

Palaearctic migration system. Frans Schepers described a project on waders in the

coastal region of Gabon and Mr Edelaar a research project in irrigated rice-fields in

north Cameroon. It was particularly encouraging to hear of research currently being

carried out in West Africa

In addition to the business of the meeting, members were able to take advantage

of the proximity of the Zwarte Meer reserve and the well known wetlands of

Oostvaardersplassen in Flevoland. Jan Nap had obtained permission for a visit to the

ringing site at Zwarte Meer which is the stronghold of the Great Reed Warbler in the

Netherlands. Indeed, besides excellent views of that bird, Icterine, Savi’s and Reed

Warblers and Reed Bunting were noted in the reed beds. In the surrounding fields

there was a good population of Marsh Harrier, Lapwing and Black-tailed Godwit.

Members were also privileged to be able to visit a breeding colony of Purple Heron

on private farmland.

The meeting ended with a visit on Sunday morning to Oostvaardersplassen.

Despite the rain, members visited several locations in this wetland reserve and were

well rewarded with views of Bluethroat and Spoonbill, and close views from a hide

of over 20 pairs of nesting Avocet, with amongst them a nesting Little Ringed Plover.

Mention must also be made of the large breeding colony of Cormorant and the

interesting display set out at the Oostvaardersplassen Centre.

The Society is most grateful to Mr Schepers and Mr Edelaar for travelling to

Kampen especially to talk about the WIWO projects, and special thanks are due to

Jan Nap for making all the local arrangements and for providing such an interesting

and enjoyable programme of excursions which ensured the success of the meeting.

Amberley Moore

1994

Society Notices

135

Minutes of the General Meeting of the West African Ornithological Society held

at 15.15 h on Saturday 7 May 1994 at the Olde Brugge Hotel, Kampen, The

Netherlands

Present:

G.J. Morel

R.E. Sharland

M. Germain

A.M. Moore

President

Treasurer

Member of Council

Secretary to the Council

and 10 Members of the Society.

The President welcomed members to the third biennial meeting of the Society. He

particularly thanked Peter Alexander-Marrack (who was unfortunately unable to

attend because of illness), for suggesting that the meeting be held in Holland, and Jan

Nap, for organizing such an excellent programme for the meeting. He also thanked

Mr Schepers and Mr Edelaar for sparing the time to come to speak after dinner.

He regretted that our Vice-President, John El good, had not felt well enough to

travel to Kampen, particularly as he was, with Hilary Fry and Bob Sharland, a

founder of W.A.O.S.

The President felt that the interest of members from Holland, France, U.K. and

Austria in the meeting gives encouragement for the future of the Society. The

purpose of the Society was not only to meet but to promote research, particularly to

encourage young researchers, into the ornithology of West Africa.

1. The Minutes of the General Meeting held at Felixstowe on 16 May 1992, These

had been published in Malimbus 14: 69-71 and were agreed as correct and signed.

2. Financial Report. The Treasurer presented his financial statement showing the

accounts for 1993. It had not been possible to get them audited in time for the

meeting. There was still a surplus in 1993 of £320; this was less than in 1992 because

money had been spent on improving Malimbus.

The proposal of M. Skilleter, seconded by G.D. Field, that subject to audit the

accounts for 1993 should be accepted, was agreed by the meeting.

The Treasurer drew members’ attention to an error in the accounts for 1992

printed in Malimbus, June 1993. The subscription income should read £2739 and not

as printed.

Mr Field said that the surplus for the year was now very low and that annual

increases in printing costs and postal charges will erode it. The possibility of reducing

these costs will be explored. The meeting did not consider it appropriate to raise the

subscription at present but the possibility was considered of a lower subscription for

African members. The Treasurer said that, of the African members, the two in

Nigeria receive their journal free from W.A.O.S. and the subscriptions of the six

African members in Ghana are paid by the R.S.P.B. W.A.O.S. also sends free copies

of Malimbus to West African universities.

136

Society Notices

Malimbus 16

The Society is unable to apply for charitable status as it is not constituted within

the U.K. The Treasurer agreed to pursue the possibility of getting a better rate of

interest on the Society’s funds than is presently obtained.

3. Editor’s Report and Malimbus. Mr Field presented the Editor’s Report on behalf of

Dr Tye. It was noted that it would be published in Malimbus [see Malimbus 16:69-70].

Dr Germain, seconded by Mr Field, proposed that the Editor be asked to consider

placing the vernacular name of the species after the scientific name, where the names

appear together in Malimbus, reversing current usage. There was general agreement

with this and the feeling of the meeting would be conveyed to the Editor.

Dr Chappuis asked whether a bibliography of West Africa could be included in

Malimbus. The President said that this is now being prepared by Hilary Fry and it

will be published by Robert Dowsett as a supplement to Tauraco. It was suggested

that a note about its availability could be included in Malimbus.

A review will appear in Malimbus of the Dowsett et al. Afrotropical Checklists.

The President suggested that Devillers’ list of French names of birds, the same as that

used in The Birds of Africa should be used by authors who publish in Malimbus. This

should ensure that authors only use recognized vernacular names.

Dr Skinner said that the Editor had taken cognizance of members’ wishes

expressed in the questionnaire about the content an format of Malimbus.

It was suggested that a slip for payment of subscriptions should be inserted in

Malimbus each year. It was felt that this would simplify the collection of

subscriptions and may bring in new members.

The President expressed his thanks to Dr Tye for his continued excellent

editorship despite the difficulties of communication.

4. Funding of research by W.A.O.S. The Secretary said that, following the

evaluation of the questionnaire, by Dr Skinner and Dr Tye {Malimbus 15: 101-106),

Council has published an invitation for researchers from West Africa, particularly

those doing postgraduate research, for grants of up to £500. Not more than £1000 of

the Society’s funds shall be disbursed in any one year. Additional notices will be

circulated in the next few months.

It was agreed to implement Dr Skinner’s suggestion that a personal approach

should be made to universities in West Africa to see whether they have students there

who might benefit.

Mr Beecroft noted that the surplus funds had diminished over the last two years

and felt care should be taken that the surplus did not become a deficit. The meeting

agreed to his proposal, seconded by Mr Field, that not more than £1000 should be

disbursed in grants before consideration of the matter again at the next biennial

meeting.

5. Biennial Meeting 1996. The Council asked the meeting to consider holding the

next biennial meeting in The Gambia, during the 9th Pan-African Ornithological

Congress, 17-23 October 1996. After discussion, this was accepted in principle by the

meeting.

1994

Society Notices

137

A circular will be placed in Malimbus outlining the programme and asking

members to register their interest.

It was suggested that the business meeting could be conducted during the week

and the possibility of arranging a joint symposium with other African ornithological

societies during one of the scientific sessions of the Congress will be explored.

6. The Birds of Nigeria. The President read a letter from John El good describing the

progress of a second edition of the B.O.U. Checklist no. 4 since the biennial meeting

in Felixstowe. The revised text is now in proof and it is hoped it will be published

during the summer. It will follow the nomenclature of The Birds of Africa as far as

possible and this edition will include coloured plates. The species list for Nigeria is

now increased to 883.

7. African Bird Club. The meeting noted the formation of the African Bird Club.

Details of the club had been circulated to those attending the meeting.

8. Any other business. Mr Skilleter thanked the Council for the work it had

undertaken on behalf of W.A.O.S. during the past two years.

There was no further business and the meeting closed at 17.00 h.

Amberley Moore

Troisième Assemblée Bisannuelle de la Société

La troisième assemblée bisannuelle eut lieu du 6 au 8 mai 1994 aux Pays-Bas, sur la

suggestion de Peter Alexander-Marrack. La réunion, tenue à Kampen, cité

hanséatique sur le fleuve Ijssel, fut préparée par Jan Nap. Elle fut suivie par 24

adhérents et accompagnateurs, venus des Pays-Bas, de France et de Grande-Bretagne.

L’Assemblée Générale de la Société, dont le compte rendu est donné ci-dessous,

eut lieu le samedi 7 mai.

Le samedi soir, le dîner fut suivi par les exposés de Frans Schepers et P. Edelaar

sur deux missions montées par l’International Wader and Waterfowl Research

(WIWO) en Afrique de l’Ouest, dans le cadre de leur programme de recherches sur le

système migratoire Afro-Paléarctique. Frans Schepers présenta un projet sur les

limicoles dans la zone côtière du Gabon et M. Edelaar une étude sur des rizières

irriguées du nord-Cameroun. Il était particulièrement encourageant d’apprendre que

des recherches sont menées dans l’Ouest Africain.

En dehors de l’ordre du jour de la réunion, les participants pouvaient profiter de

la proximité de la réserve de Zwarte Meer et des célèbres zones humides

d’Oostvaardersplassen en Hevoland. Jan Nap avait obtenu la permission de visiter le

site de baguage de Zwarte Meer, bastion de la Rousserolle turdoïde aux Pays-Bas.

Après avoir très bien vu cette espèce en effet, on nota aussi l’Hypolaïs ictérine, la

Locustelle luscinidfde et le Bruant des roseaux dans les roselières. Dans les champs

138

Society Notices

Malimbus 16

alentour, il y avait une bonne population de Busard harpaye, de Vanneau et de Barge

à queue noire. Les participants eurent aussi la chance de pouvoir observer une colonie

de Héron pourpré sur les terres privées.

La réunion s’acheva avec l’excursion le dimanche matin à Oostvaardersplassen.

Malgré la pluie, les participants visitèrent plusieurs endroits de ces marais en réserve

et eurent la chance d’observer Gorge-bleue et Spatule; une hutte permettait

d’observer de près une vingtaine de paires d’Avocette au nid et, parmi eux, un nid de

Petit Gravelot. N’oublions pas la grande colonie de Grand Cormoran et les

intéressantes vitrines du Centre d ’Oostvaardersplassen.

La Société est très reconnaissante à MM. Schepers et Edelaar d’être venus exprès

à Kampen pour parler des projets du WIWO; elle remercie tout particulièrement Jan

Nap pour les préparatifs sur place et pour son programme d’excursions intéressantes

et agréables qui ont fait le succès de cette réunion.

Amberley Moore

Compte rendu de l’Assemblée Générale de la Société d’ Ornithologie de FOuest

Africain tenue le samedi 7 mai 1994 à 15.15 h au Olde Bru^e Hotel, à Kampen,

Pays-Bas

Etaient présents;

G.J. Morel

R.E. Sharland

M. Germain

A.M. Moore

Président

T résorier

Membre du Conseil

Secrétaire

et 10 Membres de la Société.

Le Président souhaite la bienvenue aux membres de la Société pour la troisième

assemblée bisannuelle. Il tient à remercier Peter Alexander-Marrack

(malheureusement dans l’impossibilité d’assister pour raison de santé) pour avoir

proposé que la réunion ait lieu aux Pays-Bas et Jan Nap pour avoir organisé

l’excellent programme de la réunion. Il remercie aussi MM. Schepers et Edelaar pour

avoir trouvé le temps de venir après dîner faire un exposé.

Il regrette que notre Vice- Président, John El good, ne se soit pas senti capable de

faire le voyage de Kampen, d’autant plus qu’il est, avec Hilary Fry et Bob Sharland,

fondateur de la S.O.O.A.

Le Président estime que l’intérêt dans la réunion de membres des Pays-Bas, de

France, du Royaume-Uni et d’Autriche est encourageante pour l’avenir de la société.

Son but est, non pas seulement de se réunir, mais aussi d’encourager la recherche en

ornithologie ouest-africaine, particulièrement parmi les jeunes chercheurs.

1. Compte rendu de FAssemblée Générale tenue à Felixstowe le 16 mai 1992. II a

1994

Society Notices

139

été publié dans Malimbm 14:69-71 et a été approuvé et signé.

2. Rapport Financier. Le Trésorier présente son relevé financier avec les comptes

pour 1993. Il n*a pas été possible de les soumettre à un audit avant la réunion. Il

restait encore on excédent de £320 en 1993, mais moins qu*en 1992 à cause de frais

consacrés à F amélioration de Malimbm.

La proposition de M. Skilîeter, appuyée par G.D. Field, que, sous réserve de

vérification, les comptes de 1993 soient approuvés, est acceptée par rassemblée.

Le Trésorier attire l’attention des participants sur une erreur dans les comptes de

1992 et publiée dans Malimbus de juin 1993. Le revenu des abonnements est de

£2739 et non comme il est imprimé.

G.D. Field dit que l’excédent de l’année est maintenant très bas et que les

augmentations annuelles des frais d’impression et de poste réduiront ce surplus. On

cherchera s’il est pœsible de diminuer ces frais. L’assemblée ne juge pas opportun

d’augmenter la cotisation pour le moment mais envisage la possibilité de la diminuer

pour les adhérents africains. Le Trésorier observe que, parmi les Africains, les deux

Nigérians reçoivent la revue gratis et que les cotisations des six adhérents africains du

Ghana sont payées par la R.S.P.B.. La S.O.O.A. envoie aussi Malimbus gratuitement

aux universités de FOuest africain.

La société ne peut solliciter le statut de société à but non lucratif du fait qu’elle

n’est pas établie au Royaume-Uni. Le Trésorier continuera de chercher à obtenir un

meilleur taux d’intérêt pour les fonds de la société que celui en cours actuellement.

3. Rapport du Rédacteur. G.D. Field lit le rapport de la Rédaction à la place d’A.

Tye. II est noté qu’il paraîtra dans Malimbm [voir Malîmbus 16: 70-71]. M. Germain,

appuyé par G.D. Field, propose de demander au Rédacteur d’envisager de mettre le

nom vernaculaire de l’espèce après le nom scientifique, lorsque les deux noms sont

donnés ensemble dans Malimbus, à l’inverse de l’usage actuel L’accord est unanime

sur ce point et ce voeu sera transmis au Rédacteur.

C. Chappuis demande si Malimbus pourrait publier une bibliographie de FOuest

africain. Le Président répond que C.H. Fry la prépare et qu’elle paraîtra, comme

supplément, dans Tauraco. On suggère d’insérer dans Malimbus un avis pour

annoncer sa parution.

Malimbus publiera une analyse des Afrotropical Checklists de Dowsett et al Le

Président suggère que les auteurs qui publient dans Malimbus utilisent la liste des

noms français des oiseaux de Devillers, qui est la même que celle suivie par The

Birds of Africa. On serait ainsi assuré que les auteurs n’utiliseraient que les noms

vernaculaires reconnus.

N.J. Skinner dit que le Rédacteur a eu connaissance des desiderata des membres

exprimés dans le questionnaire à propos de la teneur et de la présentation de

Malimbm.

On suggère qu’un bulletin d’abonnement soit glissé dans Malimbus chaque

année; cela pourrait simplifier le recouvrement des cotisations et peut-être nous valoir

de nouveaux adhérents.

140

Society Notices

Mal imbus 16

Le Président adresse ses remerciements à A. Tye qui remplit avec une efficacité

constante son rôle de Rédacteur malgré les difficultés de communication.

4. Financement de recherches par la S.O.O.A. La Secrétaire rappelle que, après

l’analyse du questionnaire préparée par A. Tye et N. J. Skinner {Malimbus 15: 101-

106), le Conseil a fait paraître une offre de bourses d’un montant maximum de £500 à

l’intention des étudiants des universités africaines, particulièrement ceux qui

préparent un diplôme de troisième cycle. La somme prélevée sur les fonds de la

société ne pourra excéder £1000 par an. D’autres annonces paraîtront les mois qui

viennent.

Il est décidé de donner suite à la suggestion de N. J. Skinner de s’adresser

personellement aux universités ouest-africaines pour voir si elles ont des étudiants qui

pourraient profiter des bourses.

R. Beecroft fait observer que notre fonds de réserve a diminué ces deux dernières

années et qu’il faut veiller à ce que le surplus ne tourne pas au déficit. L’assemblée

accepte la suggestion, appuyée par G.D. Field, de ne pas consacrer plus de £1000 aux

bourses avant réexamen du sujet à la prochaine assemblée bisannuelle.

5. Assemblée Bisannuelle de 1996. Le Conseil demande à l’assemblée de donner

son avis sur le projet de réunir la prochaine assemblée bisannuelle en Gambie, au

cours du neuvième Congrès Panafricain d ’Ornithologie, 17-23 octobre 1996. Après

discussion l’assemblée donne son accord de principe.

Une annonce paraîtra dans Malimbus avec le programme et demandera aux

abonnés de faire connaître leur intérêt.

Il est suggéré que l’assemblée elle-même pourrait avoir lieu durant la semaine du

congrès et qu’on devrait essayer d’organiser une réunion commune avec les autres

sociétés ornithologiques africaines pendant l’une des sessions scientifiques.

6. The Birds of Nigeria. Le Président lit une lettre de John El good qui donne l’état

d’avancement de la seconde édition de la B.O.U. Checklist no. 4 depuis l’Assemblée

Bisannuelle de Felixstowe. Le texte définitif en est aux épreuves et devrait paraître

cet été. Il suivra autant que possible la séquence systématique de The Birds of Africa

et comportera des planches en couleurs. Le nombre d’espèces pour le Nigéria s’élève

maintenant à 883.

7. African Bird Club. L’assemblée prend note de la fondation de 1 ’African Bird

Club et peut consulter des dépliants le concernant.

8. Divers. M. Skilleter remercie le Conseil pour ce qu’il a fait dans l’intérêt de la

S.O.O.A. au cours des deux années écoulées.

L’ordre du jour étant épuisé, la séance est levée à 17.00 h.

Amberley Moore

Instructions aux Auteurs

Malimbus publie des Articles, des Notes Courtes, des Analyses d’Ouvrages, des

Informations, des Lettres et des illustrations traitant de Tomithologie ouest-africaine.

Les textes sont acceptés en anglais et en français; la Rédaction pourra aider les

auteurs dont la langue maternelle n’est pas l’une de celles-ci. Les Articles et les Notes

Courtes comprisent des matériaux originaux; ceux déjà publiés ailleurs, en tout ou

partie, seront normalement refusés. Les Notes Courtes sont des articles de moins de

1000 mots (références comprises) ou de deux pages imprimées. Autant que possible,

les manuscrits auront été auparavant soumis au moins à un ornithologue ou biologiste

pour un examen minutieux. Les manuscrits seront envoyés pour critique à au moins

un lecteur compétent.

Les textes des Informations et des Lettres ne devraient pas dépasser 1000 mots.

Les textes soumis seront tapés en deux exemplaires, d’un seul côté de la page,

double interligne et avec larges marges. Les tirages sur imprimante matricielle ne

seront acceptés que s’ils ont la “qualité-courrier”. Les auteurs ne doivent pas envoyer

un double de leur disquette en même temps que l’article qu’ils soumettent, mais sont

priés d’indiquer s’ils peuvent le faire dans le cas où leur article serait accepté. Les

disquettes seront retournées aux auteurs. Consultez l’Editeur pour des détails

supplémentaires, c’est-à-dire les programmes de texte compatibles.

Les Conventions concernant les tableaux, les chiffres, le système métrique, les

références, etc. peuvent être trouvées dans ce numéro et doivent être soigneusement

suivies. Notez en particulier que les dates s’abrègeront comme 2 fév 1990 mais dans

un texte pourront s’écrire en entier; que les heures s’écriront comme 6.45 h, 17.00 h;

que les coordonnées s’écriront comme 7°46’N, 16°4’W; que les nombres Jusqu’à dix

s’écriront en entier, excepté devant une unité de mesure (p. ex. 6 m), que les nombres

à partir de 1 1 s’écriront en chiffres sauf au début d’une phrase. Toute Référence citée

dans l’article, et aucune autre, doit figurer dans la bibliographie.

Les Articles contenant de longues Listes d’espèces seront sous forme de tableaux

(p. ex. Malimbus 12: 39-51, 1: 22-28 ou 1: 49-M) ou sous forme de texte comme

dans Malimbus 12: 19-24, 12: 61-86, 13: 49-66 ou 16: 10-29. La Séquence

systématique et les Noms scientifiques (et de préférence aussi les Noms

vernaculaires) suivront Dowsett & Forbes-Watson (1993, Checklist of Birds of the

Afrotropical and Malagasy Regions, Tauraco Press, Liège) ou The Birds of Africa

(Brown et al. 1982, Urban et al. 1986, Fry et al. 1988, Keith et al. 1992, Academie

Press, London), à moins de donner dans le texte les raisons pour s’écarter de ces

auteurs.

Les Figures doivent être préparées pour une reproduction directe, permettant une

réduction de 20 à 50%; on se servira d’encre de chine sur papier blanc de bonne

qualité ou calque épais et de caractères Letraset (ou équivalent) selon le cas. Les

figures produites par les imprimantes sont rarement de qualité acceptable. Pour le

dessin des Figures, tenir compte du format de Malimbus.

Tous les Articles (mais non les Notes Courtes) comporteront un Résumé,

n’excédant pas 5% de la longeur totale. Le Résumé mentionnera brièvement les

principa.ux résultats et conclusions de l’Article et ne sera pas un simple compte rendu

du travail. Les résumés seront publiés à la fois en anglais et en français et seront

traduits au mieux par la Rédaction.

Vingt Tirés-à-part des Articles (mais non des Notes courtes) seront envoyés

gratis à l’auteur ou à l’auteur principal. Les tirés-à-part ne seront ni agrafés, ni reliés

ou recouverts; ce sont de simples extraits de la revue.

Malimbus 16 (2) November 1994

Contents

Change of Editorial address. 73

Bird records from Liberia.

M.E.J. Gore 74-87

Moult and weight cycles in two species of Lonchura in Ile-Ife, Nigeria.

A. I Akinpelu 88-93

Breeding seasons of three estrildid species in Ile-Ife, Nigeria.

A.I. Akinpelu 94-99

The birds of Yapo Forest, Ivoi^ Coast

R. Demey & L.D.C. Fishpool 100-122

Short Notes

Des pythons mangeurs de canards. B. Tréca 123-124

Com Bunting Emberiza calandra in Mauritania and West Africa.

S. J. Farnsworth 124-125

Corrigendum

Oiseaux nouveaux pour la République Centrafricaine ou dont les

notifications de ce pays sont peu nombreuses. M. Germain 125

Book Reviews 126-129

News & Letters 130-133

Society Notices 134-140

MAUMBUS

Journal of the West African Ornithological Society

Revue de la Société d’Omithologie de l’Ouest Africain

VOLUME 17 Number 1

ISSN 0331-3689

May 1995

West African Ornithological Society

Société d’Ornithologie de l’Ouest Africain

Council 1995:

President: Dr Gérard J. Morel

Vice-president: John H. El good

Treasurer and Membership Secretary: Robert E. Shari and

Member of Council: Dr Max Germain

Secretary to Council: Mrs Amberley Moore

Managing Editor: Dr Alan Tye

Editorial Board: P.W.P. Browne, Dr P. Cotton, Dr G.J. Morel, H. Tye, Dr R.

Wilkinson

Malimbus distribution: G.D. Field

Correspondence should be addressed as follows:

- to the Managing Editor (2 School Lane, Kings Ripton, Huntingdon, Cambs

PE17 2NL, U.K.) regarding contributions to Malimbus, including incidental

photographs or line drawings;

- to the Treasurer (1 Fisher’s Heron, East Mills, Fordingbridge, Hants SP6 2JR,

U.K.) regarding subscriptions, financial matters and back numbers;

- to the Secretary (1 Uppingham Road, Oakham, Rutland LE15 6JB, U.K.)

regarding applications for W.A.O.S. Research Grants;

- to the President (1 Route de Sallenelles, 14860 Bréville-les-Monts, France)

regarding policy matters.

The Society grew out of the Nigerian Ornithologists’ Society, which was founded in

1964. Its object is to promote scientific interest in the birds of West Africa and to

further the region’s ornithology, mainly by means of its journal Malimbus (formerly

the Bulletin of the Nigerian Ornithologists' Society).

Applications for membership are welcomed. Annual membership subscriptions are

£10.00 for Ordinary Members (individuals) and £25.00 for Corporate Members

(libraries and other organisations). Payments may be made in £ Sterling to the

Treasurer, or in French Francs to the President. Ordinary Members receive Malimbus

by surface mail and Corporate Members by air mail, free of charge. Extra charges are

required for airmail dispatch to Ordinary Members (enquire of the Treasurer for rates).

Back Numbers: Vols 11-14 (197S78) of the Bulletin of the Nigerian Ornithologists'

Society (the same format as Malimbus) are available at £2 per issue (£4 per volume)

or £15 a set. Malimbus Vols 1-9 are available at £3 per issue (£6 per volume) and

Vol. 10 onwards at £5 per issue (£10 per volume). A full set of Malimbus Vols 1-16

may be purchased at the reduced price of £110. Postage and packing are free. Please

enclose payment with your order, which should be addressed to the Treasurer.

W.A.O.S. Research Grants: guidelines for applications may be found in Volume

15(2) of Malimbus and can be obtained from the Secretary to Council (address above).

1995

1

Change of Editorial Address

As of 30 May 1995, I shall be leaving Tanzania and the new address for all editorial

correspondence, including manuscript submissions, will be:

Dr Alan Tye

2 School Lane

King’s Ripton

Huntingdon

Cambs PE17 2NL

U.K.

Changement d’Adresse de la Redaction

A partir du 30 mai 1995, je quitterai le Tanzanie et la nouvelle adresse pour tout

courrier destiné à la rédaction, y compris les soumissions de manuscrits, sera:

Dr Alan Tye

2 School Lane

King’s Ripton

Huntingdon

Cambs PE17 2NL

U.K.

Vues de la Mauritanie: Adrar - Views of Mauritania: Adrar

Bruno Lamarche

2

Malimbus 17

Bird observations in Kaédi and Foum Gleïta,

southern Mauritania

by S.J. Farnsworth

Hammerkop, Frogmill, Hurley, Maidenhead, Berks SL6 5NL, U.K.

Received 3 February 1992

Revised 16 May 1994

Summary

An irrigation project adjacent to the Gorgol Noir River in southern

Mauritania, completed in 1985, transformed an arid area into a much more

verdant habitat. Bird observations from the project area and the nearby town

of Kaédi in 1985 are presented, which demonstrate a possible new site for

many waterbirds, including several range extensions.

Résumé

Un projet d’irrigation attenant au cours du Gorgol Noir, sud mauritanien, et

achevé en 1985, a transformé un endroit aride en un habitat beaucoup plus

verdoyant. L’article présente les observations d’avifaune sur cet

aménagement et dans la cité voisine de Kaédi en 1985, ce qui permet

d’envisager un nouveau site pour une nombreuse sauvagine et une extension

d’habitat pour plusieurs espèces.

Study Area and Methods

I visited southern Mauritania from 24 February to 7 March and 20 March to 1 1 April

1985. Most of my work was carried out on the Gorgol Noir irrigation project

(16°9’N, 12°43’W) near the village of Foum Gleïta on the western side of the Massif

de I’Assaba The project is adjacent to the Gorgol Noir River about 35 km upstream

of the confluence with the Gorgol Blanc River and some 80 km east of Kaédi and 20

km north-west of Mbout (see Fig. 1). During my visits it did not rain, although

several violent dust storms occurred. Shade temperatures in the day rose to a

maximum of about 50°C, niglit temperatures were sometimes as high as 32°C.

The irrigation project consists of a dam across a narrow rocky gorge through

which the Gorgol Noir used to flow seasonally and which has now created a

1995

Birds of Kaédi and Foum Gleïta

3

Figure 1. Map of study area.

permanent reservoir upstream, where previously only occasional seasonal flooding

had taken place. Water from the new reservoir is conveyed downstream by surface

earth canals over a distance of some 15 km, for distribution to irrigated fields. In

1985, the fully irrigated area covered 600 ha, preparatory work having also been

completed for a further 2000 ha Initial trials were being carried out on the efficiency

of growing maize, sorghum, carrots and tomatoes.

Prior to the project, the terrain was generally arid, apart from the occasional

seasonal flow in the Gorgol Noir, discharging into the Gorgol Blanc and eventually

into the Senegal River at Kaédi. The completed part of the project area had been

transformed by 1985 into a much more verdant habitat. In addition to irrigation,

occasional releases of excess water are made from the canals onto lower ground, thus

creating some small, shallow, marshy lakes. The recent change from an arid to a more

verdant habitat is considered likely to influence bird species using the project area.

Comments from colleagues, familiar with the original habitat, indicated that

waterbirds were previously infrequent there.

During my visits I noted the presence of bird species, without carrying out precise

counts.

4

S.J. Farnsworth

Malimbus 17

Results

My observations are listed in Table 1 for the town of Kaédi, just north of the Senegal

River (16°rN, 13°30’W), and Table 2 for the irrigation project area near Foum

Gleïta. Only two species (Abyssinian Roller Coracias abyssinica and Hoopoe Upupa

epops) were recorded in both locations.

Table 1. Birds observed at Kaédi.

Speckled Pigeon Columba guinea

Mourning Dove Streptopelia decipiens

Vinaceous Dove S. vinacea

Blue-naped Mousebird Urocolius macrourus

Abyssinian Roller Coracias abyssinica

Hoopoe Upupa epops

Mosque Swallow Hirundo senegalensis

Pied Crow Corvus albus

Blue-eared Glossy Starling Lamprotornis chalybaeus

Long-tailed Glossy Starling L. caudatus

Grey-headed Sparrow Passer griseus

Vitelline Masked Weaver Ploceus velatus

Red- billed Fi refinch Lagonosticta sene gala

The Kaédi data are presented because little appears to have been published

specifically for the area, although Lamarche (1988) indicates that more than ten

ornithological visits have been made to the half-degree square encompassing the

town.

The Foum Gleïta data are of interest not only because Lamarche (1988) indicated

that the half-degree square encompassing the project had been little studied

omithologically but also because of the recent change in habitat. At Foum Gleïta, the

Black Wood-Hoopoes and the Chestnut- backed Finch-Larks were in groups of

maximum size 1 1 and five respectively; the Gabar Goshawk was a single bird seen

over the reservoir.

Table 2. Birds observed in the Gorgol Noir irrigation project area (Foum

Gleïta).

1 Waterbird species, within range indicated by Lamarche (1988) but possibly a new site.

2 Non- waterbird species, within range indicated by Lamarche (1988) and probably

little influenced by the changed habitat.

3 Probable range extension, as interpreted from Lamarche (1988).

1995

Birds of Kaédi and Foum Gleïta

5

Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis 1

White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus 1

Squacco Heron Ardeola ralloides 3

Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis ' 2

Little Egret Egretta garzeita 3

Great White Egret E. alba 3

Grey Heron Ardea cinerea 1

Hamerkop Scopus umbretta 1

Yellow- billed Stork Mycteria ibis 3

Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia 1

Fulvous Whistling Duck Anas acuta 3

Pintail Anas acuta 2

Garganey A. querquedula 1

Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus 2

Pallid Harrier C. macrourus 3

Gabar Goshawk Melierax gabar 3

Kestrel Falco tinnunculus 2

Black- winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus 3

Senegal Thick-knee Burhinus senegalensis 2

Common Pratincole Glareola pratincola 2

Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius 1

Spur- winged Plover Vanellus spinosus 1

Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago 1

Spotted Redshank Tringa erythropus 3

Greenshank T. nebularis 3

Wood Sandpiper T. glareola 3

Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos 1

Little Stint Calidris minuta 1

Ruff Philomachus pugnax 1

Chestnut- bel lied Sandgrouse Pterocles exustu. 2

Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis 3

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater Merops superciliosus 3

Abyssinian Roller Coracias abyssinica 2

Black Wood-Hoopoe Phoeniculus aterrimus 2

Hoopoe Upupa epops 2

Red-billed Hornbill Tockus erythrorhynchus 3

Grey Hornbill T. nasutus 2

Sand Martin Riparia riparia 2

Chestnut- backed Finch-Lark Eremopterix leucotis 2

Black Scrub Robin Cercotrichas podobe 2

Great Grey Shrike Lanius excubitor 2

Chestnut- bel lied Starling Spreo pulcher 2

6

SJ. Farnsworth

Malimbus 17

Acknowledgments

I thank A. Tye, P.W.P. Browne and G.J. Morel for constructive comments on an

earlier draft of this note and Mrs H. Tye for assistancé with the map.

Reference

Lamarche, B. (1988) Liste commentée des oiseaux de Mauritanie. Etud. Sahariennes

Ouesî-Afr. 1(4). Association des Naturalistes Sahariens et Ouest-Africains,

N ouakchott/Pari s.

Vues de la Mauritanie: Adrar - Views of Mauritania: Adrar

Bruno Lamarche

1995

7

Birds of the Rio Del Rey estuary, Cameroon

by Jane Thomas

Publications Department, College of Forestry, Oregon State University,

Corvallis, Oregon 97331, USA

Received 28 December 1991

Revised 7 June 1994

Summary

During nine 80-km river censuses from December 1978 to May 1979 and in

July 1983, plus other observation periods, 68 water-related bird species were

recorded in Cameroon’s Rio del Rey estuary. Numbers of species and

individuals were greatest during the dry season, when Palaearctic and

regional migrants were present. Avocets Recurvirostra avosetta were seen in

January and February, and a flock of up to 500 Lesser Flamingos

Phoeniconaias minor was seen on five different occasions (December- May).

Résumé

Au cours de neuf parcours fluviaux de 80 km, de décembre 1978 à mai 1979

et en juillet 1983, complétés par d’autres observations, nous avons noté dans

l’estuaire du Rio del Rey au Cameroun 68 espèces d’oiseaux liées au milieu

aquatique. C’est durant la saison sèche que le nombre d’espèces et

d’individus étaient au maximum, tandis que les migrateurs paléarctiques et

régionaux étaient présents. Des Avocettes Recurvirostra avosetta furent

observées en janvier et février et un vol comptant jusqu’à 500 Petits Flamants

Phoeniconaias minor fut vu à cinq reprises différentes, de décembre à mai.

Introduction

The Rio del Rey estuary is a large area (several thousand km^) of creeks and

mangrove swamps between the Cross River in Nigeria and Mt Cameroon. Until a

new road was completed in 1985, travelling by river boat through these channels and

up the Ndian River was the only way to reach the town of Mundemba and what is

now the Korup National Park. Several observers have mentioned individual bird

species seen in the Rio del Rey (Serle 1950, 1954, 1965, Louette 1981), and a draft

8

J. Thomas

Mal imbus 17

4°30' N

eP39' E

RIO DEL REY ESTUARY

CAMEROON

River census survey route

Mangroves

^ Towns

-^w,. - Roads

International boundary

I 20 km I

Ekondo Titi

Idenao

Figure 1. The Rio del Rey estuary, Cameroon, showing the census route. Inset:

location within Africa and Cameroon.

1995

Birds of Rio del Rey

9

management plan for the Korup National Park (Gartlan undated) listed birds found in

the general vicinity. Tye (1987) has suggested that the estuary may be of international

importance as a wintering site for Palaearctic waders. However, no one has written

specifically about the Rio del Rey area.

In 1978 and 1979 I travelled frequently to Mundemba; on eight of those river

trips and on one trip in 1983 I recorded birds seen from the boat. The route from

Ekondo Titi to Mundemba was approximately 80 km (Fig. 1), and the journey usually

lasted about eight hours.

Study Area and Methods

Numerous creeks and channels flow through the mangrove swamps of the Rio del

Rey estuary, joining to form broad channels such as the one known as “Big Belly”,

which has extensive mudflats at low tide (Fig. 1). Upstream from the mangroves, the

river is bordered by mixed mangroves and forest (shown as mangroves in Fig. 1) and

finally by primary rain forest. The river is tidal up to Mundemba; above that point, it

borders the Korup National Park and is fast-flowing and seasonally very variable in

volume (Thomas 1991).

The climate is warm and humid, with a high annual rainfall that ranges from 6203

mm at Mundemba to 8623 mm at Idenao, 50 km south of the study area (Fig. 2).

December to February is the driest part of the year, and June to October the wettest.

Month

Figure 2. Precipitation at Idenao, 50 km south of the study area, and at

Mundemba (Ndian Plantation), based on data from Griffiths (1972) for a period

of 10-11 years.

10

J. Thomas

Malimbus 17

I attempted to record all bird species seen on each trip, and on some trips I tried

to count every bird. However, several factors limited these observations. The boat

kept to the centre of the channel; therefore many smaller birds were undoubtedly

under-represented (Anthreptes gabonensis and Fraseria cinerascens, in particular;

English names may be found in the Appendix). Similarly, birds swimming under

overhanging vegetation (e.g. Pteronetta hartlaubii and Podica senegalensis) may

have been missed at times.

Observations were sometimes irregular or inconsistent; during wet-season trips

when few birds were present, I sometimes rested for parts of the afternoon. The

different times and tidal conditions also affected the species and numbers of birds

recorded. Birds were censused only during December to July, although on one

August trip I noted that there were “not many birds”.

Results and Discussion

Total species and numbers

The Appendix shows the 58 bird species identified during the nine river censuses,

plus ten other species recorded during other river trips ôr from shore, for a total of 68.

Only birds typically found near water or at the forest edge are included here; forest

species such as bulbuls are excluded (but see Thomas 1991).

The censuses in the Appendix are organized by month rather than year. Total

numbers of species ranged from a high of 44 on 13 February to a low of six in July.

Similarly, total bird counts varied. On 13 February I counted at least 307 individual

birds (excluding over 500 flamingos). Eleven days later the number was 115, and in

July the count was only 28 individuals.

Numbers of both resident nd migrant species increased as the dry season

progressed, to the 13 February maximum (Fig. 3). During the much lower count on

24 February (14 species), many of the usual forest edge species were missed because

the boat passed the forest late in the day; in addition, the tide was high in the

mangroves, and several sandbar/mudbank and other species were absent (Appendix,

Fig. 3). Numbers were again fairly low for the April trip, when the boat passed the

mangroves at night (18 species, mostly forest edge residents). On 2 May there were

very few birds present (8 species seen), but I had malaria and probably missed some

of the few that were there.

By the last two trips the weather was dull and grey, typical of the wet season, and

few birds were present - 16 species on 25 May (mostly residents) and six on 5 July,

when the tide in the mangroves was relatively high. All of the July birds were of

resident species except one Ardea melanocephala which, according to Louette

(1981), should be in southern Cameroon “at the peak of the dry season only”.

However, I have also seen this species on the Sanaga River southeast of Douala in

July 1978.

Number of species

1995

Birds of Rio del Rey

11

Date/Trip number

Figure 3. Total numbers of species seen during each census, plus numbers of

resident species, Palaearctic and intra-African migrants, and species found

primarily on sandbars or mudflats. Some species are included in more than one

status category (Appendix), so numbers of resident, Palaearctic, and intra-

African species often add up to more than the total species numbers. Many of

the sandbar/mudflat species are also counted as migrants.

The numbers of resident, Palaearctic, and regional migrant species all changed

with the seasons (Fig. 3). The fact that both resident and intra-African counts varied

so dramatically suggests that the line between these categories is not distinct; in very

wet parts of Africa even “resident” birds may make local movements.

Palaearctic waders

Six migrant wader species were identified during the censuses. They were most

abundant during January and February; however, Numenius phaeopus and Tringa

nebularia were first seen in December, and Actitis hypoleucos was present from

December to April.

12

J. Thomas

Malimbus 17

The large numbers of Recurvirostra avoseîta seen during January and February

are of interest. Urban et al. (1986) shovy this species occurring only in the far north of

Cameroon: Lx)uette (1981) mentions just one record for the coast. The birds recorded

here were all on the mudflats near Big Belly; similarly, Hilary Tye (pers. comm.) saw

five R. avoseîta on a mudflat at the northern end of Big Belly in February 1984.

Tye (1987) has suggested that the Bight of Biafra may be a stopping place for

waders migrating along the Atlantic coast to over-winter in Namibia. Most of the

waders in this study were seen during the middle of the dry season (January-

February) and therefore were unlikely to have travelled farther south. However, other

birds may have passed earlier in the season. There were no March censuses, and in

April and May very few migrants were seen.

Other seasonal variation

Other species present only during the drier part of the year included Ardea cinerea,

which may be either a Palaearctic or a regional migrant (Louette 1981), and A.

goliath, for which Louette gives only dry-season records in Cameroon; he believes it

must nest outside the country. According to Brown et al. (1982), Ciconia episcopus

(seen December-February) avoids the rains in wetter areas, and Louette (1981)

reports few Cameroon observations during the rainy season. Brown et al. (1982)

report that Threskiornis aethiopica, also seen December-February, moves farther

north to breed during the rains. Serle (1965) noted it during November 1941 in the

Rio del Rey.

A large flock of Phoeniconaias minor (up to 500 birds or more) was seen at Big

Belly on five occasions. Although Louette (1981) lists this species as a “rare visitor to

Cameroon”, and mentions 2000 birds in the Rio del Rey in February-March of 1932,

it appears that the Big Belly flamingos are often present; it would be interesting to

know where these birds breed. Western Cameroon is the eastern extremity of the

range for the West African population of this nomadic species (Brown et al. 1982).

References

Brown, L.H., Urban, E.K. & Newman, K. (1982) The Birds of Africa, vol. 1.

Academic Press, London.

Gartlan, J.S. (undated) The Korup Regional Management Plan (Draft). Publication

25-106 of the Wisconsin Regional Primate Center, Madison, Wisconsin.

Griffiths, J.F. (ed.) (1972) Climates of Africa. World Survey of Climatology, vol.

10, Elsevier, New York.

Louhtte, M. (1981) The birds of Cameroon. An annotated checklist. Verhandl. Kon.

Acad. Wetensh. Lett. Schone Kunst. Belg. 43: 1-163.

Serle, W. (1950) A contribution to the ornithology of the British Cameroons. Ibis

92: 343-376, 602-638.

1995

Birds of Rio del Rey

13

Serle, W. (1954) A second contribution to the ornithology of the British Cameroons.

Ibis 96: 47-80.

Serle, W. (1965) A third contribution to the ornithology of the British Cameroons.

Ibis 107: 60-94, 230-246.

Thomas, J.M. (1991) Birds of the Korup National Park, Cameroon. Malimbus 13: 11-23

Tye, a. (1987) Identifying the major wintering grounds of Palaearctic waders along

the Atlantic coast of Africa, from marine charts. Wader Study Group Bull. 49: 20-

27; 50: 17.

Urban, E.K., Fry, CH. & Keith, S. (1986) The Birds of Africa, vol. 2. Academic

Press, London.

River Eagle - Aigle pêcheur - Haliaeetus vocifer

Photo: Michael Gore

Numbers of birds censused during nine river journeys through the Rio del Rey estuary, Cameroon,

Dec-May 1978-79 and July 1983.

14

J. Thomas

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1995

Birds of Rio del Rey

15

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16

J. Thomas

Malimbus 17

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1995

Birds of Rio del Rey

17

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1995

19

Observations on nesting and associated behaviour

of the Shrike Flycatcher Megabyas flammulatus

in Tai National Park, Ivory Coast

by C Ryall* & J.J. StoorvogeP

‘D.E.M., Famborough College, Boundary Road, Farnborough,

Hants GU14 6SB, UK.

^Apartado 211, 7210 Guapiles, Costa Rica

Received 21 May 1993

Revised 10 December 1994

Summary

A nest, incubation and associated behaviour of a pair of Shrike Flycatchers

Megabyas flammulatus and one accompanying male are described. Two calls

and two display types were noted, one of each being previously undescribed.

Résumé

L’article décrit le nid, la couvaison et le comportement qui s’y rapporte d’une

paire de Bias écorcheurs Megabyas flammulatus, accompagnée d’un mâle.

Deux cris et deux types de parades ont été notés: l’un des cris et l’une des

parades n’avaient pas encore été décrits.

Introduction

The Shrike Rycatcher Megabyas flammulatus is a moderately common species in

primary and secondary forest of West Africa, from Sierra Leone to Gabon and Bioko

(Fernando Po), and in Central Africa (Mackworth-Praed & Grant 1973, Allport et al.

1989), but little is known of its ecology or nesting behaviour.

As part of an ICBP survey of primary forest birds in Tai National Park, Ivory

Coast, a study of canopy bird parties was carried out from tree platforms situated

between 30 and 40 m from the ground. This permitted observations, over the period

28 December 1990 to 15 January 1991, of the behaviour of a pair of Shrike

Rycatchers which had constructed a nest on a bough about 6 m from one of the

platforms.

20

C. Ryall & J. J. Stoorvogel

Malimbus 17

Results

Nest Structure

The nest was found on 12 December 1990, during its construction by a pair of Shrike

Flycatchers. It was situated in the upper canopy of a Klainodexa tree, 35-40 m above

the ground, and positioned on a horizontal, 5 cm diameter branch, at a fork. The

branch was leafless, so the nest was completely exposed. It was a raised cup of

approximately 4 cm diameter and 1.5 cm height, composed mainly of flakes of bark

and lichen, apparently bound together and attached to the branch with cobwebs. Since

it was not possible to see into the nest, neither eggs nor chicks could be seen.

Behavioural observations

Observations of behaviour were started on 28 December, by which time the nest had

been completed, eggs laid and incubation begun. The observer was partially obscured

while on the platform and was 6 m from the nest. Though there may have been some

wariness initially, the birds quickly became habituated, as on several occasions

incubating birds remained on the nest as the observer climbed up to the platform.

Observations were made on 28 and 31 December 1990, 4, 8, 12 and 15 January

1991. Early on 28 December, birds attending the nest appeared wary of the observer

but later and on subsequent days did not leave the nest at the arrival or departure of

an observer. Initial signs of unease on the first day of observations included restless

moving about the canopy with much sideways tail-wagging, and characteristic

chuick-chuick calls; both sexes behaved in this way.

At least three birds attended the nest, two males and one female, although nest

change-overs were always between a male and female, so there is no evidence that

more than one male took part in incubating the eggs or feeding young. A second male

was seen in the vicinity of the nest on several occasions when another male was

incubating. When two males were present near the nest, they often interacted. Twice,

two males appeared simultaneously or nearly so, one began incubating while the

other remained within 50 cm of the nest; there was much interactive calling {chuick-

chuick) combined with a dipping or nodding display by the non-incubating male, in

which the head and upper body were repeatedly tilted downwards briefly towards the

other bird. On one such occasion, the second male remained near the nest for 15 min.;

on the other, the incubating male left the nest and drove the second male away, to a

distance of 3 m. On 31 December, two males (one incubating) and a female were

seen together near the nest, all giving dipping displays with both call types. The

female replaced the incubating male, which departed and began foraging with the

second male.

On arrival to incubate, a male or female either began incubating without display

or gave a dipping and tail-wagging display, with chuick-chuick calls or an insect-like

rasping trill prrrt, whether or not another bird was present (Table 1). Once, an

arriving female gave a brittle chip-chip call.

1995

Nesting of Shrike Flycatcher

21

Table 1. Arrival behaviour before commencing incubation. The female was

never seen to arrive in the absence of other birds.

Incubating birds sometimes left the nest unattended (eight occasions) and were

sometimes replaced within a few seconds (seven occasions). Once, a departing male

gave the prrrt call, although no other bird was nearby. Once, a male left the nest to

join another male, which greeted it with the prrrt call; both then departed but the

female immediately arrived and settled on the nest, without display. Once, the female

sat on the nest, with a male nearby, when a troop of Diana Monkeys Cercopithecus

diana passed close by.

On 15 January, both male and female made brief visits (^ 2 min.) to the nest,

during which they appeared to feed chicks. That day, they rarely left the nest

unattended for more than 2 min..

The relative proportion of time spent by the male and female in incubation

changed dramatically during the study. On 28 December, the male occupied the nest

for about 12 times more time than the female; by 8 January, this ratio had reduced to

about 2.5 and subsequently the female had a similar or a greater role than its mate.

Discussion

Mackworth-Praed & Grant (1973) described M. flammulatus as occurring in

secondary forest, and Grimes (1987) found them to be “not uncommon” in

undergrowth and the middle layer of mature and secondary forest. At Tai Forest we

encountered them in small foraging parties in mid-storey as well as canopy of

primary forest. This concurs with earlier observations in Ivory Coast (Thiollay 1971)

and in Gola Forest, Sierra Leone (Allport et al. 1989).

In NE Gabon, Erard (1987) recorded M. flammulatus occurring at 18-36 m in

canopy and emergent trees of gallery forest and 12-15 m in secondary growth. The

nest described here was situated at 35-40 m in the upper canopy of primary forest and

the breeding birds ^parently foraged nearby. Restriction of nesting to forest canopy

may account for the paucity of previous reports on nesting in this species.

22

C. Ryall & J.J. Stoorvogel

Malimbus 17

The nest closely resembled that described by Mackworth-Praed & Grant (1960),

though they later suggested that this and their earlier description of habits probably

related to the Black and White Flycatcher Bias musicus. Our observations also

correspond closely with the recent description by Halleux (1994) of a M.flammulatus

nest in Guinea. However, nest-building behaviour, eggs, clutch size and hatching

success remain unknown. Likewise, uncertainty in the laying date prevents

determination of the incubation period. However, eggs were laid in mid to late

December. Birds were found in breeding condition during October on nearby Mt

Nimba (Colston & Curry-Lindahl 1986).

Brosset & Erard (1986) described the social unit in this species as not a pair but

rather two adult males often accompanied by a juvenile or, more often, an adult

female. In the present case, two males and a female were frequently present near the

nest. Both males were in full adult plumage. However, the fact that an incubating

male was never replaced by another male suggests that only one male and the female

incubated the eggs.

The second male moved within 25 cm of the nest on 28 December but was driven

off on 31 December, perhaps indicating increasing intolerance on the part of the

incubating male. On 4 January the second male never approached closer than 10 m

from the nest and from 8 January, the second male was never seen in the vicinity.

There is, therefore, circumstantial evidence that the second male did not incubate

the eggs or feed chicks. Halleux (1994) stated that both male and female incubated,

but he would likewise have been unable to determine the involvement of additional

adults.

Erard (1990) found evidence that the third adult commonly accompanying

breeding pairs of Sooty Hycatcher Muscicapa infuscata may not have participated in

nest building or incubation but only in defence of the territory. In the Forest

Rycatcher Fraseria ocreata, however, Erard (1990) found that such supernumerary

adults participated in all nesting activities except incubation. Similar social

arrangements also appear commonplace in some Malimbus spp. (Brosset & Erard

1986).

The apparent change in incubation proportions by male and female may have

been caused at least in part by a differential response to disturbance: C. Erard (pers.

comm.) has observed that, in Gabon, males of various forest species are less shy than

females. Alternatively, the female could have been foraging more to replenish food

reserves, just after egg laying.

Mackworth-Praed & Grant (1973) described the calls of the West African race M.

f. flammulatus as a musical chuick and Bannerman (1951) a tuwick call. These are

presumably the bisyllabic chuick-chuick noted here as made by both sexes.

Mackworth-Praed & Grant (1973) also note the female as making a churring note.

This may be analogous to the prrrt recorded in our study, although this was uttered

by both sexes. A brittle chip-chip call emitted once by the female in our study has no

counterpart in other descriptions.

1995

Nesting of Shrike Flycatcher

23

Calls were almost always accompanied by one of two displays - side to side tail-

wagging and dipping ™ occasionally in combination but often independently.

Bannerman (1951) described similar slow wagging of the tail. However, dipping does,

not appear to have been recorded previously and may be specific to the nesting

context.

Both sexes indulged in the two main call types and the two forms of display.

There was, however, some indication that the male dipped more frequently and more

vehemently but with less tail-wagging than the female. No clear pattern can be

discerned with respect to the circumstances in which each type of call or display was

used.

Acknowledgments

We are particularly indebted to Mary E. Gartshore and Gary Allport of BirdLife

International for facilitating the Tai Forest study. Thanks are also due to Christian

Erard, Humphrey Crick and Lincoln Fishpool for their invaluable comments on the

draft paper, and to Mick Green, Ian Francis and Nicky Penfold for their support in

this study.

References

Allport, G., Ausden, M., Hayman, P.V. & Wood, P. (1989) The Conservation of

the Birds of Gola Forest, Sierra Leone. Study Rep. 38, International Council for

Bird Preservation, Cambridge.

Bannerman, D.A. (1951) The Birds of Tropical West Africa, vol. 8. Crown Agents,

London.

Brosset, a. & Erard, C. (1986) Les Oiseaux des Régions Forestières du Nord-Est

du Gabon, vol. 1: Ecologie et comportement des espèces. Société Nationale de

Protection de la Nature, Paris.

Colston, RR. & Curry -Lindahl, K. (1986) The Birds of Mount Nimba, Liberia.

British Museum (Natural History), London.

Erard, C. (1987) Ecologie et comportement des gobe-mouches (Aves:

Muscicapinae, Platysteirinae, Monarchinae) du nord-est du Gabon. Vol. 1:

Morphologie des espèces et organisation du peuplement. Mém. Mus. Nat. Hist.

Nat. Sér. A, 138.

Erard, C. (1990) Ecologie et comportement des gobe-mouches (Aves:

Muscicapinae, Platysteirinae, Monarchinae) du nord-est du Gabon. Vol. 2:

Organisation sociale et écologie de la reproduction des Muscicapinae. Mém. Mus.

Nat. Hist. Nat. Sér. A, 146.

24

C. Ryall & J. J. Stoorvogel

Malimbus 17

Grimes, L.G. (1987) The Birds of Ghana. Checklist 9, British Ornithologists’ Union,

London.

Halleux, D. (1994) Annotated bird list of Macenta Prefecture, Guinea Malimbus

16: 10-29.

Mackworth-Praed, C.W. & Grant, C.H.B. (1960) Birds of Eastern and North

Eastern Africa, vol. 2. Longmans, London.

Mackworth-Praed, C.W. & Grant, C.H.B. (1973) Birds of West Central and

Western Africa, vol. 2. Longmans, London.

Thiollay, J.M. (1971) L’avifaune de la région de Lamto (Moyenne Côte d’Ivoire).

Ann. Univ. Abidjan, sér. E. Ecologie, 4: 7-132.

Egyptian Vulture - Vautour percnoptère - Neophron percnopterus

Photo: Michael Gore

1995

25

Vues de la Mauritanie “ Views of Mauritania: Pointe d^Iwik, Banc d^Arguin

Bruno Lamarche

26

Malimbus 17

Short Notes

The Common Gull Larus canus in Senegal

On 10 January 1994 at St-Louis-du- Sénégal, we saw a first- winter Common Gull

Larus canus, a species that we know well from its Eurasian breeding and wintering

grounds, one of us having particularly studied its biology (Triplet & Etienne 1986,

Triplet 1994). What was probably the same bird was resighted at the same place on

18 January, together with another first-winter individual and one adult of the same

species. They were resting on a ruined pier in the company of three Mediterranean

Gulls L. melanocephalus, at least 14 Audouin’s Gulls L. audouinii (including eight

with Spanish rings), and tens of Grey-headed L. cirrocephalus. Black-headed L.

ridibundus and Slender-billed Gulls L. genei, thus allowing useful comparison of size

and mantle colour. Both the adult and one of the immature birds were typical, with

their gently rounded head with a dark iris and thin bill, mantle almost as dark as that

of Grey-headed Gulls, and the tips of the tertiaries forming a very large white

crescent, points which separate the Common Gull from the rather similar Ring- billed

Gull L. delawarensis (Grant 1986). The second immature was somewhat larger and

heavier, and showed a thin tertiary crescent. It had a dark mantle and a thin bill,

however, and close observation showed that the apparent lack of white on the

tertiaries was due to very heavy wear, the tips of these feathers being abraded about 1

cm, with the shafts projecting.

The Common Gull was given as a vagrant to Senegambia by Urban et al (1986),

without detail or reference. This could refer to a single adult observed on 25

September 1984 in The Gambia, where a first-winter bird was thereafter seen on 4

January 1986 (Gore 1990) or to the two records of single birds, claimed from Dakar

without date and description (Milon, quoted by Heim de Balzac & Mayaud 1962),

which were not retained by Morel & Morel (1990). Our observations thus appear to

constitute the first documented records of Common Gull in Senegal.

References

Gore, M.E.J. (1990) Birds of The Gambia, 2nd ed.. Checklist 3, British

Ornithologists’ Union, Tring.

Grant, RJ. (1986) Gulls: a Guide to Identification, 2nd ed.. Poyser, Calton.

Heim de Balzac, H. & Mayaud, M. (1962) Oiseaux du Nord-Ouest de l’Afrique.

Lechevalier, Paris.

Morel, G.J. & Morel, M.-Y. (1990) Les Oiseaux de Sénégambie. ORSTOM, Paris.

Triplet, P. (1994) Kleptoparasitisme du Goéland cendré Larus canus sur l’Huîtrier-

pie Haematopus ostralegus consommateur de coques Cerastoderma edule,

adaptations comportementales. Alauda 62: 113-122.

1995

Short Notes

27

Triplet, P. & Etienne, P. (1986) Le kleptoparasitisme du Goéland cendré Larus

canus s\xv Haematopus osîralegus. Oiseau Rev. jr. Orn. 56: 376-378.

Urban, E.K., Fry, CH. & Keith, S. (1986) The Birds of Africa, vol. 2. Academie

Press, London.

Received 22 March 1994

Revised 10 November 1994

Pierre Yésou & Patrick Triplet

Office National de la Chasse, CNERA Avifaune Migratrice,

53 rue Russeil, F-44000 Nantes, France

Comportement “rapace” d’un Drongo brillant Dicrurus adsimilis

Il est connu que le Drongo brillant Dicrurus adsimilis peut tenir sa proie (un insecte

le plus souvent) avec une patte, pendant qu’il la décortique et la mange, à la façon

d’un faucon (Chapin 1954, McLachlan & Liversidge 1958). Chapin (1954) cite même

un Drongo brillant effectuant un court vol avec un gros papillon de nuit dans une

patte. Cependant, le comportement que M. Sakho et moi -même avons observé près de

Ziguinchor (Casamance, Sud Sénégal) le 10 juillet 1994 ne semble pas avoir été

décrit: il s’agit de la chasse et de la capture en vol, par les pattes, d’un papillon de

nuit d’une envergure d’environ 8 cm.

L’oiseau, à partir du perchoir où il se tenait, a fondu sur sa proie qui volait. Le

papillon a fait un écart mais s’est retrouvé face au mur d’une maison et le Drongo a

pu facilement le saisir à l’aide de ses pattes (apparemment les deux pattes). Puis

l’oiseau est parti se poser dans un arbre. Il a alors pris le papillon dans son bec et est

allé se percher dans un autre arbre où il a décortiqué et mangé sa proie en s’aidant à

nouveau d’une de ses pattes pour la maintenir.

Habituellement, le Drongo capture ses proies à la façon d’un gobe-mouches ou

d’un guêpier (Clancey 1964), c’est à dire avec son bec. Il semble donc pouvoir

utiliser aussi ses pattes, probablement lorsque la proie est grosse.

Bibliographie

Chapin, J.P. (1954) The birds of the Belgian Congo, Part 4. Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist.

75B: 1-847.

Clancey, P.A. (1964) The Birds of Natal and Zululand. Oliver & Boyd, Edinburgh.

McLachlan, G.R. & Liversidge, R. (1958) Roberts' Birds of South Africa. Trustees

of the South African Bird Book Fund, Cape Town.

Reçu 31 octobre 1994

Bernard Tréca

ORSTOM, B.P. 1386, Dakar, Sénégal

28

Short Notes

Maiimbus 17

Black- throated Apalis Apalis jacksoni, a new bird for Gabon

On 19 August 1993, I saw two small warblers high in the canopy of a patch of

primary forest, along the roadside on route N4, about 1 km west of Bokaboka,

Ogooué-Ivindo province, Gabon (c. 0°58’N, 13°45’E). I recognised them as Black-

throated Apalis Apalis jacksoni, a species with which I am familiar from East Africa.

My companions, N. Gardner, A. Hatfield, B. Reed and R. Webb, all agreed with the

identification. The male showed a jet black head and throat with a broad white

moustachial stripe, bright yellow underparts and olive-green upperparts with white

edges to the secondaries and tertials; its graduated tail was black with small white

tips. The female was similar but duller, with a greyish head and throat. The

combination of yellow underparts, white edges to the inner remiges and broad

moustachial stripe eliminated the superficially similar Masked Apalis A. binotata,

which is known to occur in the area.

Black-throated Apalis is not listed for Gabon by Dowsett (1993) and this would

appear to be the first record for the country. The occurrence of this species in Gabon

is not altogether surprising as birds of the nominate race jacksoni have been obtained

from the Dja River area, Cameroon (Louette 1981) and the species has recently been

recorded in the Odzala National Park, Congo (R.J. Dowsett in Hit.).

References

Dowsett, R.J. (1993) Afrotropical avifaunas: annotated country checklists. Pp. 1-322

in Dowsett, R.J. & Dowsett-Lemaire, F. (eds), A contribution to the Taxonomy of

Afrotropical and Malagasy Birds. Tauraco Res. Rep. 5, Tauraco Press, liège.

Louette, M. (1981) The Birds of Cameroon. An Annotated Checklist. Verhandl.

Kon. Acad. Wetensh. Lett. Schone Kunst. Belg. 43: 1-163.

Received 16 November 1994 Iain Robertson

Laurelbank, Exnaboe, Virkie, Shetland ZE3 9JS, U.K.

Description des oeufs et du nid de la Prinia aquatique Priniafluviatilis

Ce n’est qu’en 1974 que Chappuis proposa de scinder Prinia subflava en deux

espèces: la Prinia aquatique P. fluviatilis et la Prinia modeste P. subflava, sur la base

de différences d’habitat, de morphologie et de vocalisations (Chappuis 1974), mais

les deux espèces ont seulement été décrites quelques années plus tard (Chappuis et al.

1989, 1993).

Les observations sur la nidification de Prinia subflava (c’est-à-dire ûq fluviatilis

et de subflava confondus) sont nombreuses mais il est quasiment impossible de savoir

1995

Short Notes

29

de quelle espèce il s’agit (p. ex. Bannerman 1939, Jensen & Kirkeby 1989). En effet,

on peut rencontrer les deux espèces à peu de distance l’une de l’autre, fluviatilis dans

la végétation riveraine et subflava dans la steppe arbustive aride.

Il restait ainsi à décrire les nids et les oeufs. Nous disposons de deux sources de

données, celles de R. de N. et celles de G.J.M., toutes deux obtenues sur le bas

Sénégal, en des points distants d’environ 80 km à vol d’oiseau. Naurois (1969) écrit:

^'Attachés à l’extrémité des feuilles pendantes, une dizaine de nids sont découverts le

13 septembre, de distance en distance, sur moins d’un kilomètre de longueur: 3 ou 4

sont abandonnés, 1 est en construction; les 5 autres contiennent une fois un oeuf,

deux fois 2 oeufs (pontes incomplètes), deux fois 4 oeufs. Lors de la visite suivante,

le 21 novembre, les oiseaux auront déjà abandonné ces nids.” Ceux-ci sont fort

habilement sertis à mi-hauteur (comptée à partir du plan d’eau) des joncs, presque

invisibles en raison de la compacité de ces touffes. Plusieurs nids furent collectés.

Malheureusement, le colis expédié vers la France fut perdu. Ils étaient tout à fait

semblables^ aux nids de la Cisticole des joncs Cisticola juncidis en forme de poche,

faite de fines herbes flexibles, assez profonds pour que les balancements provoqués

par le vent ne puissent pas projeter les poussins hors du nid (Fig. 1). Les parois

étaient assez épaisses aux parties inférieures pour assurer l’étanchéité et la résistance

aux déchirements, très minces et à claire-voie aux parties supérieures, où il n’y a pas

de “bord” défini, mais seulement les pointements irréguliers formés par les plus

Figure 1. Croquis du nid de Prinia fluviatilis^ découvert sur le bas Sénégal, par

R. de N.. A gauche, le nid en coupe.

Pontes collectées par R. de N. (de 1961 à 1963) dans la partie nord du delta du

Sénégal, le long du marigot de Tiallakt, en deux points peu éloignés l’un de l’autre,

soit 15 oeufs. Ces oeufs sont d’un bleu uni, assez intense et légèrement luisant, sans

30

Short Notes

Malimbus 17

tache. Le plus grand mesure 16,0 x 11,5 mm et les plus petits 13,75 x 11,2 et 14,1 x

10,0; moyenne 14,6 x 11,1.

Une autre ponte (de 3 oeufs) a été collectée par G.J.M., près de Richard-Toll, le

29 septembre 1961, au bord d’un canal d’irrigation de rizières: 15,19 x 11,06, 15,61 x

11,19, 15,44 X 11,33; moyenne 15,41 x 11,19. Ces oeufs étaient bleu assez foncé. Le

nid était tissé à l’intérieur et au sommet de plusieurs tiges d’herbes aquatiques

{Scirpus sp.). Les oeufs de cette ponte sont, par leurs dimensions et leur couleur, tout

à fait comparables à ceux trouvés par R. de N..

Certes, comme les oiseaux, dont les pontes sont décrites dans cette note, n’ont pas

été examinés en mains, on peut objecter que leur identification n’est pas irréfutable.

Toutefois, la situation même des nids, tout près de l’eau, voire au-dessus, semble

exclure qu’il puisse s’agir de P. subflava.

. Trois autres pontes collectées en Guinée Bissau, près de Cacine (ITN, 15°W), en

terrain marécageux, par R. de N. (et alors attribuées à P. subflava) semblent bien

appartenir à P. fluviatilis: les oeufs sont de la même couleur bleu, sans tache, et les

dimensions semblables des pontes du Sénégal. Ces dernières données permettent de

suggérer que l’aire de répartition de P.fluviatilis atteint au sud le ITN.

La description que font les auteurs des oeufs de P. subflava (au sens ancien du

nom) est remarquable: “very variable; pale turquoise- blue, unmarked or stippled or

spotted or blotched with light red-brown; others white so finely stippled all over as to

appear uniform shaded salmon colour, or sprinkled with sharp red-brown spots”

(Lynes in Bannerman 1939); “as variable as those of any bird known” (Mackworth-

Praed & Grant 1973). Bien que les oeufs de certains autres Sylviidés (p. ex. les

Cisticoles Cisticola spp.) montrent autant de variabilité, ce n’est pas ce que nous

avons trouvé au Sénégal, en deux localités différentes, pour P. fluviatilis. Il est

vraisemblable que les nombreuses pontes décrites par les auteurs anciens

comprenaient celles des deux espèces, ce qui contribuait à la variabilité.

Malheureusement, les nombreuses descriptions d’oeufs ne sont jamais

accompagnées d’une description précise de la végétation et du milieu où la ponte a

été collectée, si bien qu’il est quasiment impossible de savoir de quelle espèce il peut

s’agir (Shuel 1938 a, b).

Toutefois, comme les oeufs de P. fluviatilis, collectés en deux localités

différentes au Sénégal, sont d’un bleu, nous suggérons que les oeufs tachetés, tels que

ceux décrits par Lynes {in Bannerman 1939) ou Shuel (1938b, avec planche de deux

types différents d’oeufs tachetés de P. subflava) pour le nord du Nigéria, seraient

ceux de P. subflava, sensu stricto. La couleur des oeufs constituerait alors un critère

de distinction de plus entre les deux espèces de Prinia. Nous laissons à nos collègues

le soin de vérifier cette hypothèse sur le terrain.

Nous remercions la Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology, Camarillo,

California, qui possède la collection R.D. Etchécopar, d’avoir bien voulu mesurer

pour nous les oeufs de la ponte de G.J.M..

1995

Short Notes

31

Bibliographie

Bannerman, D.A. (1939) The Birds of Tropical West Africa, vol. 5. Oliver & Boyd,

London.

Chappuis, C. (1974) Illustration sonore de problèmes bioacoustiques posés par les

oiseaux de la zone éthiopienne. Alauda 42: 467-500.

Chappuis, C, Érard, C. & Morel, G.J. (1989) Type specimens of Prinia subflava

(Gmelin) and Prinia fluviatilis Chappuis. Bull. Brit. Orn. Club 109: 108-110.

Chappuis, C., Érard, C. & Morel, G.J. (1993) Morphology, habitat, vocalizations

and distribution of the River Prinia Prinia fluviatilis Chappuis. Proc. 7 Pan-Afr.

Orn. Congr.: 481-487.

Jensen, J.V. & Kirkeby, J. (1980) The Birds of The Gambia. Aros Nature Guides,

Ârhus.

Mackworth-Praed, C.W. & Grant, C.H.B. (1973) Birds of West-Central and

Western Africa, vol. 2. Longman, London.

Naurois, R. de (1969) Peuplements et cycles de reproduction des oiseaux de la côte

occidentale d’Afrique. Mém. Mus. Nat. Hist. Nat., n. sér., sér. A, Zool. 56: 1-312.

Shuel, R. (1938a) Notes on the breeding habits of birds near Zaria, northern Nigeria

Description of their nests and eggs. Ibis (14)2: 230-244.

Shuel, R. (1938b) Further notes on the eggs and nesting habits of birds in northern

Nigeria (Kano Province). Ibis (14)2: 463-480.

Reçu 18 novembre 1994 René de Naurois^ & Gérard J. MoreP

Revu 15 février 1995 ^8 allée des Daims, 91800 Brunoy, France

route de Sallenelles, 14860 Bréville-les-Monts, France

Mallard Anas platyrhynchos in Nigeria

On 5 December 1993, I visited Dagona Waterfowl Sanctuary, Hadejia-Nguru

Wetlands, northern Nigeria (12°45’N, 10°35’E). About 10,000 Palaearctic ducks were

present on the lake, mainly Pintail Anas acuta and Garganey A. querquedula. Among

the main flock of about 4000 Pintail was a single male Mallard A. platyrhynchos. It

was in pristine breeding plumage and showed no sign of any plumage aberrations,

such as are seen on almost all captive “Mallards” in northern Nigeria, many of which

appear to be hybrids of some description. This, combined with the fact that it was part

of a large flock of wild Palaearctic ducks, strongly suggests that the bird was of wild

origin.

Brown et al. (1982) describe the Mallard as a vagrant to West Africa, and this

bird is accepted by El good et al. (1994) as the first substantiated record for Nigeria.

32

Short Notes

Malimbus 17

References

Brown, L.H., Urban, E.K. & Newman, K. (1982) The Birds of Africa, vol. 1.

Academie Press, London.

Elgood, J.H., Heigham, J.B., Moore, A.M., Nason, A.M., Sharland, R.E. &

Skinner, N. J. (1994) The Birds of Nigeria, 2nd ed.. Check-list 4, British

Ornithologists’ Union, Tring.

Received 23 December 1994 Igor Debski

Old Millfield, Alresford Road, Wivenhoe, Essex C07 9JU, U.K.

Egyptian Goose - Oie d’Egypte - Alopochen aegyptUicus

Photo: Michael Gore

1995

33

Book Review

Crows and Jays. A guide to the crows, jays and magpies of the world.

By S. Madge & H. Bum, 1994. 192 + xxiii pp., 30 colour plates. Christopher Helm,

London. ISBN 0-7136-3999-7. Hardback £25.95.

This book’s emphasis is on identification, not biology; displays, calls, habitat etc. are

only given insofar as they aid identification. Even breeding data are included because

they are “often useful when comparing similar species”. Despite this, much

interesting biological information is summarized, but this is not a monograph:

Goodwin’s Crows of the World (1986, British Museum (Natural History), London) is

not superseded. The book’s W. African interest is comparatively limited. Corvid

diversity is greatest in Central and S. America, and in S.E. Asia; Africa is relatively

poor, and W. Africa has only four species of the world’s 120-odd: the Piapiac

Ptilostomus (spelt Ptilosomus in about half of its occurrences in the book) afer, Pied

Crow Corvus albus and two ravens. Like all bird books these days, this one draws

attention to conservation aspects, listing threatened species and discussing threats and

the action required to avert them.

Hilary Burn’s illustrations are super and the layout and conventions used are

sensible {e.g. vernacular names, amount of detail in descriptions). In places, however,

the idiosyncratic English constructions and paucity of punctuation marks cause

irritating hesitation in the flow: those split-seconds required to work out the exact

meaning. Even a cursory reading reveals lots of typographic slips, some of which

could be misleading {e.g. Chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax is not found in “Las

Palmas” (on Gran Canaria) but on the island of La Palma. There are other factual

errors {e.g. Piapiac eats not oil-palm “seeds” but the pericarp of the fruit).

So what is the market for this book? The style is that of previous Helm guides

{e.g. the well-used Shorebirds by Hayman, Marchant & Prater, 1986), but without the

raison d'être. The wader- watcher seriously needs Shorebirds, but hardly anyone will

need this book for crow identification (although it would serve the purpose

excellently) because the corvids are dealt with adequately by most regional field

guides; few people would want to carry an extra book around the world for such a

small group of comparatively easy species. Neither is it aimed at crow biologists. One

must therefore conclude that it is primarily for the collector (of books, not crows), of

which there are obviously enough these days to support such a project.

Alan Tye

34

Malimbus 17

Society Notices

Au sujet des articles en anglais par des francophones; un avis personnel

du Président

Je constate que plusieurs notes et articles, rédigés en anglais par des auteurs de langue

française, sont régulièrement publiés dans Malimbus. Or, la S.O.O.A. a été fondée, à

l’initiative de nos collègues britanniques, non seulement pour unir les efforts et les

moyens du plus grande nombre d’ornithologues de l’Ouest africain mais aussi pour

permettre à chacun de s’exprimer dans une des deux langues dominantes de la sous-

région, l’anglais et le français. Chacun, nous l’espérons, aura pu remarquer que notre

société a le souci de rester bilingue: la grande majorité de nos collègues anglophones

le comprend et l’accepte.

Je n’ignore pas que, pour les besoins de leur, carrière, les ornithologues

francophones doivent publier l’essentiel de leurs travaux dans une revue de classe

“A” et en anglais, mais cela ne doit pas les empêcher de publier en français dans une

revue, telle que Malimbus, où le bilinguisme est de règle. Quant à la diffusion des

résultats, elle sera la même que les articles soient en anglais ou en français. Mais les

articles en français auront sans doute une plus large audience s’ils sont destinées à un

pays francophone.

C’est d’ailleurs, à mon sens, une question de courtoisie de la part des

ornithologues européens envers les pays où ils ont été admis à exercer une recherche

sur l’avi faune.

G.J. Morel

Note de la Rédaction. Sans être opposée à l ’opinion exprimé ci-dessus, la politique

de la Rédaction restera d’accepter de tout auteur les articles dans l’une ou l’autre

langue.

English and French language papers by francophone authors: a

personal view from the President

I note that many articles published in Malimbus are written in English by

francophone authors. W.A.O.S. was founded, on the initiative of our British

colleagues, not only to combine the efforts and resources of the maximum number of

West African ornithologists, but also to enable use of either of the two major

languages of the region, English or French. Everyone, I hope, will have remarked that

our Society is concerned to remain bilingual; the gréât majority of our anglophone

colleagues understand and accept that aim.

1995

Society Notices

35

I realise that, for the purposes of career advancement, francophone ornithologists

must publish the bulk of their work in first=class, English-language journals, but that

should not prevent their publishing in French in a journal such as Malimbus, where

both languages are acceptable. Here, the language used has no bearing on the

circulation of their results, and articles destined for francophone countries would

doubtless have a wider readership if written in French. Besides, for European authors,

I feel that there is a question of courtesy to the country where one has been permitted

to carry out one’s research.

G.J. Morel

Editor^s note. While not disagreeing with the above, editorial policy will remain to

accept papers in either language from any author.

Guidelines for avifaunal papers in MaUmbus ^

Malimbus publishes many articles comprising regional or national species lists. There

is no suggestion that this should not continue, for such lists play an important role:

they are used for reference by amateurs and travellers, they constitute the raw data for

regional bird atlases, and they provide information for conservation planning. These

lists are of greatest use if they are easy to digest and analyse, but submitted

manuscripts do not always match this criterion (as those who edit them are well

aware!). Some mss. contain no map or gazetteer and their content of other

information varies greatly (indication or not of migratory status, indication of

abundance or density etc.). Such variation renders the work of the Editorial Board

unnecessarily difficult and reduces the ultimate usefulness of the data. Accordingly,

the following guidelines have been developed; they should be followed as closely as

possible by potential authors of avifaunal papers.

1. Localities. Every such paper must contain either a map showing all localities

mentioned or a gazetteer giving geographical coordinates, or both. A map should

always have a border and scale, and the border should bear latitude and longitude

marks. It would be helpful if the map could show degree squares or half-degree

squares (= quarter square-degrees), according to the scale, but beware of curved lines

of latitude or longitude on many projections. Note that maps produced by computer

printers are rarely of a quality acceptable for publication.

2. Background. The paper should contain brief notes on climate, topography,

vegetation types and zones. It would also be helpful to state (particularly for lists

compiled during brief visits) the climatic conditions and state of the vegetation during

the study, and any unusual events during or preceding the observations (abnormally

36

Society Notices

Mal imbus 17

long, short, early, late, light or heavy rains, drought, light or heavy floods, fires,

locust swarms etc.).

3. Results: the species list. Lists should include only significant information. Full

lists are justified only if they deal with areas formerly completely unstudied or not

visited for many years, during which the area changed substantially. Rather than

repeating data by submitting complete lists of observations during a trip, species

should only be included if your observations provide new information on range,

period of residence, breeding, etc. If you have substantial other biological

information (ecology, voice, behaviour, etc.), then the data are probably better

presented in some form other than a species list.

Where possible, indicate the following for each species: migratory status

(resident, Palaearctic migrant, intra-African migrant etc.) and period of residence but

only where known {e.g. do not simply assume residence for normally-resident

species); species not previously recorded for the region, or range extensions, with a

summary of previously-known range or nearest populations; an assessment of

abundance, as follows (approximating the system used by The Birds of Africa: Brown

et al. 1982, Urban et al. 1986, Fry et al. 1988, Keith et al. 1992 et seq., Academie

Press, London):

>100 may be seen or heard in suitable habitat per day

1 1-100 may be seen or heard in suitable habitat per day

1-10 may be seen or heard in suitable habitat per day

often seen but not every day

several records per year

one record per several years (resident species)

one record per several years (non-residents).

For species with few records (uncommon, rare, vagrant), each record may be listed

individually, with precise dates.

Breeding records should be dated as precisely as possible, so that they may be

extrapolated to month of laying; present the original observations (e.g. “newly-

fledged young 10 March”; “11 out of 15 trapped females with stage 3 brood patches

1-14 June”) rather than the extrapolation. Extrapolated data should only be used in

separate analyses of breeding seasons for a population or avifauna.

Where appropriate, briefly compare observations of each species with an

authoritative pre-existing regional checklist, to set new data in context.

The results section may be in tabular format (as in Malimbus 12: 39-51, 1: 22-28,

or 1: 49-54) for data which may be so abbreviated; for longer species accounts,

textual format may be used {e.g. Malimbus 12: 19-24, 12: 61-86, 13: 49-66, 16: 10-

29).

Very abundant (VA)

Abundant (A)

Common (C)

Frequent (F)

Uncommon (U)

Rare (R)

Vagrant (V)

The taxonomic sequence and scientific names should follow Dowsett, R.J. &

Forbes-Watson, A. (1993) Checklist of Birds of the Afrotropical and Malagasy

Regions (Tauraco Press, Liège) or The Birds of Africa, unless reasons for departure

from these authorities are stated in the article; the only such reason normally accepted

1995

Society Notices

37

is conformity with a previous authoritative checklist for the region. These works are

also preferred sources for vernacular names, but other vernacular names widely

current within West Africa may be accepted. In lists, present the scientific name

before the vernacular, and use only vernacular names of the language of the article.

G.J. Morel & A. Tye

Presentation des articles d’avifaune pour Malimbus

Malimbus publie beaucoup de listes régionales ou nationales d’avifaune. Il y a tout

lieu de penser que cela continuera, car ces listes jouent un rôle important: elles sont

utilisées par les amateurs et les touristes comme documents de référence et

constituent les données brutes qui permettront d’établir les atlas régionaux et aideront

à faire des plans pour la conservation. Ces listes ne sont vraiment utiles que si elles

sont faciles à consulter et à analyser. Ce n’est pas toujours le cas actuellement (et

ceux qui les révisent en savent quelque chose!). Certains manuscrits ne comportent ni

carte ni répertoire de localités et les autres informations qu’ils fournissent sont fort

variables (indication ou non du statut migratoire, de l’abondance ou de la densité

etc.). Cette absence d’homogénéité rend le travail de l’équipe de rédaction

inutilement laborieux et nuit à l’utilisation ultérieure des données. Nous avons donc

établi les normes de présentation suivantes que les auteurs d’études d’avifaune

suivront dans toute la mesure du possible.

1. Localités. Chaque liste devra fournir soit une carte donnant toutes les localités

citées ou un répertoire avec les coordonnées géographiques soit les deux à la fois.

Toute carte devra avoir un cadre et une échelle et le cadre porter les indications de

latitude et de longitude. Il est préférable que la carte soit découpée en degrés carrés

ou en demi-degrés (= quarts de degrés carrés), suivant l’échelle, mais se méfier des

lignes courbes des latitudes ou longitudes sur de nombreuses projections. Noter que

les cartes produites par les imprimantes sont rarement de la qualité requise pour la

publication.

2. Cadre de Fétude. L’article comportera des indications succintes sur le climat, la

topographie, le type et les zones de végétation. Il serait également utile de préciser

(en particulier pour les listes établies au cours de brefs séjours) les conditions

climatiques et l’état de la végétation durant l’étude ainsi que tout événement

inhabituel survenu avant ou pendant les observations (pluies anormalement longues,

courtes, précoces, tardives, faibles ou violentes, sécheresse, crues faibles ou fortes,

feux, vols de criquets etc.).

3. Résultats: la liste des espèces. Les listes ne fourniront que des données

importantes. Les listes complètes se justifient seulement si elles traitent de régions

encore totalement inexplorées ou non visitées pendant de nombreuses années au

cours desquelles la région aurait changé considérablement. Plutôt que de répéter des

données en proposant des listes complètes obtenues au cours d’une voyage, veuillez

38

Society Notices

Malimbus 17

ne citer que les espèces sur lesquelles vous avez des éléments nouveaux: répartition,

période de séjour, reproduction etc. Si vous avez un certain nombre d’autres données

biologiques (écologie, voix, comportement etc.) vos données seront probablement

mieux présentées sous une forme autre qu’une liste d’espèces.

Autant que possible, indiquer pour chaque espèce: le statut migratoire (résident,

migrateur paléarctique, migrateur afrotropical etc.) et la durée de séjour, mais

seulement là où elle est connue (p. ex. ne pas affirmer qu’une espèce est résidente

sous prétexte qu’elle est connue normalement comme telle); les espèces nouvelles

pour la région ou les extensions d’aire, ainsi qu’un bref historique de la distribution

des populations les plus proches; une estimation de l’abondance, comme suit (d’après

les normes suivies par The Birds of Africa: Brown et al. 1982, Urban et al. 1986, Fry

e? al. 1988, Keith et al. 1992 et seq., Academie Press, London):

Très abondant (TA) >100 peuvent être vus ou entendus dans l’habitat adéquat

chaque jour

Abondant (A) 11-100 peuvent être vus ou entendus dans l’habitat

adéquat chaque jour

Commun (C) 1-10 peuvent être vus ou entendus dans l’habitat adéquat

chaque jour

Fréquent (F) vus souvent mais pas chaque jour

Pas commun (PC) plusieurs observations par an

Rare (R) une observation sur plusieurs années (espèces résidentes)

Erratique (E) une observation sur plusieurs années (espèces non

résidentes).

Pour les espèces peu observées (pas communs, rares, erratiques), chaque observation

peut être signalée avec les dates précises.

Veuillez dater les dbnnéès sur la reproduction avec toute la précision possible de

façon à pouvoir extrapoler le mois de la ponte; donner les observations originales (p.

ex. “jeunes nouvellement envolés, 10 mars’’; “11 sur 15 femelles capturées avec

plaque incubatrice au stade 3, 1-14 juin”) plutôt que la date de ponte extrapolée.

N’utiliser les données extrapolées que pour les analyses séparées de saisons de

reproduction pour une population ou une avifaune.

S’il y a lieu, afin de placer les nouvelles données dans leur contexte, comparer

succintement les observations de chaque espèce avec celles d’une liste régionale déjà

publiée qui fait autorité.

Les Résultats peuvent être présentés sous forme de tableau (comme dans

Malimbus 12: 39-51, 1: 22-28 ou 1: 49-54) si les données peuvent être ainsi

condensées ou, pour les listes d’espèces plus longues, sous forme de texte (p. ex.

Malimbus 12: 19-24, 12: 61-86, 13: 49-66, 16: 10-29).

On suivra la séquence systématique et les noms scientifiques de Dowsett, R.J. &

Forbes- Watson, A. (1993) Checklist of Birds of the Afrotropical and Malagasy

Regions (Tauraco Press, Liège) ou bien de The Birds of Africa, à moins de donner la

raison de s’en écarter; la seule raison normalement retenue est celle de garder la

1995

Society Notices

39

séquence d’une importante liste régionale déjà publiée. Ces ouvrages sont aussi les

sources privilégiées des noms vernaculaires, mais on peut utiliser d’autres noms

vernaculaires d’usage courant en Afrique de l’Ouest. Dans les listes, placer le nom

scientifique avant le nom vernaculaire et n’utiliser que les noms vernaculaires de la

langue de l’article.

G. J. Morel & A. Tye

Blue-naped Mousebird ~ Coliou huppé - Urocolius macrourus

Photo: Michael Gore

40

Society Notices

Mal imbus 17

West African Ornithological Society

Revenue Account for the year ended 31 December 1994

Balance Sheet as at 31 December 1994

Assets

R.E. Sharland

Hon. Treasurer

Instructions to Authors

Malimbus publishes Papers, Short Notes, Reviews, News and Letters, and illustrative

material covering the field of West African ornithology. Written contributions are

accepted in English or French; editorial assistance will be made available to authors

whose first language is not one of these. Papers and Short Notes cover original

contributions: material published elsewhere, in whole or in part, will not normally be

accepted. Short Notes are articles not exceeding 1000 words (including references) or

two printed pages in length. Wherever possible, manuscripts should first have been

submitted to at least one ornithologist or biologist for critical scrutiny. Manuscripts

will be sent for critical review to at least one relevant authority.

Items for News and Letters should not exceed 1000 words.

Contributions, of which two copies are required, should be typed on one side of

the paper, with double spacing and wide margins. Dot-matrix printouts will only be

accepted if they are of “near-letter” quality. Authors should not send a diskette copy

with their initial submission, but are requested to indicate whether they can do so if

their paper is accepted. Diskettes will be returned to authors. Consult the editor for

further details, e.g. for acceptable word processing programs.

Conventions regarding tabular material, numbers, metric units, references, etc.

may be found in this issue and should be adhered to carefully. Note particularly the

following: dates should be in the form 2 Feb 1990 but months standing alone in text

may be written in full; times of day are written 6.45 h, 17.32 h; coordinates are

written in the form T 46’N, 16°4’E; numbers up to ten are written in full, except when

followed by abbreviated units {e.g. 6 m), numbers from 11 upwards are written in

figures except at the beginning of a sentence. All References mentioned in the

article, and only such, must be entered in the bibliography.

Avifaunal articles must contain a map or gazetteer, including all localities

mentioned. They should include brief notes on climate, topography, vegetation, and

conditions or unusual events prior to or during the study (e.g. late rains etc). Species

lists should include only significant information; full lists are justified only for areas

previously unstudied or unvisited for many years. Otherwise, include only species for

which the study provides new information on range, period of residence, breeding

etc. For each species, indicate migratory status, period of residence (as shown by the

study), range extensions, an assessment of abundance {Malimbus 17: 36) and dated

breeding records. Where appropriate, set data in context by brief comparison with an

authoritative region2il checkJist. Lengthy species lists should be in tabular form {e.g.

Malimbus 12: 39-51, 1: 22-28, or 1: 49-54) or of the textual format of recent issues

{e.g. Malimbus 12: 19-24, 12: 61-86, 13: 49-66, 16: 10-29). The taxonomic sequence

and scientific names (and preferably also vernacular names) should follow Dowsett

& Forbes-Watson (1993, Checklist of Birds of the Afrotropical and Malagasy

Regions, Tauraco Press, Liège) or The Birds of Africa (Brown et al. 1982, Urban et

al. 1986 and Fry et al. 1988, Keith et al. 1992, Academie Press, London), unless

reasons for departure from these authorities are stated. A more complete guide for

authors of avifaunal papers, including the preferred abundance scale, appeared in

Malimbus 17: 35-39. A copy may be obtained from the Editor, who will be happy to

advise on the presentation of specific studies.

Figures should be prepared as for final reproduction, allowing for 20-50%

reduction, using indian ink on good quality white paper or heavy tracing, and

adhesive transfer lettering as appropriate. Diagrams produced by a computer printer

are rarely of acceptable quality. When designing Figures, pay attention to the page-

shape of Malimbus.

All Papers (but not Short Notes) should include a Summary, not exceeding 5%

of the paper’s length. The Summary should include brief reference to major findings

of the paper and not simply review what was done. Summaries will be published in

both English and French and will be translated as appropriate by the Editorial Board.

Twenty Offprints of Papers (but not of Short Notes) will be sent to single or

senior authors, gratis. Offprints will not be stapled, bound, or covered; they are

merely cut from copies of the journal.

Malimbus 17 (1) May 1995

Contents

Change of Editorial Address 1

Bird observations in Kaédi and Foum Gleïta, southern Mauritania.

S.J. Farnsworth 2-6

Birds of the Rio del Rey estuary, Cameroon.

J. Thomas 7-18

Observations on nesting and associated behaviour of the Shrike Flycatcher

Megabyas flammulatus in Tai National Park, Ivory Coast

C. Ryall & J. J. Stoorvogel 19-24

Short Notes

The Common Gull Lams conus in Senegal. P. Yésou & P. Triplet 26-27

Comportement “rapace” d’un Drongo brillant Dicrurus (Similis.

B. Tréca 27

Black-throated Âpalis Apalis jacksoni^ a new bird for Gabon.

I. Robertson 28

Description des oeufs et du nid de la Prinia aquatique Prinia fluviatilis.

R. de Naurois & G.J. Morel 28-31

Mallard Anas platyrhynchos in Nigeria. I Debski 31-32

Book Review 33

Society Notices

34-40

MALIMBUS

IL

71

2^1

/>(/ ;

Journal of the West African Ornithological Society

Revue de la Société d’Ornithologie de TOuest Africain

VOLUME 17 Number 2

ISSN 0331-3689

December 1995

West African Ornithological Society

Société d’Ornithologie de l’Ouest Africain

Conseil:

Président: Dr Gérard J. Morel

Vice-Président: John H. Elgood

Trésorier et chargé des abonnements: Robert E. Sharland

Secrétaire Générale: Dr Roger Wilkinson

Membre du Conseil: Dr Max Germain

Rédacteur en Chef: Dr Alan Tye

Comité de Rédaction: Dr H.Q.P. Crick, Dr RJ. Dowsett, Dr F. Dowsett-Lemaire,

Dr C. Erard, Dr L.D.C. Fishpool, Dr M. Germain, Dr D.T. Holyoak, Dr P.J.

Jones, Dr G.J. Morel, Dr M.-Y. Morel, Dr F. Roux, Dr B. Tréca, Dr H. Tye,

Dr J.F. Walsh, Dr R. Wilkinson

Distribution de Malimbus: G.D. Field, Mrs A.M. Moore

La correspondance doit être adressée comme suit:

- au Rédacteur en Chef (2 School Lane, King’s Ripton, Huntingdon, Cambs

PE 17 2NL, U. K.) pour les publications dans Malimbus, y compris éventuelle-

ment des photos ou des dessins au trait;

-au Trésorier (1 Fisher’s Heron, East Mills, Fordingbridge, Hampshire, SP6

2JR, U. K.) pour les abonnements, les questions financières et les numéros

anciens;

-au Secrétaire Générale (Zoological Gardens, Chester CH2 ILH, U.K.) pour

les demandes des Bourses de Recherches de la Société;

-au Président (1 Route de Sallenelles, 14860 Bréville-les-Monts, France) pour

les questions d’intérêt général.

La Société tire son origine de la “Nigerian Ornithologists’ Society”, fondée en

1964. Son but est de promouvoir l’intérêt scientifique pour les oiseaux de l’Ouest

africain et de faire avancer l’ornithologie de ces régions principalement au moyen

de sa revue Malimbus (anciennement Bulletin of the Nigerian Ornithologists’

Society).

Les demandes d’adhésion sont les bienvenues. Les cotisations annuelles sont de £10

pour les Membres Ordinaires et de £25 pour les Sociétés (les cotisations peuvent

être payées en sterling au Trésorier ou en francs français au Président). Les

Membres Ordinaires reçoivent Malimbus par courrier ordinaire et les Sociétés par

courrier aérien, gratuitement. Un supplément est exigé des Membres Ordinaires

pour le courrier aérien (demander au Trésorier le tarif).

Anciens Numéros: Les Vols 11-14 (1975-78) du Bulletin of the Nigerian Ornitholo-

gists ’ Society (du même format que Malimbus) sont disponibles à £2 par numro (£4

par volume) ou £15 l’ensemble. Les Volumes 1 à 9 de Malimbus sont disponibles à

£3 par numéro (£6 par volume) et, à partir du Vol. 10, à £5 par numéro (£10 par

volume). On peut acheter la série complète des Vols 1 à 17 de Malimbus au prix

spécial de £115. Frais de port et emballage sont gratuits. Veuillez joindre le

paiement à votre commande et l’adresser au Trésorier.

Bourses de Recherches de la S.O.O.A.: Les conditions à remplir pour les candida-

tures se trouvent dans Malimbus 15: 103-106 et peuvent être obtenues auprès du

Secrétaire Générale (voir adresse ci-dessus).

1995

Body weights and wing moult of the Bronze Mannikin

Lonchura cucullata and Blue-hilled Mannikin L. bicolor

in Sierra Leone

41

by Hazell Shokellu Thompson & Alan Tye'

Department of Zoology, Fourah Bay College,

University of Sierra Leone, Freetown, Sierra Leone

•Present address: 2 School Lane, King’s Ripton, Huntingdon,

Cambridgeshire PE17 2NL, U.K.

Received 25 November 1993

Revised 1 July 1995

Summary

The weight and stage of wing moult of 552 Bronze Mannikins and 660 Blue-

billed Mannikins were recorded in western Sierra Leone over a 19-month

period. Body weights declined during the dry season to minima about

March-June and were greatest at the end of the wet season and early dry

season. Annual variation in body weight was about 12-13% in both species.

Males were slightly heavier than females for most of the year but females

became significantly heavier than males for three months towards the end of

the rains. Moult was protracted in both species. Adults moulting remiges

could be found in all months of the year. The primary moult of juveniles

may be incomplete. The peak moulting season (when all trapped birds were

moulting) occurred during the dry season (January-May). It is suggested

that the low daily metabolic demands of the slow moult enable it to occur

then - a period of decreasing food availability - after breeding has taken

place during peak food availability in the wet season.

Résumé

Le poids et l’état de la mue de 552 Capucins nonnettes Lonchura cucullata et

de 660 Capucins à bec bleu L. bicolor ont été notés en Sierra Leone

occidentale sur une période de 19 mois. Le poids corporel baissait pendant

la saison sèche jusqu’à son minimum entre mars et juin et était le plus élévé à

la fin de la saison humide et au début de la saison sèche. Chez les deux

espèces le poids corporel variait au cours de l’année d’environ 12-13%. Les

mâles étaient légèrement plus lourds que les femelles presque toute l’année

mais les femelles étaient considérablement plus lourdes que les mâles

pendant trois mois vers la fin des pluies. La mue était prolongée chez les

42

H. S. Thompson & A. Tye

Malimbus 17

deux espèces. On trouvait des adultes avec des rémiges en mue à tous les

mois de l’année. La mue des primaires des juvéniles peut être incomplète. Le

pic de la mue (quand tous les oiseaux capturés sont en mue) avait lieu

pendant la saison sèche (janvier-mai). Cela suggère que, du fait du faible

coût métabolique journalier de cette longue mue, elle puisse avoir lieu en

saison sèche - quand la nourriture disponible diminue - après la reproduc-

tion qui s’est déroulée durant le maximum de nourriture disponible en

saison des pluies.

Introduction

Woodall (1975) carried out a comprehensive field study of the life history of the

Bronze Mannikin Lonchura cucullata in Zimbabwe. Eyckerman & Cuvelier (1982)

presented notes on the pattern of moult of this species in Cameroon, and

Thompson (1989) investigated its diet and breeding seasonality in Sierra Leone.

Akinpelu (1994a, b) presented data on breeding season, moult and weight cycles of

Bronze Mannikin and Blue-billed Mannikin L. bicolor in Nigeria.

These two species regularly cause damage to cereal crops (Bashir 1983, Manser

1984, F.A.O. 1988) and the results presented in this paper were obtained as part of

a study designed to investigate their ecology and behaviour in relation to

agricultural practices in Sierra Leone (Thompson 1986). The aim here is to

describe seasonal patterns of body weight and wing moult for the two species over

19 months in coastal Sierra Leone.

Methods

The study was conducted at Lumley (8°27'58"N, 13°16T9"W) on the west coast of

the Freetown Peninsula. The climate is characterised by distinct wet and dry

seasons; the rains extend from May to October, with maximum rainfall in July.

Birds were mist-netted weekly between January 1984 and August 1985, in rice

farms where they were regarded as pests. Nets were operated for approximately

three hours on each visit, starting either towards dusk (after 16.00 h) in 1984 or

just before dawn (6.30-7.00 h) in 1985. Trapped birds were weighed in the field to

the nearest 0.1 g, using a Pesola spring balance, recalibrated before each netting

trip. Dusk and dawn weights are treated separately below, to allow for any

differences.

Primary and secondary moult scores were obtained by scoring individual

feather growth on a scale from 0 (old feather) to 5 (new) (Newton 1966). Both

species have nine large primaries (innermost numbered PI; the outermost reduced

PIO was not scored) and six secondaries (outermost SI) on each wing, so the

maximum possible primary and secondary scores are 90 and 60 respectively. The

1995

Mannikin weight and moult cycles

43

birds were classified as adults or juveniles on the basis of body plumage (Serle &

Morel 1977).

Seasonal variation in the breeding potential of the two species was determined

by examination of the gonads of 490 trapped adults. The birds were killed as part

of a pest control drive on farmers’ fields, dissected in the field and the gonads

measured with vernier calipers (Thompson 1989). Breeding activity was investi-

gated by recording the presence of nests with eggs or nestlings, during twice-

weekly standardized walks along set routes through the study area. In addition,

searches for nests were made throughout the study area whenever indications of

breeding activity (e.g. birds with nesting material) were noted during the standard

walks.

Error bars on Figures are standard errors of the means.

Results

Body weight

In 1984 (observations beginning in January), the mean monthly body weights at

dusk of the two species tended to be lowest towards the end of the dry season and

highest towards the end of the rains (Fig. 1). In 1985, dawn weights declined from

N ' 1984 ^ ' 1985 '

(•) 2 16 10 9 1 15 76 2 4 16 15 7 9 7 10 27 44 28 2 2

(o) 6 11 12 16 3 5 30 13 23 20 12 6 6 14 30 32 35 12

Figure 1. Seasonal variation in mannikin body weights, shown against rainfall

(histograms). Open circles: Bronze Mannikin. Closed circles: Blue-billed Mannikin.

44

H. S. Thompson & A. Tye

Malimbus 17

N , 1934 , t 1935 /

13 3 7 8. s 2 3 19 18 19 4 12

(oj 7 5 11 8 6 4 11 11 15 16 8 10

Figure 2. Monthly variation in body weight of male (open circles) and female (closed

circles) Bronze Mannikins.

a peak in February-March, to the end of the dry season (Fig. 1). Annual variation

in monthly means was about 1.2 g (12-13%), in each species.

Mean dusk weights in 1984 were significantly greater than dawn weights for the

same period in 1985 (January-May and July, when data were available for both

years). Mean differences averaged 4% in Bronze Mannikins (t,Q = 12.56, p < 0.01)

and 5.5% in Blue-billed Mannikins (t^ = 11.5, p < 0.01).

Adult males of both species were usually slightly (but not significantly) heavier

than adult females, except during the latter part of the wet season in 1984 (Figs 2 &

3) when females averaged significantly heavier than males: from August to

October for Bronze Mannikins (t^^ = 3.35, p < 0.01) and from September to

November for Blue-billed Mannikins (tj^ = 3.34, p < 0.01).

Wing moult patterns

Wing moult in both species followed the regular passerine pattern; primary moult

was descendent and secondary moult ascendent, although -there were marked

irregularities in occasional individuals.

In adult Bronze Mannikins, primary moult was normally symmetrical, with

only one growing primary on each wing at any time (Table 1). Replacement of

1995

Mannikin weight and moult cycles

45

1984 ^ ' 1985

(k) 22 10 4 8 4 1 2 4 15 22 11 12

(o) 27 6 6 4 6 1 2 6 11 1 4 13 10

Figure 3. Monthly variation in body weight of male (open circles) and female (closed

circles) Blue-billed Mannikins.

the secondaries started about half-way through the primary moult, during growth

of P4 (primary score 31-40: Table 1). Moult of secondaries was less regular than

that of primaries; in several birds examined, S6 was shed concurrently with SI and

before S2-S5, these last being shed and replaced in quick succession towards the

end of primary moult. Secondary moult usually ended after primary moult.

Normally, Blue-billed Mannikins shed P1-P3 in rapid succession so that, in

most individuals, all three were growing together (Table 2). In several such cases,

P5 was shed at the same time as P1-P3 and before P4. In a few individuals, one or

more of P6-P8 were growing at the same time as P3, even though total primary

score was < 30. Primary moult thus appears relatively commonly to start at two

points on the wing: PI and P5. Replacement of the secondaries started when

primary score was 31-40 (Table 2) and then proceeded rapidly, so that, unlike

Bronze Mannikins, secondary moult was complete before all the primaries were

replaced.

Timing and duration of wing moult

The lowest mean primary scores occurred in September (Bronze Mannikin: Fig. 4)

and November (Blue-billed Mannikin: Fig. 5). Mean moult score was never zero

Table 1. The pattern of primary and secondary wing moult in Bronze Mannikins

46

H. S. Thompson & A. Tye

Malimbus 17

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Mean monthly moult score n Mean monthly moult score

1995

Mannikin weight and moult cycles

47

I® Î 5 10 19 16 5 11 1 2 6 II 20 21 10 6 12 30 31 ç- 33

«•1 3 5 2S 12 1 1 ^ » 1 2 7 ÎI 15 12 7 t?7 11

4. Monthly primary moult scores of adult (open circles) and juvenile (closed

circles) Bronze Mannikins.

N j I ,^905 ^

!•) - 16 11 8 16 61 23 77 2 f IS 13 9 S îé 23 21 15

«o! - 7 12 7 8 le 3 - - = - 24 15 13 17 23 U

Figure 5. Monthly primary moult scores of adult (closed circles) and Juvenile (open

circles) Blue-billed Mannikins.

48

H. S. Thompson & A. Tye

Malimbus 17

N ' 1984 ' ' 1985 '

(•) 5 12 25 16 20 U 12 37 12 25 22 21 10 6 U 30 33 3é

(x) ------ 13 37 86 2 43 19 13 19

Figure 6. Timing of moult and breeding in the Bronze Mannikin.

and low mean scores were associated with lost inner primaries (Tables 1 & 2),

indicating the start of moult towards the end of the rains. Juveniles of both species

leave the nest in a distinct immature plumage, then moult into adult dress in the

succeeding weeks (Woodall 1975, pers. obs.).

Populations of both species contained moulting individuals in all months (Figs

4-7), but primary moult in adult and juvenile Bronze Mannikins occurred mainly

between September and May; juveniles may not have replaced the full set of

primaries, with an apparent asymptote occurring at primary score 60-70 (Fig. 4),

In both adult and juvenile Bronze Mannikins, moult occupied some seven months

(c. 210 days). In the Blue-billed Mannikin, primary moult mainly occupied

November to April, with juveniles ceasing moult at primary scores 50-60 (Fig. 5);

primary moult therefore lasted some five months (c. 1 50 days).

In the 1984-5 moult cycle, every adult caught was undergoing wing moult in the

periods December-March (Bronze Mannikin: Fig. 6) and January-May (Blue-

billed Mannikin: Fig. 7) and the highest proportions of moulting birds were found

in the same periods in the 1983-4 cycle.

1995

Mannikin weight and moult cycles

49

(•1 _ _ . - - - 22 10 4 8 4 3 2 15 15 22 1 1

Figure 7. Timing of moult and breeding in the Blue-billed Mannikin.

Moult-breeding overlap

In 1984, the breeding season of Bronze Mannikins, as defined by nests found with

eggs or young, occurred from August to November. The proportions of trapped

adults moulting during these months were 27%, 48%, 83% and 90% respectively

(Fig. 6). There was therefore clear overlap between the breeding and moult periods

of this species.

Active nests of Blue-billed Mannikins were not found, but enlarged oocytes of

both species, which indicated potential breeding activity, were found from

September to November. At the end of this period, only 31% of trapped adult

Blue-billed Mannikins were moulting (Fig. 7), indicating clearer separation

between moult and breeding in this species.

Discussion

The body weight changes shown during the year by both species were probably

influenced by three factors: food supply, reproductive state and moult. Both

species are primarily granivorous, feeding on grass seeds and cereals (Thompson

1989). Most grasses produce flowers and seeds during the wet season and seeds are

therefore generally most abundant in the late rains and early dry season. Similarly,

cultivated crops such as rice and maize, on which the mannikins feed, ripen and

50

H. S. Thompson & A. Tye

Malimbus 17

are harvested at the end of the rains. Grass seeds and cultivated grains should

therefore decrease in abundance with the progress of the dry season, as the stock

from the previous rains is depleted by predation and germination.

The drop in body weights during the dry season could therefore be caused partly

by declining food supplies. Also, the main moult periods coincided with the dry

season, so the additional physiological strain of moult may have contributed

further to declining weights during the dry season. The birds were heaviest in

September and October, when food supply would be most plentiful. However,

gonadal development probably also contributed to the relatively high body

weights of females at this time, the only period when their weights surpassed those

of the males.

The seasonal weight variations observed by Akinpelu (1994a) in Nigeria are the

reverse of those reported here: mannikin weights increased during the dry season

and declined during the rains. However, when considered in relation to the major

events of the life cycle, the pattern of variation in the two studies is similar: weights

increased prior to breeding and declined sharply after the breeding season, during

the main moult period. These similarities suggest that the physiological demands

of moult and breeding are probably more important than food availability in

influencing weight cycles. Birds probably increase their food intake in preparation

for breeding, then lose weight as a result of the stresses of parental care and moult.

Food may not be limiting, because birds in Nigeria gained weight during the

dry season, when food supplies would have been declining. Further research,

monitoring food supply through the year in the two study areas, could clarify this

point.

The protracted population moult periods recorded for the two species are

similar to those noted in several other tropical birds (e.g. Ward 1969, Fogden

1972, Jones 1978, Payne 1980), including the Bronze Mannikin in Zimbabwe

(Woodall 1975). This has been attributed to lack of synchrony in the onset of

moult in tropical bird populations and slowness of moult in individual birds

(Ward 1969) although the latter of the two factors may be the more important,

since moult in many tropical species seems to be a relatively fixed annual event

(e.g. Snow & Snow 1964, Snow 1976, Dittami & Gwinner 1985, Dittami & Knauer

1986, Dittami 1987). Slow moult may be favoured by the dangers of impaired

flight accompanying rapid moult and by the reduced daily metabolic effort

required (Jones 1978). The low daily metabolic demand of slow moult may permit

the two mannikin species to moult during a period of declining food supply (dry

season) after breeding has occupied the food peak of the late wet season.

The overlap of moult and breeding periods in the two populations, especially in

that of the Bronze Mannikin, suggests that breeding and moult may have

overlapped in some individuals, although our data were inadequate to confirm

this. Akinpelu (1994a) found overlap in some individuals of both species. Most

tropical bird species separate breeding and moult because of their high energy

costs and, although overlap has been documented in several Afrotropical species.

1995

Mannikin weight and moult cycles

51

overlap in individuals is rare (Payne 1969, Jones 1978, Wilkinson 1983). In the

mannikins, initiation of moult before finishing breeding might be favoured,

because the overlap period would occur when seed stocks were most abundant and

the slow moult rate would minimise its energetic demands.

Acknowledgments

We thank the Fourah Bay College Research Council for the grant which made this

study possible, E. Johnson and G. Eleady=Cole for assistance in the field, the

farmers of the Lumley area who allowed us access to their fields, and J.A. Showers

for setting the Figures. Humphrey Crick took over the Editor’s responsibilities for

this paper, in order to ensure impartiality, and he and Roger Wilkinson made

helpful comments on a previous draft.

References

c

Akinpelu, a. I. (1994a) Moult and weight cycles in two species of Lonchura in Ile-

Ife, Nigeria. Malimbus 16: 88-93.

Akinpelu, A.I. (1994b) Breeding seasons of three estrildid species in Ile-Ife,

Nigeria. Malimbus 16: 94-99.

Bashir, E.A. (1983) An Assessment of Bird Pest Problems to Rice in Liberia.

U.N.D.P./F.A.O. Report RAF/81 /022, Rome.

Dittami, J.P. (1987) A comparison of breeding and moult cycles and life histories

in two tropical starling species: the Blue-eared Glossy Starling Lamprotornis

chalybaeus and Rüppel’s Long-tailed Glossy Starling L. purpuropterus. Ibis

129: 69-85.

Dittami, J.P. & Gwinner, E. (1985) Annual cycles in the African Stonechat and

their relationship to environmental factors. J. Zool Land. 207: 357-370.

Dittami, J.P. & Knauer, B. (1986) Seasonal organisation of breeding and

moulting in the Fiscal Shrike Lanius collaris. J. Orn. 127: 79-84.

Eyckerman, R. & CuvELiER, D. (1982) The moult of some bird species on

Mount Cameroon. Malimbus 4: 1-4.

F.A.O. (1988) Terminal Report on Regional Research and Training Project for Crop

Protection against Grain-Eating Birds in West Africa. U.N.D.P./F.A.O. Rep.

AG:DP/RAF/81/022, Rome.

Fogden, M.P.L. (1972) The seasonality and population dynamics of equatorial

forest birds in Sarawak. Ibis 114: 307-343.

Jones, P.J. (1978) Overlap of breeding and moult in the White-browed Sparrow-

Weaver in northwestern Botswana. Ostrich 48: 21-24.

Manser, P.D. (1984) Rice pests in the Gabon. Rice Comm. Newsl. 33(1).

Newton, I. (1966) The moult of the Bullfinch Pyrrhula pyrrhula. Ibis 108: 41-47.

52

H. S. Thompson & A. Tye

Malimbus 17

Payne, R. B. (1969) Overlap of breeding and moult schedules in a collection of

African birds. Condor 71: 140-145.

Payne, R.B. (1980) Seasonal incidence of breeding, moult and local dispersal of

Red-billed Firefinches Lagonosticta senegala in Zambia. Ibis 122: 43-56.

Serle, W & Morel, G.J. (1977) A Field Guide to the Birds of West Africa. Collins,

London.

Snow, D.W. (1976) The relation between climate and annual cycles in the

Cotingidae. Ibis 118: 366-401.

Snow, D.W. & Snow, B.K. (1964) Breeding seasons and annual cycles of

Trinidad land-birds. Zoologica 48: 1-39.

Thompson, H.S.S. (1986) The Ecology and Behaviour of the Bronze Mannikin

Lonchura cucullata ( Swainson ) and the Blue-billed Mannikin Lonchura bicolor

( Frazer) in Relation to Rice Cultivation in Western Sierra Leone. Unpubl. M.Sc.

thesis, University of Sierra Leone.

Thompson, H.S.S. (1989) Diet and breeding seasonality of the Bronze Mannikin

Lonchura cucullata (Swainson) and the Blue-billed Mannikin Lonchura bicolor

(Frazer) in western Sierra Leone. Malimbus 11: 73-87.

Ward, P. (1969) The annual cycle of the Yellow- vented Bulbul in a humid

equatorial environment. /. Zool. Lond. 157: 25-45.

Wilkinson, R. (1983) Biannual breeding and moult-breeding overlap of the

Chestnut-bellied Starling Spreo pulcher. Ibis 125: 353-361.

Woodall, P.F. (1975) On the life history of the Bronze Mannikin. Ostrich 46:

55-86.

Spotted Redshank - Chevalier arlequin - Tringa erythvopus

Photo: Michael Gore

1995

53

The birds of the Kounounkan Massif, Guinea

by Peter V. Hayman* ^ Madeleine Prangley', Adrian Barnett'

and Djirimba Diawara^

'c/o Fauna and Flora Preservation Society, 1 Kensington Gore,

London SW7 2AR, England

^Direction Nationale des Forêts et de la Chasse, Conakry, Guinée

^Address for correspondence: Peter V. Hayman, 25 Chieveley Drive,

Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN2 5HG, England

Received 21 December 1993

Revised 14 January 1995

Summary

A ten-day field survey of monsoon forest in western Guinea found 134 bird

species. One, Picathartes gymnocephalus, is listed by lUCN as Vulnerable

and four, Francolinus ahantensis, Ceratogymna elata, Platysteira blissetti

and Apalis sharpii, are Candidate Threatened Species. Due to its position at

the edge of the Upper Guinea forest block, the forest avifauna contained a

high percentage of dry country birds.

Résumé

Une recherche de dix jours sur le terrain en forêt ombrophile de Touest de la

Guinée a permis de trouver 134 espèces d’oiseaux. L’une d’elles, Picathartes

gymnocephalus, est classée par l’UICN comme Espèce Vulnérable et quatre,

Francolinus ahantensis, Ceratogymna elata, Platysteira blissetti et Apalis

sharpii, comme Espèces Menacées Possibles. Eu égard à sa situation en

bordure du massif forestier de Haute Guinée, l’avifaune forestière possédait

un pourcentage élevé d’oiseaux de région sèche.

Introduction

As in many West African countries, there has been extensive deforestation

throughout Guinea (Barnes 1990), although remnant forest patches, some of the

last in the west of the country, still exist around the Kounounkan Massif (Wilson

1992), an area also sometimes known as “Kamalayah” {e.g. Bournonville 1967,

Wilson 1992). Some 5032 ha in extent, the Kounounkan Massif is a sandstone

outlier of the Fouta Djalon, where the Loma-Man dorsal meets the coastal plain.

The massif is situated about 90 km east of the capital, Conakry, in Forecariah

Senegal

54

P. V. Hayman et al.

Malimbus 17

S

b

1995

Birds of Kounounkan

55

Prefecture (Fig. 1). The massif has been dissected by riverine erosion, leaving a

number of plateaux and steep-sided ravines. It is in the ravines that forest still

survives, whilst on the ridge tops there is some natural savanna and on the lower

slopes a mixture of farmbush and secondary regeneration.

The forest here is at the north-western extremity of the Upper Guinea forest

block (Ackery 1991, Wilson 1992), in the area which White (1983) classified as a

mosaic of Guineo-Congolian woodland and secondary grassland. Recent botani-

cal studies (J. Komah, pers. comm.), found Afzelia africana (Caesalpiniaceae),

Aningeria altissima (Sapotaceae), Cola gigantea (Sterculiaceae) and Morns

mesozygia (Moraceae), indicator species which would place Kounounkan’s vege-

tation in White’s “drier peripheral semi-evergreen Guineo-Congolian rain forest”

phytocoenosis. The climate is monsoonal with a distinct wet season from April to

November.

The area was in the process of designation as a forest reserve in the 1950s

(Pinauldt & Thévenin 1952), but this was interrupted by independence in 1958 and

only resumed in late 1989 (see Barnett et al. 1994). We have been unable to find

any records of previous ornithological work at Kounounkan, although there are

various references to the Conakry area {e.g. Richards 1982, Browne 1984) and

elsewhere in Guinea {e.g. Brosset 1984, Walsh 1987, Morel & Morel 1988, Halleux

1994).

Methods

At the request of the Direction Nationale des Forêts et de la Chasse (DNFC), a

preliminary assessment of the conservation value of the Kounounkan Massif was

undertaken during November and December 1992, and part of this included a

survey of the birds. Ten full days were spent in the field. Three localities were

surveyed extensively by PVH, MP and AB, two in primary or near-primary forest

and one in regenerating farmbush. Further observations were also made in

farmbush and around towns and villages. Additionally, in six villages adjacent to

the Kounounkan Massif, DD carried out surveys of the extent and species-focus

of local hunting. He used the regional language, Susu.

Results

One hundred and thirty-four species were recorded (see Appendix), which

included a mixture of species typical of the Upper Guinea forest block {e.g.

Stephanoetus coronatus, Criniger barbatus, Alethe poliocephala: for English names

see Appendix) and species more typical of dry country {e.g. Polemaetus bellicosus,

Streptopelia vinaced). Using Thiollay’s (1985) categorisation of true forest

bird species, it was possible to compare the composition of the avifauna of

56

P. V. Hayman et al.

Malimbus 17

Kounounkan with that of other forests in the western part of the Upper Guinea

forest block. The percentage of true forest species was calculated from the total

number of species given in Ausden & Wood (1990) for the Western Area Forest,

Sierra Leone, Allport et al. (1989) for Gola Forest, SE Sierra Leone, and Bourque

& Wilson (1990) for the forest at Diecke and Ziama in SE Guinea. The percentage

of forest species was highest in Diecke (54%), intermediate in Gola (46%), Ziama

(44%) and Western Area (40%), and lowest at Kounounkan (34%). This follows

the trends in increased climatic aridity and increasing proportion of open, dryland

vegetation as the northerly Sahel Zone is approached (see White 1983).

Pleat har tes gymnocephalus, which is regarded as Vulnerable by Collar & Stuart

(1985), was found in the Kounounkan forest. Single birds were seen on three

occasions in the ten-day period. Although the data are few, this seems to represent

a very high encounter rate (cf. Allport et al. 1989, Ausden & Wood 1990). Also,

two rocks used as breeding sites were found, both along the same steep-sided

stream bed in primary forest. The first rock was approximately 12 m high and 20 m

wide with a slight overhang. It had 12 nests on it, nine of which were old, one was a

newly built cup and two were new cups with linings. The second rock was more

steeply overhanging, about 8 m wide, 4 m high at its highest, but with only 2 m of

vertical face below the overhang. There were two newly-built nest cups on the

vertical face at the base of the overhang.

Apart from a possible sighting by Richards (1982) at Kakulima Hill near

Conakry, there are no records of this species in W Guinea (see map in Thompson

& Fotso 1995). These sightings, therefore, represent a north-westerly range

extension of approximately 125 km, the nearest known birds being in the Western

Area Forest, Sierra Leone (Ausden & Wood 1990, Thompson 1993, Thompson &

Fotso 1995).

Unlike at Gola Forest, where P. gymnocephalus was familiar to local people and

even given religious significance (Allport et al. 1989), the people (including

hunters) in the Kounounkan area did not seem to know of the species at all.

The following species were recorded which were candidates for inclusion in

Collar & Stuart (1985): Francolinus ahantensis, Ceratogymna data, Platysteira

blissetti and Apalis sharpii. The hornbill and the apalis were recorded in the forest,

whereas the francolin and the wattle-eye were both recorded in thick, regenerating,

farmbush. A species of Malacocincla was also recorded in the farmbush. Its

identity was never resolved, but it was either the Near-threatened M. rufescens or

the Candidate M. puveli. Several over-wintering Palaearctic migrants were seen in

both the forest and farmbush habitats, including Ficedula hypoleuca.

The hunting pressures around Kounounkan appeared to be lower than in other

parts of Guinea (e.g. Bourque & Wilson 1990), and considerably lower than in

other parts of the Upper Guinea forest block (e.g. Robinson 1971, Verschuren

1983). The six surveyed villages had only ten hunters in total and some of these

never hunted in the forest. Their targets were mostly larger mammals (e.g.

duikers), and consequently there was little pressure on the birds. This was borne

1995

Birds of Kounoiinkan

57

out by a reasonable number of sightings of such large species as Corythaeola

crisîata, which are favoured quarry elsewhere.

Acknowledgments

In Guinea we would like to thank all at the Direction Nationale des Forêts et de la

Chasse, especially the late Directeur Général, Dr. Mammadou Oury Bah, Michael

Wilson, Catherine Cruvallier and Mikael Grut (World Bank), Paul Anspach

(GTZ), André Simon (FAO) and the staff of Guinée Ecologie. Thanks also to

Mammadou Saliou Diallo and Mr and Mrs Mammadou Bella Sase Balde for

logistical support, and to Jeremie Koman. In the U.K. we would like to thank

Amanda Hillier and Roger Wilson (Flora and Fauna Preservation Society), Gary

Allport and the library staff at Birdlife International and Ken Smith of the RSPB.

Malcolm Ausden and Philip Atkinson read and commented on earlier versions of

the manuscript. This paper is the result of work done for the Fauna and Flora

Preservation Society, London.

References

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Biol. J. Linn. Soc. 44: 335-351.

Allport, G., Ausden, M., Dayman, P.V., Robertson, P. & Wood, P. (1989)

The Conservation of the Birds of the Gola Forest, Sierra Leone. Study Rep. 38,

ICBP, Cambridge.

Ausden, M. & Wood, P. (1990) The Wildlife of the Western Area Forest, Sierra

Leone. Report to Forestry Division, Govt of Sierra Leone, Conservation

Society of Sierra Leone, International Council for Bird Preservation, Royal

Society for the Protection of Birds.

Barnett, A., Prangley, M. & Dayman, P.V. (1994) The Kounounkan Massif,

south-western Guinea, West Africa: results of a short ecological survey with a

preliminary assessment of conservation requirements. Pp. 2-6 in Wildlife

Conservation in West Africa. NCS Occ. Pap. 1. Nigerian Field Society (UK

branch), Guildford.

Barnes, R.F.W. (1990) Deforestation trends in tropical Africa. Afr. J. Ecol. 28:

161-173.

Bourque, J.D, & Wilson, R. (1990) Guinea Forest Biodiversity Study: Ziama and

Diecke Reserves. Unpubl. rep. to lUCN, Gland.

Bournon VILLE, D. DE (1967) Le chimpanzé en République de Guinée. Bull. Inst,

fond. Afr. noire 29 A: 1188-1269.

Brosset, a. (1984) Oiseaux migrateurs européens hivernant dans la partie

guinéenne du Mont Nimba. Alauda 52: 81-101.

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P. V. Hayman et al.

Malimbus 17

Browne, P.W.P. (1984) Seven new species for Conakry, Guinea. Malimbus 6: 74.

Collar, N.J. & Stuart, S.N. (1985) Threatened Birds of Africa and Related

Islands. ICBP/IUCN, Cambridge.

Halleux, D. (1994) Annotated bird list of Macenta Prefecture, Guinea.

Malimbus 16: 10-29.

Morel, G.J. & Morel M.-Y. (1988) Les oiseaux de Guinée. Malimbus 10:

143476.

PiNAULDT, Y & Thévenin, A. (1952) Procès-verbal de la Commission du

Classement de la Forêt du Kounounkan. Official letter to Forestry Department,

dated “Fourecariah, 19 June, 1952”.

Richards, D.K. (1982) The birds of Conakry and Kakulima, Democratic

Republic of Guinea. Malimbus 4: 93-103.

Robinson, P.T. (1971) Wildlife trends in Liberia and Sierra Leone. Oryx 11:

117-122.

Thiollay, J.-M. (1985) The West African forest avifauna: a review. Pp. 171-186 in

A.W. Diamond & T.E. Lovejoy (eds), Conservation of Tropical Forest Birds.

Tech. Publ. 4, ICBP, Cambridge.

Thompson, H.S.S. (1993) Status of White-necked Picathartes - another reason

for the conservation of the Peninsula Forest, Sierra Leone. Oryx 27: 155-158.

Thompson, H.S. & Fotso, R. (1995) Rockfowl: the genus Picathartes. Bull. Afr.

Bird Club 2: 25-28.

Verschuren, J. (1983) Conservation of the Tropical Rain Forest in Liberia:

Recommendations for Wildlife Conservation and National Parks. Unpubl. rep.,

lUCN, Gland.

Walsh, F.J. (1987) Records of birds seen in north-eastern Guinea in 1984-1985.

Malimbus 9: 105-122.

White, F. (1983) The Vegetation of Africa. A descriptive memoir to accompany the

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Wilson, R. (1992) Guinea. Pp. 193-199 in J.A. Sayer, C.S. Harcourt & N.M.

Collins (eds). The Conservation Atlas of Tropical Forests: Africa. lUCN,

Cambridge.

1995

Birds of Kounounkan

59

Appendix

Bird species recorded at Kounounkan (Nov-Dec 1992)

Each species is recorded by habitat (forest or farmbush) and in each habitat the

species is given a simple abundance rating based on encounter rates.

* = Candidate threatened species (Collar & Stuart 1985)

** = Vulnerable species (Collar & Stuart 1985)

Status at Kounounkan

1 = Rare ( < 5 records)

2 = Frequent (>5 records but not found daily)

3 = Moderately Common (recorded daily)

4 = Common ( > 5 records daily)

5 = Abundant (large numbers recorded daily)

Habitat: FB = farmbush; F = forest.

Abundance in:

FB F

Bubulcus ibis Cattle Egret 2

Ardea cinerea Grey Heron 1

Scopus umbretta Hamerkop 2

Milvus migrons Black Kite 4

Gypohierax angolensis Palm-nut Vulture 2 2

Necrosyrtes monachus Hooded Vulture 4

Circaetus cinereus Brown Snake Eagle 1

Polyboroides radiatus Harrier Hawk 2

Circus aeruginosus Marsh Harrier 1

Accipiter tachiro African Goshawk 1 1

A. badius Shikra 2

A. erythropus Western Little Sparrowhawk 1

A. meianoieucus Great Sparrowhawk 1

Kaupifalco monogrammicus Lizard Buzzard 1

Buteo auguralis Red-necked Buzzard 2 1

Stehanoetus coronatus Crowned Eagle 1

Polemaetus bellicosus Martial Eagle 1

Falco ardosiaceus Grey Kestrel 1

F. biarmicus Fanner 2

*Francoiinus ahantensis Ahanta Francolin 2

F. bicalcar atus Double-spurred Francolin 3

Himantornis haematopus Nkulengu Rail 1

60

P. V. Hayman et al.

Treron calva Green Pigeon

Turtur tympanistria Tambourine Dove

T. afer Red-billed Wood Dove

Columba iriditorques Western Bronze-naped Pigeon

Streptopelia semitorquata Red-eyed Dove

S. vinacea Vinaceous Dove

S. senegalensis Laughing Dove

Corythaeola cristata Great Blue Turaco

Tauraco per sa Green Turaco

Crinifer piscator Grey Plantain-eater

Oxylophus levaillantii Levaillant’s Cuckoo

Ceuthmochares aereus Yellowbill

Centropus leucogaster Black-throated Coucal

C. senegalensis Senegal Coucal

Strix woodfordii Wood Owl

Macrodipteryx longipennis Standard-winged Nightjar

Cypsiurus parvus Palm Swift

Apus apus Common Swift

A. affinis Little Swift

Tachymarptis aequatorialis Mottled Swift

Apaloderma narina Narina’s Trogon

Halcyon leucocephala Grey-headed Kingfisher

H. malimbica Blue-breasted Kingfisher

H. senegalensis Senegal Kingfisher

Ceyx picta Pygmy Kingfisher

Corythornis leucogaster White-bellied Kingfisher

Alcedo quadribrachys Shining Blue Kingfisher

Merops albicollis White-throated Bee-eater

M. apiaster European Bee-eater

Coracias abyssinica Abyssinian Roller

Tockus fasciatus Allied Hornbill

T. nasutus Grey Hornbill

*Ceratogymna elata Yellow-casqued Hornbill

Gymnobucco calvus Naked-faced Barbet

Pogoniulus atrqflavus Red-rumped Tinkerbird

P. bilineatus Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird

Lybius bidentatus Double-toothed Barbet

Campethera nivosa Buff-spotted Woodpecker

Dendropicos pyrrhogaster Fire-bellied Woodpecker

Hirundo rustica European Swallow

1995

Birds of Kounounkan

61

Abundance in:

FB F

Psalidoprocne obscur a Fanti Rough- wing 3

Motacilla clara Mountain Wagtail 2

Anthus trivialis Tree Pipit 2

Prionops caniceps Red-billed Helmet Shrike 2

Tchagra senegala Black-crowned Tchagra 1

Lanius collaris Fiscal Shrike 1

Oriolus brachyrhynchus Black-headed Oriole 2

Dicrurus adsimilis Glossy-backed Drongo 1

D. atripennis Shining Drongo 3

Ptilostomus afer Piapiac 1

Corvus albus Pied Crow 3

Campephaga phoenicea Red-shouldered Cuckoo-shrike 1

Pycnonotus barbatus Common Bulbul 5

Andropadus virens Little Greenbul 4

A. ansorgei Ansorge’s Greenbul 2

A. gracilirostris Slender-billed Greenbul 1 2

A. latirostris Yellow- whiskered Greenbul 4

Baeopogon indicator Honeyguide Bulbul 2 2

Chlorocichla simplex Simple Leaflove 1

Bieda canicapilla Grey-headed Bristlebill 1

Criniger barbatus Yellow-bearded Bulbul 2

C. calurus White-bearded Bulbul 1

Nicator chloris Western Nicator 2

Saxicola rubetra Whinchat 1

Alethe poliocephala Brown-chested Alethe 3

A. diademata Fire-crest Alethe 1 3

Sheppardia cyornithopsis Whiskered Redbreast 2

Cossypha niveicapilla Snowy-crowned Robin-Chat 2

Neocossyphus poensis White-tailed Ant-Thrush 1 3

Stizhorina finschii Finsch’s Rusty Thrush 2

Turdus pelios West African Thrush 1

Malacocincla fulvescens Brown Akalat 1

*M. rufescens/ puveli Akalat sp, 1

Phy liant hus atripennis Capuchin Babbler 2

Turdoides reinwar dii Black-cap Babbler 2

**Picathartes gymnocephalus White-necked Picathartes 1

Acrocephalus scirpaceus Reed Warbler 2

Sylvia atricapilla Blackcap 2

S. borin Garden Warbler 1

Phylloscopus trochilus Willow Warbler 2

62

P. V. Hayman et al.

Malimbus 17

Abundance in:

FB F

Cisticola cantans Singing Cisticola

Prinia subflava Tawny-flanked Prinia

*Apalis sharpii Sharpe’s Apalis

Camaroptera brachyura Grey-backed Camaroptera

Macrosphenus concolor Olive Longbill

Hylia prasina Green Hylia

Ficedula hypoleuca Pied Flycatcher

Fraseria ocreata Fraser’s Forest Flycatcher

Melaenornis edolioides Black Flycatcher

*Platysteira blissetti Red-cheeked Wattle-eye

P. castanea Chestnut Wattle-eye

Terpsiphone viridis Paradise Flycatcher

T. rujïventer Red-bellied Paradise Flycatcher

Anthreptes seimundi Little Green Sunbird

A. fraseri Fraser’s Scarlet-tufted Sunbird

Nectarinia venus ta Variable Sunbird

N. coccinigaster Splendid Sunbird

N. chloropygia Olive-bellied Sunbird

N. oUvacea Olive Sunbird

Emberiza tahapisi Cinnamon-breasted Rock Bunting

Ploceus cucullatus Village Weaver

Malimbus rubricollis Red-headed Malimbe

M. malimbicus Crested Malimbe

Euplectes hordeaceus Fire-crowned Bishop

F. ardens Long-tailed Black Whydah

Clytospiza dybowskii Dybowski’s Twinspot

Mandingoa nitidula Green-backed Twinspot

Spermophaga haematina Bluebill

Estrilda melpoda Orange-cheeked Waxbill

Lagonosticta senegala Red-billed Firefinch

Lonchura cucullata Bronze Mannikin

L. bicolor Black and White Mannikin

1995

63

Notes on the avifauna of the Bétérou area, Borgou Province,

Republic of Benin

by Patrick M. Claffey

B.P. 302, Parakou, Republic of Benin

Received 24 May 1994

Revised 28 February 1995

Summary

Observations were made during 1987-1995. Of the 227 species listed, 15 have

not previously been recorded in Benin, namely Gallinula chloropus, G.

angulata, Merops persicus, Pyrrhurus scandens, Cossypha niveicapilla, Eryth-

ropygia galactotes, Muscicapa striata, M. cassini, Hyliota flavigaster, Sylvia

communis, Nectarinia verticalis, Sporopipes frontalis, Estrilda nonnula, Neso-

charis capistrata, and Lonchura fringilloides. Of the 227 species, 159 have

previously been recorded in the Arli and Pendjari National Parks in N.

Benin and Burkina Faso, and almost all are known from Togo. E. galactotes

is not known from Togo or Ghana; its previously known range lies north of

13°N.

Résumé

Les observations ont eu lieu de 1987 à 1994. Sur les 227 espèces recensées, 15

n’avaient pas encore été signalées au Bénin: Gallinula chloropus, G. angulata,

Merops persicus, Pyrrhurus scandens, Cossypha niveicapilla, Erythropygia

galactotes, Muscicapa striata, M. cassini, Hyliota flavigaster, Sylvia commu-

nis, Nectarinia verticalis, Sporopipes frontalis, Estrilda nonnula, Nesocharis

capistrata, et Lonchura fringilloides. Sur les 227 espèces, 1 59 avaient déjà été

signalées des Parcs Nationaux d’Arli et de Pendjari au Nord Bénin et au

Burkina Faso, et presque toutes sont connues au Togo. E. galactotes n’est

connu ni du Togo ni du Ghana; son aire s’arrêtait auparavant au nord du

13°N.

Introduction

Most of my observations were made in the immediate surroundings of Bétérou in

the Borgou Province of central Benin. The few notes from other areas, but with

significance for the Benin avifauna, are indicated in the footnotes to the Appendix.

64

P. M. Claffey

Malimbus 17

Figure 1. Map of central Benin, showing study sites. Dashed lines are provincial boundaries.

1995

Birds of Bétérou

65

Table 1. Gazetteer

All localities mentioned are given in Table 1 or Fig. 1 or both. The observations

were made over nine years, 1987- 1995.

Following correspondence with A.A. Green, I have included his hitherto

unpublished findings from the Forêts Classeés of Ouari Maro, Ouémé Supérieur

and Monts Koulfé (Green & Sayer 1977, A.A. Green in litt.) in this paper. They

considerably broaden its scope and add much useful information, since Green had

the specific goal of studying the forests, an area which I felt I had touched on only

superficially.

The observations of Green & Sayer (1979) in the Arli and Pendjari National

Parks, respectively in Burkina Faso and N. Benin, constitute the only other

recent systematic study of any area of Benin, supplemented by the observations of

Thonnerieux (1985). There are many similarities between the Bétérou area

and the parks, significant differences being the cliffs and waterlogged area in the

parks, and the more dense woodland and forest which are features of Bétérou

(Green & Sayer 1977). Brunei (1958) established a list for the south of Benin

and 102 of the species on that list are to be found herein. Holyoak & Seddon

(1990) produced distributional notes which confirm a number of species identified

here.

In this paper I indicate the abundance and status of each species based on my

own notes. I have checked these against the more detailed observations of Green &

Sayer (1979), particularly with regard to status. I have also indicated what I believe

to be local movements of a number of species. Maclean (1993) was used for the

identification of a number of calls.

The observations presented herein, together with those mentioned above, and

studies of Togo by Cheke (1982), Cheke & Walsh (1980, 1984) and Cheke et al

(1986, 1990), go towards providing an overall picture of the avifauna of

the Dahomey Gap, although there is still room for further study, particularly in

Benin.

66

P. M. Claffey

Malimbus 17

Habitats

Bétérou is the geographical centre for this paper. In all, the area covered is from

Wé-Wé, 30 km to the northwest, to Parakou, 45 km to the east. It includes the

Forêts Classées of Ouémé Supérieur to the north and Ouari Maro to the south,

with the notes of Green & Sayer (1977) from the Monts Kouffé, which I have not

visited, and a few notes of my own from an area just north of Parakou.

The area lies within the Northern Guinea Savanna Zone, the rains lasting from

May to October, with the peak in September. Consistent rainfall with a yearly

average over 1200 mm means that the savanna is well wooded and features a

variety of bird species, including four species of barbet, four species of hornbill

and eight species of shrike.

The Ouémé, an important river which rises in northwest Atacora Province and

drains Benin, flows through Bétérou and is an important feature of the area. When

it ceases to flow, from December to July, it has a small number of sandbanks and

some very large pools. However, its most significant feature in terms of the

avifauna is the heavy fringing vegetation and the gallery. There are a number of

feeder streams with similar features though on a smaller scale, leaving wadis and

areas of heavy vegetation and forest during the dry season which are very

favourable to certain species such as shrikes, flycatchers, sunbirds and estrildids.

The wetlands in the area consist mainly of small lily-covered ponds and some

waterlogged areas along the open river banks.

Green & Sayer (1977) noted four principal forest types, as follows.

Dense, dry forest. A limited area which is a development of the more open

savanna woodlands (denoted SW); it is composed of species typically associated

with the savanna, with a maximum height of 20 m and a dense understorey.

Characteristic species include Afzelia africana, DanielUa oliveri and Khaya senega-

lensis.

Dense, humid, semi-deciduous forest. Small patches (mostly 50-150 ha) near the

Togo border and in the Monts Koufie, consisting of four levels: a scrubby

undergrowth with some grass, an understorey (2-8 m) dominated by small woody

species and saplings of upper-storey species, an 8-25 m sub-canopy dominated

by Dalium guineense, Mimusops andongensis, Holarrhena floribunda, Drypetes

floribunda and Malacantha alnifolia, and a canopy (25-40 m) dominated by

Antiaris africana, Ceiba pentandra, Cola cordifolia, Milicia excelsa, and Ricinoden-

dron heudelotil

Gallery forest. Linear formations of dense forest with a maximum width of

several hundred metres. Similar in structure and species composition to Dense

Forest, with a more or less continuous canopy, but in general less rich.

Riparian forest. Like Gallery Forest but only a few metres wide.

The study covers these areas as well as the following types of habitat: savanna

woodland, secondary growth forest, kopjes and rocky outcrops, farmland, human

habitation sites, savanna scrubland, small ponds and areas of wetland along the

1995

Birds of Bétérou

67

River Ouémé. It also covers all seasons of the year. The wide range of habitats

explains the variety of species reported, from the unexpected Erythropygia

galactotes (English names may be found in the Appendix), a sahelian bird

reported in Benin for the first time and somewhat south of its known range, to

Guttera pucherani and Tauraco persa, both forest species noted by Green & Sayer

(1977).

As is often the case, the greatest threat to birdlife in the area comes from man.

Until recently the area was very thinly populated, but deforestation and land

exhaustion in the southern part of Atacora Province have brought about an influx

of people in search of new farmland. Some areas of woodland are already being

destroyed through slash and burn farming. The area bordering the Forêt de Ouari

Maro is increasingly threatened although the government is now taking serious

steps for the protection of these areas. There is also increased use of artificial

fertilisers and pesticides, especially for cotton, which will probably have a

significant effect on the overall ecology of the area.

Results and Discussion

Of the 227 species listed in the Appendix, 15 have not been reported from Benin in

previously published studies to which I have had access, including Dowsett (1993).

These are: Gallinula chloropus, G. angulata, Merops persicus, Pyrrhurus scandens,

Cossypha niveicapilla, Erythropygia galactotes, Muscicapa striata, M. cassini,

Hyliota flavigaster, Sylvia communis, Nectarinia verticalis, Sporopipes frontalis,

Estrilda nonnula, Nesocharis capistrata and Lonchura fringilloides. Merops persicus

was observed by Green in the forest area. Pyrrhurus scandens was found in Ouari

Maro by Green & Sayer (1977). Sporopipes frontalis is a first record and was found

breeding. Muscicapa cassini, observed by me in the river gallery, has not been

previously recorded in Benin, although it has been reported by Cheke et al. (1990)

in Togo. Sylvia communis and Muscicapa striata are previously unrecorded

Palaearctic migrants, while Phylloscopus sibilatrix has formerly been found only

by Holyoak & Seddon (1990). Ixobrychus minutus and Crecopsis egregia were

previously only known from 19th-century records (Oustalet 1898). Emberiza

cabanisi was found by Douaud (1955) and frequently by me, although it seems to

have been overlooked by Dowsett (1993). There have been two previous records

for Merops hirundineus, J.F, Walsh’s record which appears in Dowsett (1993), and

an unpublished record for April 1978 by A. A. Green. I obtained two further

records from October and December of different years. Estrilda nonnula, however,

should be treated with caution, as indicated in the Appendix.

All the estrildids are subject to local movement during the dry season and per-

haps more particularly so during the months of November to January, when there

is the constant threat to their rainy season habitat from bush fires. This brings

concentrations of these species into the restricted wetland and waterlogged areas.

68

P. M. Claffey

Malimbus 17

The ponds harboured some interesting birds, including Gallinula angulata, a

first Benin record even if not a very surprising one, and a breeding pair of

Porphyrula alleni, not previously recorded breeding here. Waders were less

common, Actitis hypoleucos being the only common one. Gallinago gallinago was

noted on a number of occasions, while Tringa stagnatilis possibly over-wintered.

Calidris minuta was recorded once, and there were a number of other passage

migrant waders. Vanellus spinosus probably bred at Savé. The Gallinula chloropus

was recorded in southern Benin.

Of the species listed herein. Green & Sayer (1979) found 159 in Arli-Pendjari.

The main distinction is in the number of raptors - 40 in the parks as against 16 for

my study area. This is explained by the relative abundance of game in the parks.

The floodlands of the park also present a wider variety of waders (20 species) and

other waterbirds. The Bétérou area is distinguished by a greater variety of

woodland and forest species.

Green & Sayer (1977) listed 95 bird species, of which 11 were forest birds not

found in Pendjari by Green & Sayer (1979). These were: Guttera pucherani,

Tauraco persa, Bycanistes jistulator, B. cylindricus, Tockus fasciatus, Macronyx

croceus, Pyrrhurus scandens, Terpsiphone rufiventris, Laniarius ferrugineus, Nicator

chloris, Nectarinia verticalis. All of these except for Guttera pucherani, Tauraco

persa, Macronyx croceus and Pyrrhurus scandens have also been observed by me.

Green notes however that there were “no true forest species” amongst his

observations.

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank Peter McDermot who is at the origin of this paper and also

Dr Robert Cheke for his encouragement and helpful comments. I am grateful to

A. A. Green for very useful additional records, for his comments on this paper, and

for spurring me to go back and look at the forest again.

References

Brunel, J. (1958) Observations sur les oiseaux du Bas-Dahomey. Oiseau Rev. fr.

Orn. 28: 1-38.

Cheke, R.A. (1982) More bird records from the Republic of Togo. Malimbus 4:

55-61.

Cheke, R.A. & Walsh, J.F. (1980) Bird records from the Republic of Togo.

Malimbus 2: 112-120.

Cheke, R.A. & Walsh, J.F. (1984) Further bird records from the Republic of

Togo. Malimbus 6: 15-22.

1995

Birds of Bétérou

69

Cheke, R.A, & Walsh, J.F. & Sowah, S.A, (1986) Records of birds seen in the

Republic of Togo during 1984-1986. Maiimbus 8: 51-72.

Cheke, R.A. & Walsh, J.F. & Sowah, S.A. (1990) Additional species and

breeding records of birds in the Republic of Togo. Maiimbus 12: 2-18.

Douaud, J. (1955) Les oiseaux du Dahomey et du Niger. Oiseau Rev. fr. Orn. 25:

296-307.

Dowsett, R. J. (1993) Afrotropical avifaunas: annotated country checklists. Pp.

1-322 in Dowsett, R.J. & Dowsett-Lemaire, F. (eds), A Contribution to the

Distribution and Taxonomy of Afrotropical and Malagasy Birds. Tauraco Res.

Rep. 5, Tauraco Press, Liège.

Fry, C.H. (1984) The Bee-Eaters. Poyser, London.

Green, A. A. & Sayer, J.A. (1977) La Conservation des Ecosystèmes Eorestiers de

la Région des Monts Koujfé. Unpubl. report, FAO/PNUD.

Green, A. A. & Sayer, J.A. (1979) The birds of the Pendjari and Arli National

Parks. Maiimbus 1: 14-29.

Hayman, P., Marchant, S. & Prater, T. (1986) Shorebirds. Helm, London.

Holyoak, D.T & Seddon, M.B. (1990) Distributional notes on the birds of

Benin, Maiimbus 11: 128-134.

Jones, P.J. (1984) The status of the Pygmy Kingfisher in northeastern Nigeria.

Maiimbus 6: 11-14.

OusTALET, G. (1895) Catalogue des oiseaux du Dahomey réunis par M.

Mièrémarque au Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle, en 1898. Bull. Mus. Nat. Hist.

Nat. 8: 361-364.

Maclean, G.L. (1993) Roberts’ Birds of Southern Africa, 6th ed. John Voelcker

Bird Book Fund, Cape Town.

Serle, W. & Morel, G.J. (1979) Les Oiseaux de TOuest Africain. Delachaux et

Niestlé, Neuchâtel-Paris.

Thonnerieux, y. (1985) Notes complémentaires sur l’avifaune des Parcs Natio-

naux de l’Arli (Burkina) et de la Pendjari (Benin). Maiimbus 1: 137-139.

Wilkinson, R. (1979) Palaearctic Rufous Scrub Robin: new to Nigeria. Maiim-

bus 1: 65.

Wilkinson, R. (1982) Seasonal movements of the Pygmy Kingfisher Ceyx picta

in West Africa. Maiimbus 4: 53.

Appendix

70

P. M. Claffey

Malimbus 17

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1995

Birds of Bétérou

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on small open areas of ground where they were not seen later in the season. Returns in 1994 were later, with the first

birds noted on 4 November. A large roost of an estimated 3000 birds is located on the river just north of Bétérou.

3 Noted in small numbers in the Bétérou area but helicopter pilots from the WHO/Oncho project have noted flocks of up

to 500 to the northwest along the R. Ouémé.

Species Months dance Status Habitat Breeding References

Plectropterus gamhensis Spur-winged Goose (4) 1 2 F R R

Elanus caeruleus Black-shouldered Kite (5) 12-4 C L S

72

P. M. Claffey

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73

(with faded head shields) with a juvenile, 40 km east of Bétérou, near Parakou.

10 Agitated behaviour suggesting presence of nest or young noted further south on the River Ouémé at Savé, 20 Jan 1994.

This is outside the immediate geographical range of this paper but, since this is also along the River Ouémé, it seems

possible that given suitable sandy habitat the birds I noted in the Bétérou area may also breed.

Abun-

Species Months dance Status Habitat Breeding References

G allinago gallinago Common {\\) 12-1 R P W

Tringa stagnatilis M?lys\\ '^:àn(Xp\^QV {M) 7 R P W

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Douaud’s (1955) observation.

17 In the Forêt Classée de Bassila, Apr 1977 (A. A. Green in iitt.) and at Ouari Maro, Jan 1994.

18 Very common on roads for a brief period, suggesting passage.

19 Often in mixed groups with A. ajfinis, or in isolated pairs.

76

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26 Noted by Green & Sayer (1979) as resident all year round in Pendjari. In the Bétérou area I noted definite movements.

Seen in groups of up to 20 in July, then disappears in August, until November. The distinctive call renders it unlikely to

have been missed during this period. The movements may be local, to the more open parts of N Benin.

27 Forêt Classée de Bassila, west of the Bétérou area.

Species Months dance Status Habitat Breeding References

H. leucosoma Pied-winged Swallow 9 R R V

H. smithii Wire-tailed Swallow 1-12 F R V

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34 First Benin record. A female in scrub near my house at Bétérou, 18 Sep 1994. Identified by striking white throat, brown

crown, mousy brown upperparts and chestnut in the wing.

35 First Benin record. Seen 10 km west of Bétérou, 21 Sep 1990. Brown upperparts and striped underparts well seen.

Species Months dance Status Habitat Breeding References

M. cassini Cassin’s Grey Flycatcher (36) 11 R R R

Batis senegalensis Senega! Batis 9-4 F L SW

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Often in pairs taking insects in flight from a high perch. During the rainy season, more inclined to work on the ground

and groups of four or five seen picking insects from yam mounds and from the ground in cultivated fields. Calls, a

grating churr, and a piping whistle of a single note, used at dusk by pairs some hundreds of metres apart, echoing each

other’s calls perfectly. Aerial display by a pair consisted of a towering vertical takeoff with no apparent taking of insects.

As many as 1 5 feeding sallies per quarter hour. One pair fended off a Polyboroides typus.

Species Months dance Status Habitat Breeding References

Ptilostomus afer Piapiac (43) 1^12 R R S

82

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83

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53 First Benin record. Not previously recorded west of the Cross River in SE Nigeria, so possibly an escaped cage bird (J.F.

Walsh & R.A. Cheke, pers. comm.). In a low bush near Bétérou, 16 Sep 1991. Identification based on striking black

crown, grey back and red rump.

Species Months dance Status Habitat Breeding References

84

P„ M. Claffey

Malimbus 17

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1995

85

Notes on the birds of the coastal and Kindia areas, Guinea

by Ron Demey

Van der Heimstraat 52, 2582 SB Den Haag, Netherlands

Received 3 January 1995

Revised 1 August 1995

Summary

An avifaunal list is presented, summarizing observations made during a stay

in Guinea from the end of May to mid-December 1991. Of a total of 268

species identified, seven are new to Guinea, bringing the total number of

species known for the country to 606; of these, 66 were not previously

recorded in the coastal region between Boffa and Forécariah and 163 in the

region of Kindia. Recent papers on the Guinea avifauna are critically

reviewed in an attempt to produce an accurate species list for the country.

Résumé

Une liste d’avifaune, synthétisant des observations faites au cours d’un

séjour en Guinée de fin mai à mi-décembre 1991, est présentée. Sur un total

de 268 espèces identifiées, sept sont nouvelles pour la Guinée; le total des

espèces connues pour le pays est ainsi de 606. Parmi celles-ci, 66 sont

nouvelles pour la région côtière entre Boffa et Forécariah et 163 pour la

région de Kindia. Les articles récents sur l’avifaune guinéenne sont

examinés de façon critique afin d’établir une liste exacte des espèces du pays.

Introduction

Morel & Morel (1988) synthesised what was then known of the composition and

distribution of the avifauna of Guinea. The observations of Walsh (1987), in the

north-east of the country, were not included in their list and complement it. Since

then, surveys of birds have been carried out in the coastal wetlands (Altenburg &

Van der Kamp 1989, 1991) and in the Diécké and Ziama forests, near the border

with Liberia and Ivory Coast (Wilson 1990). A study to assess the impact of the

cage bird trade on the population of Grey Parrots Psittacus erithacus in Guinea

was carried out in 1991 (Dandliker 1992). Recently, an updated checklist for the

country has been published (Dowsett 1993). A list for Macenta Prefecture in the

southeast of the country, published shortly afterwards, includes 44 additional

species (Halleux 1994).

86

R. Demey

Malimbus 17

Figure 1. Map of the coastal and Kindia areas, Guinea, showing localities mentioned

in the text: la Conakry Peninsula; Ih Kobaya; Ic Dubréka; Id Coyah; 2 Wassou; 3

Boffa; 4 Forécariah; 5 Mambia; 6 Foulayah; 7 Koba; 8 Kolenté.

From the end of May to mid-December 1991, I resided in Conakry and made

bird observations in the region of Kindia, described as less-prospected by Morel &

Morel (1988) (20 one-day visits), and in the coastal area near Conakry, up to Boffa

in the west and Forécariah in the east (16 one-day visits) (see Fig. 1 and Table 1).

My stay coincided with the rainy season and early dry season. By the end of

Table 1. Gazetteer

1995

Birds of western Guinea

87

October the grasslands had become straw-coloured and from the beginning of

November onwards bush-fires were started.

Of a total of 268 species identified, seven appear to be new to the country, as

compared to the most recent checklist (Dowsett 1993) supplemented by the

observations of Halleux (1994), while others represent new records for the Kindia

(163 species) and coastal areas (66 species), as compared to the relevant published

information (Richards 1982, Morel & Morel 1988, Altenburg & Van der Kamp

1991). These are included in the present list, comprising 184 species, which also

includes a few species, listed as new to the country or the coastal area by Altenburg

& Van der Kamp (1991), which were independently seen and identified by me.

Ayres’s Hawk Eagle Hieraaetus ayresii, already listed by Morel & Morel (1988) for

the coastal area, has been included because its occurrence was doubted by Dowsett

(1993), who excluded it from his country total. With one exception (Black-backed

Cloud Cisticola Cisticola eximius, of which a detailed description is given), I was

familiar with all the species from elsewhere in Africa. Species new to Guinea and

those whose occurrence required proof are detailed below.

With these additions, the total number of species recorded in Guinea now stands

at 606. This comprises the 552 species accepted by Dowsett (1993) augmented by

54 species figuring in the above-mentioned reports and in this paper (see

Appendix). It should be noted that all of the previously published lists contain

errors and were examined critically in an attempt to arrive at an exact country

total. For example Morel & Morel (1988), when listing the species added by Walsh

(1987), erroneously omit Hadada Ibis Bostrychia hagedash but mention Western

Bronze-naped Pigeon Columba iriditorques, apparently overlooking the fact that

the latter was already included in their list under the name C. rnalherbii. Altenburg

& Van der Kamp (1991) overlooked Walsh’s records and incorrectly claimed eight

“firsts” already recorded by him. Halleux (1994) seems to have been unaware of

Altenburg & Van der Kamp’s study and, consequently, incorrectly claimed four

species as new for Guinea (White-rumped Swift Apus caffer. Black-and-white

Flycatcher Bias musicus. Red-headed Quelea Quelea erythrops and Zebra Waxbill

Amaridava subflava). He also claimed Finsch’s Flycatcher-Thrush Stizorhina

finschi and Kemp’s Longbill Macrosphenus kempi as new species, overlooking the

fact that they figure in Morel & Morel (1988) as S. fraseri and M. flavicans.

Dowsett (1993) appears to have been unaware of Wilson’s (1990) unpublished

report; hence his omission of 3 1 species listed by Wilson (including eight records

provided by Halleux); all these, except Nkulengu Rail Himantornis haematopus,

were subsequently published by Halleux (1994).

Notes on selected species

Ayres’s Hawk Eagle Hieraaetus ayresiL An adult near Wassou, 8 Dec. Rather

stocky eagle; brown upperparts; white throat; white underparts heavily blotched

88

R. Demey

Malimbus 17

darkish; white shoulder-patches (“landing lights”); underwings heavily barred and

spotted blackish; tail square, dark brown, with broad dark terminal band and

three narrower bands. Previously recorded by Richards (1982) and included in

Morel & Morel (1988); listed by Dowsett (1993) as requiring proof.

Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea. A bird in non-breeding dress, probably a first-

summer (second calendar year), foraging in Conakry harbour, 11-14 Jun. Descrip-

tion: cap black; forehead, crown and lores white; upperparts pale grey; faint,

dusky carpal bar; wings with white trailing edge and no dark wedge on primaries;

rump, deeply forked tail, and underparts white; underwing pure white with black

tips to primaries forming neat narrow trailing edge; bill black. Included by Morel

& Morel (1988) on the basis of recoveries of ringed birds; no localities given. Up to

the end of 1991 there were three recoveries of birds ringed in Britain (Mead &

Clark 1987; J.A. Clark in litt.); no localities published so far.

Mottled Swift Apus aequatorialis. Sightings all months Jun-Nov, singles and

groups of up to 20, in both the coastal area (two localities) and around Kindia

(four localities). Overall total more than 100 individuals. Larger and heavier than

European Swift A. apus, with which it was often associated. In good light, showed

dark brownish upperparts, white throat and greyish belly. Considering the

frequency with which this species was observed, it seems remarkable that it was

previously only recorded by Altenburg & Van der Kamp (1991), although

Richards (1982) suspected its occurrence. Listed by Dowsett (1993) as requiring

proof.

White-rumped Swift A. coffer. Three together near Dubréka, 30 Jun. Identified

by long outer tail feathers and white, relatively narrow U-shaped rump patch.

In the coastal area, previously recorded by Altenburg & Van der Kamp

(1991); listed by Dowsett (1993) as requiring proof; listed by Halleux (1994) for

Macenta.

Least Honeyguide Indicator exilis. A bird was tape-recorded, singing in the canopy

of remnant forest. Centre de Recherches Agronomiques de Foulayah, 3 Nov. C.

Chappuis (in litt.), confirmed the identity of the recording. First record for Guinea.

Black-backed Cloud Cisticola Cisticola eximius. Discovered in moist grassland

near Koba (20 km east of Kindia), Sep-Nov. In pairs, with a maximum of about 20

birds (8 Sep). Male: crown, sides of head and neck uniformly pale rufous-brown;

no supercilium; upperparts boldly streaked with black; conspicuous orange-rufous

rump, upper tail-coverts and lower flanks; wing feathers dark brown with pale

edges; tail brownish-black above, white with subterminal black spots below;

underparts whitish; legs and feet brownish pink; bill mainly horn-coloured.

Female as male, but with forecrown indistinctly streaked. Voice: a distinctive,

sharp, dissonant tchereet-tchereet; a series of rather thin tsree-tsree-tsree-tsree=. . .

uttered during undulating display flight high above territory, sometimes accompa-

nied by wing-snapping. The tchereet call was occasionally uttered during the

display flight. The birds were very active and conspicuous in Sep, when females

carrying food were observed. In Nov, however, when the grass had become dry

1995

Birds of western Guinea

89

and bush-fires had been started, they were extremely shy and seemed to have

almost disappeared (only three birds seen on three visits out of five; all three

showed streaked crowns). First records for Guinea.

Lead-coloured Flycatcher Myioparus plumbeus. One singing bird seen well

in wooded savanna, Mambia environs, 14 Jul and 2 Oct. First records for

Guinea.

Rufous-winged Illadopsis Illadopsis rufescens. This species’ distinctive, rhythmic

song (which may be rendered tk-tk-tk-hu-hu-hu) was heard at two sites: once in a

forest patch at the base of Mount Kakoulima, near Dubréka (30 Jun) and three

times in the remnant forest of the Centre de Recherches Agricoles de Foulayah

(Jul and Sep). First records for Guinea. The indication of this species’ occurrence

in Guinea by Allport et al. (1989) is an error (G. Allport pers. comm.).

West African Penduline Tit Anthoscopus parvulus. A single bird in wooded

savanna, Koba, 10 Nov (with G. Dandliker). First record for Guinea.

Red-headed Quelea Quelea erythrops. Several sightings of males in breeding

plumage, in grassland and cultivation, coastal and Kindia areas, Aug-Nov, Up to

40 birds together. Previously only recorded by Altenburg & Van der Kamp (1991)

and Halleux (1994).

White-cheeked Oliveback Nesocharis capistrata. Three sightings of singles, in the

coastal area near Forécariah (bushes along track), and in the Kindia area at

Kolenté (moist grassland), Aug-Sep. First records for these areas. Recorded in

Macenta by Halleux (1994)

Red-winged Pytilia Pytilia phoenicoptera. Two sightings of single males and two of

a pair, in two localities in the Kindia area, Jul and Sep-Nov. First records for

Guinea.

Crimson Seedcracker Pyrenestes sanguineus. A male, corresponding to the descrip-

tion of P. s. coccineus (Mackworth-Praed & Grant 1973), at the edge of

cultivation. Centre de Recherches Agricoles de Foulayah, 1 Sep. Previously only

recorded in Macenta (Halleux 1994).

Zebra Waxbill Amandava subflava. Several sightings of flocks (2-80 birds) in

grassland in the coastal area and near Kindia (Kolenté), Aug-Nov. Previously

only recorded by Altenburg & Van der Kamp (1991) for the coastal area.

Cabanis’s Bunting Emberiza cabanisL A singing male near Wassou, coastal area

(shrubs by cultivation), 22 Sep, and a pair near Mambia, Kindia area (wooded

savanna), 21 Sep. First records for Guinea.

90

R. Demey

Malimbus 17

Systematic list

Codes preceding species names

' Species not included in Dowsett (1993) but added by Halleux (1994).

2 Species not included in Dowsett (1993) but added by this paper.

* Further information in text, above.

Areas and occurrence

C Coastal area

K Kindia area

X Species recorded by me, but already listed by Morel & Morel (1988) for that

area. One species, Quail Finch Ortygospiza atricollis, recorded by Richards

(1982), has erroneously been omitted from the list of the coastal area by

Morel & Morel (1988).

XX Species new to the area.

(xx) Species listed by Altenburg & Van der Kamp (1991) as new to the coastal area

and independently observed there by me.

Localities (numbered on Fig. 1)

Only given for “xx” and “(xx)” species.

Coastal area:

1 Conakry peninsula (coast, city), Kobaya (mudflat in the Bay of Sangaréa),

Dubréka environs (main road along escarpment; remnant forest at base of

Mount Kakoulima) and Coyah environs (gallery forest 15 km north-east of

Coyah along main road to Kindia).

2 Wassou environs (grassland, wooded savanna, cultivation).

3 Boffa and environs (grassland, wooded savanna, cultivation).

4 Forécariah and environs (cultivation and bushes).

Kindia area:

5 Mambia environs (grassland and wooded savanna).

6 Foulayah, Centre de Recherches Agronomiques (small patch of forest sur-

rounded by grassland and cultivation along main road a few km south-west of

Kindia).

7 Koba (grassland and wooded savanna along main road 20 km south-east of

Kindia).

8 Kolenté, Projet agricole (cultivation, grassland, gallery forest).

Sequence and nomenclature follow Dowsett & Forbes-Watson (1993).

1995

Birds of western Guinea

91

92

R. Demey

Malimbus 17

1995

Birds of western Guinea

93

C K Localities

Bucerotidae

94

R. Demey

Malimbus 17

C K Localities

1995

Birds of western Guinea

95

C K Localities

96

R. Demey

Malimbus 17

C K

Ploceidae

Localities

4. 5. 6. 8

5. 6. 7. 8

4. 6. 7. 8

1,8

5,6J,8

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5,6

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5.6

6

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8

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6.7

5.8

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2. 5. 7. 8

1,2, 5, 6, 7

2,5

1995

Birds of western Guinea

97

Acknowledgments

I thank R. Wilson for sending me his report on Diécké and Ziama birds, C.

Chappuis for examining the tape-recording of Indicator exilis, and L.DG.

Fishpool, GJ. Morel, A. Tye and J.F. Walsh for their comments on the

manuscript.

References

Allport, G., Ausden, M., Hayman, P.V., Robertson, P. & Wood, P. (1989)

The Conservation of the Birds of Gola Forest, Sierra Leone. Study Rep. 38,

International Council for Bird Preservation, Cambridge.

Altenburg, W. & Van Der Kamp, J. (1989) Etude Ornithologique Préliminaire

de la Zone Côtière du Nord-Est de la Guinée. Study Rep. 30, International

Council for Bird Preservation, Cambridge.

Altenburg, W. & Van Der Kamp, J. (1991) Ornithological Importance of

Coastal Wetlands in Guinea. Study Rep. 47, International Council for Bird

Preservation, Cambridge.

Dandliker, G. (1992) Le Perroquet gris Psittacus erithacus en Guinée. Evaluation

des populations, contribution à la biologie, étude de l’exploitation commerciale et

recommandations pour la gestion. Unpubl. rep., CITES.

Dowsett, R.J. (1993) Afrotropical avifaunas: annotated country checklists. Pp.

1-322 in Dowsett, R.J. & Dowsett-Lemaire, F. (eds.) A Contribution to the

Distribution and Taxonomy of Afrotropical and Malagasy Birds. Tauraco Res.

Rep. 5, Tauraco Press, Liège.

Dowsett, RJ. & Forbes-Watson, A.D. (1993) Checklist of Birds of the

Afrotropical and Malagasy Regions. Vol 1: Species limits and distribution.

Tauraco Press, Liège.

Halleux, D. (1994) Annotated bird list of Macenta Prefecture, Guinea. Malim-

bus 16: 10-29.

Mackworth-Praed, C.w. & Grant, C.H.B. (1973) Birds of West Central and

Western Africa, vol. 2. Longmans, London.

Mead, C.J. & Clark, J.A. (1987) Report on bird-ringing for 1987 [error, = 1986].

Ringing Migr. 8: 135-200.

Morel, GJ. & Morel, M.-Y. (1988) Liste des oiseaux de Guinée. Maiimbus 10:

143-176.

Richards, D.K. (1982) The birds of Conakry and Kakulima, Democratic

Republic of Guinea. Maiimbus 4: 93-103.

Walsh, J.F. (1987) Records of birds seen in north-eastern Guinea in 1984-1985.

Maiimbus 9: 105-122.

Wilson, R. (1990) Annotated bird lists for the Forêts Classes de Diécké and

Ziama and their immediate environs. Unpubl. rep., lUCN, Gland.

98

R. Demey

Malimbus 17

Appendix

Additions to Dowsett’s (1993) species list for Guinea

Total additions, 54 species.

Note that Thick-billed Honeyguide Indicator conirostris (Halleux 1994) is lumped

with /. minor by Dowsett & Forbes-Watson (1993). References are: AV =

Altenburg & Van Der Kamp (1991); H = Halleux (1994); MM = Morel & Morel

(1988); W = Wilson (1990); D = this study.

Tachybaptus ruficollis Little Grebe W, H

Aviceda cuculoides Cuckoo Falcon W, H

Dryotriorchis spectabilis Congo Serpent Eagle H

Accipiter erythropus Western Little Sparrowhawk W, H, D

A. melanoleucus Black Sparrowhawk H

Urotriorchis macrourus Long-tailed Hawk H

Hieraaetus ayresii Ayres’s Hawk Eagle MM, D

Falco biarmicus Lanner H

Himantornis haematopus Nkulengu Rail W

Crecopsis egregia African Crake H

Porphyrio alleni Allen’s Gallinule H

Gallinula angulata Lesser Moorhen H

Cuculus gularis African Cuckoo H

Telacanthura ussheri Mottled Spinetail W, H, D

Raphidura sabini Sabine’s Spinetail W, H

Apus aequatorialis Mottled Swift AV, D

A. cajfer White-rumped Swift AV, H, D

Phoeniculus bollei White-headed Wood Hoopoe W, H

P castaneiceps Forest Wood Hoopoe H

Ceratogymna atrata Black-casqued Hornbill W, H

Buccanodon duchaillui Yellow-spotted Barbet H

Melichneutes robustus Lyre-tailed Honeyguide H

Indicator exilis Least Honeyguide D

Campethera caroli Brown-eared Woodpecker W, H

Pseudhirundo griseopyga Grey-rumped Swallow H, D

Hirundo nigrita White-throated Blue Swallow H

Motacilla clara Mountain Wagtail W, H

Lobotos lobatus Western Wattled Cuckoo-shrike H

Coracina azurea Blue Cuckoo-shrike W, H

Andropadus ansorgei Ansorge’s Greenbul H

Phyllastrephus icterinus Icterine Greenbul W, H

Bleda syndactyla Bristlebill W, H

Alethe poliocephala Brown-chested Alethe W, H

1995 Birds of western Guinea 99

Cisticola eximius Black-backed Cloud Cisticola D

Apalis nigriceps Black-capped Apalis W, H

Drymodchla incana Red-winged Grey Warbler H

Meiaemrnis annamaruiae Nimba Flycatcher W, H

Musdcapa olivascens Olivaceous Flycatcher W, H

Myioparus plumbeus Lead-coloured Flycatcher D

Dyaphorophyia concreta Yellow-bellied Wattle-eye W, H

Illadopsis deaveri Blackcap Illadopsis W, H

/. rufescens Rufous- winged Illadopsis D

Pams funereus Dusky Tit ' W, H

Anthoscopus parvulus West African Penduline Tit D

Dryoscopus sabini Sabine’s Puffback W, H

Tchagra minuta Marsh Tchagra H

Malaconotus multicolor Many-coloured Bush Shrike W, H

Ploceus albinucha Maxwell’s Black Weaver W, H

Amblyospiza albifrons Thick-billed Weaver H

Parmoptila rubrifrons Red-faced Flowerpecker H

Nesocharis capistrata White-cheeked Oliveback H, D

Pytilia phoenicoptera Red-winged Pytilia D

Py renest es sanguineus Crimson Seedcracker H, D

Emberiza cabanisi Cabanis’s Bunting D

Singing Bush Lark - Alouette chanteuse - Mimfm cantillans

Photo: Michael Gore

100

Malimbus 17

Short Notes

Confirmation de la présence du Martinet alpin Apus melba au Sénégal

Lors d’une étude ornithologique au Parc National du Niokolo-Koba (Sud-Est

Sénégal), nous avons rencontré le 13 février 1995 un feu de brousse d’intensité

moyenne, le long de la piste qui longe la rivière Niokolo. Ce feu avait dû être plus

violent au cours de l’heure précédente et avait brûlé partiellement une large

superficie de savane. Nous nous sommes arrêtés pour observer les Rolliers

d’Abyssinie Coracias abyssinica qui se rassemblent souvent aux alentours des feux.

Notre attention fut attirée par au moins une soixante de grands martinets,

chassant entre 10 et 50 m d’altitude, et que nous avons d’abord pris pour des

Martinets noirs Apus apus. Pourtant leur taille nous a tout de suite semblé trop

grande pour cette espèce. Aux jumelles, nous avons observé très nettement la gorge

ainsi que tout le ventre blancs, avec une bande sombre sur la poitrine. L’identifica-

tion ne faisait plus de doute, il s’agissait bien du Martinet alpin A. melba.

Manifestement, ces martinets, qui volent haut habituellement, étaient descendus

pour chasser les insectes fuyant le feu. Ces oiseaux évoluaient au-dessus du feu et

dans les zones voisines.

Dans la littérature on ne trouve qu’une seule mention d’observation du

Martinet alpin au Sénégal: un individu dans une bande de Martinets noirs (Morel

& Roux 1966). Fry et al. (1988) citent aussi: “Flocks of 2-40 seen at 2 localities in

Senegambia...” mais sans précision de lieu, de date ni d’auteur et, de plus, ni Morel

& Morel (1990) ni Gore (1990) ne mentionnent ces observations. Par ailleurs, un

rapport manuscrit de R. Dévissé (1991) signale trois observations personelles de

Martinets alpins au Parc National du Niokolo-Koba: quatre à Simenti le 8 juin

1986, l’espèce encore notée à Vourouli le 26 déc 1987, et huit individus à Malapa le

20 fév 1989.

On a découvert que cette espèce migratrice paléarctique nichait au Mali dans les

falaises du pays Dogon et pouvait y être très abondante (Fry et al. 1988). La rareté

des observations de l’espèce l’extrémité ouest de l’Afrique ainsi que la date de notre

observation, mi-février, peuvent faire penser à un passage de migrateurs remon-

tant vers l’Europe.

Bien que semblant éviter la côte Atlantique, mais compte tenu de la capacité de

vol de cette espèce, on devrait la trouver plus qu’ occasionnellement en Afrique de

l’Ouest (Mackworth-Praed & Grant 1970). Il a cependant fallu des circonstances

exceptionnelles pour que ces martinets descendent à une altitude permettant de

bien les observer. Il est par ailleurs connu que ces martinets profitent souvent des

sources de nourriture localement abondantes, comme les feux de brousse (Cramp

1985). Ceux-ci n’étant pas rares en zone de savane, le Martinet alpin pourrait être

observé plus souvent.

Merci à R. Dévissé pour nous avoir aimablement communiqué ses observations et

autorisé à les citer.

1995

Short Notes

101

Bibliographie

Cramp, S. (1985) Handbook of the Birds of Europe, the Middle East and North

Africa, voL 4. Oxford University Press, Oxford.

Devisse, R. (1991) Synthèse des observations ornithologiques faites au Sénégal par

R. Devisse, entre le 3 octobre 1985 et le 1 juillet 1989. Rapport manuscrit.

Fry, C.H., Keith, S. & Urban, E.K. (1988) The Birds of Africa, vol 3. Academie

Press, London.

Gore, M.EJ. (1990) Birds of the Gambia (2nd ed.). Checklist 3, British Ornitholo-

gists’ Union, Tring.

Mackworth-Praed, C.W, & Grant, C.H.B. (1970) Birds of West Central and

Western Africa. Longman, London.

Morel, G.J. & Morel, M.-Y. (1990) Les Oiseaux de Sénégambie. ORSTOM,

Paris.

Morel, G. J. & Roux, F. (1966) Les migrateurs paléarctiques au Sénégal L Non

passereaux. Terre Vie 20: 143-176.

Reçu 28 mai 1995 Bernard Tréca & Mamadou Sakho

ORSTOM, B.P. 1386, Dakar, Sénégal

Winter site fidelity of Redstart Phoenicums phoenicums in N. Nigeria

Berthold (1993) notes that bird ringing is revealing more and more cases of fidelity

to wintering sites. Cuadrado et al. (1995) conclude that Blackcaps Sylvia atrica-

pilia wintering in southwestern Europe seem to return to the same general area

year after year. Elgood et al (1994) list retraps of Yellow Wagtail Motacilla fiava

by Sharland at Kano, up to seven years after ringing, and a Spanish Wheatear

Oenanthe hispanica ringed in December 1964 which remained until February then

returned for the 1965-66 winter. Elgood et al (1994) quote R.E. Sharland as

reporting that, of ten Common Redstarts Phoenicums phoenicurus ringed at Kano,

two were retrapped the following year.

A female Common Redstart P. p. phoenicurus was controlled by me over three

winters, in the same 200-300 m of hedge, in my garden in Kaduna, Northern

Nigeria. It was first ringed on 15 Nov 1962 and departed on 25 Mar 1963. It

returned on 9 Nov 1963 and remained until 27 Mar 1964. It returned again on 30

Nov 1964, remaining until 18 Mar 1965, after which it was not seen again. The

“arrival” dates in 1963 and 1964 refer to when the bird was first heard calling or

was mist-netted. The “departure” dates were when it was last heard. It was also

mist-netted from time to time to check its identity, and it became quite tame. There

was also a male in the same hedge from 25 Feb 1962 until 5 Mar 1962, presumably

feeding up before moving north.

I can find nothing in the literature providing evidence of similar, consistent, and

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Malimbus 17

specific fidelity to such a limited winter site. The bird stayed, on average, about

four months over three successive winters.

References

Berthold, P. (1993) Bird Migration. Oxford University Press, Oxford.

CuADRADO, M., Senar, J.C. & CoPETE, J.L. (1995) Do all Blackcaps Sylvia

atricapilla show winter site fidelity? Ibis 137: 70-75.

Elgood, J.H., Heigham, J.B., Moore, A.M., Nason, A.M., Sharland, R.E. &

Skinner, N.J. (1994) The Birds of Nigeria (2nd ed.). Checklist 4, British

Ornithologists’ Union, Tring.

Received 9 January 1995 Morris Skilleter

Revised 4 May 1995 12 Westcliffe Road, Sunderland SR6 9NW, U.K.

More observations of Audouin’s Gulls Lams audouinii in Senegal

As a confirmation of recent observations of Audouin’s Gulls Larus audouinii,

wintering on the Senegalese coast south of Dakar (Bâillon 1989, Delaporte &

Dubois 1990, Anon. 1994), a team of Scandinavian ornithologists counted, in

Nov-Dec 1994, on one day 1 12 and the next 456 Audouin’s Gulls near Palmarin,

in the same area where the earlier observations had been made. As we could visit

only about 10% of the apparently suitable ponds, we suggest that the total

wintering population could have been much larger. Many of the birds wore a white

plastic ring in addition to a metal ring; we were able to read 1 6 of the latter which

indicated their place of ringing as Spain.

References

Anon. (1994) Audouin’s Gulls in Senegambia. Bull. Afr. Bird Club 1: 59-60.

Bâillon, F. (1989) Nouvelles données sur l’hivernage du Goéland d’Audouin

{Larus audouinii Payr.) en Sénégambie. Oiseau Rev. fr. Orn. 59: 296-304.

Delaporte, P. & Dubois, P. J. (1990) Premier recensement hivernal des Laridés

sur les côtes du Sénégal et de Gambie. Alauda 58: 163-172.

Received 4 January 1995

Revised 1 July 1995

Kenneth Bengtsson

Gronvagen 5B, S-23232 Arlov, Sweden

1995

Short Notes

103

First record of Little Gull Lams mimutus in Cameroon

On 16 November 1994, in the course of a boat trip to the estuary of the Rio del

Rey in South-West Province, Cameroon, we observed three small gulls perched on

pilings in the water a few yards from the shore. There were large numbers of Black

Terns Chlidonias niger in the area, some of which were also perched on the pilings

and so it was easy to see that the gulls were only slightly bigger than the terns.

Other noticeable features were a dark spot behind the eye and a dark patch in the

“shoulder” area. The primaries and tail appeared mainly dark. The beak was dark

and the legs flesh coloured. We did not get good sightings of the birds flying but

the combination of the dark ear-spot, the dark patch on the shoulder and above all

the small size led us to identify them as immature Little Gulls Lams minutus. Other

possibilities such as Franklin’s Gull L. pipixcan or Sabine’s Gull L. sabini are

appreciably larger and do not show the dark ear-spot.

Little Gull was not recorded by Louette (1981) nor have we found any reference

to it in subsequent literature. It has, however, been recorded as vagrant in both

Nigeria and Gabon (Dowsett & Dowsett-Lemaire 1993).

References

Louette, M. (1981) The Birds of Cameroon, an annotated checklist. Verhandel

Kon. Acad. Wetensch. Lett. Schone Kunst. Belg. 43: 1-163.

Dowsett, R.J. & Dowsett-Lemaire, F. (eds) (1993) A Contribution to the

Distribution and Taxonomy of Afrotropical and Malagasy Birds. Tauraco Res.

Rep. 5, Tauraco Press, Belgium.

Received 27 February 1995 Bill & Rowena Quan trill

Revised 17 June 1995 Tor House, 36/37 Newtown,

Bradford-on-Avon, Wilts BA15 INF, U.K.

Red-tailed Ant-Tlirush Neocossyphus rufus in Central African Republic

On a visit to the Dzanga-Ndoki National Park in the Sangha Prefecture of the

Central African Republic, in January 1995, 1 was sitting quietly by a small stream

with wooded banks when I observed a bird sitting on a branch about 0.5 m up

from the ground. It was only about 12 m away and the light was quite good so I

was able to see clearly that it had the stance and shape of a thrush, with quite a

bright rufous underside, a greyish head, and brown back and wings. The upperside

of the tail appeared wholly rufous but, after sitting quietly for a few minutes, the

bird hopped into the stream and bathed and, as it flew back onto a higher branch

to preen, I observed that the central feathers in the upperside of the tail were

darker. As it was preening I was also able to see that the whole of the underside of

the tail was orange. Neither during its short flight nor during preening did I

104

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observe any wing-bar or underwing pattern. The area of the park where these

observations were made was about 34 km east of Bayanga (approximately 2°45'N,

16°20T).

From these observations I concluded that the bird was a Red-tailed Ant-thrush

Neocossyphus rufus. The thrush-like stance and build, and lack of wing markings,

eliminate Rufous Flycatcher-Thrush N. fraseri. The Red-tailed Ant-thrush was

originally included in a list of birds of the Central African Republic, allegedly for

the Lobaye Prefecture (Carroll 1988) but the record was subsequently rejected by

Germain (1992) as founded on a mistaken reading of unpublished data. It is not

included by Green & Carroll (1991) for Dzanga-Ndoki National Park and

Dzanga-Sangha Rainforest Reserve.

References

Carroll, R.W. (1988) Birds of the Central African Republic. Malimbus 10:

177-200.

Germain, M. (1992) Sur quelques données erronées concernant Favifaune de la

Lobaye, République Centrafricaine. Malimbus 14: 1-6.

Green, A. A. & Carroll, R.W. (1991) The avifauna of Dzanga-Ndoki National

Park and Dzanga-Sangha Rainforest Reserve. Malimbus 13: 49-66.

Received 27 February 1995 Rowena Quantrill

Revised 17 June 1995 Tor House, 36/37 Newtown,

Bradford-on-Avon, Wilts BA15 INF, U.K.

Recent records of White-naped Pigeon Columba albinucha from Cameroon

The White-naped Pigeon Columba albinucha is a little-known species of lowland

and transitional montane forest, classified as “Near threatened” by Collar &

Stuart (1985). Its main centre of distribution is in the Ruwenzori mountains of

Zaire with fewer records from adjacent Uganda. Records outside this region have

been restricted to three birds collected by Eisentraut at 1 100 m in the Rumpi Hills

of south-west Cameroon in 1967 (Louette 1981). Despite a considerable amount of

ornithological work in south-west Cameroon since then, most notably by the

I.C.B.P. Cameroon Montane Forest Expedition of 1984 (Stuart 1986), this species

has remained unrecorded there until very recently. The following recent sightings,

however, suggest that this species may be of more regular occurrence in south-west

Cameroon than earlier thought.

On 21 September 1992 a probable sighting was made of two birds at 1550 m in

the canopy of montane forest on Mt Kupe by Steve Keen (pers. comm.).

At 8.30 h on 30 March 1993 I saw three White-naped Pigeons in bare trees

bordering a small coffee farm at 1000 m on Mt Kupe. The habitat was primarily

1995

Short Notes

105

farmbush but primary transitional forest bordered it nearby. All the bird’s

distinctive features were visible. Overall the birds appeared a dark purple-bronze,

with white speckling confined to the lower chest and belly. The bill and legs

appeared bright red, much brighter than depicted in Urban et al. (1986). The nape

patch appeared a very pale grey, nearly white, on all the birds seen. Their tails were

distinctly bicoloured, bronze with very broad light grey terminal bands, similar to

the tail of the Western Bronze-naped Pigeon C. iriditorques, which has not yet been

recorded on Mt Kupe. As I watched the birds, they continually flew out of view

towards the ground, possibly to an unseen food source, before flying back into the

trees and spending long periods motionless. They were not wary, allowing an

approach to within 15 m.

At 9.00 h on 9 July 1993 I saw two White-naped Pigeons at exactly the same site

and behaving in the same way. On 13 April, together with C.G.R. Bowden, I saw

two birds there again, also at around 9.00 h.

Following this, there were no further records from this site for nearly a year,

despite regular observer coverage.

At 8.40 h on 19 March 1994 I saw three White-naped Pigeons in flight near the

isolated village of Edib, at 1100 m in the Bakossi Mountains of south-west

Cameroon. The habitat was farmbush with coffee plantations, again with primary

transitional forest nearby.

At about 9.00 h the next day I saw four birds of this species in a bare tree at the

“regular” site at 1000 m on Mt Kupe.

There appears to be a pattern to these sightings. With the exception of Keen’s

September record in primary montane forest, all have been at small coffee farms in

farmbush with primary transitional forest nearby between 19 March and 9 April

and between 8.00 and 9.00 h. I should add that my visits were regular and that the

birds were present on practically every visit made to the site between 8.00 and 9.00

h, but none was seen on visits made later in the day.

Clearly more fieldwork needs to be done as regards this species in the Cameroon

region, especially in the little-known Bakossi Mountains, an area with ten times

more forest than Mt Kupe, and where I suspect the bulk of the Cameroon

population to be. This species may also be present in other ecologically similar

areas such as Mts Cameroon and Nlonako in Cameroon and the Obudu Plateau in

Nigeria.

References

Collar, N.J. & Stuart, S.N. (1985) Threatened Birds of Africa and Related

Islands. International Council for Bird Preservation, Cambridge.

Louette, M. (1981) Birds of Cameroon. An annotated checklist. Verhandel. Kon.

Acad. Wetensh. Lett. Schone Kunst. Belg. 43: U163.

Stuart, S.N. (ed.) (1986) Conservation of Cameroon Montane Forests. Inter-

national Council for Bird Preservation, Cambridge.

106

Short Notes

Malimbus 17

Urban, E.K., Fry, C.H. & Keith, S. (eds) (1986) The Birds of Africa, vol. 2.

Academie Press, London.

Received 22 March 1995 Eddie Williams

17 Sycamore Close, Upton, Wirral, Merseyside L49 4LQ, U. K.

An historical breeding record in Mali and description of the young of the

Grasshopper Buzzard Butastur rufipennis

According to Brown et al. (1982) the downy young of the Grasshopper Buzzard

Butastur rufipennis is undescribed. However, Millet-Horsin (1921) obtained two

living nestlings which had been taken from a nest near Kati (12°44'N, 8°4'W),

Mali, on 22 June 1920. The birds lived in captivity until the following August,

when they died; they were presented at a Meeting of the Société Ornithologique de

France on 7 October 1921. Millet-Horsin described the birds as being completely

white when secured. Their heads had become a bright reddish (equivalent to the

bright rufous for immatures as described by Brown et al. 1982) at death, in

contrast to the chocolate colour of the adult head.

In a subsequent account, Millet-Horsin (1922) referred to the young being buff-

grey (“gris-bloncF) but it is unclear whether he was contradicting himself or

referring to the birds when a little older. It is possible that the specimens decayed

and were discarded in the meantime (they are not listed in the Museum of Natural

History, Paris; J.-F. Voisin in litt.) and, if so, Millet-Horsin may have been relying

on memory for the second account.

The record is apparently the first and only confirmed breeding record for the

species in Mali, although Lamarche (1980) records nest-building by B. rufipennis

south of San (13°18'N, 4°54'W) in March. Elsewhere in West Africa, there are

nesting records from Nigeria in March (Elgood et al 1994) and the species has

twice nested in the Keran Park in northern Togo between April and June (J.F.

Walsh & R.A. Cheke, unpubk). Courtship has been seen in The Gambia,

suggestive of possible breeding there also (Gore 1990).

I am grateful to Dr J.-F. Voisin for seeing if the specimens survived in Paris and to

him and Dr G.J. Morel for their comments on a draft.

References

Brown, L., Urban, E.K. & Newman, K. (1982) The Birds of Africa, vol. 1.

Academic Press, London.

Elgood, J.H., Heigham, J.B., Moore, A.M., Nason, A.M., Sharland, R.E. &

Skinner, N.J. (1994) The Birds of Nigeria. Check-list 4 (2nd ed.), British

Ornithologists’ Union, Tring.

1995

Short Notes

107

Gore, M.E. (1990) Birds of The Gambia. Check-list 3 (2nd ed.), British Ornitholo-

gists’ Union, Tring,

Lamarche, B. (1980) Liste commentée des oiseaux du Mali. 1ère partie: non-

passereaux. Malimbus 2: 121-158.

Millet-Horsin, [H.], (1921) Société ornithologique de France. Communication

du Dr. Millet-Horsin. Rev.fr. Orn. 7: 177-180.

Millet-Horsin, [H.], (1922) Déplacement de l’Est à l’Ouest d’espèces Africaines.

Rev. fr. Orn. 7: 295.

Received 4 May 1995 R. A. Cheke

Revised 1 August 1995 c/o Natural Resources Institute, Central Avenue,

Chatham Maritime, Chatham, Kent ME4 4TB, UK.

108

Malimbus 17

Book Reviews

An Annotated Ornithological Bibliography of Guinea-Bissau. By CJ. Hazevoet,

1995. 9 pp. Versl. Tech. Geg. 55, Inst, voor Systematiek en Populatiebiologie,

Universiteit van Amsterdam, P.O. Box 94766, 1090 GT Amsterdam. Available on

request from the author.

The lack of ornithological knowledge of this country is made obvious by the

brevity of this A4 booklet, which attempts to be a complete bibliography. It lists

only a little over 100 references, of which one quarter are by J. Tendeiro, on avian

parasites. The author has made a thorough search of the early Portuguese

literature and is quite up-to-date. Most references are not annotated but some

have a single-sentence guide to content. Some references to neighbouring areas of

Guinea or Senegal are also included.

Alan Tye

Coastal Waterbirds in Gabon, Winter 1992. Ed. by FJ. Schepers & E.C.L.

Marteijn, 1993. 293 pp. Stichting WIWO, Zeist. ISBN 90-9006776-0. Paperback

DEI 30 from Stichting WIWO, van Stuivenbergweg 4, 6644 AB Ewijk,

Netherlands.

The preface to this book explains the extraordinary conservation importance of

Gabon, with its largely unspoilt coastline and forests, a point elaborated in the

following chapters.

The bulk of the report is in English, with an extended summary in French. The

biggest fault, as with some previous WIWO publications, is the odd English; the

text was corrected by a Dutchman, whereas it would have been better to have had

the draft proof-read by a native English speaker. Occasionally, careful thought is

needed to elucidate exactly what is meant, and one or two sentences are

incomprehensible.

In two months, some 60% of the coast was surveyed, including all the large

mudflats and most of the coastal lagoons. A chapter on habitats presents an

excellent descriptive and quantitative picture. The extent of mudflats was deter-

mined, from maps and field observations, to be only about half of that previously

calculated for the country from marine charts (Tye, A., 1987, Wader Study Group

Bull. 49: 20-27, 50: 17). The charts are probably out of date for the location of

some flats, but most of the observations for the present report were not made at

spring tides (on average they would have been based on mean tidal range), whereas

the earlier estimate from marine charts gave the fullest extent of flat at tidal

extremes. Therefore the real extent of flats probably lies between the two

estimates.

1995

Book Reviews

109

The waterbird counts give details of all species, from pelicans to terns, with

localities and habitat preferences. Apart from waders (Charadrii), which were

mostly of Palaearctic origin, most species were Afrotropical. Unusual records

included Terek Sandpiper Xenus drier eus (with photo). Pacific Golden Plover

Pluvialis fulva and Dunlin Calidris alpina, but no identification details are given in

support of the latter two.

One chapter presents the count results, another a full systematic list for

waterbirds, with details of distribution (many maps), ecology and behaviour, and

another sets the results in the context of the Ramsar criteria, to assess the

international importance of the various sites. Meeting the criteria are: Gabon’s

largely intact and extensive mangroves; the coast as a whole, for rare species (e.g.

Damara Tern Sterna balaenarum and Loango Slender-billed Weaver Ploceus

subpersonatus), several waterbirds, marine mammals and turtles; Corisco Bay, the

Gabon estuary and Cap Lopez Bay for numbers of waders and/or > 1% of the

population of one or more species. A final chapter on other species observed

contains useful “checklist-type” information on landbirds and other vertebrates.

Notable records include Black-throated Coucal Centropus leucogaster, south of its

known range, and feral Fischer’s Lovebirds Agapornis fischeri.

In summary, this is another excellent WIWO baseline study, helping to ensure

that the West African coast becomes among the best-known in the tropics for

birds.

Alan Tye

Guide des Oiseaux de la Réserve de la Lopé. Par P. Christy & W. Clarke, 1994.

191pp., 59 planches en couleur, 1 carte. ECOFAC, Libreville.

Ce guide est le premier des ouvrages consacrés à l’inventaire de la flore et de la

faune de la réserve de la Lopé, mené sous l’égide du projet régional gabonais de

conservation et d’utilisation rationelle des écosystèmes forestiers d’Afrique cen-

trale dont le sigle est ECOFAC. Cette réserve est située au centre du Gabon, juste

au sud de l’équateur.

Dans ce guide, l’inventaire couvre la zone touristique ECOFAC qui présente

trois types d’habitat: rives du fleuve Ogooué, savanes et forêts bordant celles-ci.

Les espèces qu’on pourrait observer soit au centre de la réserve, jusqu’ici peu

accessible, soit à la liséré des forêts mais en faible densité, sont dénommées

“additives”. Nous avons compté 402 espèces (dont 54 “additives”) ce qui

représente un peu moins des deux tiers des espèces recensées au Gabon (629

d’après Dowsett & Dowsett-Lemaire, 1993, A Contribution to the Distribution and

Taxonomy of Afrotropical and Malagasy Birds, Tauraco Press, Liège). C’est dire

l’intérêt de cette réserve, en particulier pour les espèces forestières, mais ce guide

sera aussi très utile à quinconque s’intéresse à l’avifaune du Gabon.

110

Book Reviews

Malimbus 17

Car ce guide est très complet et très soigné. Les differents milieux (fleuve,

savanes et forêt) sont décrits rapidement, mais avec indication précise des lieux les

plus intéressants. Les noms des espèces sont donnés en latin, en français et en

anglais, avec mention du nom utilisé par Serle & Morel (1977, A Field Guide to the

Birds of West Africa, Collins, London, ou 1979, Les Oiseaux de l’Ouest Africain,

Delachaux & Niestlé, Neuchâtel-Paris) quand celui-ci diffère de la nomenclature

maintenant adoptée.

Le souci de l’identification des oiseaux sur le terrain a dominé la conception de

ce livre. La description de l’oiseau par P. Christy s’accompagne toujours de

remarques sur son comportement à terre ou au vol, des lieux et conditions dans

lesquels on peut l’observer. Un soin tout particulier a porté sur les émissions

sonores et, grande originalité de ce guide, les illustrations en couleur de la plupart

des espèces dues à W. Clarke résultent de croquis effectuées sur le terrain si bien

que l’attitude de l’oiseau a été privilégiée par rapport au détail des couleurs. Quand

c’est nécessaire, plusieurs dessins sont consacrés à une seule espèce et quand deux

espèces sont difficiles à séparer sur le terrain, elles figurent sur la même planche

avec tous les détails pouvant faciliter l’identification. On peut regretter car il faut

bien trouver quelque chose à critiquer que la réserve de la Lopé n’ait pas été mieux

située géographiquement et que l’avifaune n’ait pas été succintement analysée

(nombre d’espèces etc.).

En conclusion, c’est un livre remarquable et l’on ne peut que féliciter les auteurs

et les organismes qui en ont subventionné la réalisation.

Marie- Yvonne Morel

Coastal Assessment of Parc National du Banc d^Arguin, Mauritania. By A. R. G.

Price, A. J. de Grissac & R. F. G. Ormond, 1992. Pp. x -h 42. lUCN, Gland. ISBN

2-8317-0106-6, paperback.

This report presents a research plan, including some specific project proposals, for

the Banc d’Arguin National Park.

The importance of the park is briefly described; its biological riches, a result of

upwelling, include the world’s largest concentration of wintering waders

( > 2,000,000) and nest sites for 25000-40000 seabirds. Previous research, mostly on

birds and littoral ecology, is reviewed and a preliminary bibliography presented,

containing over 40 references.

The research plan advocates a multidisciplinary approach, with modelling of the

system to permit prediction of the consequences of management options. The

strategic plan is superficial, specifying only four “levels” of research: (1) specific,

e.g. birds, (2) ecosystem, e.g. interactions between fish and birds (the authors do

not seem to understand the term “ecosystem” - birds are termed an ecosystem!),

(3) interactions between resources and humans and (4) interactions between

1995

BO'Ok Reviews

111

natural processes, “ecosystems” and humans, using predictive modelling. The five-

year timescale attached to the envisaged progression from level 1 to 4 is unrealistic;

the levels would have to be to some extent concurrent and the later stages which

would depend on the results of earlier ones could not possibly be expected to

happen within five years. Indeed, the five year programme, scheduled to finish in

1995, has hardly begun.

In contrast to the unrealistic and vague generalities of strategy, the specific

research projects proposed are generally sound, although there are not enough of

them to meet the overall purpose of enabling predictive modelling and manage-

ment planning, and the methodology is not thought out in great detail; one

important aspect inadequately covered by the proposal dealing with it is the extent

of human use of the park’s resources.

The report includes no more development jargon and verbiage than is usual in

similar lUCN reports; but it is irritating that consultants feel bound to write such

rubbish in an attempt to increase the apparent erudition of their work. One does

not know the resources available to the authors, especially time allocated to the

job, but I would have expected a proper research plan to be far more comprehen-

sive; this report is so superficial and neglects so many subject areas that it fulfils its

stated aim in only a sketchy fashion.

Alan Tye

A Birdwatchers’ Guide to The Gambia. By Rod Ward, 1994. Pp. 116, line drawings

and maps. Prion, Perry. ISBN 187-1104-041. Paperback £9.75 from Natural

History Book Service, Wills Rd., Totnes TQ9 5XN, U.K.

This is an addition to Prion’s series of birdwatchers’ guides, others covering Nepal,

Morocco, Southern Spain & Gibraltar, and Seychelles. The aim of the series is to

help the birdwatcher make the most of a short visit, giving first an introduction to

the country and general information for the tourist, followed by detailed site

information for the birdwatcher.

With a list of over 500 bird species in a country of only 10,000 km^, which is easy

to travel to and within, the package tours available in The Gambia have made it a

popular destination for birdwatchers. Dr Ward directs the reader to 19 selected

areas of special interest, 17 of them within easy reach of the main resorts on the

coast and two up-river, Tendaba and Basse, with an additional note on birding on

the river itself.

There is a selective list of the rarer bird species which have been “reliably”

recorded, with site information about each, and a full species tick-list for the

country, although it is not made clear from what authority these lists are derived.

Checklists of butterflies, amphibians, reptiles and larger mammals, and a selective

bibliography, are also included. As detailed accounts of the region and its birds are

112

Book Reviews

Malimbus 17

outside the scope of the Birdwatchers’ Guides, travellers who like to have more

than a superficial knowledge of the zoogeography of the countries which they visit

might have preferred a fuller bibliography.

The tourist information is given in considerable detail, some inevitably already

(1995) out of date, but the introduction to the country and its river is somewhat

brief. The description of the River Gambia is also short and unfortunately

inaccurate. In fact, the river is tidal for all of its 475 km within The Gambia; the

limit of its tidal reaches at the Barrakunda Falls marks the eastern boundary of the

country. The mangrove swamps of the mud flats and bolons of the lower reaches

occur because of the salinity, not the tidal nature, of the Lower River.

Each site description has a sketch map, and Rob Hume’s delightful line

drawings, which accompany the text, give an indication of the type of habitat and

of special birds to be found there. A second edition would perhaps benefit from the

addition of a simple illustrated guide to the trees which are often used as markers

in the site directions, and which may be unfamiliar to the visitor. Apart from the

rather poor map of the whole country, the book is nicely produced and, on the

whole, will serve its purpose well.

Amberley Moore

WeiBstorchzug. Okologie, Gefahrdung und Schütz des WeiBstorchs in Afrika und

Nahost. By Holger Schultz, 1988. Pp. 460, many monochrome photos and maps.

Josef Margraf, Weikersheim. ISBN 3-8236=1141-0, paperback.

This is the report, entirely in German, of an investigation by WWF-Germany and

ICBP into the threats to the White Stork Ciconia ciconia on its migration routes

and in winter quarters in the Middle East and Africa. The species in Europe is

comparatively well-known; this study was initiated with the aim of gathering data

to enable the preparation of a protection and management plan for the non-

breeding areas. The study is based partly on a review of literature but mainly on

the results of a questionnaire circulated to correspondents in each country, and by

three field trips by the author, to Sudan, southern Africa and the Middle East.

The book comprises two sections, “general” and “specific”, the latter consisting

of a country by country presentation. The general section gives a synopsis of

migration routes, breeding and wintering areas, habitat selection and threats. The

biggest threat is hunting, throughout the migration and winter range, other

important ones are poisoning, often from pesticides used for the control of locusts,

army worms etc., and habitat change, especially by desertification and human

activities. There is also a section considering whether ringing might interact with

the stork’s habit of thermoregulation by defaecating on its legs, to cause leg injury

and death, and the conclusion is that it can, especially in hot climates.

For West African states, the country accounts vary between two and 13 (Mali)

pages, countries where storks are rare being dealt with briefly. Some countries are

1995

News & Letters

113

grouped, e.g. Guinea-Bissau to Liberia, with only three pages between them. Some

other parts of Africa receive fuller treatment, especially those which the author

visited. Each account includes a discussion of status, movements, habitat use,

threats and protection measures. The quality of the information obviously varies

hugely between countries, depending on such obvious factors as the existence of

resident, active ornithologists and ease of access to outsiders. Similarly, the

distribution maps presented for each country vary in detail and style. Some habitat

photos are included, as are lists of references and correspondents pertaining to

each country. On the whole, the accounts make an excellent summary of

knowledge up to 1988 and a sound basis for future work.

Alan Tye

News & Letters

The BP Conservation Programme Awards

£34,000 of grant support are available for research. Birdlife International, Fauna

and Flora International and the British Petroleum Co. pic. come together in this

award scheme to assist and encourage high priority conservation research projects.

Successful applications should include undergraduate participants and demon-

strate local collaboration. For more information contact: Expeditions Officer, BP

Conservation Programme, Birdlife International, Wellbrook Court, Girton Road,

Cambridge CB3 ONA, U.K.. Telephone +44 (0)1223 277318; facsimile +44

(0)1223 277200; email birdlife@gn.apc.org.

114

Malimbus 17

Society Notices

W.A.O.S. Research Grant

Following an encouraging early response of four applications for grants, an award

of £500 has been made to Mr M.S. Diop, towards his comparative study of the

behavioural ecology of the Red-billed Hornbill Tockus erythrorhynchus and Grey

Hornbill T. nasutus in Senegal. Mr Diop is a graduate student of the University of

Dakar; his research, which is taking place in association with ORSTOM Dakar,

will be supervised by Dr B. Tréca.

Bourse de Recherche de la S.O.O.A*

Faisant suite aux premières réponses encourageantes de quatre demandes de

bourse, une allocation de £500 a été décernée à M. M.S. Diop, en contribution à

l’étude comparée de l’éco-éthologie du Petit Calao à bec rouge Tockus erythror-

hynchus et du Petit Calao à bec noir T. nasutus au Sénégal. M. Diop est un étudiant

de 3ème cycle de l’université de Dakar; ses recherches, qui se déroulent en

association avec l’ORSTOM de Dakar, seront dirigées par M. B. Tréca.

New Secretary to Council

Mrs A.M. Moore resigned as Secretary to Council, with effect from 30 June this

year. We have grown used to Amberley’s meticulous, efficient and, above all,

unfailingly good-humoured approach to this time-consuming job, which she has

undertaken for the past seven years. Her tact, when organising other members of

Council, is unsurpassed. We are obviously disappointed, although not in the least

surprised, that she feels it is time for a break. We are sure that we speak for all

those members with whom she has dealt so courteously, when we wish her well in

her rather more peaceful future.

Our regret at losing Amberley’s services is only lessened by the fact that Dr R.

Wilkinson has agreed to take her place. Roger is a long-standing member of the

Society, whose West African experience was gained primarily in Nigeria, where he

enjoyed six years teaching and researching birds at Bayero University, Kano. He

now works as Curator of Birds at Chester Zoo and retains a research interest in

West African species. We are especially pleased to have Roger as the new

Secretary, as he is one of our most regular and punctual referees, often returning

carefully-reviewed manuscripts within a day of receipt - a characteristic advan-

tageous in an officer who will have to spend much time answering correspondence.

Members should note the address of the new Secretary (inside front cover), to

whom enquiries about Research Grants should be sent. Please note that member-

1995

Society Notices

115

ship enquiries should still be addressed to the Treasurer and Membership

Secretary, R.E. Sharland.

Council

Un nouveau Secrétaire au Conseil

Mme A.M. Moore a démissioné de son poste de Secrétaire du Conseil à compter

du 30 juin de cette année. Nous nous étions habitués à la façon méticuleuse,

efficace et, par dessus tout inlassablement affable, d’Amberley de s’acquitter de

cette tâche prenante durant les sept dernières années. Son tact pour accorder les

points de vue des membres du conseil est inégalé. Nous sommes évidemment déçus

mais aucunement surpris qu’elle juge le moment venu de s’arrêter. Nous sommes

sûrs de parler au nom de tous les membres avec qui elle a agi aussi délicatement en

lui souhaitant un avenir un peu plus paisible.

Notre regret de perdre les services d’Amberley est seulement atténué par le fait

que R. Wilkinson a accepté de la remplacer. Roger est depuis longtemps membre

de la Société; il a surtout acquis son expérience de l’Ouest africain au Nigéria où il

eut le plaisir d’enseigner et de faire des recherches sur les oiseaux pendant six ans à

l’université Bayero, Kano. Il est maintenant Conservateur de la section des

oiseaux au Zoo de Chester et s’intéresse toujours aux recherches sur les oiseaux de

l’Ouest africain. Nous sommes particulièrement contents que Roger soit le

nouveau Secrétaire car il est l’un des lecteurs de manuscrits les plus réguliers et les

plus ponctuels et renvoie souvent les textes minutieusement relus le lendemain de

leur réception; c’est une qualité appréciable chez quelqu’un qui passera beacoup de

temps à répondre au courrier.

Les adhérents noteront l’adresse du nouveau Secrétaire (au verso de la couver-

ture) à qui les questions sur les bourses de recherches devront être adressées.

Veuillez noter que le courrier relatif aux abonnements doit toujours être envoyé au

Trésorier, également chargé des abonnements, R.E. Sharland.

Le Conseil

Biennial meeting of the Society, 1996

As mentioned in Maîimbus 16: 136-7, Council hopes to organize a General

Meeting of the Society to coincide with the 9th Pan-African Ornithological

Congress, which is now to be held in Accra, Ghana, in December 1996. We hope

that many members will be able to attend. The African Bird Club is trying to

arrange reduced fares to Ghana for the Congress. Further details will be circulated

with the next Malimbus.

116

Society Notices

Malimbus 17

Assemblée bisannuelle de la Société en 1996

Comme il a été annoncé dans Malimbus 16: 140, le Conseil espère organiser une

Assemblée Générale de la Société de façon à ce qu’elle coïncide avec le 9ème

Congrès Panafricain d’Ornithologie qui se tiendra à Accra, Ghana, en décembre

1996. Nous espérons que nombreux seront les adhérents à pouvoir y assister.

L’African Bird Club cherche à obtenir des tarifs réduits pour le Ghana à l’occasion

du Congrès. De plus amples détails seront fournis par le prochain Malimbus.

Senegal Kingfisher - Martin-chasseur du Sénégal - Hakyon senegalensis

Photo: Michael Gore

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Instructions aux Auteurs

Malimbus publie des Articles, des Notes Courtes, des Analyses d’Ouvrages, des Informations,

des Lettres et des illustrations traitant de l’ornithologie ouest-africaine. Les textes sont

acceptés en anglais et en français; la Rédaction pourra aider les auteurs dont la langue

maternelle n’est pas l’une de celles-ci. Les textes des Informations et des Lettres ne devraient

pas dépasser 1000 mots. Les Articles et les Notes Courtes doivent être des apports originaux;

ceux déjà publiés ailleurs, en partie ou en totalité, seront normalement refusés. Les Notes

Courtes sont des articles de moins de 1000 mots (références comprises) ou de deux pages

imprimées. Autant que possible, les manuscrits auront été auparavant soumis au moins à un

ornithologue ou biologiste pour un examen minutieux. Les manuscrits seront envoyés pour

critique à au moins un lecteur compétent.

Les textes soumis seront tapés en deux exemplaires, d’un seul côté de la page, double

interligne et avec larges marges. Les tirages sur imprimante matricielle ne seront acceptés que

s’ils ont la “qualité-courrier”. Les auteurs ne doivent pas envoyer un double de leur disquette

en même temps que l’article qu’ils soumettent, mais sont priés d’indiquer s’ils peuvent le faire

dans le cas où leur article serait accepté. Les disquettes seront retournées aux auteurs.

Consultez l’Editeur pour des détails supplémentaires, c’est-à-dire les programmes de texte

compatibles.

Les conventions concernant les tableaux, les chiffres, le système métrique, les références, etc.

peuvent être trouvées dans ce numéro et doivent être soigneusement suivies. Notez en

particulier que les dates s’abrègeront comme 2 fév 1990 mais dans un texte pourront s’écrire en

entier; que les heures s’écriront comme 6.45 h, 17.00 h; que les coordonnées s’écriront comme

7°46'N, 16°4'W; que les nombres jusqu’à dix s’écriront en entier, excepté devant une unité de

mesure (p. ex. 6 m), que les nombres à partir de 1 1 s’écriront en chiffres sauf au début d’une

phrase. Toute référence citée dans l’article, et aucune autre, doit figurer dans la bibliographie.

Les articles d’avifaune doivent comprendre une carte ou une liste des localités citées. Ils

devraient donner quelques détails sur le climat, la topographie, la végétation et l’environne-

ment (y compris les événements inhabituels) avant ou d^urant l’étude (p. ex. pluies tardives,

etc.). Les listes d’espèces ne devraient contenir que des données importantes: les listes

complètes ne sont justifiées que pour les régions encore non étudiées ou délaissées pendant

longtemps. Autrement, ne citer que les espèces sur lesquelles l’étude fournit de nouveaux faits

sur la répartition, la période de séjour, la reproduction, etc. Pour chaque espèce, indiquer le

statut migratoire, la période de séjour (telle qu’elle ressort de l’étude), l’extension de l’aire, une

estimation d’abondance {Malimbus 17: 38) et les données datées sur la reproduction.

Eventuellement, replacez les faits dans le contexte en les comparant brièvement avec une liste

régionale de référence. Les longues listes d’espèces devraient être sous forme de tableaux (p. ex.

Malimbus 12: 39-51, 1: 22-28, ou 1: 49-54) ou sous forme de texte des derniers numéros (p. ex.

Malimbus 12: 19-24, 12: 61-86, 13: 49-66, 16: 10-29). La séquence taxonomique et les noms

scientifiques (et de préférence aussi les noms vernaculaires) devraient suivre Dowsett & Forbes-

Watson (1993, Checklist of Birds of the Afrotropical and Malagasy Regions, Tauraco Press,

Liège) ou The Birds of Africa (Brown et al. 1982, Urban et al. 1986, Fry et al. 1988, Keith et al.

1992, Academie Press, London), à moins de donner les raisons de s’écarter de ces auteurs. Un

guide plus complet aux auteurs d’articles sur l’avifaune, comprenant une notation d’abondance

des espèces la plus conseillée, est publié dans Malimbus 17: 35-39. On peut en obtenir une

copie de la Rédaction, qui se fera aussi un plaisir d’offrir ses conseils sur la présentation de ce

genre d’études.

Les figures doivent être préparées pour une reproduction directe, permettant une réduction

de 20 à 50%; on se servira d’encre de chine sur papier blanc de bonne qualité ou calque épais et

de caractères Letraset (ou équivalent) selon le cas. Les figures produites par les imprimantes

sont rarement de qualité acceptable. Pour le dessin des Figures, tenir compte du format de

Malimbus.

Tous les Articles (mais non les Notes Courtes) comporteront un Résumé, n’excédant pas 5%

de la longeur totale. Le Résumé mentionnera brièvement les principaux résultats et conclu-

sions de l’Article et ne sera pas un simple compte rendu du travail. Les résumés seront publiés

à la fois en anglais et en français et seront traduits au mieux par la Rédaction.

Dix tirés-à-part des Articles (mais non des Notes courtes) seront envoyés gratis à l’auteur

ou à l’auteur principal. Les tirés-à-part ne seront ni agrafés, ni reliés ou recouverts; ce sont de

simples extraits de la revue.

Malimbus 17(2) 1995

Contents

Body weights and wing moult of the Bronze Mannikin Lonchura

cucullata and Blue-hilled Mannikin L. bicolor in Sierra Leone.

H.S. Thompson & A. Tye

The birds of the Kounounkan Massif, Guinea.

P.V. Hayman, M. Prangley, A. Barnett & D. Diawara

Notes on the avifauna of the Bétérou area, Borgou Province,

Republic of Benin.

P.M. Claffey

Notes of the birds of the coastal and Kindia areas, Guinea.

R. Demey

Short Notes

Confirmation de la présence du Martinet alpin Apus melba au

Sénégal. B. Tréca & M. Sakho

Winter site fidelity of Redstart Phoenicurus phoenicurus in Nigeria.

M. Skilleter

More observations of Audouin’s Gulls Larus audouinii in Senegal.

K. Bengtsson

First record of Little Gull Larus minutas in Cameroon.

B. Quantrill & R. Quantrill

Red-tailed Ant-Thrush Neocossyphus rufus in Central African

Republic. R. Quantrill

Recent records of White-naped Pigeon Columba albinucha from

Cameroon. E. Williams

An historical breeding record in Mali and description of the young of

the Grasshopper Buzzard Butastur rufipennis. R.A. Cheke

Book Reviews

News & Letters

Society Notices

299 Pfl

10/03/96

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