Do Greater Honeyguides ever mislead humans? New research shows they occasionally guide humans to non-bee targets, but this is rare and unlikely to be a deliberate 'punishment' for uncooperative humans. #AfricanOrnithology
url.za.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/86huCGZXj8...
It’s official (get it in your diary!) 📅 🦅
The 16th Pan-African Ornithological Congress (PAOC16) will take place in Marrakech, Morocco, from 12 to 17 April 2027.
The website is being updated—check back for details on symposia and abstract calls soon: paoc.africa
#Ornithology #AfricanOrnithology
It’s official (get it in your diary!) 📅 🦅
The 16th Pan-African Ornithological Congress (PAOC16) will take place in Marrakech, Morocco, from 12 - 17 April 2027.
The website is being updated—check back for details on symposia and abstract calls soon: paoc.africa
#Ornithology #AfricanOrnithology
This month we spotlight the remarkable Greater Honeyguide, famous for its unique partnership with humans and other mammals to locate beehives. A fascinating example of cooperation, behaviour, and ecological adaptation in African birds. #AfricanOrnithology
Common bulbul body size variation across Nigeria follows Bergmann’s rule: birds in hotter areas have larger surface area-to-mass ratios. Temperature and rainfall explain size better than latitude, showing climate and not latitude is the key driver.
doi.org/10.1007/s103...
#AfricanOrnithology
Diet quality matters. Common Bulbuls fed only on fruits had higher body mass, an earlier onset of moult, and stronger innate immunity than birds fed only on invertebrates; these effects reversed when diets were switched.
doi.org/10.1111/1365...
#AfricanOrnithology
Join our Seminar (31 March, 13:00, Niven Library): Dr Yann Rime explores intra-African bird migration using citizen science and tracking to uncover how birds move.
calendar.app.google/D8coGYjetWuJ...
#AfricanOrnithology
How do birds schedule moult in the tropics? Experiments with Common Bulbuls show that moult depends on stored reserves and resources gained during moult: body condition triggers its start, while dietary protein availability determines feather growth rate
doi.org/10.1002/jav.... #AfricanOrnithology
How Common is the Common Bulbul? It's not the most common! The Red-billed Quelea dominates in terms of numbers, but the Bulbul’s wide range, varied diet, and habitat flexibility make it one of the most consistently present species. #AfricanOrnithology
New research reveals widespread declines in South Africa’s raptors over 16 years. An analysis of counts of raptors from road transects that covered nearly 400,000 km revealed declines in 13 raptor and other large terrestrial bird species.
doi.org/10.1016/j.bi...
#AfricanOrnithology
NEW PAPER: Using almost 400,000 km of road transects, conducted over 16 years, we reveal declines in 13 species of raptor and other large terrestrial bird species across central South Africa #ornithology #AfricanOrnithology #RaptorResearch
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Applications are open for the African Raptor Leadership Grant! 🦅 Supporting African students pursuing Honours or MSc research on African raptors and their threats at the FitzPatrick and other African ornithological institutions.
raptorresearchfoundation.org
#AfricanOrnithology
New🗒️ just out - A review of bird monitoring in Africa: present state and future prospects, led by Phil Atkinson of
@btobirds.bsky.social
#Ornithology
#AfricanOrnithology
@rspbscience.bsky.social @uclcber.bsky.social @birdlifeglobal.bsky.social 🐦
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
New paper just out in Bird Cons Int:
'Bird monitoring in Africa: present state and future prospects', ably led by Phil Atkinson of
@btobirds.bsky.social
#Ornithology
#AfricanOrnithology
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
New paper just out in: 'Bird monitoring in Africa: present state and future prospects', ably led by Phil Atkinson of @btobirds.bsky.social
#Ornithology
#AfricanOrnithology
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Widespread and adaptable, the Common Bulbul is ecologically flexible, making it a powerful model for studying evolutionary responses to global change. But how common is the Common Bulbul? Is it really that common, or is it just conspicuous - what do you think? #AfricanOrnithology
In the cuckoo finch–prinia system, rapid evolution occurs on both sides. Over just 50 years, parasites improved egg mimicry while hosts evolved away, maintaining imperfect mimicry; clear evidence of ongoing “chase-away” co-evolution in the wild. #AfricanOrnithology
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
The African Cuckoo Project uses brood parasites like the Cuckoo Finch to study co-evolution in the wild. Combining fieldwork, genetics, sensory biology and experiments, the research reveals how hosts and parasites co-adapt from egg mimicry to counter-defence. #AfricanOrnithology
Precise egg mimicry in brood parasites reveals co-evolution in action. In the cuckoo finch–prinia system, variation in eggshell pigments shapes an impressive array of egg colours, proving that mimicry involves complex chemistry, not just appearance. #AfricanOrnithology
doi.org/10.1098/rsbl...
Cuckoo Finch chicks often hatch earlier than host chicks, giving them a competitive advantage. This timing increases survival but places strong selection pressure on hosts to reject foreign eggs. #AfricanOrnithology
This month we spotlight the Cuckoo Finch (Anomalospiza imberbis), a remarkable brood parasite locked in an evolutionary arms race with its hosts. Its finely tuned egg mimicry reveals how co-evolution shapes behaviour, biology, and biodiversity across Africa. #AfricanOrnithology
Humans use local dialects to communicate with honeyguides | EurekAlert! www.eurekalert.org/news-release...
#AfricanOrnithology #Ornithology
Paper here: besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
The African Penguin has been listed as threatened since 1984, but long-term data reveal a steep decline. The population has more than halved in the past decade, which prompted a reassessment of its conservation status to Critically Endangered. #AfricanOrnithology
doi.org/10.2989/0030...
🐧 Bird of the Month: African Penguin
Africa’s only penguin is now Critically Endangered and rapidly declining. Once abundant, it now faces food shortages, climate change, and habitat loss. It is a sign of our oceans’ health and a species in urgent need of protection. #AfricanOrnithology
Many indigobird species look alike, so their songs are the best way to tell them apart. In Nigeria, an undescribed firefinch species was discovered after an indigobird was recorded mimicking its song, later identified as the Rock firefinch. #AfricanOrnithology
doi.org/10.1111/j.14...
Indigobirds & Whydahs parasitise grassfinches, including waxbills, firefinches, and pytilias, whose nestlings have unusually elaborate appearances. Parasitism accelerates the evolution of nestling appearance in hosts, leading to co-evolution. #AfricanOrnithology
doi.org/10.1093/evol...
Speciation in indigobirds & whydahs occurs when they colonize new hosts. Males learn their host’s song, and females prefer males who sing like their hosts. If a female parasitizes a new host, her offspring form a new reproductively isolated lineage! #AfricanOrnithology
rdcu.be/eSYrl
Indigobirds & whydahs must mimic the markings inside the mouth of their hosts because host parents can detect odd chicks and feed them less than ones that match the appearance of their own offspring. #AfricanOrnithology
doi.org/10.1093/behe...
🪶The pygmy falcon relies solely on the iconic nest colonies of the sociable weaver in the Kalahari for breeding and roosting, typically occupying at least one "room" within the structure.
#PygmyFalcon #AfricanOrnithology
