Migratory landbirds face increasing threats throughout their annual cycle, including along migration routes and at stopover sites. The European Turtle-dove Streptopelia turtur, listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN, suffers from habitat loss and from intense hunting pressure along its migratory flyways. While migration routes of western European breeding Turtle-doves are relatively well studied, those of populations of eastern origin remain poorly documented. This study presents the first detailed tracking of European Turtle-doves migrating from and through Central Asia and the Middle East into East Africa. Twenty-six individuals (mostly juveniles) were tagged with GPS devices in Azerbaijan in July 2023 (n = 10) and in Israel in autumn 2022 and 2023 (n = 16), of which 16 initiated southward migration, with two individuals providing data covering complete autumn migrations to South Sudan and Sudan. Their migration tracks included long non-stop flights of up to 752 km, including long sea and desert crossings. The Nile River served as a migration corridor across the desert for the tagged turtle-doves. During migration, the tagged turtle-doves stopped over in cultivated land along the Nile River. Findings from this study informed turtle-dove hunting policies in Israel.
Content of image described in text. Summary Climate change alters species distributions, and range-restricted species are particularly vulnerable. Our study used species distribution modelling under climate change for two montane bird species categorised as Near Threatened by the IUCN. The Drakensberg Rockjumper Chaetops aurantius and Mountain Pipit Anthus hoeschi are confined to the high-elevation mountains of South Africa and Lesotho. Understanding how their life histories mediate climate vulnerability is essential for conservation prioritisation. We used ensemble species distribution models within the BIOMOD 2 framework to predict changes in habitat suitability for both species under the high-emission SSP5-8.5 scenario for the years 2050–2080, relative to the current climate (1970–2000). The models predicted that both species are likely to experience contractions in their distribution ranges by the 2080s, with suitable climatic space persisting primarily in high-altitude areas of Lesotho and lower Drakensberg slopes. The Drakensberg Rockjumper exhibited severe declines, with mean suitability decreasing by 36.4% by 2050 and 63.5% by 2080, while the Mountain Pipit showed moderate declines of 4.4% and 18.9%, respectively. In terms of variable importance, the Drakensberg Rockjumper distribution is limited by temperature (22.4% importance), whereas the Mountain Pipit is limited by elevation (32.7%). Elevation-dependent patterns showed greater losses at lower elevations (1,500–2,000 m) for both species, with the Lesotho Highlands (>2,500) serving as climate refugia. Even within optimal high-elevation habitats, the Drakensberg Rockjumper’s distribution is projected to contract further. Its greater vulnerability to range loss than the Mountain Pipit is directly attributable to its sedentary life history and narrow habitat specificity, which limit its capacity to track shifting climatic conditions. We recommend reassessing the Drakensberg Rockjumper’s IUCN status, prioritising protection of high-elevation refugia, and considering assisted colonisation as a last-resort conservation measure. Future studies on physiological and ecological constraints will enhance understanding of their capacity to cope with climate change.
Using call playback, we present results on the density of Congo Peafowl Afropavo congensis and Forest Francolin Peliperdix lathami in Lomako Yokokala Faunal Reserve (LYFR) in the northwestern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) south of the Congo River. Both species responded to playback from their night roosts in trees. Our results provided an estimate of 2.8 (95% CI: 1.8-4.1) calling locations per km(2) of Congo Peafowl (24 records), and we observed group numbers ranging from 1 to 8 individuals (n = 6). Given the number of records of Congo Peafowl collected by rangers throughout the reserve (3,625 km(2)), and the vast majority being primary forest, we suggest the presence of a large viable population. Moreover, we present notes on the group composition and question its monogamous status in contemporary literature. We estimated an average density of 5.6 (95% CI: 4.1-7.3) males per km(2) (51 records) of the Forest Francolin and regard this as the density of male territories.
