Turati’s Boubou new to Senegal, and other recent records from Casamance

Last month I was lucky to be able to sneak out to Casamance for a few days, a region I hadn’t visited since May 2017 when I paid a brief visit to Kolda. Together with Bruno Bargain, resident birder in Ziguinchor, we explored several areas and managed to see a good number of interesting birds. But before going through the highlights of our trip, it’s about time we gave a few more details about the discovery of a new species for Senegal: Turati’s Boubou, found last October by Bruno near Ziguinchor. This West African endemic appears to be resident in small numbers in at least one locality, but it’s likely that it is actually well established in a few other forests of Basse-Casamance.

This latest addition to the national list was expected, so not a big surprise – but still significant, given that this species was so far only known to occur in Guinea-Bissau, Guinea and Sierra Leone. Our assumption that it should be present in Casamance was based on the fact that the species is present just across the border in northern Guinea-Bissau, and that suitable habitat exists in Basse-Casamance which up to recently was one of the least well known regions, ornithologically speaking, of Senegal. A member of the Malaconotidae, Turati’s Boubou is not uncommon within its restricted range, but its secretive habits make it difficult to find – something I experienced first-hand last month when trying to catch a glimpse of one of the Ziguinchor birds: impossible! Outside of the breeding season (likely just before and during the rains, i.e. May/June – October) they don’t appear to be very vocal and don’t necessarily respond to playback. We heard at least two birds singing briefly – a typical ghost-like boubou song – and while at one point one bird was calling just a few meters away in dense undergrowth at the edge of a remnant forest patch, it just did not want to show itself. Next time! The only recording I managed to obtain was of this call, which when we first heard it was a perfect match of the call recorded by Ron Demey in western Guinea, assumed to be that of a female (included in Claude Chappuis’s CD set). Bruno so far obtained just a single picture but was lucky to get good views of several birds, including an supposed pair (at least three different birds have been found since the first sighting on October 10th. Update 13.02: here’s a picture taken just this morning by Bruno, after an hour of patiently waiting for the bird to show…

Turati’s Boubou / Gonolek de Turati, Ziguinchor (© B. Bargain)

 

More field work is of course needed to get a better sense of this little known species’ breeding cycle, distribution and population size in Casamance; I certainly hope to be able to contribute to this effort in coming months. So for now, here’s just a picture of the habitat in which these birds were found: note the dense undergrowth in otherwise fairly open, dry forest.

Boubou habitat…

 

Of note is that there is at least one unsubstantiated record of Tropical Boubou in Casamance and as a result the species is often listed – incorrectly in my view – as occurring in Senegal: this sighting may in fact relate to Turati’s Boubou which Tropical resembles fairly closely. Even its vocalisations are extremely similar – Chappuis wrote that “it is barely possible to distinguish the two species acoustically” – so it wouldn’t be surprising were this actually Turati’s.

Another target of my short trip was Western Square-tailed Drongo, aiming to obtain sound recordings of this newly described cryptic species which is now included in the reference list maintained by the International Ornithological Committee (IOC 9.1) as a valid species, Dicrurus occidentalis. More on this discovery in this recent blog post. The latest IOC list, published just last week, also includes another taxonomic change in the Dicruridae that affects the Senegal list: the two subspecies of Fork-tailed Drongo D. adsimilis ranging from west to north-central Africa are now elevated to Glossy-backed Drongo D. divaricatus (Fork-tailed Drongo sensu strictu is found in central, eastern and southern Africa). More on the recent taxonomic revisions in a later post…

Anyway, back to Casamance: thanks to Bruno’s excellent field knowledge, we easily found Western Square-tailed Drongo in two locations, and several decent recordings were obtained. While more material is needed, we hope that these will eventually contribute to further our knowledge of vocal differences between occidentalis and its “sister species” Sharpe’s Drongo D. sharpei. As usual, my recordings can be found here on xeno-canto.

Western Square-tailed Drongo / Drongo occidental, Tionck-Essil

 

During our 72 hours in the field (16-19.01), we specifically targeted a few sites in atlas squares with no or very few records so far, particularly in the area between Bignona and Tionck-Essil where we spent one night in a campement villageois (more on the Casamance bird atlas further down and in this article). All in all we collected close to 400 records of some 175 species, which just highlights the richness of Basse-Casamance.

Birding from dawn to dusk – brilliant!

In addition to the boubou and drongo, some of the highlights were Spotted Honeyguide (lifer! recording of its distinctive song here), Ovambo Sparrowhawk (poorly known and rarely reported species in Senegal), Woolly-necked Stork (a bird flying in from mangroves near Elana), great views and good recordings of Ahanta Francolin which seems to be far more widespread and less of a forest specialist than field guides suggest. And of course, a range of other typical forest species that in Senegal are largely restricted to this part of the country: Buff-spotted Woodpecker, Piping Hornbill, Grey-hooded Capuchin Babbler, Green Crombec, Green Hylia, Little Greenbul, Guinea Turaco, Grey-headed Bristlebill, Puvel’s Illadopsis, Olive Sunbird, etc. (Indicateur tacheté, Epervier de l’Ovampo, Cigogne épiscopale, Francolin de l’Ahanta, Pic tacheté, Calao siffleur, Phyllanthe capucin, Crombec vert, Hylia verte, Bulbul verdâtre, Touraco vert, Bulbul fourmilier, Akalat de Puvel, Souimanga olivâtre).

Obtaining good views – or any views at all for that matter – of these forest specials was often difficult, so I don’t really have any good pictures to share. The two below illustrate quite well how challenging this can be in the forest, especially with my bottom-of-the-range camera:

The rusty tail of Red-tailed Leaflove / Bulbul à queue rousse, Djibelor…

A blurry Red-bellied Paradise Flycatcher / Tchitrec à ventre roux, a fairly common forest dweller in Casamance

 

A few scarce Palearctic migrants were seen, including Booted Eagle, European Bee-eater, House Martin, Grasshopper Warbler – the latter in dense grasses on the edge of dry rice paddies near Ziguinchor, a rare record this far south although the species is probably regular in winter (Aigle botté, Guêpier d’Europe, Hirondelle de fenetre, Locustelle tachetée).

This African Pygmy Goose was one of at least nine birds seen on a pond close to those same extensive rice paddies, where they seem to have bred. Other birds in this area, which we visited late afternoon on my first day in town, included Giant Kingfisher, Purple Heron, Piping Hornbill, Quailfinch, Lanner, Whinchat, and so on (Martin-pêcheur géant, Héron pourpré, Calao siffleur, Astrild-caille, Faucon lanier, Tarier des prés).

African Pygmy Goose / Anserelle naine near Borofaye, Ziguinchor

 

Similar habitat often holds pairs of Abyssinian Gound Hornbill which appears to still pretty common in Casamance, allowing me to finally see this impressive bird – by some considered to be one of the ugliest birds roaming our planet, though I beg to differ! – which somehow had managed to elude me so far in Senegal. I’d only ever seen it in Awash NP in the Ethiopian Rift Valley, many years ago… We found a small family group feeding in fields just east of Bignona, and another two birds a few kilometers further along the road to Elana. In the end I saw or heard several birds I hadn’t seen before in Senegal, including 4 lifers, bringing my country list to 507 species by the end of the trip. With the addition of Turati’s Boubou, the national list now stands at 677.

Abyssinian Ground Hornbill / Bucorve d’Abyssinie, near Bignona

Plain-backed Pipit / Pipit à dos uni, near Elana

 

I’d like to highlight once again the fabulous work that Bruno and colleagues from the APALIS association are doing in Casamance: with very limited means – but with a great deal of passion and perseverance – they are slowly but surely putting together a comprehensive picture of the distribution and abundance of birds across the region, currently covering some 450 species. Not an easy feat considering how remote and inaccessible many parts of this remarkable region of Senegal are; Casamance is arguably the most diverse and in many ways the most pleasant and most exciting part of the country, and I for one certainly wish I were able to spend more time there. The latest APALIS newsletter (in French, available here as a PDF) contains multiple interesting records and new discoveries, such as the first records in nearly 40 years in the region of White-crested Tiger Heron (with a brilliant picture!), Senegal Lapwings (six near Kamobeul on 30.9.18; despite its name this is a real rarity in Senegal!), and Winding Cisticola; the first regional records of Glossy Ibis, Sun Lark, Singing Bush Lark, Brown-throated Martin, Great Reed Warbler, confirmed breeding of White-backed Night-Heron, and much more (Onoré à huppe blanche, Vanneau terne, Cisticole du Nil, Ibis falcinelle, Cochevis modeste, Alouette chanteuse, Hirondelle paludicole, Rousserolle turdoïde, Bihoreau à dos blanc). The most significant records will be included in the next “Recent Reports” of the African Bird Club bulletin, to be published in March.

Senegal Lapwing / Vanneau terne, near Ziguinchor, Sept. 2018 (J.-P. Thelliez)

In addition to the routine atlassing field work, our friends are now embarking on a project to survey some of the main heronries and other water bird colonies, using a drone to take aerial pictures of the colonies located in dense inaccessible mangroves, thus enabling estimates of the number of nests for each species. The association is currently raising funds to finance the purchase and operating costs of the drone, so please chime in, every bit helps! Link to fundraising campaign here. And please consider supporting APALIS by becoming a member, which at just 15 Euros is just a, well, bargain 😉

And of course, if you have the opportunity to visit Casamance, please get in touch so we can make sure that your observations get incorporated into the database; Bruno can offer advice about where to go or which birds to target more specifically. Nearly three times the size of Gambia, with a good range of different habitats represented, there’s something for everyone. Any birder coming to Senegal should definitely consider visiting this region, and more generally try to get off the beaten birding track – forget about Djoudj, Richard Toll, the Saloum or even Wassadou (and yes even Technopole): Casamance is the place to be!

White-fronted Black Chat / Traquet à front blanc, in a cashew nut tree (Anacardier) near Ziguinchor

 

Enfin, un grand merci à Bruno et sa petite famille pour l’accueil à Kantène!

 

 

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Year in review: 2018

Just like last year we’re bringing our readers a summary of the past year, reviewing some of the ornithological highlights and discoveries made in Senegal, and recycling some of the pictures and posts that appeared on this website during the past 12 months.

2018 certainly has been a busy year!

We’ll start with the best of all: the discovery of what appears to be an isolated (?) population of Horus Swifts (Martinet horus), some 3,000 km from the nearest known breeding sites and more than 1,600 km from the nearest observations of the species (in northern Ghana). This is probably one of the least expected range extensions uncovered in West Africa in recent years, and something we’re of course quite excited (and rather proud!) of. We found these birds during an epic 4-day trip up north together with Frédéric Bacuez and visiting birder Filip Verroens from Belgium, in early January. Needless to say, the year started off with a bang! Read up the full story here and on Frédéric’s Ornithondar blog (in French). A few of these neat swifts were seen again in February by Frédéric and Daniel Nussbaumer, then in October by Vieux Ngom and myself when some 50 birds were present, again showing signs of local breeding and confirming that these birds are most likely residents here, and just last week a group of visiting American birders saw about 25 birds at Gamadji Sare.

Horus Swift / Martinet horus

 

Just a few days earlier, in fact on the first day of the year, we’d already found another species new to Senegal: a Meadow Pipit (Pipit farlouse) at the Yene-Tode lagoon just south of Dakar. This find was a bit more controversial – but probably more expected than those swifts! – in the sense that the pipit shows a fairly unusual plumage for Meadow Pipit and certain characters fit Red-throated Pipit better. However, the unstreaked rump and especially the diagnostic call, which was heard loud & clear several times at close range (but unfortunately not sound-recorded), safely rule out Red-throated Pipit, several of which were present in the area at the same time. Full story, description and many pictures here.

Meadow Pipit / Pipit farlouse

 

Continuing on the same theme, this past year saw the addition of two more species to the Senegal list: Brown-backed Honeybird – which had already been reported from Wassadou in 2015 but was not documented – and Turati’s Boubou. The former was found by Gabriel Caucanas and friends first at Dindefelo, then at Wassadou and later in the Niokolo-Koba NP (more info here), the latter by resident Casamance birder Bruno Bargain back in October. Both were more or less to be expected and back in July we’d actually predicted that the boubou would be found in Casamance some time soon, given that it is known to occur just across the border in Guinea-Bissau. We’ll write up more about this species in due course, and I hope to soon visit the Ziguinchor area again and see (and record) this little-known species – stay tuned!

Brown-backed Honeybird / Indicateur de Wahlberg (G. Caucanas)

 

With no less than four new species, 2018 definitely boosted the national list which now stands at a respectable 678 species; more on this in a blog piece we wrote on the topic of the national list, which contains a link to a handy spreadsheet with all species seen in Senegal, with English, French and scientific names.

Of course there were also the usual lot of vagrants, mostly Nearctic waders in the Dakar region and especially at Technopole, pretty much as usual!

• Common Shelduck (Tadorne de Belon): eight in the Djoudj NP on 17/1 were likely the same group as seen in the Diawling just across the border in Mauritania on 30/12, while one at Technopole on 18-19/2/18 confirmed the small influx that occurred during the ‘17/’18 winter: 8th and 9th records!
• Red-footed Booby (Fou à pieds rouges): one was photographed at Iles de la Madeleine on 26/1 but was only identified later on, while at Ngor up to two adults were seen on several occasions in spring (17/5-22/5, and again on 11 and 22/6) and one was seen twice in autumn (13 & 15/11). These are the 2^nd to 4^th records for this tropical seabird, which was seen for the first time in October 2016 only.
• Cinereous (=Black) Vulture (Vautour moine): an imm. west of Fatick on 30/1 and one (different bird) on 26/2 near Sagata, east of Kebemer. These observations coincide with the first records for The Gambia (Feb. ‘18) and Mauritania (Dec. ‘17). We also reported the first record of the species, which had not yet been published so far – more details on the status of this increasing Palearctic vagrant in this piece.
• American Golden Plover (Pluvier bronzé): one at Technopole on 8 April, followed by two autumn birds, at lac Mbeubeusse on 3/11 and barely a week later a different bird at Pointe Sarene near Nianing on 9-10/11. Read more on this species in Senegal here.
• European Golden Plover (Pluvier doré): one at Île de Saloulou (Basse Casamance) on 3/1.
• Lesser Yellowlegs (Chevalier à pattes jaunes): the 8^th record was one at Technopole seen by a visiting birder on 8/2 and relocated on 19/2
• Baird’s Sandpiper (Bécasseau de Baird): the second for Senegal (and first properly documented) was found at Technopole on 25/3 and seen again on 8/4.
• Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Bécasseau rousset): two birds stayed for a remarkably long time at Technopole, being present from 13/1 (at least one) up to 19/2 at least, then again on 25/3 though this was probably a new bird given that regular visits earlier in the month failed to relocate the two long-stayers; these are the 8th and 9th records.
• Red-necked Phalarope: (Phalarope à bec étroit): one at Djoudj on 27/2 is the 6th record at least, though it’s quite possible that the species is a more regular visitor than the handful of confirmed records suggest.
• Franklin’s Gull (Mouette de Franklin): one was seen five times between 20/5 and 20/9 at Technopole; we summarised the status and trends of the species in this post.

Lesser Yellowlegs / Chevalier a pattes jaunes, Technopole, Feb. 2018 (B. PIot)

Baird’s Sandpiper / Bécasseau de Baird

Common Shelduck / Tadorne de Belon

American Golden Plover / Pluvier bronzé

Franklin’s Gull / Mouette de Franklin, Technopole, May 2018 (B. Piot)

Buff-breasted Sandpiper / Bécasseau rousset

 

As usual there are also several African vagrants to be reported, such as Lesser Jacana (Jacana nain) seen on 31/1 and 17/2 (three birds!) at Médina Afia near Manda, Kolda dept., and at Ross Bethio on 15/7 – there are only a handful of previous records, including just one in the north (more on status of this species in this post by Ornithondar). A Pharaoh (= Desert) Eagle-Owl (Grand-duc ascalaphe) filmed at Richard Toll on 20/1 was the third record. Six Senegal Lapwings were found at Kamobeul (Ziguinchor) on 30/9 – apparently the first record in 38 years! Three other species with uncertain status in Senegal – true vagrants or scarce but regular visitors? – were seen in the Niokolo-Koba area: Mottled Swift in February and June; a Forbes’s Plover in June and an Ayres’s Hawk-Eagle on 6/3 (Martinet marbré, Pluvier de Forbes et Aigle d’Ayres) .

Lesser Jacana / Jacana nain (V. Ngom)

 

A special mention goes to the Kordofan Lark (Alouette du Kordofan) that was photographed at Richard Toll on 1/3 by a group of lucky Belgian birders; this is the first record in several years, and the first pictures to be made available online for this species, prompting us to discuss ID criteria and status in Senegal of this enigmatic Sahel special, see this blog piece co-authored with Simon Cavaillès – by far the most read article on the blog, with more than 500 views since its publication in April.

Kordofan Lark / Alouette du Kordofan (J. Heip)

 

Several winter visitors were seen in higher than usual numbers or reached areas further south than their usual wintering grounds, such as Short-eared Owl (Hibou des marais; seen in six locations during January-March including a group wintering at Technopole, following the influx in Nov.-Dec.). Other scarce winter visitors included a Little Gull (Mouette pygmée) at Ngor on 12/1, while a group of five Cream-coloured Coursers (Courvite isabelle) near Maleme Hodar (Kaffrine) on 1/3 were possibly the southernmost record ever. Other examples include a Spectacled Warbler (Fauvette à lunettes) near Kaolack on 3/3, a “Desert” Grey Shrike (now surprisingly lumped again with Great rather than Southern Grey Shrike; Pie-grièche grise) in the Boundou reserve on 15/3, and five House Buntings (Bruant du Sahara) at Richard Toll on 1/3.

Cream-coloured Courser / Courvite isabelle (A. Barbalat)

As usual, a few birds were spotted outside of their regular range in the country: several Pallid Herons on the Cap-Vert peninsula; an African Hawk-Eagle that gave us a bit of an ID challenge at Popenguine (3/11); a Greyish Eagle-Owl photographed at Trois-Marigots on 10/1 (only a couple of previous records from N Senegal, see story on Ornithondar); a Grey Phalarope on 25/2 at Médina Afia (a rare inland record!); a singing Klaas’s Cuckoo near Dagana on 6/10; a Broad-billed Roller at Bango (Saint-Louis) on 31/8; Grey-rumped Swallow at Technopole (7/7); an early Lesser Whitethroat at lake Tanma on 25/9; a Cricket Warbler near Gueuol (north of Kébémer) on 21/11 (Aigle fascié, Grand-duc du Sahel, Phalarope à bec large, Coucou de Klaas, Rolle violet, Hirondelle à croupion gris, Fauvette babillarde, Prinia à front écailleux). In the Djoudj, a Brown Snake-Eagle was reported on 5/12. Familiar Chat and Green Turaco were reported from the Niokolo-Koba NP for the first time, where further observations of Mali Firefinch were made (Traquet familier, Turaco vert, Amarante du Koulikoro). Several species were found for the first time in Casamance, including Glossy Ibis, Singing Bushlark, Plain Martin, Great Reed Warbler – details will follow shortly on this website (Ibis falcinelle, Alouette chanteuse, Hirondelle paludicole, Rousserolle turdoïde). Away from the better known wintering grounds in the north of the country, an Iberian Chiffchaff (Pouillot ibérique) was singing at Wassadou on 25/2, and the Technopole bird found on 31/12/17 continued its presence until 7/1 at least.

New breeding records include what appears to be the first confirmed breeding for the Dakar region of Little Tern in June at Lac Rose with at least 14 nests; in the same location we found a nest of Plain-backed Pipit, while a Quailfinch at lac Mbeubeusse on 18/11 suggests that the species may be breeding in the niayes region (Sterne naine, Pipit à dos uni, Astrild-caille). Successful breeding of White-backed Night-Herons (Bihoreau à dos blanc) was confirmed in two locations in Casamance and breeding is also likely along the Gambia river at Wassadou where Pel’s Fishing Owl (Chouette-pêcheuse de Pel) must also have bred. Black-winged Stilts (Echasse blanche) bred once again at Technopole where low water levels created decent conditions in April-June. And a nice breeding record was that of a female Standard-winged Nightjar found incubating two eggs at Pointe Sarène on 4/8 (Engoulevent à balanciers).

Plain-backed Pipit / Pipit à dos uni

A few unseasonal visitors were noted, e.g. early Marbled Ducks and a Black-necked Grebe near Djoudj on Oct. 6th, Western Olivaceous and Melodious Warblers as well as a Woodchat Shrike and even two European Bee-eaters in June; an adult Sabine’s Gull at Ngor on 30/7 (first July record it seems?), and summer Yellow-legged Gulls at Lac Rose (Sarcelle marbrée, Grèbe à cou noir, Hypolaïs obscure et polyglotte, Pie-grièche à tête rousse, Guêpier d’Europe, Mouette de Sabine, Goéland leucophée). Up north, a White-throated Bee-eater and a Pygmy Sunbird were photographed in January near Saint-Louis (Guêpier à gorge blanche, Souïmanga pygmée).

We also continued our seabird migration monitoring efforts during 2018, both in spring and in autumn. Spring migration was summarised in two posts (covering April and May) but the autumn totals are yet to be published. Highlights included decent numbers of Long-tailed Skua (500!) and Grey Phalaropes (1,256!) seen in August when fairly strong north-westerlies created ideal conditions to see these highly pelagic migrants from the coast; both species saw new day records for West Africa it seems. Other good ones included at least 19 Barolo/Boyd’s Shearwaters in Aug.-Sept., a Sooty Tern on 17/9 and several Bridled Terns, while Great Shearwaters passed through in modest numbers around mid-November (Puffin de Barolo/Macaronésie, Sterne fuligineuse, Sterne bridée, Puffin majeur). A pelagic trip on October 1st yielded reasonable numbers of Wilson’s Storm-Petrels (Océanite de Wilson), some shearwaters and skuas, but no rarities this time round. A visiting birder was lucky to see a White-faced Storm Petrel on 3/12 at Iles de la Madeleine, while an observation of Band-rumped Storm Petrel was reported far offshore off Saint-Louis on 25/9 (Océanites frégate et de Castro).

On the ring recovery front, we managed to read some 100 colour rings, mainly of Audouin’s and Slender-billed Gulls (41 & 19, resp.) but also several Greater Flamingos from Spain, a Common Ringed Plover from Portugal, and the first mentions of Avocet in our database (two birds from Spain) as well as a French Mediterranean Gull (“RV2L”) which appears to be the first recovery of this species from Senegal (Goélands d’Audouin et railleur, Flamant rose, Grand Gravelot, Avocette, Mouette mélanocéphale). I now have some 420 ring recoveries in my little database: maybe this year I’ll find time to write up some of the key findings.

Mediterranean Gull / Mouette mélanocéphale “RV2L”

A few blog posts on birding sites and other topics were published in 2018, namely the following:

• Senegal as a destination for birders, written up by Paul Robinson following his visit to the UK Bird Fair in 2017
• Blog posts on the birds of Dindefelo and Wassadou following visits to these two major birding hotspots in the south-east of the country
• The Casamance Bird Atlas by the association APALIS
• Birding the Niokolo-Koba: guest blog by John Rose and Dimitri Dagone
• The formal protection of Technopole back in October was of course a major event
• A xeno-canto audio guide to the birds of Senegal
• Last but certainly not least, the last blog piece of the year covered the description of a new species of Square-tailed Drongo

We’ve also been pretty active writing up more formal pieces on birds in Senegal, with several articles published in 2018. This post is actually getting a bit too long so I’ll write about these recent publications in a forthcoming article. For now, go out birding!

Finally, thanks to all our readers for their support and encouragement throughout the year, which has seen a further increase in number of page views (almost 25,000) and website visitors. Oh and do let me know if I forgot anything in the above review, which is just an informal overview – nothing official here!

 

 

Description of a new species of Square-tailed Drongo

It’s not every day that a new bird species is described from West Africa, but thanks to some remarkable detective work by Jérôme Fuchs and colleagues, we now know that the “Square-tailed Drongos” occurring in West African forests should be considered a separate species. The researcher from the French National Museum of Natural History and his co-authors from Guinea, Denmark and the US describe what they named Western Square-Tailed Drongo Dicrurus occidentalis in a paper published earlier this year in the journal Zootaxa: Taxonomic revision of the Square-tailed Drongo species complex (Passeriformes: Dicruridae) with description of a new species from western Africa. The full paper is available on ResearchGate and a nice summary is to be found on this site. The abstract is reproduced below.

In summary, Western Square-tailed Drongo is genetically distinct from its “sister species” Sharpe’s Drongo D. sharpei which occurs further east, but cannot be safely identified in the field. The only morphological differences as per current knowledge are bill shape and size: culmen length, bill width and bill height were found to be sufficiently different from Sharpe’s. The authors provide a detailed description of the holotype, a bird collected by Raymond Pujol and Jean Roché on 18 December 1959 in Sérédou in the  N’zérékoré region of Guinea. According to the authors, Western Square-tailed Drongo and Sharpe’s Drongo diverged about 1.3 million years ago, resulting in substantial genetic divergence (6.7%).

Here’s one of the only pictures I could find online of what should now be considered D. occidentalis, from La Guingette forest near Bobo-Dioulasso in Burkina. There’s also this one in the Macaulay Library of a bird in the hand from central Nigeria in 1981.

Western Square-tailed Drongo / Drongo “occidental”, Burkina Faso (Paul van Giersbergen on Afbid)

 

And for comparison purposes, here’s one of D. ludwigii from South Africa:

Square-tailed Drongo / Drongo de Ludwig, South Africa (Alan Manson)

 

Western Square-tailed Drongo is known to occur in secondary forest and gallery forest from coastal Guinea to Nigeria, likely as far east as the Niger/Benue River system in Nigeria. It also occurs in Senegal and in nearby Gambia, more precisely in the forests of Basse-Casamance but also in the Dindefelo area where it was recently found. Of note is that the only publicly available sound recording of this taxon is from Dindefelo¹, made by Jean-François Blanc and friends in March 2016 when they found several Square-tailed Drongos on the edge of the Dande plateau (see Blanc et al. 2018. Noteworthy records from Senegal, including the first Freckled Nightjar, ABC Bull. 25 (1), for more details and a photograph of one of the drongos). There are several relevant recordings on Claude Chappuis’s CD set, one from SW Senegal and a few different call types from gallery forests in S Ivory Coast.

More sound recordings are needed to establish the extent of vocal differences between the various taxa within the Square-tailed Drongo “species complex”; it is mentioned in the species account on HBW that there are clear regional differences in vocalisations: in W Africa more muted calls compared with E birds, which have more “ringing” tone – not surprising now that it is clear that these are different species! As is often the case with closely related and morphologically very similar species, the song and calls are often sufficiently different to be useful to safely identify the species. I have some from Mozambique, but now just need to go to Casamance – another good excuse to make it out there¹.

Of course, I was now wondering whether any of the drongos that we saw in February in the Dindefelo forest and along the nearby Gambia river, were Square-tailed rather than Fork-tailed Drongo which is the default species throughout… but at least on the picture below Fork-tailed can be confirmed.

The “new” species also occurs further east, creeping into SW Mali and S Burkina Faso where some decent gallery forest still remains. In this respect, the distribution map in the paper isn’t very accurate and slightly misleading as it doesn’t include these two countries, and the range shown for Senegal is way too large. Hopefully the precise distribution, both in Senegal and elsewhere in West Africa, will be further refined in coming years.

Fork-tailed Drongo / Drongo brillant, Dindefelo, Feb. 2018 (A. Barbalat)

 

Abstract:

We describe a new species of drongo in the Square-tailed Drongo (Dicrurus ludwigii) complex using a combination of biometric and genetic data. The new species differs from previously described taxa in the Square-tailed Drongo complex by possessing a significantly heavier bill and via substantial genetic divergence (6.7%) from its sister-species D. sharpei. The new species is distributed across the gallery forests of coastal Guinea, extending to the Niger and Benue Rivers of Nigeria. We suspect that this taxon was overlooked by previous avian systematists because they either lacked comparative material from western Africa or because the key diagnostic morphological character (bill characteristics) was not measured. We provide an updated taxonomy of the Square-tailed Drongo species complex.

 

¹ Update 2.1.19: in mid-January I managed to sneak out to Casamance for a few days, where I obtained several decent recordings of these drongos, now available on xeno-canto. I also managed a couple of decent pictures, one of which can be found here.

 

 

L’association APALIS et l’atlas des oiseaux de Casamance

 

Bruno Bargain nous présente l’association APALIS et leur travail remarquable d’inventaire et de cartographie des oiseaux de Casamance.

 

L’association APALIS a vu le jour courant 2016 avec pour objet principal de soutenir et relayer les activités du GEPOC, l’association-sœur en Casamance, qui a pour vocation d’étudier et de conserver les oiseaux de cette région ainsi que les milieux dont ils dépendent et plus généralement à valoriser son patrimoine ornithologique.

Ce n’est qu’en 2017 qu’APALIS a réellement pris son essor, avec la mise en ligne de son site internet « Oiseaux de Casamance » qui a commencé à la faire connaître (site bilingue français-anglais).

 

Depuis lors, nous avons cherché à améliorer cet outil pour le rendre plus attractif et en particulier pour restituer rapidement les observations faites sur le terrain via les cartes de répartition par espèce ou par maille. Il manque encore un module qui permettra à tout observateur la saisie en ligne de ses données, mais d’ores et déjà ce site a permis d’enregistrer de nouvelles adhésions et a commencé à susciter des rencontres fructueuses en Casamance d’ornithologues amateurs et professionnels au-delà du cercle restreint initial.

 

Bateleur femelle adulte (J-P Thelliez)

 

L’avifaune de Casamance est riche d’au moins 531 espèces :

• 318 s’y reproduisent potentiellement, la plupart sont sédentaires, d’autres effectuent des déplacements au sein de la zone tropicale ;
• plus de 115 migrent depuis la zone paléarctique vers la Casamance durant la période internuptiale ;
• le reste concerne des espèces d’occurrence plus ou moins occasionnelle.

 

Long-crested Eagle / Aigle huppard (J-P Thelliez)

 

Cette belle diversité s’explique par la grande variété des habitats – dunes et plaines côtières, lagunes, cours d’eau, mangroves et marais, rizières et autres zones cultivées, savane arborée… et surtout, la présence de forêts guinéennes encore relativement bien conservées.

L’objectif prioritaire de notre association est, faut-il le rappeler, l’inventaire atlas des oiseaux de Casamance. Pour y arriver, il faut parcourir à différentes périodes de l’année, l’ensemble des 330 carrés 10×10 de la région, ce qui représente un travail colossal pour une poignée d’observateurs ! Durant l’année qui vient de s’écouler, plusieurs missions de quelques jours ont permis d’augmenter significativement le nombre de carrés prospectés. Par ailleurs, plusieurs ornithos africains et européens ont rejoint récemment notre petit groupe de départ, ce qui permet d’envisager une accélération de notre connaissance de l’avifaune régionale. La base de données d’APALIS compte actuellement plus de 20 000 lignes d’informations.

L’atlas est accessible directement à travers ce lien, ou bien depuis la page d’accueil du site Oiseaux de Casamance. La carte ci-dessous donne une idée du niveau de couverture actuel et de l’effort de prospection: la couleur de chaque carré représente le nombre d’observations, alors que le chiffre indique le nombre d’espèces trouvées dans la maille.

 

 

De plus, nous sommes conscients que nous devons aussi affiner les connaissances sur les périodes de reproduction des différentes espèces du territoire, les dates d’arrivée et de départ des migrateurs intra-africains et des migrateurs paléarctiques. Nous avons également démarré le dénombrement de quelques espèces coloniales (hérons, cormorans, spatules…) autour de Ziguinchor. Et nous avons en projet d’étendre ces comptages à toutes les colonies de la Basse Casamance en utilisant un drone (un dossier sera déposé dans les prochaines semaines à diverses fondations pour obtenir un financement). Un autre projet, en cours, consiste à inventorier les oiseaux de la partie casamançaise du Parc du Niokolo Koba durant un cycle annuel. Bref, le travail et les idées ne manquent pas !

 

Pied Hornbill / Calao longibande (J-P Thelliez)

Au Sénégal, le Calao longibande a une répartition restreinte à la Basse Casamance

 

Le poids d’une association et la qualité de ses actions dépendent du nombre et du dynamisme de ses membres. Nous vous invitons donc à nous rejoindre nombreux, via notre site internet. Votre contribution financière sera bien utile pour acquérir un minimum de matériel pédagogique. Et si vous avez l’opportunité de venir en Casamance, vos observations de terrain pourront être orientées et facilitées en prenant contact avec nous par mail avant votre séjour. Vos données viendront enrichir la base de données.

Une lettre électronique faisant état de la vie et des actions de l’association, de l’actualité ornithologique et de l’avancement de l’atlas est envoyée deux fois l’an à chaque adhérent.

 

Red-throated Bee-eater / Guêpier à gorge rouge (J-P Thelliez)

Le Guêpier à gorge rouge est un nicheur assez répandu en Moyenne et Haute Casamance

 

Si vous avez l’occasion de visiter la Casamance – peut-être que ce petit billet vous aura donné envie! – n’hésitez pas à prendre contact avec l’association avant votre voyage afin de voir s’il y a des especes particulieres à rechercher ou de savoir quelles zones à couverture encore insuffisante sont à cibler. Une manière de combiner l’utile à l’agréable et de contribuer à l’amélioration de notre connaissance des oiseaux du Sénégal. Et faites comme moi, adhérez à APALIS! – BP

 

Yellow-throated Longclaw / Sentinelle à gorge jaune (BP)

 

 

Visite à Kolda, Moyenne Casamance

La semaine passée j’ai eu l’occasion de passer quelques jours dans la ville de Kolda, capitale de la région du même nom, pour une visite d’appui à l’un de nos projets. J’en ai bien sûr profité pour observer un peu les oiseaux, essentiellement sur le terrain de l’hôtel Le Firdou où nous étions logés. Situé au bord de la Casamance en bordure sud de la ville, les oiseaux étaient bien entendu au rendez-vous: plus de 90 espèces vues en trois jours, et ce uniquement sur le terrain du Firdou.

Chaque jour apportait d’ailleurs son lot de nouvelles espèces: comme quoi ça paie de revisiter une même zone, même de surface réduite, plusieurs fois de suite. La rivière attire bien sûr bon nombre d’oiseaux (et pas des moindres… voir plus bas!), tout comme le jardin et ses nombreux manguiers et anacardiers. La brousse de l’autre côté de la rivière doit certainement héberger d’autres espèces mais n’était pas vraiment accessible… même si la Casamance est plutôt un ruisseau ici qu’un grand fleuve comme c’est le cas à Ziguinchor, surtout en cette fin de saison sèche –

Par où commencer? Peut-être par cet impressionant Martin-pêcheur géant (Giant Kingfisher), un mâle immature, vu plusieurs fois aux abords de l’eau, tout comme le Martin-pêcheur pie, le bruyant Martin-chasseur à poitrine bleue ainsi qu’un couple de Martin-pêcheurs huppés tout excités (Pied, Blue-breasted and Malachite Kingfishers). C’était d’ailleurs la première fois que j’ai pu entendre et enregistrer le chant de ce dernier, qui comme notre Martin-pêcheur d’Europe ne doit pas se faire entendre très souvent!

Giant Kingfisher / Martin-pêcheur géant

Toujours sur le plan d’eau, il y avait tous les jours quelques Cormorans africains (Long-tailed Cormorant), Jacanas à poitrine dorée (African Jacana; probablement trois couples, bien territoriaux!), 2-3 Poules d’eau (Common Moorhen), plusieurs Râles à bec jaune (Black Crake) et même un Chevalier guignette (Common Sandpiper) retardataire ou estivant…

Black Crake / Râle à bec jaune

African Jacana / Jacana à poitrine dorée

… mais aussi et surtout ce Grébifoulque d’Afrique (African Finfoot), oiseau unique en son genre (literalement!) qui fait partie de ces espèces tant convoitées par les birders. Et dont pour une fois le nom francais un peu barbare décrit bien cette étrange créature: mi-grèbe, mi-rallidé, tout aussi bizarre dans son apparence que dans son comportement. Perso j’ai eu la chance de l’observer au Kenya, en Zambie et au Liberia, et maintenant donc aussi au Sénégal! Je l’ai trouvé deux matinées de suite en train de se nourrir, discret comme tout mais heureusement pas trop farouche. A priori une femelle, voire un mâle immature?

African Finfoot / Grébifoulque d’Afrique

Bien que répandu à travers le continent, Podica senegalensis n’est nulle part commun et en raison de ses moeurs discrètes et un habitat souvent difficile d’accès, on ne trouve pas beaucoup d’infos concernant sa répartition au pays qui a donné lieu à son nom scientifique: les Morel font état d’une petite population sur les rives nord du Lac de Guiers (aujourd’hui disparue il me semble) et de sa présence en Basse-Casamance, et ils mentionnent quelques données de Tambacounda et Kédougou; Sauvage & Rodwell le signalent en plus du Niokolo-Koba et de la rivière Koulountou (limite régions de Kolda et Tambacounda). Le seul site sénégalais qui fournit des observations plus ou moins régulières est le campement de Wassadou sur le fleuve Gambie, escale obligatoire dans le circuit orni-touristique pour les visiteurs en route pour le Niokolo-Koba ou Kédougou (peut-être également Mako plus en amont, au SE du PNNK). Le Grébifoulque est pour l’instant absent de l’atlas de Casamance, bien qu’il soit certainement assez répandu dans cette partie du pays, vu à quel point il est régulièrement contacté en Gambie toute proche.

Bien plus en vue, les ardéidés étaient au rendez-vous même si toujours en effectifs faibles, généralement à l’unité ou par 2-3 individus : Crabier chevelu, Héron noir, Aigrette des récifs, Aigrette intermédiaire, Héron gardeboeufs, Héron strié, pourpré, cendré, Bihoreau gris. (Squacco, Black, Striated, Purple & Grey Herons, Western Reef & Cattle Egrets, Black-crowned Night-Heron). Une Ombrette (Hamerkop) ne fera que passer en vol, le premier soir.

Squacco Heron / Crabier chevelu

Peu de rapaces sont notés mais c’est peut-être surtout lié au fait que je n’ai observé que les matins tôt et généralement l’heure précédant le coucher du soleil… boulot oblige! Seulement une poignée de Vautours charognards (Hooded Vulture; quel contraste avec la Basse-Casamance!) et une fois deux Gyps vus sans jumelles, probablement des Vautours africains. Aux alentours du lodge, présence de l’Autour sombre (Dark-chanting Goshawk), Autour unibande (Lizard Buzzard), Milan à bec jaune, Pygargue vocifère (entendu un peu en amont), et un adulte de Vautour palmiste, toujours aussi imposant malgré son apparence clownesque. A l’aéroport de Kolda, un Busautour des sauterelles sera la 400e espèce que je vois au Sénégal (eh oui je tiens une liste!!).

D’autres ajouts étaient le Râle perlé (White-spotted Flufftail; entendu un seul matin), les bruyants Touracos violets (Violet Turaco), le Guêpier à gorge rouge (Red-throated Bee-eater), le Prinia à ailes rouges (Red-winged Warbler), la Cisticole chanteuse (Singing Cisticola; encore bien discrète), le Gladiateur de Blanchot (Grey-headed Bushshrike; comme toujours invisible mais très audible!), les sympathiques Chevêchettes perlées (Pearl-spotted Owlet). Egalement une poignée d’espèces vues jusqu’ici à quelques reprises seulement, comme l’Hirondelle fanti (Fanti Saw-wing), toujours aussi élégante. La donnée de Râle perlée est intéressante car il n’y a apparemment que peu d’observations du Sénégal, alors qu’il est régulier en Gambie. Cette quasi-absence d’infos est probablement à mettre en relation avec le fait que l’espèce chanterait surtout en ce moment (mai-juin selon Morel & Morel) et que l’essentiel de l’activité ornithologique a lieu pendant l’hiver nordique lorsque ces flufftails sont soit absents, soit silencieux.

A propos de chant: les nombreux Cossyphes à tete blanche et Merles africains (White-crowned Robin-Chat, African Thrush) et dans une moindre mesure les quelques Bulbuls à gorge claire (Yellow-throated Leaflove) du jardin étaient bien vocaux, tout comme un Coucou africain (African Cuckoo) entendu chanter tous les jours dans la brousse sur la rive gauche. En tout, seize espèces enregistrées dont quelques-unes nouvelles pour ma petite collection sonore, à découvrir sur xeno-canto.

Observations faites du 16 au 19/5/17.

More records from Diembering, Casamance

Early March we went back to Diembering (or Djembering, Diembereng, Djembereng…), six months after our first visit back in October. We once again stayed at the excellent Akine Dyioni Lodge nested in the dunes between the village and the ocean, just a stone’s throw from the beach.

Among the ca. 140 species that were seen during our stay, some of the highlights included Buff-spotted Woodpecker at the Ecoparc, Yellow-throated Longclaw in the fields to the NE of the village, Oriole Warbler in the lodge gardens though far more discrete than back in October when they were regularly seen and heard, and last but not least the unusual Capuchin Babbler in the Ecoparc (links will take you to my recordings on xeno-canto, all from Diembering). Our visit to the Ecoparc was much appreciated by the entire family, expertly guided by Jean-Michel. If you ever make it to the Cap Skirring area, make sure to visit the forest, and why not try their delicious thiebou diene or even stay the night there to fully take advantage of the forest life! Find out how one visionary community member achieved this rare conservation success story here.

Yellow-throated Longclaw / Sentille à gorge jaune

Yellow-throated Longclaw / Sentille à gorge jaune

Two species that I’d suspected last time but heard only too briefly were now confirmed: Green Crombec, Yellow-breasted Apalis – plus other forest “specials” already seen or heard last time, such as Ahanta Francolin, Pied Hornbill, Little Greenbul, Grey-headed Bristlebill, Green Hylia and Red-bellied Paradise Flycatcher.

During a very pleasant bike tour in the Cap Skirring and Kabrousse area, two raptor species that are apparently scarce in Casamance were seen: a male Pallid Harrier seemingly migrating north along the coast, and a small group of Lesser Kestrels feeding high up in the sky, possibly also on the move. Other raptors of interest include Palm-nut Vulture, Beaudouin’s Snake-Eagle (carrying a small snake, barely visible on the picture below), Lizard Buzzard, and Red-necked Falcon.

Beaudouin’s Snake-Eagle / Circaète de Beaudouin

Most birds were far less conspicuous, and singing less frequently, compared to our previous visit which was towards the end of the breeding season for many species. Short-winged Cisticola is one of these, which was only heard once this time, just like Yellow-throated Leaflove.

This female or young Northern Puffback was one of several seen in the area.

Northern Puffback / Cubla de Gambie

Palearctic migrants included Red-throated and Tawny Pipit and of course Yellow Wagtails (iberiae mostly), Common Redstart, Common Whitethroats and several other warbler species: a single Subalpine, a couple of Bonelli’s, lots of Willow, a few Western Olivaceous and at least one Eurasian Reed Warbler. European Bee-eaters were seen daily in small numbers.

European Bee-eater / Guêpier d’Europe

All four local roller species were around, and unlike in October there were now lots of White-throated Bee-eaters; also a pair of Giant Kingfishers near the lodge.

White-throated Bee-eater / Gueêpier à gorge blanche

Blue-bellied Roller / Rollier à ventre bleu

 

Lavender Waxbill was a long-awaited addition to my Senegal list. Also lots of Black-rumped Waxbills (one flock was made up of more than a hundred birds!) and perhaps more surprisingly Quailfinch (up to about a dozen in the dry rice paddies) and a few Cut-throats.

Finally, it’s worth mentioning here that a pretty interesting – and ambitious – atlas project is under way for Casamance, by the French association Apalis: find out more on the Oiseaux-Casamance website. Below are a couple of screenshots of the the maps that are now available online, which should soon incorporate my records from Diembering and elsewhere in the region. The first map shows overall coverage with number of species per atlas square, whereas the second is an example of a species’ distribution and breeding status, in this case Palm-nut Vulture. If you have any data from Casamance, please make sure to contribute! There are still lots of gaps and even in fairly well covered areas such as Cap Skirring (red square on the coast, near the Guinea-Bissau border) there’s a good chance that you will have seen additional species.

 

Maybe one day we’ll have an online atlas for all of Senegal… I’ll keep you posted 🙂

 

Hooded Vulture / Vautour charognard

Casamance trip, 11-15 October

No time for an extensive trip report, but still wanted to share a few of the highlights and a number of pictures from our recent family trip to coastal Casamance. We first spent a night in the town of Ziguinchor, then moved to the village of Diembering just north of Cap Skirring where we spent 3 nights in the excellent Akine Dyioni ecolodge, set in a perfect spot in the dunes between the village and the beach. Lots of great birds, good food, a private (well, almost) beach… what else can one wish for?

Casamance’s capital Ziguinchor is quite a birdy town: Pink-backed Pelicans are all over the place (including at least one colony near the airport), Hooded Vultures everywhere, several colonies of Yellow-billed Stork, White-breasted and Long-tailed Cormorants, and African Darters in the middle of town, and of course quite a few birds can be seen along the Casamance river (which also seems to be full of dolphins!).

Yellow-billed Stork / Tantale ibis

The unique Palm-nut Vulture – the only frugivorous vulture species in the world – can be seen flying over the river, such as this adult with its conspicuous black-and-white plumage.

Palm-nut Vulture / Vautour palmiste

Several Wire-tailed Swallows were hanging out on the waterfront near our hotel in Ziguinchor, including this fine adult (presumably a female given the short tail streamers).

Wire-tailed Swallow / Hirondelle à longs brins

Many species reach their northernmost distribution around Diembering, which has a decent coastal forest, lagoons, dunes and good farmland – and as such a good mix of birds! Especially the forest holds a few “specials” which in Senegal are largely restricted to Casamance, such as Ahanta Francolin, African Pied Hornbill, Green Hylia, Grey-headed Bristlebill, Red-bellied Paradise-Flycatcher, Olive Sunbird, and many more.

And of course lots of other good birds, including the neat Oriole Warbler – a “lifer” that I finally managed to see, right within the lodge gardens. The latter also had Klaas’s and Diederik Cuckoos, Yellow-throated Leaflove, no less than five sunbird species (Green-headed, Beautiful, Splendid, Variable, Copper Sunbird), Brown-throated (Common) Wattle-eye, Black-necked Weaver, Blue-billed (African) Firefinch, etc.

Oriole Warbler / Noircap loriot

Every visit to the fields, rice paddies and small wetlands around the lodge yielded something new: Lizard Buzzard, Grey Kestrel, Northern White-faced Owl, African Green Pigeon, West African Swallow, Short-winged Cisticola, Bronze-tailed Starling and Orange-cheeked Waxbill to name but a few. The header picture of this post shows a Northern Red Bishop displaying in one of the paddies, which also had a few Yellow-crowned Bishops. On the northern migrants front, besides the various waders, gulls and terns, there were several European Bee-eaters around, as well as Osprey, Pallid Swift, Yellow Wagtail, Northern Wheatear, Whinchat, Common Redstart, Western Olivaceous Warbler, and Willow Warbler.

This juvenile Rufous-breasted Swallow – my first in Senegal – was a nice treat one morning as I was heading out to the forest.

Rufous-breasted Swallow / Hirondelle à ventre roux

A flash of red amidst a flock of Village Weavers: Vieillot’s Barbet

Vieillot’s Barbet and Village Weavers / Barbican de Vieillot et Tisserins gendarmes

An obliging male Fine-spotted Woodpecker was seen at Djiromaithe (near Mloump). Also here were several Blue-bellied Rollers, Northern Puffback, Yellow-mantled Widowbird and so on.

Fine-spotted Woodpecker / Pic à taches noires

Below is one of many Hooded Vultures seen during our trip, often a few dozen together. On the beach at Diembering there were usually several of these vultures feeding on stranded fish – a behaviour that is not known from Dakar but which seems pretty typical further south along the Senegambian coast. A few White-backed Vultures were noted, while the much scarcer White-headed Vulture was seen at Djiromaithe.

Hooded Vulture / Vautour charognard

We also visited the Pointe Saint-Georges, which at this time of the year involves a pleasant one-hour boat trip through a bolong and along the Casamance river. Lots of birds of course, but also several Bottlenose Dolphins swimming around the pirogue (but alas no Manatees!).

Bottlenose Dolphin / Grand Dauphin (J. Piot)