SEASONAL INCIDENCE OF BREEDING, MOULT AND LOCAL DISPERSAL OF RED-BILLED FIREFINCHES LAGONOSTICTA SENEGALA IN ZAMBIA

Red-billed Firefinches were netted and ringed in Lochinvar National Park, Zambia, in 1972 and 1973 and were netted sporadically through 1975. Most nested from March to May, i.e., in the late rainy season and in the early dry season, though some nested as late as August. Nearly all evidently bred in their first year. Moult generally began after breeding was completed, and the indicated average duration of moult was 3–5-4 months. The main foods taken at all times of year were seeds of the seasonal grasses Echinochloa colonum and Setaria spp.
Local population densities, estimated by two methods, were in the range 33–86 birds per km². Ringing results demonstrated overlapping activity ranges in the breeding season. Dispersal movements were non-directional, and varied up to 14 km. Some ringed birds moved regularly each year between a particular waterhole and a breeding site; other did not move from the site of original ringing. Most dispersal was evident in the dry season (June and July) and in the early rains (October and November). Genetically effective dispersal of young from the site of birth to the site of the first breeding season was up to 6'8 km, and some adults were netted in sites a few kilometres apart in successive breeding seasons. Some dispersing firefinches crossed the song dialect boundaries of the Village Indigobirds.     

NOTES ON THE BREEDING OF THE BOKMAKIRI

Counting Saddle-billed Storks in a study area the size of the Kruger National Park, at 2.2 million ha, is difficult because the birds are long-lived, sparse in the landscape and have large home ranges. Aerial surveys conducted to date provide an estimate with no measure of data dispersion, thence precision. The aim of this study was to estimate the population size within associated confidence limits using a modified mark–recapture field method. The vehicle survey, conducted shortly after rainfall in the area, did not produce results with known precision under these conditions. A repeat of this census in spring, after the peak breeding season and when surface water is confined to the larger rivers and dams, should yield different results. A photographic census technique yielded sufficient information to construct a population registration database. Individual identification profiles indicate that there are at least 40 adult Saddle-billed Storks in the southern part of the Kruger National Park. This is considered the minimum number of known-to-be-alive individuals in this area. In this paper, the Cormack–Jolly–Seber mark– recapture model was used to return an estimate of the population size for each capture occasion.     

NOTES ON THE BREEDING BEHAVIOUR OF MARICO AND PALLID FLYCATCHERS IN THE CENTRAL TRANSVAAL,SOUTH AFRICA

Frost, S.K. 1990. Notes on the breeding behaviour of Marico and Pallid Flycatchers in the central Transvaal, South Africa. Ostrich 61:111-116.

The breeding behaviour of Marico and Pallid Flycatchers (Melaenornis mariquensis and M. pallidus) was studied at the Nylsvley Nature Reserve, South Africa, between September 1980 and January 1981. The flycatchers are morphologically similar but occur in different although sometimes adjacent woodlands. The two species do not differ in their breeding seasons, nor in their clutch sizes. The incubation period, previously unrecorded for Pallid Flycatchers, is 14 days and the fledging period 17 days. Marico Flycatchers fed their chicks more frequently than Pallid Flycatchers and helpers were observed at two Marico Flycatcher nests.     

SOME NOTES ON THE BREEDING BIOLOGY OF THE STRIPED CUCKOO

Steyn, P. 1973. Some notes on the breeding biology of the Striped Cuckoo. Ostrich 44: 163–169.

Information is presented on the breeding biology of the Striped Cuckoo, a species for which little authentic material exists. A number of cases of parasitism of the Arrow-marked Babbler are given. Pre-laying behaviour is similar to that of the Jacobin Cuckoo. The blue egg of the cuckoo may be distinguished on several minor points, but mainly because it is rounder and broader than those of the host species. The growth and development of a nestling is outlined up to its ninth day when it was killed by a snake. It was reared to this stage with three babbler chicks, probably because several babblers contribute to feeding the nestlings. The cuckoo gains weight very rapidly, and it is suggested that this is because of its brighter gape and more intense gaping response which ensure that it is fed preferentially. Anti-predator devices such as open-gaped lunges, jerking movements of the body and the exudation of a vile-smelling brown fluid are described. The nestling cuckoo's call is identical to that of the babblers. The juvenal may be fed by its foster parents For at least 36 days after leaving the nest.     

NOTES ON THE BREEDING OF THE RED-BREASTED CHAT OENANTHE HEUGLINI

Details are given of the (underground) nest, eggs and breeding behaviour. Noteworthy points are the change in the parents' attitude to the harrier Circus macrourus when their young appeared above ground and the use of the nest as refuge for the young at that stage.