The São Tomé Grosbeak Neospiza concolor is a contender for being one of the most enigmatic bird species on the planet.
This Critically Endangered species is one of the rarest – or least observed – birds in the world, and its peculiar morphology resulted in it being placed in its own genus of uncertain affinities.
Based on the shape of its head and on its massive bill, the São Tomé Grosbeak was originally placed with the Thickbilled Weaver Amblyospiza albifrons. In 1903, other traits were used to place it in the true finches (Fringillidae), related to canaries and seedeaters (Serinus sensu lato). This is the current taxonomic view, but debate persisted throughout the 20th century about the true relationships of the species, with Ernest Moreau retaining the link to Amblyospiza in 1962. Genetic material was needed to confidently clarify the origins of Neospiza, but that is hard to come by for a bird that was not seen for close to a century. However, during his research on the origins of the endemic avifauna of the Gulf of Guinea, Martim Melo captured and bled four individuals between 2003 and 2011. These four samples provided sufficient material to infer the species’ evolutionary history.
Denne historien er fra July - August 2017-utgaven av African Birdlife.
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Denne historien er fra July - August 2017-utgaven av African Birdlife.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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EXPLORING NEW HORIZONS
Keith Barnes, co-author of the new Field Guide to Birds of Greater Southern Africa, chats about the long-neglected birding regions just north of the Kunene and Zambezi, getting back to watching birds and the vulture that changed his life.
footloose IN FYNBOS
The Walker Bay Diversity Trail is a leisurely hike with a multitude of flowers, feathers and flavours along the way.
Living forwards
How photographing birds helps me face adversity
CAPE crusade
The Cape Bird Club/City of Cape Town Birding Big Year Challenge
water & WINGS
WATER IS LIFE. As wildlife photographer Greg du Toit knows better than most.
winter wanderer
as summer becomes a memory in the south, the skies are a little quieter as the migrants have returned to the warming north. But one bird endemic to the southern African region takes its own little winter journey.
when perfect isn't enough
Egg signatures and forgeries in the cuckoo-drongo arms race
Southern SIGHTINGS
The late summer period naturally started quietening down after the midsummer excitement, but there were still some classy rarities on offer for birders all over the subregion. As always, none of the records included here have been adjudicated by any of the subregion's Rarities Committees.
flood impact on wetland birds
One of the features of a warming planet is increasingly erratic rainfall; years of drought followed by devastating floods. Fortunately, many waterbirds are pre-adapted to cope with such extremes, especially in southern Africa where they have evolved to exploit episodic rainfall events in semi-arid and arid regions. But how do waterbirds respond to floods in areas where rainfall - and access to water - is more predictable? Peter Ryan explores the consequences of recent floods on the birds of the Western Cape's Olifants River valley.
a star is born
It’s every producer’s dream to plan a wildlife television series and pick the right characters before filming.
