THE INFLUENCE OF RAINFALL ON BLACK EAGLE BREEDING OVER 31 YEARS IN THE MATOBO HILLS,ZIMBABWE |
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| Authors: | Valerie Gargett Eric Gargett Dick Damania |
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| Institution: | 1. 12 Charles Veale Drive, West Beach, SA, 5024, Australia;2. School of Economics, Faculty of Social Sciences, The Flinders University of South Australia , GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, SA, 5001, Australia |
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| Abstract: | Gargett, V., Gargett, E. & Damania, D. 1995. The influence of rainfall on Black Eagle breeding over 31 years in the Matobo Hills, Zimbabwe. Ostrich 66: 114–121. The effect of rainfall from 1964 to 1994 on the annual reproductive rate and number of resident pairs of Black Eagles Aquila verreauxii in the Matobo Hills, Zimbabwe, and on the abundance of their staple prey, hyrax, Procavia capensis and Heterohyrax brucei is reviewed. The number of resident pairs of Black Eagles increased with increased rainfall, when hyrax numbers were estimated to be at a very high level. Subsequent poor rainfall years coincided with a decrease in the number of resident pairs, a smaller proportion of pairs breeding, a lower reproductive rate and a dramatic decline in prey numbers. |
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