African Wildlife & Environment Issue 80

BIRDING

in the Zambezi and the Okavango Delta. It is vulnerable to excessive disturbance by tourists, and to the growing pressures from anglers and livestock along the Zambezi and Okavango Rivers. Breeding success is low; in two colonies in the Panhandle of the Okavango only 6% and 13% of eggs produced fledglings. A management strategy is needed

the breeding area and their distinctive calls can be heard throughout these regions. In recent times there has been regular successful breeding recorded in the Letaba district in Limpopo. In 2016 skimmers bred for the first time in South Africa in 73 years Threats & conservation status As a piscivore, it is prone to bio-accumulation of pesticides such as DDT, used in the control of tsetse flies and malaria-carrying mosquitoes,

on the Zambezi and Okavango Rivers to increase the number of fledglings produced. Low, early exposed sandbanks surrounded by deep water should be identified and cleared of vegetation annually, providing habitat for roosting and especially breeding. In unprotected areas, education is needed to conserve the declining population from human disturbance and direct persecution. Based on the small population size and fragmentation of the range, the limited number of breeding sites are continuing to decline. The African Skimmer is classified as near threatened by IUCN.

John Wesson jwesson@wessanorth.co.za

FURTHER READING

Milstein, P Le S (2010). Remarkable Birds of South Africa. Briza Publications, Pretoria.

Peacock, Faansie (2018). Faansie's Bird Book - A Fully Fledged Field Guide...for Kids. Pavo publishers, Pretoria.

South African Bird Atlas Project 2. Animal Demographic Unit, University of Cape Town. Tarboton,WR. (2011). Roberts Nests & Eggs of Southern African Birds. John Voelcker Bird Book Fund, Cape Town.

Wikipedia

57 | African Wildlife & Environment | Issue 80 (2021)