Birds of Southern Africa [antikvár]

Southern Africa is host to an astounding variety of birdlife: from the fluttering sunbirdsand cisticolas of the south-western Cape to the soaring lammergeiers of the Drakensberg. Some 880 species are found on the subcontinent - one-tenth of all those known to man; 800 of these occur in South Africa alone. This figure is partly attributable to the massive increase in the region's bird population in summer, when migrants arrivefrom the north and south in their millions. Many of the terrestrial visitors are insect-eaters attracted by the abundance of newly hatched insects. Those from Europe and Asia - such as the white stork - and seabirds from the sub-Antarctic, among them albatrosses and petrels, do not breed during their sojourn here, whereas the visitors from farther north in Africa - swallows and cuckoos, for instance - do. In addition, there is a fair amount of movement within the subregion: some birds migrate to warmer, low-lying land to escape the winter cold of high altitudes, while others, such as raptors andlarks, follow the food supply in a nomadic existence. This book does not pretend to be comprehensive. Rather, it aims simply to provide a colourful glimpse at the diversity of our avifauna, and to introduce the reader to the more intriguing characteristics of some 75 species. Those selected have been grouped according to habitats, the ecological background against which bird distribution, appearance and behaviour are more easily understood. The point shouldbe made, though, that while the ranges of some species (such as most forest and aquatic birds) will be limited by very explicit requirements, those of other species may in fact extend right across the subcontinent (some doves, weavers, and many birds ofprey occur in a variety of habitats, for example). The categories serve merely as a guide to where one might be most likely to find a particular bird. The map on the inside of the back cover defines the habitat categories in broad terms. In multi-lingual southern Africa, each species may have any number of common names. To avoid confusion, we have included in the caption to each photograph thebird's full scientific name in italics. This consists of two parts: the generic name or genus, which denotes the grouping to which the bird belongs, followed by the specificname, which identifies the species to which it belongs. There is every reason to believe that all the birds of Africa have now been identified and named; hence science has been able to move on to deeper areas of research: into how birds live, why they behave the way they do and why they occur where they do. Unfortunately, such information is slow in permeating through to the community at large. For instance, it is popularly believed, contrary to all research findings, that many birds of prey make a habit of hunting domestic livestock, and this generalization has led to much ruthless slaughter, even helping to put the survival of some raptor speciesat risk.Many people would probably be surprised at just how much can be learnt, particularly with regard to a bird's role in its environment, by simply sitting quietly and watching it. To a greater or lesser degree, each species is specialized, having evolved over the generations to survive in its particular habitat. Each, too, has its own and unique way of communicating - through a distinctive vocabulary of sounds, and by 'body language',for which some feature of its anatomy is often specially adapted. In certain species, males temporarily don fancy-dress at the start of the breeding season in order to attract females. The private language of distinctive plumage and behavioural displays ensures that mating takes place only within the same species. When it comes to bird identification, the possibilities can be reduced by at least 75 per cent if one can answer the following questions: what is distinctive about its appearance; its song; its habitat and its behaviour within that environment? Finally, where was it sighted? Fortunately, there is a wealth of literature on the birds of this region, much of it suitable for the enthusiastic novice.