Greetings,

 

Further to Olivier Hamerlynck’s recent update from Tana on Madagascar Pratincoles, and Neil Baker’s request for some summary information, I’ve copied below the text for this species from the Wader Atlas (a near-final version in Word, easier for listserve), also a map with some known key sites from past data. Tana’s missing as a key site on the map, as the observations / records of high numbers there are recent. In another message, Neil B mentions ‘a few in Somalia.’ Quite sizeable flocks have been recorded in coastal southern Somalia. It’s given as ‘a locally abundant non-breeding visitor’ by Ash & Miskell (Birds of Somalia 1998). I remember seeing large flocks (hundreds) in mid-Shebelle region in late 1980s. There’s no reason to assume that such flocks don’t still exist, but of course very little info from there these days.

 

Certainly Sabaki and Tana are key for long-term survival. The recent record of large numbers of juveniles at Tana is significant.

 

Could Tana be an important moult site?

 

Best wishes,

 

Tim

 

 

Species account extracted from:

 

Delany, S., Scott, D.A., Dodman, T. & Stroud, D.A. (eds.). 2009. An atlas of wader populations in Africa and Western Eurasia. Wetlands International, Wageningen, The Netherlands.

 

 

Madagascar Pratincole Glareola ocularis

 

Geographical variation and distribution

 

The Madagascar Pratincole breeds solely in Madagascar, from where the whole population migrates to the East African coast, usually arriving in Tanzania and, to a lesser extent, Mozambique north of the Zambezi River, thence moving north to Kenya and southern Somalia, where it remains in a narrow coastal strip, largely west of coastal sand dunes. There are occasional historical records from further west inland, including as far west as Lake Victoria. It occurs widely in Madagascar, breeding mainly in the east, although a few colonies have recently been found in the west (Morris & Hawkins 1998).

 

 

Movements

 

The species migrates from breeding grounds in Madagascar to its non-breeding range on the East African coast, where it is present from March to September (Urban et al. 1986). It has also been recorded on passage in Comoros (Hayman et al. 1986). There are large non-breeding congregations at two sites in western Madagascar, the Tsiribihina River and the Mangoky Delta, with 250 birds recorded from each site, whilst a post-breeding flock of 121 has been seen in the east at the North Pangalanes wetlands (ZICOMA 1999).

 

It probably enters and leaves Africa from western Madagascar via Tanzania, thence moving along the coast, but there are also erratic records inland, usually involving 1-6 birds, although there are historical records of concentrations of hundreds at Lake Victoria (Urban et al. 1986). It tends not to remain in coastal areas of Tanzania, where it only occurs on passage; there is a record of 2,000 birds in April 1982, as well as several records from September (Baker & Baker 2004), presumably on southern migration. The earliest recorded arrival date of 25 May in southern Somalia is about two months later than arrival times in coastal Kenya, and it may be that the birds moult in coastal Kenya before moving on to Somalia (Ash & Miskell 1998).

 

 

Population limits

 

Only one population is recognised, the entire population of the species. The breeding range is confined to Madagascar, but the species is absent from the extreme south-west (Morris & Hawkins 1998). The limits of the non-breeding range are coastal Somalia to 3°N (Ash & Miskell 1998) in the north, the Zambezi Delta in Mozambique in the south, and, historically, Lake Victoria in the west.

 

Population size

 

1. Madagascar (breeding)
Population estimate	1% threshold	Population trend
5,000-10,000	75	Decreasing

 

Langrand (1990) reported the species to be fairly common in Madagascar, although flocks there seldom exceed 150 birds. There are several significant counts from the 1970s and 1980s in the non-breeding range, but there are few recent high counts. There are records of flocks of 3,000 from southern Somalia from May 1979 and July 1981 (del Hoyo et al. 1986), whilst in Kenya, there is a report of 9,000-10,000 in 1978 (Lewis & Pomeroy 1989) and, more recently, a record of up to 2,500 at the Sabaki River mouth (Bennun & Njoroge 1999). In Tanzania, 2,000 were recorded at the Dar es Salaam coast in 1982 (Baker & Baker 2001). F. Hawkins (in litt. in Dodman 2002) has suggested that the total population may now be as low as 2,000-10,000 birds, and Fishpool & Evans (2001) gave an estimate of A (<10,000). In reviewing more recent data, Dodman (2002) suggested non-breeding totals of some 2,500-5,000 in Somalia, 2,500-5,000 in Kenya and <5,000 in Tanzania and Mozambique, and proposed a new estimate of 5,000-10,000 (considering that passage totals in Tanzania and northern Mozambique should not really be added to the totals for Kenya and Somalia). This estimate was adopted in WPE3 and retained in WPE4.

 

 

Conservation Status

 

The Madagascar Pratincole appears to have suffered major declines in the last 20 years, and may still be in decline. These declines are probably linked to the widespread loss and degradation of wetland habitats in Madagascar in recent years, but further investigation is required. In view of the species’ small population size and declining trend, it has recently been listed by BirdLife International (2004b) as globally threatened in the category Vulnerable. Clearly it is a species which should be closely monitored.

 

 

Habitat and ecology

 

In Eastern Africa, it is highly gregarious, frequenting exposed mudflats and sand dunes, and edges of lakes and rivers, often hawking for insects at dusk, sometimes over woodland (Urban et al. 1986). In Somalia, it is locally abundant in inland wetlands, grasslands, bushland and other open areas, and along the Juba and Shebelle rivers (Ash & Miskell 1998). In Madagascar, it breeds in loose colonies on rocky islets in rivers, saltmarsh and coastal rocky areas, and is also found in short grasslands and at lake edges (Morris & Hawkins 1998).

 

 

Network of key sites

 

In Madagascar, breeding sites mainly in the east of the country are of particular importance, although colonies are often quite small and their importance is cumulative. A post-breeding flock of 121 has been seen at the North Pangalanes wetlands in the east, and non-breeding congregations of 250 birds have been recorded at the Tsiribihina River and Mangoky Delta (Lake Ihotry) in western Madagascar (ZICOMA 1999).

 

There are several key sites along the East African coast which probably hold very substantial proportions of the population at certain times of the year. In Tanzania, the Dar es Salaam coast is a key site, with a past record of 2,000 birds in 1982. The most important site in Kenya is the Sabaki River mouth, where a count of 9,000-10,000 was reported in 1978 and up to 2,500 have been observed regularly in recent years. In southern Somalia, over 3,000 have been recorded on several occasions near Jowhar and War Maxan (Ash & Miskell 1998). No key sites have been identified in Mozambique.

 

 

Protection status of key sites

 

In Madagascar, the North Pangalanes wetlands and wetlands of the Tsiribihina River and Delta are unprotected, whilst a part of the Mangoky Delta complex is partially protected as a Hunting Reserve (ZICOMA 1999 & 2001). The Dar es Salaam coast of Tanzania is an IBA, but is unprotected and subject to a range of threats, largely resulting from urban sprawl and unplanned developments, such as pollution and habitat degradation (Baker & Baker 2001). The Sabaki River mouth in Kenya is unprotected, and the estuary is heavily used and disturbed by people, although there is little direct harassment of birds (Bennun & Njoroge 1999). The key sites in Somalia are unprotected and are close to the capital city, Mogadishu. These areas are subject to various threats, though some, such as the collection of firewood, may not be detrimental to the pratincole. In summary, none of the key breeding and non-breeding sites is adequately protected, which, given the Globally Threatened status of the species, gives considerable cause for concern.