BirdLife South
Africa, the Endangered Wildlife Trust’s Birds of Prey Programme (EWT-BoPP), and
the University of the Witwatersrand have launched a collaborative satellite
tracking project on one of South Africa’s most charismatic raptors,
Secretarybird.
Secretarybird has
a wide distribution, occurring throughout sub-Saharan Africa
in different habitat types, except for areas covered by forests and true
deserts. Secretarybird was recently up-listed on the IUCN Red List to Vulnerable,
as it is threatened by a number of factors throughout its range. These include
habitat fragmentation and degradation through agricultural and commercial
forestry development, collisions with power lines and farm fences, and
secondary poisoning. The continued survival of this iconic species,
easily identifiable by its long legs and erectile crest, is under threat in South Africa. A
preliminary analysis of information collected during the two bird atlas
projects (http://sabap2.adu.org.za/) shows
a considerable reduction in the areas this species previously occupied in South Africa.
The EWT-BoPP and
BirdLife South Africa initiated a
collaborative project to gain a better understanding of Secretarybird’s
biology. Although Secretarybirds are large and visible birds, very little is
known about their home range size, juvenile dispersal, and which habitats they
prefer.
The tracking
project, a costly exercise, will provide detailed information on the species’
movements and habits. These devices cost in the region of R25 000 apiece.
The tracking device, using cell phone tracking with GPS technology, collects
data every 15 minutes, is accurate to within 6-10 metres, and downloads the
data via the GSM cellular network.
“The project will
enable us to better understand the biology of the Secretarybird, and should
help determine why they are no longer doing well in the grasslands and other
habitats in South Africa and enable us to make better informed decisions on
appropriate conservation action to benefit the species”, says André Botha,
Manager of the Birds of Prey Programme of the Endangered Wildlife Trust.
BirdLife South
Africa will focus its efforts in the grasslands, while the EWT-BoPP will focus
its efforts in the Kalahari region of the Northern Cape
and the savannas of the Lowveld and the Kruger National Park.
The combined data will allow comparisons to be made, and the research findings
will lead to considered conservation action and ultimately contribute to
countering the current decline in numbers and decrease in range of this
species.
Ernst Retief,
BirdLife South Africa Regional Conservation Manager for Gauteng
and North West says, “The first tracking
device has been fitted to a Secretarybird fledgling on the farm Garingboom near
Springfontein in the Free State
on 22 March 2012. The fledgling called Spyker is sponsored by Radio OFM and its
movements can be followed at http://www.birdlife.org.za/conservation/threatened-species/secretarybird.
Spyker has moved around quite extensively since leaving the nest.”
The harnesses
were tested on captive Secretarybirds to make sure that they fit correctly and
therefore to prevent any side-effects.
Dr Hanneline
Smit, BirdLife South Africa Conservation Manager/Oppenheimer Fellow of
Conservation, says: “In this short amount of time since fitting the device to Spyker,
our knowledge on juvenile dispersal and behaviour has increased immensely.” She
asked farmers and birders to let BirdLife South Arica and the EWT identify
breeding sites in the target areas, to enable the conservation teams to fit
further tracking devices to fledglings later this year.
The devices are
best fitted to 8 – 9 week fledglings and are expected to last for a minimum of
two and a half years should the fledglings survive to adulthood. Given the
numerous threats faced by this species, we also request the public to report
mortalities.
Secretarybird
The Secretarybird - Sagittarius serpentarius - is a large, mostly terrestrial bird of
prey Endemic to Africa.
It is usually found in the open grasslands and savannah in sub-Saharan Africa. The majestic Secretarybird is in serious decline
and is now classified as Globally Vulnerable.
Description
The Secretarybird
is instantly recognizable as having an eagle-like body on crane like legs. They
have rounded wings and in flight it resembles a crane more than a bird of prey.
The bird gets its name from its crest of long feathers that look like the quill
pens of 19th century office workers used to tuck behind their ears. It is
basically dove-grey in color, with black on the wings, thighs and elongated
central tail feathers. It has an eagle like head with a short, down-curved bill
is backed by an area of bare, red and yellow skin. The tail has two elongated
central feathers that extend beyond the feet during flight. Sexes exhibit very
little sexual dimorphism, although the male has longer head plumes and tail feathers.
Food
The Secretary
bird walks well on its long legs, and will walk roughly 40km per day. It finds
most of its food on the ground and will stamp on grass tussocks to scare up
lizards, grasshoppers, and small mammals or birds. Adults hunt in pairs, stalking
through the habitat with long strides. Prey consists of insects, snakes, other
reptiles, amphibians, tortoises, rats and other small mammals as well as young
game birds. It also waits near fires, eating anything it can that is trying to
escape. Secretary Birds have two distinct feeding strategies that are both
executed on land. They can either catch prey by chasing it and striking with
the bill, or stamping on prey until it is rendered stunned or unconscious
enough to swallow.
Breeding
Secretarybirds
pair for life and are remarkably faithful to their nest site. The nest is
generally placed on top of a tree, usually an acacia. During courtship, they
exhibit a nuptial display by soaring high with undulating flight patterns and
calling with guttural croaking. Males and females can also perform a grounded
display by chasing each other with their wings up and back, much like the way
they chase prey.
Secretarybirds
lay two to three oval, rough textured, pale-green/white eggs over the course of
two to three days. The eggs are incubated primarily by the female for 45 days.
Both the parents feed the young and are fed liquefied and regurgitated insects
directly by the male or female and are eventually weaned to small mammals and
reptile fragments regurgitated onto the nest. At 60 days, the young start to
flap their wings, and by 65 to 80 days are able to fledge.
The Secretarybird
has traditionally been admired in Africa for its striking appearance and
ability to deal with pests and snakes. Africans sometimes call it the Devil's
Horse. As such it has often not been molested, although this is changing as
traditional observances have declined.
Conservation Status - Globally Vulnerable.
The Secretarybird
was uplisted from Near-threatened to Vulnerable. In South Africa there is
considerable concern about the conservation status of the species. A
preliminary analysis of SABAP1 and SABAP2 data shows a considerable reduction
in the areas this species previously occupied. This is probably mostly due to
habitat loss and habitat degredation, but other threats such as power lines
collisions are also taking their toll.
Birdwatching
Ask Aves Birding Tours to create a tour for
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