Adrian Craig

Rhodes University | RU · Department of Zoology and Entomology

In ecological studies sampling must be stratified to ensure a sample population that best represents the entire population studied. Meta-analyses assessing global patterns should also use a stratified data structure to ensure unbiased results. We show that this is generally not the case, as individual studies are heavily biased toward the Norther...

Ringing activity in the Eastern Cape province, South Africa, spanned 30 years, with three sites active concurrently over a 14-year period, and three sites over a 6-year period. In total, in the course of 714 ringing days, in all months, we handled 1 207 Amethyst Sunbirds, 708 Southern Double-collared Sunbirds, 707 Greater Double-collared Sunbirds,...

Ant-following birds have been studied extensively in the Neotropics, but much less information is currently available for the Afrotropics. There are published records of 168 African bird species from 37 families foraging in association with driver ants (Dorylus, sub-family Dorylinae). However, of 52 bird species assessed as regular ant-followers, 3...

Mixed-species flocks of foraging insectivorous birds are found worldwide and have been best studied in the Neotropical region. A survey of the published literature reveals that mixed-species flocks (often termed ‘bird parties’) comprised of 2–30 species and sometimes >70 individual birds are regularly encountered in forest and woodland habitats thr...

Recent research into starling species has revealed the existence of vocal social markers and a link between song temporal structuring and social organisation. The aim of the present study was to develop a genetic tool for understanding the population structuring and behaviour (social/parental transmission) and mating in Pale-winged Starlings ( Onyc...

Arabuko Sokoke Forest (ASF) is the largest area of coastal forest remaining in East Africa and a major Important Bird Area in mainland Kenya. The study analysed data from point count surveys over 15 months in three land use types; primary forest (PF), plantation forest (PL), and farmlands (FM), and compared these to the first comprehensive bird che...

In Makhanda (Grahamstown), a non-industrial town with approximately 85 000 inhabitants, we have recorded 174 bird species within the urban area, of which 104 species are likely to breed regularly. The source habitats of these birds include all the surrounding habitat types, and the bird community is evidently determined by both local conditions wit...

Published records by bird clubs in Port Elizabeth, Kenton-on-Sea and Grahamstown (Makhanda) show that until 1980 Pied Crows were seldom recorded in this sector of the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Port Elizabeth, and apparently also East London, was colonised by Pied Crows in the 1980s, whereas the first records for Kenton-on- Sea and Port Alfred on...

The avifauna of this forest reserve has been surveyed, based on observations and mist-netting over a ten-year period. We have recorded 175 species, of which 56 are considered "true" forest birds in this region. These include four summer migrants, and four occasional visitors; the others are likely to be resident. Four species of conservation concer...

This 381-paged book covers the biology, ecology, impact and management of 34 common alien invasive species, with reviews on the history and context of avian introductions and invasions in five major regions (Oceania, Africa, Europe (including the Middle East, Asia and South America)), as well as management challenges and the potential of citizen sc...

Vocal communication plays an important role in the regulation of social interactions and the coordination of activities in many animal species. Synchrony is an essential part of the establishment and maintenance of pair bonds, but few reports have investigated decision-making at the pair level. We investigated temporal characteristics of call excha...

Seasonal altitudinal migration to lower altitudes including the coast has been ascribed to a number of forest birds, of which 14 species occur at Fort Fordyce Reserve in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Based on our observations and ringing at this site (2007–2017), as well as concurrent data from the South African Bird Atlas Project (SABAP2), we su...

Land use change can have profound effects on forest ecology, particularly on the avian community. Arabuko-Sokoke Forest, one of the Important Bird Areas (IBAs) in Kenya, is under threat due to ongoing land use change in the surroundings that could affect species composition of many bird guilds. However, information on the response of different guil...

en Arabuko Sokoke Forest is the largest remaining single block of indigenous dry coastal tropical forest in Eastern Africa. Households within a 5 km buffer zone depend heavily on the forest for their livelihood needs, and the pressure on forest resources is on the increase. In May 2015, 109 households were interviewed on resources they obtain from...

There is an isolated breeding population of Blue Cranes Anthropoides paradiseus around Etosha Pan, in northern Namibia, despite a lack of regular reports of the species from adjoining regions of Botswana, southern Namibia or even north-western South Africa. A search for historical records of Blue Cranes north of South Africa suggests occasional vag...

Simple measures of population dynamics and energy consumption can provide baseline information on the role of consumers in food webs, particularly for cryptic or highly-mobile species of waterbirds. We provide estimates of the seasonal population dynamics and energy consumption of waterbirds along the Kowie Estuary, South Africa. Ten census counts...

Opening with an account of the Greater Honey guide and its long association with man in Africa, this book sets the scene for a new historical approach to how ornithology with its northern hemisphere traditions has interacted with information provided by African people. The title Birders of Africa suggests a wider readership than the academic target...

Background An important aspect of the dynamics of nutrients and pollutants in natural systems is captured in the concept of allochthony, founded on the observation that nutrients and energy in a variety of forms are transferred between adjacent habitats, communities and ecosystems that are not routinely considered as connected. Different forms of...

Turn-taking in conversation appears to be a common feature in various human cultures and this universality raises questions about its biological basis and evolutionary trajectory. Functional convergence is a widespread phenomenon in evolution, revealing sometimes striking functional similarities between very distant species even though the mechanis...

Accurate sexing of birds is vital for behavioral studies but can be a real problem in the field, especially for monomorphic species. Our goal here was to characterize the morphology of male and female monomorphic pale-winged starlings (Onychognathus nabouroup), a South African sturnid whose plumage is sexually monomorphic. Morphological measurement...

Pale-winged Starlings Onychognathus nabouroup inhabit the arid western interior of southern Africa and moult-breeding overlap may occur. We collected field data in two successive years on the moult of individual birds, whose sex was confirmed by genetic techniques. Small samples revealed a non-significant tendency for the moult of females in the ea...

The abundance of consumers and the availability of resources are often linked, and birds are known to track food resources at a variety of spatial and temporal scales. This study describes the seasonal influx of nectar-feeding birds during flowering in a 51-ha stand of Aloe ferox in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, over 5 years (2008–09 and 2011–13)...

In southern African passerine birds, the timing of moult often varies regionally in relation to breeding season and patterns of rainfall, and may also differ between sexes in sexually dimorphic species. However, the relationship between feeding ecology and moult has not been studied in this region. We investigated primary-moult, body-mass and wing-...

Based on large samples of birds mist-netted in the Eastern Cape and the Western Cape, moult of the primary remiges in both Speckled Mousebirds Colius striatus and Red-faced Mousebirds Urocolius indicus occurred throughout the year with no regional or seasonal patterns evident. The same picture emerged for the White-backed Mousebird Colius colius in...

Reviews of nectar-feeding by birds initially focused on specialist nectarivores and ignored the role that more generalist feeders may play in plant pollination. Recent work has emphasised the range of bird species, both specialist and opportunistic, that feed on nectar. In this review, I collate published information on nectar-feeding by weavers, h...

We analysed, for the first time, songs of the African Red-winged Starling Onychognathus morio and compared their general characteristics with those of the European Starling Sturnus vulgaris. Both species are gregarious during the non-breeding season, but European Starlings tend to nest in colonies, form unstable pair-bonds and are occasionally poly...

Seasonal migration by Splendid Glossy Starlings has been confirmed only for Kenya and Zambia. Populations in almost all other countries have been categorised as ‘resident’ by some observers, but ‘nomadic’ is a more accurate description of their status. The breeding season is accurately known for few localities. Estimates for the duration of wing mo...

For many years the status of Ploceus ruweti Louette and Benson 1982, described from the unique male type specimen obtained in 1960 at Lake Lufira (an artificial impoundment on the Lufira River), remained obscure. However, in 2009 MH revisited the type locality, photographed the birds breeding there (including females and young birds), and recorded...

A protected area since 1999, Kwandwe Private Game Reserve incorporates several former farms, for which past records of bird occurrences are available. No bird species appear to have been lost from the area. Between 2001 and 2005, a group of observers conducted systematic bird surveys in most months, which allowed the status (resident, migrant or ir...

A protected area since 1999, Kwandwe Private Game Reserve incorporates several former farms, for which past records of bird occurrences are available. No bird species appear to have been lost from the area. Between 2001 and 2005, a group of observers conducted systematic bird surveys in most months, which allowed the status (resident, migrant or ir...

Using the SAFRING database and the Underhill-Zucchini model of primary moult, we analysed the timing of wing moult in Southern Red Bishops Euplectes orix in relation to sex and geographical region. Birds from the winter rainfall region in the south-western sector of the Western Cape start the annual moult more than two months before any other popul...

The dramatic visual displays of the Euplectes-♂♂ have led to their vocalizations being neglected. 6 ♂♂ of Euplectes franciscanus and E. afer, and 2 E. hordeaceus- ♂♂ were kept in aviaries in sound-proof rooms, where vocalizations were recorded during observations of their behaviour, and later analysed on a sound spectrograph.The calls described and...

Moult, breeding and seasonal occurrence of the Wattled Starling Creatophora cinerea throughout its range in Africa are reviewed based on data from museum specimens and the published literature. Neither moult nor breeding follows a rigid seasonal pattern, although there are some regional differences, and overlap between moult and breeding is unlikel...

No evidence for sexual selection in the evolution of tail-length or wing-length in widow birds and bishopbirds (genus Euplectes) was found when the methods used by previous authors were applied to a larger set of data. Nuptial tail-length dimorphism scaled with body size dimorphism except in Euplectes progne, and interpopulation variation in taille...

Wing-moult of the Cape Glossy Starling, Red-winged Starling, Pale-winged Starling and Pied Starling was examined primarily from specimens in southern African museums. Breeding data were obtained from nest record cards.The Cape Glossy Starling breeds from October to March, with the moult period from December to May. There is no evidence of moult-bre...

We analysed, for the first time, songs of the African Red-winged Starling Onychognathus morio and compared their general characteristics with those of the European Starling Sturnus vulgaris. Both species are gregarious during the non-breeding season, but European Starlings tend to nest in colonies, form unstable pair-bonds and are occasionally poly...

Ficus burtt-davyi is a shrub or small tree found in the south and east of South Africa. Based on studies carried out in an area where the plant grows mainly as a rock-splitter, we first describe the nature and timing of the fruit resources it offers to potential dispersal agents, and then the animals that feed on the fruits. The figs are eaten by a...

Based on all published records, together with the original data for the southern African bird atlas, the current Birds in Reserves Project and our records on field trips, 257 bird species have been reliably recorded from MZNP. We have assessed the current status of all species, in relation to the recent expansion of the park and other changes which...

The history of the Department of Zoology & Entomology at Rhodes University is traced from its origin with a single staff member, through the era of permanent heads of department to the present day staff. Significant achievements and developments in teaching and research are highlighted, and some anecdotal material is included.

Two central African forest weavers, Ploceus aureonucha and P. flavipes, are known only from < 10 specimens each since 1920, and < 3 sightings each in the past 40 years. A re-examination of the available data raised the possibility that these taxa might be hybrids. For P. flavipes, the postulated parental species are P. nigerrimus X P. albinucha. Fo...

Cape White-eyes are widespread in South Africa, occurring in different climatic regions. We analysed primary moult data for large samples of this species from three geographical regions. There were no apparent long-term changes in duration or timing of moult during the nine years that the Western Cape results were collected, but sites within this r...

An initial survey of iris coloration in passerine birds (Aves: Passeriformes) showed that a brightly pigmented iris is much more common in southern African and Australian birds than in those from Europe, temperate North America, and Venezuela. However, the only statistical correlation reflected the distribution of particular bird families in these...

We compared a data set from the Western Cape, South Africa (GDU, n = 170 Olive Thrushes (Turdus olivaceus), n = 475 Cape Robins (Cossypha caffra)) with our captures in the Eastern Cape, South Africa (n = 197 Olive Thrushes, n = 203 Cape Robins). In both regions Olive Thrushes began moult in December-January, while wing-moult lasted for 89 days in t...

Cliff-nesting pale-winged starlings (Onychognathus nabouroup) gather on the cliff tops to perform Group Displays which include both aggressive and courtship elements: Hopping, Wing Stretching, Wing Drooping, Wing Flicking, Staring, Head Forward Threat and Butterfly Fluttering. These displays occur throughout the year, most frequently in the late af...

During a study of granivorous birds in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, we have recorded the timing of moult in the Cape Weaver Ploceus capensis, the Spotted-backed Weaver Ploceus cucullatus, the Masked Weaver Ploceus velatus, the Red-billed Quelea Quelea quelea, and the Red Bishop Euplectes orix. Differences in the local moult schedules of these sp...

Craig, A.J.F.K. 2000. Evolutionary trends in southern African glossy starlings (Lamprotornis). Ostrich 71 (1 & 2): 244?245. In southern African six Lamprotornis species occur in savanna woodland. Locally up to five species may be sympatric, dependent on similar food sources and sharing roost sites. All are obligate tree-hole nesters. Morphological...

Craig, A.J.F.K. 1999. Anting in Afrotropical birds: a review. Ostrich 70 (3&4): 203–207.Passive anting has been recorded from four non-passerine species in Africa, the Rock Kestrel Falco tinnunculus, the African Finfoot Podica senegalensis, the African Hoopoe Upupa epops and the Whitebacked Mousebird Colius colius. Active or passive anting has been...

Lloyd, P., Hulley, P.E. & Craig, A.J.F.K. 1999. Song sharing by neighbourhood groups of territorial male Blackeyed Bulbuls. Ostrich 70 (3&4): 208?213 The territorial song of the Blackeyed Bulbul Pycnonotus barbatus is described for a population followed over two breeding seasons in suburban Grahamstown, South Africa. The Blackeyed Bulbul has a disc...

We tested two substances (oxytetracycline and rhodamine B) that can be added to food or water of free-living birds, and serve as markers in their plumage for later identification. Oxytetracycline produced no detectable changes in the plumage of red bishops or redbilled queleas. Rhodamine B fed to captive birds produced fluorescence in the wing feat...

Avian systematics in southern Africa has been heavily dependent on a small number of museum-based specialists. They produced bird checklists which prescribed the names to be used by other scientists. After an initial phase of cataloguing the avifauna, a major preoccupation was the description of geographical variation, which was documented in an ex...

Lloyd, P., Craig, A.J.F.K., Hulley, P.E., Essop, M.F., Bloomer, P. & Crowe, T.M. 1997. Ecology and genetics of hybrid zones in the southern African Pycnonotus bulbul species complex. Ostrich 68 (2–4): 90–96.The closely related Blackeyed Bulbul Pycnonotus barbatus, Cape Bulbul P. capensis and Redeyed Bulbul P. nigricans have parapatric to locally sy...

Lloyd, P., Hulley, P.E. & Craig, A.J.F.K. 1996. Comparisons of the vocalizations and social behaviour of southern African Pycnonotus bulbuls. Ostrich 67: 118–125.Vocalizations and associated behaviour of three Pycnonotus species are described, based on field observations and tape recordings from which sonagrams were produced. These species, which a...

Cape White-eyes (Zosterops pallidus) frequently feed on nectar during early winter. This feeding can leave feathers on the forehead matted with nectar and pollen. At least some individuals then shed these feathers, at a time when the annual complete molt has already been terminated. It is suggested that such localized replacement of fouled plumage...

The surface structure of iridescent sunbird feathers was examined using scanning electron microscopy, and their internal structure was described from transmission electron micrographs. Non-iridescent feathers showed a different internal arrangement of melanin granules, whereas the surface structure resembled that of iridescent plumage regions. The...

Craig, A.J.F.K. & Hulley, P.E. 1994. Sunbird movements: a review, with possible models. Ostrich 65: 106–110.Based on current fieldwork, we propose four possible models to explain the winter influx of sunbirds which we have observed: the birds may be (1) “winter residents”, which move annually to a wintering area and remain there; (2) “shoppers”, wh...

Craig, A. J. F. K. 1992. The distribution of the Wattled Starling in southern Africa. Ostrich 63:31-37.Dated distribution records of the Wattled Starling Creatophora cinerea have been assembled from the literature, museum specimens, atlas records, and other unpublished observations. The bulk of these records are from the period 1980–89. Breeding re...

Pale-winged starling Onychognathus nabouroup is found throughout the arid western region of southern Africa, while the red-winged starling O. morio is distributed over the eastern part of Africa from South Africa to Ethiopia. In the interior of South Africa the two species occur in sympatry, but do not hybridise nor compete for limited resources. A...

Craig, A.J.F.K., Hulley, P.E. & Walter, G.H. 1991. The behaviour of Palewinged Starlings, and a comparison with other Onychognathus species. Ostrich 62:97-108.Pairs of Palewinged Starlings associate throughout the year and roost at the nest sites. Flock sizes are generally small, even during the non-breeding season. Allofeeding and allopreening hav...

Craig, A. J. F. K., Hulley, P. E. & Walter, G. H. 1989. Nesting of sympatric Redwinged and Pale-winged Starlings. Ostrich 60:69-74.Observations were made over four breeding seasons at Cradock, South Africa, where Redwinged Starlings Onychognathus morio and Palewinged Starlings O. nabouroup nest on the same cliffs. Nests were not accessible, and the...

Craig, A.J.F.K. 1989. A review of the biology of the Blackbellied Starling and other African forest starlings. Ostrich suppl. 14: 17–26.The Blackbellied Starling Lamprotornis corruscus is the only true forest starling in southern Africa. At the southern end of its coastal range it is an irregular visitor, and it may move according to food availabil...

Craig, A. J. F. K. 1987. Co-operative breeding in the Pied Starling. Ostrich 58:176-180.Pairs of Pied Starlings Spreo bicolor build the nest, but only the female incubates. After the chicks hatch, subadult and juvenile birds help feed the young. Helpers also feed young after they leave the nest. In most cases parents contribute more than the helper...

Craig, A. J. F. K. 1985. Breeding condition of male Red Bishops under artificial photoperiods. Ostrich 56: 74–78.Testis development, as indicated by bill colour changes, and moult were followed over two years in nine birds kept under constant conditions of 14 h light:10 h dark. All birds maintained at least partial nuptial dumage throughout this pe...

Craig, A. J. F. K. 1985. The distribution of the Pied Starling, and southern African biogeography. Ostrich 56:123-131.The Pied Starling is restricted to South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland, but within this region it occupies a variety of habitats. Its modern distribution is certainly influenced by its association with man. However, a comparison wit...

The species concept and current ideas on speciation are relevant to the debate on the significance of competition theory in community ecology. The speciation event and the subsequent post-speciation history of a species must be distinguished when applying competition theory. For post-speciation events we draw the important distinction between local...