The Birds of Africa Volume I 9781472926982, 9780121373016

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FOREWORD In 1969 I was fortunate enough to be able to visit the Rift Valley lakes of Ethiopia and to watch and photograph some of the very large number of species of birds that are either resident in that area or pass through it on their migrations. Our creature comforts were assured by the kindness of the Emperor Haile Sellassie who generously arranged the camp facilities . The organizer, guide and mentor on that expedition was Leslie Brown and also present was Emil Urban. Their knowledge of the birds of Africa and their infectious enthusiasm was so remarkable at the time that I was not in the least surprised to hear of their plan to produce a comprehensive and authoritative book on the birds of Africa. Sadly Leslie Brown did not live to see the completion of the first volume, but I am sure that it was his inexhaustible energy and driving spirit that inspired his co-authors and all the collaborators to go on with the task. This is to be the first of four volumes and when the series is complete some 1850 species of African birds will be beautifully and accurately described and recorded in word and picture. The series will be a monument to Leslie Brown and I have no doubt that it will take its place among the classic ornithological publications of the world.

H.R.H. THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH

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PREFACE Information about African birds is at present scattered through a large, expensive, often unobtainable and now largely out-of-date quantity of books; through the ornithological journals of British, American, French, German, South African and many other societies; and in such unpublished material as nest record card schemes, collections of migration data and postgraduate theses . Much unpublished information has also existed up until now in our personal notes and those of many others. It has therefore been our aim in compiling this work to gather together the available material from all these sources and to produce therefrom a definitive handbook of the birds of the continent of Africa and its off-shore islands. In order to cover the some 1850 species concerned in four volumes, it has inevitably been necessary to cut wordage to a minimum and thus some well-known and much-studied species have had to be treated in far less detail than would have been ideal. Nevertheless, we believe that we have always included the most important information on each species and have produced not a leisurely, discursive piece of ornithological literature but a compressed compendium of essential facts. Every species occurring in the continent of Africa, whether resident, migrant or vagrant, is to be covered and nearly all of these will be illustrated in colour. Our competence to prepare this work stems primarily from our practical field experience (over 80 years between us) in many parts of Africa. We have each been individually responsible for writing texts on specific families, aided by comments from each other and, in addition, by much advice from recognized experts on different groups. We are deeply grateful to those who have given help and information in this and other ways and have (we sincerely hope) cited them all in the Acknowledgements (p. ix). We hope that this work will fill the very definite need which exists for a comprehensive handbook on the birds of Africa. We also hope that its publication will pinpoint subjects and species worthy of further study and that it will thus stimulate much-needed research on the avifauna of this fascinating continent.

April 1980

Leslie H . Brown Emil K. Urban Kenneth Newman

For years Leslie Brown had a very special goal-to write the book on the birds of Africa. I became involved in this during one of Leslie's visits to Ethiopia when we agreed that I would write part of the envisioned work with him. The project became a reality in September 1978 when we, with Ken Newman and Academic Press, began work on it. Sadly Leslie never saw the book in final form, for he died suddenly of a heart attack in his home in Karen, Kenya, on 6 August 1980. To ensure that the project would continue, I assumed his responsibilities as senior author. Before his death, Leslie had organized the plates for Volumes I and II and had written much of the Introduction and the species accounts on the Ostrich, grebes, tropicbirds, frigatebirds, storks, Hamerkop, Shoebill, flamingoe s and diurnal birds of prey. All three of us commented on all the species accounts, except those for geese, swans and ducks which were prepared after Leslie's death . The remainder of the work to be done on his sections (som e writing but mainly the compilation of references, preparation of maps and checking of proofs and illustrations) was carried out by myself for the Introduction and Ostrich through flamingoes, and by Alan Kemp for the birds of prey. David Snow, Stuart Keith, Hilary Fry, Gerard Morel and Kai Curry-Lindahl have been helpful in many ways, especially in checking proofs and finalizing the Introduction. It is my sincere hope that all the people who assisted Leslie Brown have been recognized; I apologize to those I may have missed. The literature has been covered, as far as possible, up to July 1980. A few significant references from the remaining part of 1980 and from 1981 have also been included. We were able to determine Leslie's key references which appear in the text and at the end of the species accounts. We were not, however, able to determine any other of his references that were to appear in Part 2 of the Bibliography at the end of this volume. Leslie 's untimely death has necessitated a reorganization of the structure of Volumes II-IV. These volumes are being written by a wide range of ornithologists under the editorship of myself, Hilary Fry and Stuart Keith. The format for these volumes will remain unchanged from that devised for Volume I, and a fifth volume on the Malagasy region is under active discussion. I am very grateful to all who have helped in the preparation and publication of this volume.

October 1981 Augusta, Georgia

Emil K. Urban Vll

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We are extremely grateful for the considerable co-operation given to us in reviewing our texts, in providing unpublished records, and in proffering the help and encouragement so necessary in seeing this volume through to publication. All of our accounts were read and critically commented on by many experts. It was not possible, however, to determine with much accuracy who had read which of Leslie Brown's drafts and we apologize to those who may have helped but whose contributions we have not been able to ascertain. W e know that they were read at least by the following: B. C. R. Bertram, R. K . Brooke, J . F . Colebrook-Robjent, J. Cooper, T . M . Crowe, K. Curry-Lindahl, A. W . Diamond, R. J. Dowsett, S. K . Eltringham, L. M . Hurxthal, A. C. K emp, M . P . Kahl, J . A. Ledger, G. L. Maclean, J. M. Mendelsohn, G . J. Morel, P . J. Mundy, D . E . Pomeroy, W . R. Siegfried, P . R. B. Steyn, W. R. Tarboton, J.-M. Thiollay and R. T. Wilson. In addition, C. W . Benson, P . L. Britton, K. Curry-Lindahl, A. W . Diamond, H. Elliott, S . K. Eltringham, C. H . Fry, A. Guillet, D . N . Johnson, A. C. Kemp, G. S . Keith, G . J . Morel, D . E. Pomeroy, K. E . L. Simmons, D . W . Snow, J .-M. Thiollay and G. E. Watson helped in the preparation of his maps, in determining the references to his species accounts and Introduction, and in providing measurements. Also, R. W . Storer assisted in grebe classification. Leslie had often mentioned how grateful he was to D . W. Snow at the Sub-department of Ornithology, British Museum (Natural History), Tring, UK, and W. R. Siegfried at the Percy Fitzpatrick Institute for African Ornithology, Cape Town, South Africa, for their co-operation and the use of their facilities; to R . D . Chancellor, H. Elliott and D . Amadon for their companionship and hours spent talking about the birds of Africa; and to Charles, his late son, and Barbara, his wife, for their assistance, encouragement and support. Emil Urban's maps and texts were critically examined in draft form by the following: H. H. Berry, J . Cooper and G . S. Keith (Phalacrocorax ), A. Brosset (Bostrychia, Tigriornis ), H. Elliott (Ardea, Ardeola, Egretta ), R. de Naurois and D . Whitelaw (Platalea ), U. Hirsch and D. E . Manry (Geronticus), M . P. S. Irwin (Egretta ), M . P . Kahl (Threskiornithidae), D. H . Mock (Ardea, Egretta ), O . T. Owre (Anhinga), A. Prigogine (Ardeola), W . R. Siegfried (Ardeidae, especially Bubulcus), W. R . Tarboton (Ardeola, Botaurus, Butorides, Egretta, Gorsachius, Ixobrychus, Nycticorax ) and D. N. S. Tomlinson (Ardea, Egretta ). Ken Newman's maps and texts were critically examined in draft form by the following : R. K . Brooke (Diomedea, Macronectes ), A. Clark (Anatidae), J . Cooper (Sphenisciformes), 1. N . Geldenhuys ( Tadorna , Alopochen), M . J . F . Jarvis (Sula capensis), G . S. Keith (Procellariiformes, Sulidae), J. B. Nelson (Sulidae), P. Palmes (Anseriformes), R. Randall (Spheniscus demersus ), M . K . Rowan (Anas undulata ), W . R. Siegfried (Anas), J. C. Sinclair (Procellariiformes), D . M . Skead (Anas), W . R. Tarboton (Nettapus auritus ), J . M. Winterbottom (Anas capensis) and E. A. Zaloumis (Nettapus, Plectropterus, Sarkidiornis ). The late Charles Brown, W . R. Siegfried, R. K . Brooke and many others extracted data from the South African Ornithological Society nest record cards; we are very grateful to them and also to the Society for its co-operation in this and other ways. M. S. Irwin allowed us to photocopy his bibliography card index on the birds of Africa, while P. W. P. Browne kindly supplied a list of the birds of Mauritania specifically for our use . The Reese Library of Augusta College, Augusta, Georgia, USA obtained much of the inter-library loan material and provided office space to Leslie Brown during his annual visits. Augusta College Foundation provided financial assistance in obtaining this material, and P. Allen, J. S. Ash, 1. L. Brisbin, R. K . Brooke, N. A. Bryant, P . R. Colston, 1. L. Gibson, R. Hilton, J. Hinshaw, A. Howe, E. D. H. Johnson, P . Kinghorn, 1. Marshall, M . Minot, U . Newman, R. B. Payne, R . W . Schreiber, G . Underhill, L. L. Urban, C. J. Vernon and G. E. Watson helped in many ways. We are delighted to have worked with Martin Woodcock and Peter Hayman on this volume who have produced the excellent colour plates and also some of the black and white illustrations for the book. Thanks are also due to all those who kindly gave permission for us to reproduce drawings from other publications. Both artists were greatly helped by the wealth of material, especially skins, made available to them by the British Museum at Tring, UK. We would like to acknowledge the efforts of the board of advisers, and all at Academic Press, London, but especially Jennie Morley there for her very major part in making this volume a reality . To all above we are most grateful.

Emil K. Urban Kenneth Newman

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ADVISORY EDITORIAL BOARD C. HILARY FRY

STUART KEITH

Department of Zoology~ University of Aberdeen~ Aberdeen~ UK

Department of Ornithology~ American Museum of Natural History~ New York~ USA

J oint Editors, with Emil K . Urban, of Volumes II-IV

KAI CURRY-LINDAHL

Ministry for Foreign

GERARD

Affairs~

J. MOREL

Sweden

Office de la Recherche Scientijique et Technique Outre-Mer~ Richard- Toll~ Senegal

ALAN C. KEMP

DAVID W . SNOW

Stockholm~

Transvaal

Sub-department of Ornithology~ British Museum (Natural History )~ Tring~ UK

Museum~

Pretoria~

South Africa

GEORGE E. WATSON

Division of Birds~ National Museum of Natural History~ Smithsonian Institution~ Washington D.C.~ USA

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LIST OF PLATES Plates 1-17 painted by Peter Hayman and Plates 18-32 by Martin Woodcock Facing Page

Plate

1

Ostrich and Secretary Bird

34

2

Albatrosses and giant petrels

35

3

Shearwaters and fulmars

50

4

Petrels and prions

51

5

Small petrels and storm-petrels

82

6

Penguins and grebes ..

83

7

Tropicbirds, frigatebirds, gannets and boobi~s

Facing Page

Plate

18

Osprey, Honey Buzzard, large kites and fish eagles

291

19

Vultures

306

20

Snake eagles, Bateleur and Harrier Hawk

307

21

Harriers and small plains-loving kites

354

22

Chanting goshawks, goshawks and sparrowhawks of open woodland

355

Forest sparrowhawks and goshawks, Long-tailed Hawk and African Cuckoo Falcon

370

24

Buteo species and buteonines

371

25

Large eagles

418

26

Small eagles and hawk eagles

419

23

98

8

Cormorants and Darter

99

9

Pelicans and flamingoes

146

10

Large herons, egrets and Cattle Egret

147

11

Bitterns, night herons, Squacco Heron and Green Heron

162

27

Pygmy Falcon and small falcons

434

12

Storks, Shoebill and Hamerkop

163

28

Hobbies and large falcons

435

13

Spoonbills and ibises ..

210

29

Vultures, large eagles and Secretary Bird in flight

450

14

Swans and migrant geese

211

15

Resident geese, sheldgeese whistling-ducks

Osprey, kites, Booted Eagle, snake eagles, hawk eagles and Buteo species in flight

451

30

and 226

16

Resident dabbling and diving ducks ..

227

17

Palearctic migrant ducks

290

xiii

31

Sparrowhawks, goshawks, Bat Hawk and African Cuckoo Falcon inflight

466

32

Falcons in flight

467

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34

STRUTHIONIDAE Single birds look up more often than those in flocks or groups, which benefit from vigilance of one bird. Extremely keen-sighted, detects danger when feeding much more readily than many antelopes in same habitat. Probably spends not more than 20 0 0 of daylight actually feeding, and food requirements obtained relatively easily. Outside breeding season somewhat sociable, in groups with open membership, individuals leaving and rejoining at random; groups usually 2-5 . In breeding season adult oo and laying usually solitary, with groups of immatures or non-territorial adults. Immatures and subadults more gregarious than full adults . Large herds of 40, sometimes up to 100, usually composed of immatures after separation from adult escorts. Adults not often in pairs outside breeding season. In Namib desert apparently strongly social (up to 600 together) near waterholes, with dominance hierarchy among individuals (Sauer and Sauer 1966b). In moister parts of range (e.g. near Nairobi) may be almost sedentary, individuals found in same areas over successive years . In more arid areas more or less nomadic, tending to concentrate near water in dry season, dispersing over wider areas in rains (Tarangire: Lamprey 1964). S . c. camelus in W Africa probably moves south in dry season, returning north in wet to

««

o

Food. Supposedly omnivorous, in fact almost exclusively vegetarian. Highly selective, prefers dicotyledonous plants but eats all parts of both herbs and grasses. Plucks or strips seed-heads of grasses, flowers of Compositae, seed-pods of e.g. Aloe spp . (unpalatable to other animals). Selects flowers and pods of acacias rather than leaves (Robinson and Seely 1975) and feeds on fallen figs (Archer and Godman 1937). Can become a pest in wheatfields, plucking whole heads of grain. May feed at up to 2 m above ground occasionally, but most food gathered from ground to c. 0 ·5 m above. May eat locusts and grasshoppers when available (Salvan 1967), but evidently not dependent on protein-rich animal food for breeding, as suggested (Sinclair 1978). In deserts,

in 12

I

o

more arid parts of range . Must have some vegetation, and in deserts most likely to occur in relatively well vegetated valleys or depressions, but traverses absolutely barren salt flats and sandy areas. Displays mainly seen in breeding season, but nonbreeding birds close to one another may stretch neck and bite at others, hi ssing or grunting. Erect tail, conspicuou sly white III 00, usually denotes social dominance, lowered head with pendent tail indicates submissive attitude.

em

II 30

Plate 1 Struthio camelus Ostrich (p . 32) Race camelus: 1. ADULT0 , 2. IMMATURE, 3. FULLY GROWN IMMATURE 0 ,4. ADULT 5. incubating, hiding in cover - note ring of abandoned eggs and shells. Race molybdophanes: 6. ADULT (N .B. thighs usually more bluish than shown here). 7. S. c. camelus at 7 days, 8. 21 days, 9. 42-44 days, 10. 90-100 days, 11. 4-5 months , 12. SUBADULT (10 months).

«

«.

°

Sagittarius serpentarius Secretary Bird (p. 437) 13. ADULT, 14. from behind, 15. in flight, 16. IMMATURE.

Struthio camelus feeds much on succulents. Captives mainly fed on lucerne (South Africa); and captive chicks relish meat (HurxthaI1979). Food requirement c. 3·5 kg/day in captivity . Water requirement in wild nil. Captives pick up many curious objects, and wild bird s usually ingest ston es or grit.

Breeding Habits. Very well known . O strich breeding behaviour is unique with complex communal aspects. Although well studied in 3 areas, Nairobi National Park, T savo West Park and Namib D esert (Hurxthal 1979; Sauer and Sauer 1966b; B. Bertram, pers . comm. ), many d etails still obscure. Strategies and timing vary

according to habitat, regular breeding occurring in moister parts of range, and m ore irregular, adventitious or opportunistic breeding in arid areas (e.g. Namib, N K enya). Basic social pattern appears similar . Adult outnumber adult c3'c3' 1,2- 1,8. Breeding population consists of: (i) territorial, fully ad ult c3' c3' , nest-owners I per 3-4 (Nairobi); (ii) n on-territoria l, fully ad ult c3' c3' , who m ay som etimes m ate with ~ ; (iii ) ' major' , m ated to territorial c3'c3' in monogamous bonds, som etimes renewed for several su ccessive years, the only to incubate eggs; however, territor y of such major hens embraces parts of several c3' territories; (iv) 'minor' hens which wander

Plate 2 Diomeda exulans Wandering Albatross (p . 39) 1. ADULT white form (above, 2. IMMATURE, plumage stage 2 (below), 3. (above), 4 . IMMATURE , stage 5, white form (above) (adults of other forms look very similar to this), 5. ADULT white form (below), 6 . IMMATURE, stage 5, white form (below). in

Diomedea cauta Shy Albatross (p . 41 ) 7. ADULT (above), 8. ADULT (b elow), 9 . IMMATURE (above).

o

o

Diomedea chrysostoma Grey-headed Albatross (p . 41 ) 10. AD ULT (above), 11. IMMATURE (above), 12. ADULT (below), 13. IMMATURE (below). Diomedea chlororhy nchos Yellow-nosed Albatross (p . 42) 14. ADULT (above), 15. ADULT (below). Phoebetria palpebrata Light-mantled Sooty Albatross (p . 43) 16. ADULT (above). Phoebetria fusca Sooty Albatross (p . 43) 17. ADULT (above). Diomedea melanophrys Black- browed Albatross (p . 40) 18. ADULT (below), 19. IMMATURE (below), 20. ADULT (above). M acronectes giganteus Southern Giant Petrel (p. 44)

21. ADULT (white morph), 22. morph).

ADULT

(dark

Macronectes haiti: Northern Giant Petrel (p. 45)

23.

12

r---J

ADULT .

Heads: 24. D. melanophrys; 25. D. chlororhynchos; 26. D . c. bassi; 27. D . chrysostoma; 28 . D. cauta cauta; 29. D . c. salvini ( IMM); 30. D . exulans; 31. P. palpebrata; 32 . P. fusca; 33. M . halli; 34. M. giganteus.

30 em

Scale applies to birds in flight

35

50

Plate 4 (Opp . p . 51 )

PROCELLARIIDAE

Pterodrorna incerta (Schlegel). Atlantic Petrel; Schlegel's Petrel. Petrel de Schlegel. Procellaria incerta Schlegel, 1863. Mus. Hist. Nat. Pays-Bas, R ev. M ethod . Crit . Coil., livr. 4, Procellariae, p. 9' M ers australes, cotes de la N ou velle Zelande, et Mers d e l' Au stralia. ' Range and Status. Rare visitor to South African waters north to at least 26°S in Indian Ocean (Sinclair 1978c) (jor map see p. 52).

Description. ADULT 0 : entire upperparts brown , rump, wings and tail darker; sides of face , chin to lower neck, flanks, und ertail-coverts, und ertail and underwing brown; chest to belly white. Bill black; eye brown; legs and feet flesh -pink, brown on outer toes and webs. Sexes alike. SIZE: wing, 310322 (316). F urther data lacking. Regarded by some as conspecific with White-headed Petrel P . lessonii. IMMATURE : no characteristics known.

in

0

3

6

I

I

I

0

I 10

em

I 20

9 I

12 I I 30

Scale applies to birds shown from above

Field Characters. A fairly large, stoutly built, dark brown petrel with white lower breast and belly; in worn plumage throat appears whitish. In pattern of under side resembles Soft-plumaged Petrel P . mollis from which can be distinguished by dark vent and undertail, uniform brown upperwing and more sedate flight. Voice. Not recorded . Silent at sea. General Habits. Little known . Normally so litary. Will circle ships, occasionally following . Food. Probably pred ominantly squid.

Pla te 3 Procellaria aequinoctialis White-chinned P etrel (p . 57) 1. ADULT (above), 2. (below). Puffi nus carneipes Flesh-footed Shearwater (p . 61 ) 3. ADULT (above), 4. (below). Puffinus pacificus Wedge-tailed Shearwater (p . 60) 5. ADULT (above), 6. (below). Puffinus griseus Sooty Shearwater (p . 62) 7. ADULT (above), 8. (below). Calonectris diomedea Cory's Shearwater (p . 59) 9. ADULT (above), 10. (below). Puffinus gravjs Great Shearwater (p . 61 ) 11. ADULT (above), 12. (below). Puffinus puffinus Manx Shearwater (p . 63) Race yelkouan: 13. ADULT (above), 14. (below). Race puffinus: 15. ADULT (above), 16. (below). Puffinus assimilis Little Shearwater (p . 65) Race baroli: 17. ADULT (above), 18. (below). Race boydi: 19. ADULT (above), 20. (below). Fulmarus glacialis Northern Fulmar (p . 46) 21. ADULT (above), 22. (below). Fulmarus glacialoides Antarctic Fulmar (p . 46) 23 . ADULT (above), 24. (below). Procellaria cinerea Grey Petrel (p. 58) 25. ADULT (above), 26. (below). Puffinus lherminieri Audubon's Shearwater (p. 64) Race persica: 27. ADULT (above), 28. (below).

Prerodroma brevirostris

Pterodroma brevirostris (Lesson). Kerguelen Petrel. Petrel de Kerguelen.

Plate 4

Procellaria brevirostris Lesson, 1831. Traite d'Orn ., livr. 8, p . 611. No locality; typ e from Cape of G ood H op e. Range and Status. Rare visitor Cape and N atal coasts, southern winter (fo r map see p. 52). Description. ADULT 0' : entirely dark grey, slightly darker on tail, around eyes and upperwing surface; underwing pale grey on primari es, p aler towa rds bases, almost white on inner leading edge. Bill black; eye dark brown; legs and feet dusky black, tinged purple. Sexes alike . SIZE : (4 0'0', 12