Status, distribution and numbers of birds in the Ogongo Game Park, north-central Namibia

Field investigations of the home range size and emigration pattern of wild helmeted guineafowl (Numida meleagris galeata Pallas) from 1992 to 1995 showed that home range size (±95% confidence limits (CL) ) varied with season from 3·6±1·5 km2 for the dry seasons to 3·1±1·5 km2 for the rainy seasons. Home range size varied depending on whether it was estimated with data for adult males, adult females or young birds, with a higher home range size for young birds, closely followed by adult males. Group size (±95%CL) varied by month, and was highest between March and April (47·0±8·1 birds/group) and lowest in August 9·0±5·1 birds/group). More young birds (±95%CL) (36·8±19·6%) dispersed than adult males (21·1±1·9%) or adult females (13·5±1·8%). There was a highly significant positive correlation between group size and the number of birds emigrating from the group. There was also a significant negative correlation between the weights of birds at tagging and the percentage that emigrated during the first year of study but not later. This is suggested to be linked to the high number of young birds emigrating, since they weigh relatively less than adults. The lack of correlation between body weight and number of birds emigrating a year or later after birds were tagged was thought to be due to the fact that birds tagged while young attained adult weight within a year.

In Namibia, goat products are not found in the formal markets include retail shops. This is despite several attempts by the government of Namibia to promote goat products in the formal sector. At household level however, goat meat is a delicacy. This study therefore seeks to provide possible reasons for the unavailability of goat products in Northern Namibia focussing on the supply side of the goat market. A structured survey questionnaire was employed among 75 goat farmers in Ogongo Constituency, Omusati Region in North Central Namibia. The data sought included production, offtake and marketing of goats as well as challenges faced. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data and multiple linear regression was employed to determine the factors influencing offtake rate. The offtake rate (percent of goats sold) was estimated as 2.8% from the data, which is very low. The offtake rate was significantly influenced by age of the head of household (p<0.01), education level of the household head (p<0.01) and marital status (p<0.01). On the other hand, goat production was affected by other challenges such as unavailability of marketing infrastructure, diseases, grazing shortages, and frequent droughts. The implications of these findings on policy include provision of incentives to farmers to sale as well as providing marketing infrastructure. Thus the study recommends the sensitization of communal farmers on economic potential of selling goats to alleviate poverty and to improve livelihoods through income generation.

This study investigates the possibility of hybridisation between introduced domestic Helmeted Guineafowl Numida meleagris, derived from the West African subspecies N. m. galeata, and South African guineafowl, N. m. coronata. There is putative morphological evidence of such hybridisation in wild populations and it is known that domestic guineafowl do not survive well in the wild. Molecular analysis of the control region of mtDNA confirmed the occurrence of the domestic guineafowl haplotype in individuals present in wild populations from KwaZulu-Natal, but not in birds from populations from the Free State. Thus, despite the absence of the availability of bi-parentally inherited nuclear DNA marker, the presence of the domestic haplotype in individuals of both wild and intermediate phenotype (between wild and domestic birds) suggests that there is hybridisation in the wild between domestic and wild guineafowl. To avoid potential negative affects associated with outbreeding depression, we argue for careful control of releases of domestic guineafowl into the wild. This study investigates the possibility of hybridisation between introduced domestic Helmeted Guineafowl Numida meleagris, derived from the West African subspecies N. m. galeata, and South African guineafowl, N. m. coronata. There is putative morphological evidence of such hybridisation in wild populations and it is known that domestic guineafowl do not survive well in the wild. Molecular analysis of the control region of mtDNA confirmed the occurrence of the domestic guineafowl haplotype in individuals present in wild populations from KwaZulu-Natal, but not in birds from populations from the Free State. Thus, despite the absence of the availability of bi-parentally inherited nuclear DNA marker, the presence of the domestic haplotype in individuals of both wild and intermediate phenotype (between wild and domestic birds) suggests that there is hybridisation in the wild between domestic and wild guineafowl. To avoid potential negative affects associated with outbreeding depression, we argue for careful control of releases of domestic guineafowl into the wild.

North-central Namibia is more vulnerable to effects of climate change and variability. Combined effects of environmental degradation, social vulnerability to poverty and a changing climate will compromise subsistence farming in north-central Namibia (NCN). This will make subsistence and small-scale farmers in the region more vulnerable to projected changes in the climate system. Thus, the aim of this article was to examine factors contributing to subsistence farmers’ vulnerability to impacts of climate change. The article further discusses different aspects of human vulnerability and existing adaptation strategies in response to impacts of climate related disasters experienced over the past three to four decades in NCN. Qualitative and quantitative research approaches and methodology were employed to obtain information from subsistence farmers in north-central Namibia. The sociodemographic characteristics of Ohangwena, Oshana and Omusati Region reveals high levels of unemployment, high adult and elderly population and high dependency on agricultural livelihood system. These indicators help understand levels of household vulnerability. The study concludes that households interviewed revealed low levels of adaptive capacity due to exposure to climate risks and combined effects of social, political and cultural factors. This article provided an understanding that is required to inform the adaptation pathways relevant for NCN.

The relation between fuelwood use and fuelwood quality and quantity was studied in two northern Namibian rural communities with different levels of fuelwood availability. Household surveys were conducted and fuelwood quality was assessed through laboratory studies. The study found differences in fuelwood use and adaptation of liveli-hoods to fuelwood availability. Where there was an abundance of quality fuelwood, the community chose fuelwood intuitively in accordance with the optimum physical properties and in a sustainable way. A fuelwood shortage, however, was found to impact negatively on work and social practices and fuelwood was collected through destructive harvesting practices, such as the cutting of green branches, and without consideration for optimum timber properties, such as tree age and calorific value.

Grasslands occupy 24% of the Earth’s surface. In most areas of the world these are either destroyed, fragmented or converted into cultivated fields. In Africa, their biodiversity is still insufficiently known. This study reports on the avian assemblages associated with grasslands in South African Highveld and Lesotho Drakensberg. Special attention was paid to the species richness, diversity, and population densities and dominance of particular species. Birds were counted by means of the Line Transect Method in three distinguished grassland types: Dry Cymbopogon-Themeda Grassland (transect length: 28 km), Wet Cymbopogo-Themeda Grassland (27 km) km, and Mountain Themeda-Festuca Grassland (31 km). In total, 86 bird species were recorded. While cumulative dominance was similar between the Dry and Wet Grassland (61–65%), these two were much different from that in the Mountain Grassland (46%). However the dominance index was similar in all three grassland types compared (0.25–0.33). Only one species, the long-tailed widow Euplectes orix was a common dominant species for all three grassland types. African stonechat, wing-snapping cisticola Cisticola ayresii, Levaillant’s cisticola Cisticola tinniens and yellow bishop Euplectes capensis were dominant only in the Mountain Grassland; northern black korhaan Afrotis afroides and the eastern clapper lark Mirafra fasciolata—only in the Dry and Wet Grassland; ostrich Struthio camelus, cloud cisticola Cisticola textrix, African quailfinch Ortygozpiza atricollis and pied starling Spreo bicolor—only in the Dry Grassland, while the helmeted guineafowl Numida meleagris, zitting cisticola Cisticola juncidis and African pipit Anthus cinnamomeus—only in the Wet Grassland. Despite these obvious differences in dominance and population densities of species, Diversity and evenness indices were similar in all three grassland types. Shannon’s Diversity Index (H’) varied between 1.22 and 1.35; Simpson Diversity Index between 0.91 and 0.94, while Pielou’s Evenness Index (J’) varied between 0.33 and 0.36. However, Sørensen Similarity Index between the three grassland types was low, ranging between 0.07 and 0.26. Proportions of ecological guilds were similar in the Dry and Wet Grassland but differed from mountain Grassland. In comparison with other tropical grassland, avian communities in southern Africa are characterized by higher species richness and higher its variance between particular grassland types.

Studies were conducted by means of the Line Transect Method in late rainy season (March), in the middle of dry season (July) and at beginning of rainy season (November).Th e total length of all transects was c. 11 km. In total, 70 resident and 13 nonresidentspecies were recorded. Th e number of species in dry season was significantly lower than in rainy season (x2-test: 14.1; p < 0.01). Th e highly significant seasonal differences in abundance were recorded for the following species: Streptopelia senegalensis, Streptopelia capicola, Uraeginthus angolensis, Cisticola juncidis, Upupa africana, Cynniris mariquensis, and Numida meleagris. In overall, five species have been classified as dominants: Streptopelia senegalensis, Streptopelia capicola, Uraeginthus angolensis, Plocepasser mahali and Cypsiurus parvus. They comprised together 43.9 %. Significant variations in the dominance structure between the wet and dry season have been evidenced. Granivores were much more numerous in the dry than in the wet season, while for the insectivores the reverse was true. Although Sorensen Coefficient was much the same between all three seasons, the Shannon’s Diversity Index was lower in July than in March and November.

The results of ornithocomplexes monitoring in the territory of the wind power plant (WPP) “Primorsk-1” in 2017 and 2018 are presented. The research was conducted by two methods: observations made according to the recommendations of the Scottish Natural Heritage Fund (SNH) and route accounting method (RAM). The distribution of birds by seasons, direction of migration and flight altitudes has been identified. The number of birds, registered in 2017 by the SNH method, was 5923 specimens of 45 species: 3795 specimens of 33 species were flying in transit, 2,113 specimens of 40 species belonged to the forage group, 15 birds of four species belonged to the demonstration type. Most of the birds (64.2%) were flying in transit. The greatest activity of birds was observed in spring (36.3%) and autumn (35.0%) seasons of migration, when the share of the transit group accounted for 75.5% of all annual transit flights. At an altitude of up to 10 m 5086 (86.2%) birds were registered, in the range of altitudes (11÷25) m – 697 (11.8%), in the range of altitudes (26÷50) m – 53 (0.7%). No birds were found at an altitude above 180 m. In the risk zone of interaction with turbines, there were 72 birds of four species: Larus ridibundus, Merops apiaster, Circus aeruginosus, Buteo buteo. The total number of birds, registered by the RAM method in 2018, was 8927 specimens of 72 species: 802 specimens of 11 species were flying in transit, 2511 specimens of 32 species belonged to the forage group, 5614 specimens of 60 species belonged to the terrestrial group. The greatest activity of birds was registered in autumn (70.0%) and spring (15.2%) seasons of migration, and the share of the transit group in these seasons accounted for 93.4% of all annual transit flights. The predominant directions of migration were western, north-eastern and south-western. At an altitude of up to 10 m – 2369 (71.5%) birds were registered, in the range of altitudes (11÷25) m – 371 (11.2%), in the range of altitudes (26÷50) m – 367 (11.2%). At an altitude above 51 m – 202 birds (6.1%) were registered. Comparison of the results, obtained by different monitoring methods, was carried out by bringing the number of birds to 1 hour of observation in an area of 1 km2. The total bird density in the case of the RAM method was 3.3 times higher. The density of transit type birds according to different methods was within the admissible statistical dispersion of 10.2÷12.7 specimens/hour·km2. However, the density of forage type birds, registered by the RAM method, was 7.1 times higher than the density, identified by the SNH method. The average number of all the birds flying over the wind park territory at each moment of time according to various counting methods was within the statistical scatter (1.15÷1.28) specimen/(hour·km2). The size of the transit group in the case of the SNH method use was 3 times larger than that calculated by the RAM method, while the size of the forage group, on the contrary, was 2.5 times less. The anticipated number of collisions during one year of the wind power plant functioning, calculated by the SNH and RAM methods, was in the range of 5.6÷6.7 (about 0.6 specimens per turbine for one year of its functioning, or 0.2 specimen/1 MW/year). The number of collisions was about 6.9 −4 % of the total number of transit and forage type birds in the wind park territory, 3.3-3% of the number of the considered species specimens present at all altitudes, and 0.25% of all birds in a risk zone. The data obtained indicate an insignificant impact of the “Primorsk-1” wind power plant on the ornithofauna of the Azov sea coast.

Animals must maintain stability when running over rough, uneven terrain, but the methods by which they successfully do so are largely unknown, particularly at high speeds. "Drop-down" studies are a useful way to examine how animals cope with an unexpected change in terrain height. To investigate joint function during and following a drop and make predictions about the likely preflex and reflex responses necessary to compensate for altered mechanical conditions, I ran helmeted guinea fowl Numida meleagris over a trackway with a camouflaged drop in substrate height. 2-D inverse dynamics were used to calculate the net moments, powers, and angular trajectory at each joint. The drop dramatically altered limb posture. The ankle, knee and hip all showed significantly increased extension during the drop with differences in angle of 26.5o ± 2.5o, 13.3o ± 3.9o, and 20.4o ± 2.4o, respectively. Net moments at the tarsometatarso-phalangeal joint (TMP) and ankle during the subsequent stance period were reduced but predictable, whereas net moments at the hip and knee were variable and unpredictable, particularly in early stance. Based on these results I predicted reflex alteration of muscle activity at the proximal joints would be necessary to cope with variations in net moment by increasing mechanical impedance. I also predicted muscle shortening of the digital flexors due to ankle extension would reduce force production by these muscles, requiring an increase in muscle activation to compensate and provide enough force to support the stance phase moments. The ankle may require increased activation to maintain the observed extension moment and potentially co-contraction to prevent hyperextension.

The helmeted guinea fowl Numida meleagris belongs to the order Galliformes. Its natural range includes a large part of sub‐Saharan Africa, from Senegal to Eritrea and from Chad to South Africa. Archaeozoological and artistic evidence suggest domestication of this species may have occurred about 2,000 years BP in Mali and Sudan primarily as a food resource, although villagers also benefit from its capacity to give loud alarm calls in case of danger, of its ability to consume parasites such as ticks and to hunt snakes, thus suggesting its domestication may have resulted from a commensal association process. Today, it is still farmed in Africa, mainly as a traditional village poultry, and is also bred more intensively in other countries, mainly France and Italy. The lack of available molecular genetic markers has limited the genetic studies conducted to date on guinea fowl. We present here a first‐generation whole‐genome sequence draft assembly used as a reference for a study by a Pool‐seq approach of wild and domestic populations from Europe and Africa. We show that the domestic populations share a higher genetic similarity between each other than they do to wild populations living in the same geographical area. Several genomic regions showing selection signatures putatively related to domestication or importation to Europe were detected, containing candidate genes, most notably EDNRB2, possibly explaining losses in plumage coloration phenotypes in domesticated populations.

1. The present survey consists of the records of birds sighted or collected in Jeju Island from December 1972 to December 1976; particularly, of the result of the bird censuses conducted in 3 winter seasons and 1 summer season.2. The number of birds hitherto sighted and recorded in Jeju Islands is 198 species and subspecies, and the number of birds either sighted or collected through the present survey is 77 species. Of these, the details noteworthy are as follows:1) One bird species of Japanese Green Pigeon, Sphenurus sieboldii sieboldii (Temminck), which was hitherto unrecorded has newly been added to the list of the Korean birds.2) Eight species of birds have newly been sighted in Jeju Island, which have subsequently been added to the list of birds of Jeju Island.3. During winter seasons, birds censuses were conducted three times in the area of Jeju City via Seongsanpo to Seogwipo that is the east side of Jeju Island and two times in the area from Seogwipo via Moseulpo back to Jeju City that is the west side of Jeju Island.The total number of the birds sighted during the winter seasons is 7, 289 individuals of 58 species. The number of individual birds and species in each area and year are as follows: (Cf. Table 6, Fig. 9.)The area of Jeju City via Seongsanpo to Seogwipo1) December 31, 1972…635 individuals of 25 species2) January 18, 1974…4, 38 individuals of 33 species3) December 3, 1976…508 individuals of 28 speciesThe area of Seogwipo via Moseulpo to Jeju City1) December 31, 1972…248 individuals of 16 species2) January 19, 1974…1, 178 individuals of 26 speciesThe area of Seogwipo via 5.16 Cross Road to Jeju City1) December 3, 1976…174 individuals of 7 speciesAs shown above, in the bird censuses conducted six times during the winter seasons, a total of 7, 289 individuals of 58 species were sighted. Species dominance shows Carrion Crow (32.14%) which is the most dominant, followed by Spotbill Duck (16.51%), Wigeon (7.11%), Meadow Bunting (6.05%) and so on. (Cf. Fig. 9.)4. In the summer season, only one bird census was conducted in the area of Jeju City via Mt. Hanra to 5.16 Cross Road on July 29, 1973. The number of birds sighted in this area is 274 individuals of 22 species. Species dominance shows Bush Warbler (23.35%), which is the most dominant, followed by Great Tit (18.97%), Blue Flycatcher (11.67%), Greenfinch (10.21%), Crowned Willow Warbler (8.75%) and so forth. (Cf. Fig. 10.)5. The sum total of the birds sighted or collected in winter and summer surveys conducted by the authors in Jeju Island from December 1972 to December 1976 is 7, 795 individuals of 77 species. The most dominant species among these is Carrion Crow (30.13%) followed by Spotbill Duck (17.12%), Wigeon (6.65%), Meadow Bunting (5.59%) and so on. (Cf. Fig. 11.)

The study was undertaken to characterise and identify the insulin like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and insulin genes in five varieties (Ash, Black, Pearl Ash, Pearl Black and White) of local helmeted guinea fowl using DNA technology. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was purified from blood samples of the five varieties and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) amplification of DNA done with primers designed to amplify the two genes; insulin-like growth factors I (IGF-I) and insulin (I). Purification of PCR product and dye terminator sequencing was also carried out using samples prepared and loaded into the Beckman Taq capillary sequencer. IGF-I gene profiles of Pearl Ash, White, Ash, Black varieties were similar (83 percent); and insulin gene profile of Pearl Ash, Ash, Black, Pearl Black varieties were 91 percent similar.

The research was designed to estimate variations in hematological variables between sex and varieties of extensively reared helmeted guinea fowl with the objective of recommending parameters that are suitable as markers during selection.The study was carried out in the Teaching and Research farm of Department of Animal Science, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria between May and July 2012.Five varieties of helmeted guinea fowl (45 males and 45 females) that were clinically healthy were sampled for white blood cells (WBC), packed cell volume (PCV), red blood cells (RBC), hemoglobin, platelets, Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin Concentration (MCHC), Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin (MCH) and Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV).The results showed that there were no significant (P>.05) effect of sex on WBC, MCHC, RBC, hemoglobin, PCV and MCH, but it influenced MCV (P=.05) and platelets (P=.05).On the other hand, there were significant (P=.05) effects of varieties on all the hematological parameters determined in this study.Therefore, the study of variations in hematological parameters, as well as their association with economic traits, could be used to develop marker assisted technology which can be incorporated into the traditional animal breeding methodology to fast track improvement to aid selection, improve efficiency and speed of selection in breeding programs.

This article examines the bird community of a large reservoir and its surrounding area , located in the central part of a large city in the northern part of the steppe zone of Ukraine. The city, Krivoy Rog, has a population of over 700,000 people. Large areas of the city have undergone dramatic transformation. Industrial and and residential areas of the city are located around the reservoir. The shores of the reservoirs are subject to recreational loading. The natural landscape here is a combination of steppe habitats and scubland.. The material for this study was collected in the breeding seasons of 1996, 1999, 2012, 2015. The number and distribution of birds were determined by registrations of birds along transects. The diversity index, dominance and evenness of species distribution in the breeding bird communities were compared for different habitats and different years. In breeding season 73 bird species belonging to 15 orders were found on the territory of the reservoir. Of these, 62 species bred, and 11 more used the area for foraging but bred in adjacent habitats. 24 species were present in winter. The average density of the breeding birds per species increased from 1.8 ± 0.4 pairs/km of survey route in 1996 to 3.2 ± 0.8 pairs/km in 2015. The dominant species in the breeding bird communities were Passer montanus L., Sturnus vulgaris L., Parus major L., Fulica atra L., Podiceps cristatus L. In the period 1996–1999 the habitat conditions in the territory of the water reservoir changed. These changes were associated with mass recreation of city residents here. The changes resulted in a stressful situation for the habitats and the bird communities. The changes resulted in an imbalance in the development of the bird communities. Since 2012 the birds adapted to the new environmental conditions and formed a new community. By 2015, the species diversity of birds had increased, the degree of pressure on the dominant species and the species distribution of the species had leveled off. The number of bird species nesting in the habitats of the water reservoir had increased. Within the bird communities ground and cavity nesting birds were replaced by woodland-nesting species. Transformation of bird habitat had a decisive impact on the development of the community of nesting birds. The differences in ecological characteristics of the community of birds were expressed along the gradient of transformation of habitats: the proportion of ground-nesting species in the community fell, species diversity was reduced, the dominant species increased their pressure on the bird community and and the distribution of of species abundance became more uniform. Against the background of these changes, the diversity of breeding species increased in the tree plantations, as compared to transformed natural habitats. This is evidence, that the development of the bird communities in artificially created habitats and development of bird communities in transformed habitats takes place in different ways and in different directions.

Avian influenza (AI) is a significant disease affecting chickens and other avian species. Wild birds are thought to contribute to the virus transmission. The present study intends to explore the existence of AI type A virus in wild birds at the Six April Zoo, Khartoum State, Sudan. A total of 42 cloacal and tracheal swabs were collected from clinically healthy individuals belonging to five different wild bird species. The selected wild bird species were Common crane Grus grus, Sudan crowned crane Balearica pavonina, Helmeted guinea fowl Numida meleagris, Duck sp. Anatidae and Chestnut-billed sand grouse Pterocles exustus. Swabs were examined for AI virus antigen using the agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID) test, and all tested swabs produced positive results. The swab samples were inoculated into embryonated chicken eggs. The isolated virus was identified by AGID test and polymerase chain reaction. The virus was isolated from swabs collected from Grus grus, Balearica pavonina, Numida meleagris, Duck sp. Anatidae and Pterocles exustus. Subtyping of the isolated viruses was performed using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, which identified the H5 subtype.ContributionThe present study confirmed the existence and isolation of type A AI virus from different species of wild birds as well as subtyping of its virus for the first time in Khartoum State, Sudan.