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Photo copyright A. Jenkins |
Natural Research has teamed up with the Percy FitzPatrick Institute (South Africa) and Hawk Mountain Sanctuary (USA) to run a pilot study on black harrier dispersal and habitat use.
The black harrier (Circus maurus) is a globally vulnerable species with an estimated world population of between 1000 – 2000 birds. This somewhat nomadic species is endemic to southern Africa with a core breeding population in the coastal and montane regions of the Western Cape Province of South Africa. Its breeding requirements have been intimately studied over the last seven years, with 90 nesting sites and over 200 breeding attempts monitored by the Western Cape Raptor Research Programme at the FitzPatrick Institute, University of Capetown.
However, one of the biggest unknowns about this species is the dispersal and habitat use of the harriers outside the breeding areas. Three main breeding regions have been identified in South Africa and in 2008, we will be attaching satellite transmitters to harriers from each region to determine the over-wintering locations of each ‘sub-population’, as well as tracking the birds’ return migration routes to their breeding grounds. Previous studies on colour-marked black harriers have demonstrated that this species is unusual amongst raptors in that they do not usually return to breed in the same area year after year, which may or may not be related to cyclical prey populations.
Funding for this project is provided by The Dogwood Trust.
For further information, please contact either Dr Rob Simmons: Rob.Simmons@uct.ac.za or Dr Ruth Tingay: ruth.tingay@natural-research.org
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