White-winged Flufftail Sarothrura ayresi in Ethiopia

Allan, David G.; McInnes, Alistair; Wondafrash, Mengistu

doi:10.5962/p.309763

Cited by 5 publications

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“…The most prominent plant families present were the Cyperaceae, the Asteraceae and the Poaceae. This matches the findings of Allan et al [28] in the Berga marsh in Ethiopia, where the white-winged flufftail also occurs.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

“…This was also found by Allan et al [28] in the Berga marsh in Ethiopia, where the extensive grazing by domestic animals is causing large-scale degradation of the habitat. No white-winged flufftails were found in the areas where these anthropogenic activities occurred [28].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 77%

“…Allan et al [28] noted similar habitat in the Berga marsh in Ethiopia, where the white-winged flufftail was found to be breeding. Although not dominated by the same plant species as in the study sites, the wetland vegetation structure and water depth in the Berga marsh are similar to those of the wetlands studied.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

“…loss in vegetation cover, decline in species diversity, soil erosion), while the presence of cattle can also act as a deterrent and lead to the birds relocating to other suitable areas [4]. This was also found by Allan et al [28] in the Berga marsh in Ethiopia, where the extensive grazing by domestic animals is causing large-scale degradation of the habitat. No white-winged flufftails were found in the areas where these anthropogenic activities occurred [28].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Areas become unsuitable for the white-winged flufftail when vegetation structure is degraded [28]. The effect of cattle grazing is also evident in the dispersal of the declared alien invader weed Persicaria lapathifolia, which easily establishes in disturbed areas where moist conditions prevail [32].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A vegetation classification and description of white-winged flufftail ( Sarothrura ayresi ) habitat at selected high-altitude peatlands in South Africa

et al. 2021

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The white-winged flufftail is listed as critically endangered, and limited knowledge about the species' ecology has been identified as a limiting factor to effectively conserving the bird. Little is known about the vegetation inhabited by the white-winged flufftail, which hampers the identification and management of its habitat. This study presents a fine-scale classification and description of the vegetation of wetland sites where the bird is known to be present. A plant phytosociological study was conducted to describe the plant communities and vegetation structure of the habitat. Three sites were selected at Verloren Valei Nature Reserve and two at Middelpunt Wetland, Mpumalanga, South Africa, shortly after the white-winged flufftail breeding season. A total of 60 sample plots were placed within the study sites, where all plant species present were recorded and identified. Other aspects such as plant height, water depth and anthropogenic influences were also documented. A modified TWINSPAN analysis resulted in the identification of three sub-communities that can be grouped into one major community. The Cyperaceae, Asteraceae and Poaceae families dominate the vegetation, with the sedges Carex austro-africana and Cyperus denudatus being dominant, and the grasses Leersia hexandra and Arundinella nepalensis co-dominant. The broad habitat structure consisted of medium to tall herbaceous plants (0.5–0.7 m) with shallow slow-flowing water.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 77%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A vegetation classification and description of white-winged flufftail ( Sarothrura ayresi ) habitat at selected high-altitude peatlands in South Africa

et al. 2021

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Camera-trapping successfully and non-invasively reveals the presence, activity and habitat choice of the Critically Endangered White-winged Flufftail Sarothrura ayresi in a South African high-altitude wetland

Colyn¹,

Campbell²,

Smit‐Robinson

2019

Bird Conservation International

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SummaryThe ‘Critically Endangered’ White-winged Flufftail Sarothrura ayresi is regarded as one of the rarest and most threatened rallids in Africa. Due to the species’ low density, habitat preference, cryptic colouration, elusive behaviour and lack of auditory cues has resulted in it being one of the most challenging species to survey using traditional methods such as auditory surveys and rope dragging. Numerous data deficiencies exist regarding facets of the species’ ecology, distribution, habitat-use and population status. A stratified array of nine camera localities was used within high-altitude palustrine wetland habitat to ascertain if this non-invasive technique could successfully document the first estimate of site occupancy, fine scale habitat use and activity patterns of this very rare species. Our study accumulated a total of 626 camera days and eight independent sightings of White-winged Flufftail across the respective austral summer season. Furthermore, our study confirms the applicability of camera trapping to other rare and elusive rallid species. Our results confirm that White-winged Flufftail is a low-density habitat specialist species, with site occupancy influenced positively by basal and canopy vegetation cover and detection probability influenced negatively by water depth within associated wetland habitats. Activity pattern analyses displayed that peak activity occurred at dawn and dusk, which yielded the highest degree of activity overlap with the only other migratory rallid recorded, Spotted Crake Porzana prozana. Our study also recorded the first apparent territorial display behaviour noted for the species. Our study supports the need for conservation initiatives focused on securing contiguous sections of suitable wetland habitat in order to accommodate the persistence of this globally threatened species.

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The application of camera trapping to assess Rallidae species richness within palustrine wetland habitat in South Africa

Colyn¹,

Campbell

Smit‐Robinson³

2017

Ostrich

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White-winged Flufftail Sarothrura ayresi in Ethiopia

Cited by 5 publications

References 0 publications

A vegetation classification and description of white-winged flufftail ( Sarothrura ayresi ) habitat at selected high-altitude peatlands in South Africa

A vegetation classification and description of white-winged flufftail ( Sarothrura ayresi ) habitat at selected high-altitude peatlands in South Africa

Camera-trapping successfully and non-invasively reveals the presence, activity and habitat choice of the Critically Endangered White-winged Flufftail Sarothrura ayresi in a South African high-altitude wetland

The application of camera trapping to assess Rallidae species richness within palustrine wetland habitat in South Africa

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