OstrichPub Date : 2022-10-28DOI: 10.2989/00306525.2022.2140722
C. Downs, W. Cresswell, Liza Monteiro, Joanne Bezuidenhout, Nina Freysen-Pretorious, Alan Tristram Kenneth Lee, Preshnee Singh, S. Willows‐Munro
{"title":"The pros and cons of a virtual conference: the first virtual International Ornithological Congress held in 2022","authors":"C. Downs, W. Cresswell, Liza Monteiro, Joanne Bezuidenhout, Nina Freysen-Pretorious, Alan Tristram Kenneth Lee, Preshnee Singh, S. Willows‐Munro","doi":"10.2989/00306525.2022.2140722","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2989/00306525.2022.2140722","url":null,"abstract":"Scientific conferences are essential for exchanging ideas and knowledge among scientific communities (Sarvenaz 2020). They are important for sharing new ideas, discussion and networking, and traditionally involve face-to-face, live interactions. However, the number of congresses that have been presented in an alternative virtual format has increased exponentially with the restrictions imposed by the global COVID-19 pandemic (N Freysen-Pretorious, pers. obs.; Kuehne et al. 2022). As a result, there has been a plethora of publications assessing the implications of changing to a virtual format for a diverse range of disciplines, including the biological sciences (Barral 2020; Pacchioni 2020; van der Wal et al. 2022; Skiles et al. 2022; Kuehne et al. 2022). Many highlight how these virtual conferences raise accessibility, inclusiveness, interactions, and affordability, especially for women and early-career researchers. In addition, many highlight that virtual conferences will provide shortand long-term benefits for scientific communities. ‘Online access during the pandemic widened participation in scientific conferences for women, young scientists and those from lowand middle-income countries, and should be continued.’ (Johnson 2022) But some publications have also highlighted the negatives of virtual conferences, in particular, how some people are less likely to submit an abstract or attend a virtual conference and how professional development can be hindered (Woodruff et al. 2021). The International Ornithologists’ Union (IOU) has convened the world’s largest summits on avian biology since its first Congress in 1884. The International Ornithological Congress is held every four years to promote international cooperation in ornithological research, and was meant to occur in person in Durban, South Africa, in 2022. The IOU partnered with the University of KwaZulu-Natal to organise the 28th IOCongress® from 15 to 19 August 2022. The 22nd Congress was first held in Africa in 1998 (Berruti 1998), and almost 25 years later, we were looking forward to hosting it again in Africa. The organisation began in 2020; however, in January 2022, the decision to go virtual was taken primarily because of the probability of COVID-19 disrupting travel, and the economic downturn made it likely that a live conference would result in a substantial financial loss to the organisers. The Conference Company contracted Centium Events Air to host the conference fully virtually. This was the first time this IOCongress had taken place virtually, and the pros and cons were carefully considered. We have documented some of these here.","PeriodicalId":54655,"journal":{"name":"Ostrich","volume":"93 1","pages":"217 - 221"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2022-10-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46051416","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
OstrichPub Date : 2022-10-28DOI: 10.2989/00306525.2022.2145383
Alan T. K. Lee, Sophie AJ Hammer
{"title":"A comparison of migrant and resident bird population changes in South Africa using citizen science data: trends in relation to Northern Hemisphere distribution","authors":"Alan T. K. Lee, Sophie AJ Hammer","doi":"10.2989/00306525.2022.2145383","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2989/00306525.2022.2145383","url":null,"abstract":"Many species of migratory birds have been declining on the Palearctic-African flyways in recent decades due to human population pressure and land-use intensification. Models predict that the declining trends of migratory birds will continue into the foreseeable future across much of Africa, likely exacerbated by climate change. While sub-Saharan Africa is viewed as less important for these migrants than the Sahel, the region still receives many migrant species. We use the citizen science Southern African Bird Atlas Project data sets (SABAP1 and SABAP2) to determine relative change between atlas periods (1987–1991; 2007–2021). Firstly, we validate our metrics of population change on a dataset of 581 species that occur frequently in South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini by examining change in relation to migratory status (Palearctic, Intra-Africa or Resident) and other species’ traits. We found greatest declines in migrants but with magnitudes not as great as expected, with largest relative decreases for Palearctic migrants, and little difference between Intra-Africa migrants and residents. Declines were best described by size independent of migratory status, even when controlling for phylogeny. For the set of Palearctic migrants, we then examine if change is related to Northern Hemisphere distribution. We found greater decreases for birds with breeding grounds in southern Asia (India and south-eastern Asia) relative to Europe. These results are useful for conservation agencies wishing to extend ties to relevant researchers and conservationists in these regions, and highlights potential challenge areas for this set of birds on their breeding grounds.","PeriodicalId":54655,"journal":{"name":"Ostrich","volume":"93 1","pages":"160 - 170"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2022-10-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44388791","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
OstrichPub Date : 2022-10-17eCollection Date: 2022-12-01DOI: 10.1016/j.cjcpc.2022.10.003
Frédéric Dallaire
{"title":"Sounder Reporting of Study Results by Systematic Screening for Erroneous Interpretation of <i>P</i> Values and Statistical Tests in Cardiology.","authors":"Frédéric Dallaire","doi":"10.1016/j.cjcpc.2022.10.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cjcpc.2022.10.003","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":54655,"journal":{"name":"Ostrich","volume":"15 1","pages":"245-247"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-10-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10642109/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"80884294","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
OstrichPub Date : 2022-10-13DOI: 10.2989/00306525.2022.2113167
Taiwo A Adams, S. Ivande, M. Wilson
{"title":"Aspects of the nonbreeding ecology of the Tree Pipit Anthus trivialis in and around Amurum Forest Reserve, Jos Plateau, Nigeria","authors":"Taiwo A Adams, S. Ivande, M. Wilson","doi":"10.2989/00306525.2022.2113167","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2989/00306525.2022.2113167","url":null,"abstract":"To advance our knowledge about the nonbreeding ecology of the Tree Pipit Anthus trivialis, this study investigated its population dynamics, habitat utilisation and foraging behaviour, from October to December 2018, in and around the Amurum Forest Reserve, located in the guinea savannah zone of Nigeria, West Africa. The study area comprises four main habitat types: gallery forest, rocky outcrop, savannah and farmland. Distance sampling along six transect lines (total length ∼14.2 km) were used to estimate Tree Pipit abundance and density, while habitat utilisation and foraging behaviour were determined from 222 focal observations. Tree Pipit density in the study area averaged about 1 ind. ha-1 and differed significantly between habitats, being highest in savannah, followed by rocky outcrop, farmland and gallery forest. The vegetation characteristics percentage of grass cover, fruiting and flowering plants, and shrubs, as well as insect abundance, significantly influenced the distribution of Tree Pipits in the reserve. Tree Pipits were seen capturing their prey using two foraging techniques, of which gleaning on the ground was the most frequently observed. Variation in Tree Pipit abundance across the three-month study period suggests that many may have been on passage, with relatively few individuals remaining in the area as winter residents.","PeriodicalId":54655,"journal":{"name":"Ostrich","volume":"93 1","pages":"187 - 191"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2022-10-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43927691","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
OstrichPub Date : 2022-10-13DOI: 10.2989/00306525.2022.2128559
R. Mark Brigham, Peter Locke
{"title":"Hilery Desmond Jackson: ornithologist and museologist","authors":"R. Mark Brigham, Peter Locke","doi":"10.2989/00306525.2022.2128559","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2989/00306525.2022.2128559","url":null,"abstract":"Ostrich is co-published by NISC (Pty) Ltd and Informa UK Limited (trading as Taylor & Francis Group) Hilery Desmond Jackson, called Desmond and known as Des, was the only son of Clifford and Pat Jackson. He was born on 9 March 1935, in Balfour, Transvaal South Africa. He matriculated in 1951 with a distinction in mathematics. His early working career featured stints at the Department of Justice in Pretoria, then Coronation Collieries in Witbank where he was a Learner Official, doing mainly surveying. He spent 1954 doing the first year of a BSc (Mining Engineering) before returning to Coronation Collieries in 1955. He worked for the City of Johannesburg in 1956 as Technical Assistant doing surveying and drafting, mainly on road layouts, sewerage and water reticulations. He spent two years in Witbank in the same capacity. In 1959, Des joined the Grain Marketing Board of Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in Salisbury (now Harare) as a planning officer, and remained there until 1969. As a young man, Des spent much time flying for recreation and bird watching. The latter eventually became his primary pursuit and led to his career in ornithology. He was hired by the National Museums of Rhodesia as Keeper of Zoology in Umtali in 1970 and, when the long serving Curator of Umtali Museum (Donald Broadley) opted to relinquish his administrative role and revert to Keeper of Herpetology in 1973, the reins were handed over to Des who remained in that post until 1978. (Keepers of a department and Curators of museums were subsequently re-designated as Curators and Directors respectively.) He spent until 1974 collecting, processing and doing research on zoological specimens and undertaking an avifaunal survey of the Umtali Municipal Area, in particular the nightjars. Field expeditions took him all over Rhodesia and Malawi, and to parts of Zambia, Mozambique and Kenya. Detailed fieldwork on nightjars was carried out 50 km south of Umtali for several months each year from 1972 to 1975. After 1974, he focussed on Museum administration and development. As was his approach to all tasks, Des accepted the challenge with relish and introduced many new concepts and ideas into the running of the museum and, especially, the manner in which it interacted with the local community. This was a novel idea and Des was ahead of his time in this respect. He maintained that he wanted to dispel the stereotypical image of a Museum Curator as a bespectacled man in a white dust coat with a yellow duster in hand! Des correctly understood that for a museum to be successful in a small community, the local population needed to share and participate in its activities. To this end he created the Umtali Museum Scientific and Cultural Association (UMSCA), which all the small and fragmented clubs and societies in the city were invited to join. Under UMSCA’s ‘umbrella’, the clubs that were not viable on their own, joined forces, had a permanent meeting place, and contributed to a monthly magazine ","PeriodicalId":54655,"journal":{"name":"Ostrich","volume":"93 1","pages":"292 - 296"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2022-10-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43444587","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
OstrichPub Date : 2022-08-31DOI: 10.2989/00306525.2022.2103195
J. Ramírez, Javier Elorriaga, Andrés de la Cruz
{"title":"Cinereous Vulture Aegypius monachus movements between Europe and Africa show a pattern across the Strait of Gibraltar","authors":"J. Ramírez, Javier Elorriaga, Andrés de la Cruz","doi":"10.2989/00306525.2022.2103195","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2989/00306525.2022.2103195","url":null,"abstract":"The biology of the Cinereous Vulture Aegypius monachus is well known across its breeding range, and the species’ dispersal and movements throughout Europe are widely recorded. However, the ecology of this vulture south of the Mediterranean Sea has been overlooked, probably owing to the belief that the presence of Cinereous Vultures in North Africa derives from dispersal behaviour. Data from raptor watch records demonstrate a pattern of Cinereous Vultures flying to Africa in the autumn and returning to Europe in the spring, which does not fit with a dispersal movement. Furthermore, once in Africa, the destination of Cinereous Vultures is the Sahel Belt, where other vulture species, namely the Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus and Griffon Vulture Gyps fulvus, also overwinter.","PeriodicalId":54655,"journal":{"name":"Ostrich","volume":"93 1","pages":"151 - 156"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2022-08-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42715127","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
OstrichPub Date : 2022-08-19DOI: 10.2989/00306525.2022.2110535
Zanri Strydom, L. Waller, Mark Brown, H. Fritz, J. Venter
{"title":"The influence of nest location and the effect of predator removal on Cape Gannet Morus capensis egg predation by Kelp Gulls Larus dominicanus vetula","authors":"Zanri Strydom, L. Waller, Mark Brown, H. Fritz, J. Venter","doi":"10.2989/00306525.2022.2110535","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2989/00306525.2022.2110535","url":null,"abstract":"The breeding range of the Cape Gannet Morus capensis currently extends to six of the ten islands formerly utilised by this species. The Cape Gannet is classified as an endangered species with a rapidly declining population. Since the mid-1950s, the global population has declined by 51% due to multiple causes, including egg predation by the Kelp Gull Larus dominicanus vetula. To assess the effect of this predation, we monitored 100 nests over an 11-week period in 2018 at the Lambert’s Bay colony in South Africa. To assess the effect of selective predator removal on the likelihood of predation, data were collected from 2006 and 2018. Our objective was to assess whether nest location and predator removal affected the likelihood of egg predation. The peripheral nests saw a higher level of egg loss (average 1.5 eggs per week) compared with the central nests (average 1 egg per week). Predator control of Kelp Gulls was implemented in 2015, 2017 and 2018. Between years, selective culling decreased the number of Cape Gannet eggs predated. However, within years, except for 2015, the predation rate on Cape Gannet eggs increased post-culling during the same year of implementation. In all three of the implementation years, predation started again (within 48 hours) after the culling commenced. Predation by this indigenous gull species is natural; however, certain human activities might have supported larger populations of Kelp Gulls leading to elevated predation intensity. The most notable being the ever-increasing existence of dumpsites and other sources of food. Predation is affecting the Cape Gannet breeding population; therefore, we suggest that an alternative, long-term, and sustainable solution be planned and implemented to reduce the effects thereof.","PeriodicalId":54655,"journal":{"name":"Ostrich","volume":"93 1","pages":"120 - 128"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2022-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44181340","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
OstrichPub Date : 2022-08-19DOI: 10.2989/00306525.2022.2114640
Alan T. K. Lee
{"title":"How do we feel, African Ornithology? A sentiment analysis search for symptoms of eco-anxiety","authors":"Alan T. K. Lee","doi":"10.2989/00306525.2022.2114640","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2989/00306525.2022.2114640","url":null,"abstract":"Ostrich is co-published by NISC (Pty) Ltd and Informa UK Limited (trading as Taylor & Francis Group) This year the Cape Gannet Morus capensis has been chosen as South Africa’s Bird of the Year. A beautiful coastal bird, I have seen these foraging in large flocks which give the impression they are common and doing well, and so it has been concerning to learn that the species is Endangered, with ongoing population declines on its island colonies. The population is under pressure for food resources, as well as from natural predators, as we learn in Strydom et al. (2022). Koopman (2022) quotes this text as a description from over 100 years ago: ‘The Malagash, as it is called by the Colonists, or Common Gannet of South Africa, frequents, in countless thousands, the whole of our coastline....’. It is certainly countable in 2022 and becoming more so with passing time with fewer and fewer to count. This is a depressing situation, and yet another unfolding ecological tragedy. Learning about Cape Gannet made me sad, but it is not the only thing. Unfortunately, it appears we live in ‘interesting times’ as per the alleged Chinese curse. The past two years have been torrid, and I suspect few have not been affected by inconvenience at least, or the loss of loved ones at worst, due to the global COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns. As I write, the situation in Europe is very unsettled with the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. All this is set against the backdrop of climate change, with a mounting portfolio of associated disasters. Over the last decade we’ve also seen political polarisation, and a backlash against everything deemed to be too ‘left’, into which conservation initiatives are frequently lumped (Scholes 2013). In Africa, we are seeing the loss of natural environments to a combination of urban and agricultural expansion, ‘big development’, alien vegetation encroachment, human population pressure, climate change impacts resulting in floods, fires and droughts (Lees et al. 2022). We’ve seen the terms ‘eco-anxiety’ and ‘ecological grief’ coined to describe how people with a connection to nature now feel when faced with the loss of something very close to them, something with which there is a real emotional bond (Cunsolo and Ellis 2018). Grief is a powerful emotion: a rip in the fabric of our reality, but unlike grief felt with the passing of a loved one, ecological grief never ends: each tragedy is replaced by the next (Read 2022). The past two years has seen a lot of media attention on mental health. United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned that psychological suffering will outlast the coronavirus crisis, stating on 13 May 2020: ‘Even when the pandemic is brought under control, grief, anxiety and depression will continue to affect people and communities’. But how did we feel before and how do we feel now? Can we detect a changing pattern of sentiment in the titles and abstracts of some scientific journals? Although those should by t","PeriodicalId":54655,"journal":{"name":"Ostrich","volume":"93 1","pages":"141 - 146"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2022-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47435381","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
OstrichPub Date : 2022-08-19DOI: 10.2989/00306525.2022.2113926
Kezia Bowmaker-Falconer, A. Thiebault, M. Connan, T. Aubin, I. Charrier, P. Pistorius
{"title":"Sexual and individual signatures are encoded in the temporal rate of Cape Gannet Morus capensis display calls","authors":"Kezia Bowmaker-Falconer, A. Thiebault, M. Connan, T. Aubin, I. Charrier, P. Pistorius","doi":"10.2989/00306525.2022.2113926","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2989/00306525.2022.2113926","url":null,"abstract":"Vocalisations play a vital role in animal communication, as they are involved in many biological functions such as mate selection, individual recognition and care of young. Seabirds often breed in large and dense colonies, making successful recognition between mates or between parents and offspring crucial for reproductive success. Acoustic signals have been shown to play an important role in this regard for several seabird species. Furthermore, most seabird species, including the Cape Gannet Morus capensis, are monomorphic, making sex identification for research challenging. Identifying individual and sexual signatures in their vocal productions could thus facilitate sex identification in the field. This study aimed to better understand the potential use of vocalisations for sex and individual recognition in Cape Gannets by describing the acoustic structure of their display calls at the nest. Vocalisations of nesting Cape Gannets were recorded over a two-week period. Acoustic measurements were extracted from 80 calls (16 individuals) and included 36 variables in both temporal and frequency domains. Twenty acoustic variables showed significant differences in vocalisations between male and female Cape Gannets. However, values of the fundamental frequency and the average of Inter-Onset-Interval (time elapsed between successive sound units) appeared to be the most important acoustic variables for sex determination. Both temporal and frequency parameters showed a potential for individual identity coding, again with the average units’ Inter-Onset- Interval being the most important variable for individual identification for both females and males. This study provides the first evidence of sex-specific and individual vocal signatures in adult breeding Cape Gannets enhancing our understanding of the role of the display calls in mate recognition. From an applied perspective, identified sex-specific differences could potentially be used as a non-invasive method for field-based sex-determination.","PeriodicalId":54655,"journal":{"name":"Ostrich","volume":"93 1","pages":"106 - 119"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2022-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41635515","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
OstrichPub Date : 2022-07-20DOI: 10.2989/00306525.2022.2066215
M. Mwale, D. Dalton, A. S. Kropff, Kim Labuschagne, Isa-Rita M. Russo, S. T. Osinubi
{"title":"Genetic and morphological variation of Woodland Kingfisher Halcyon senegalensis reveals cryptic mitochondrial lineages and patterns of mitochondrial–nuclear discordance","authors":"M. Mwale, D. Dalton, A. S. Kropff, Kim Labuschagne, Isa-Rita M. Russo, S. T. Osinubi","doi":"10.2989/00306525.2022.2066215","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2989/00306525.2022.2066215","url":null,"abstract":"The Woodland Kingfisher Halcyon senegalensis is widely distributed throughout sub-Saharan Africa and occupies a wide variety of woodland and savannah habitat. Thus far, three subspecies have been described based on morphological variation. In the present study, using western, eastern and southern African populations, we examined the relationship between morphological and genetic divergence among two named subspecies, H. s. cyanoleuca and H. s. senegalensis, using three mitochondrial markers (CO1, Cytb, 16S) and two nuclear markers (FIB5 and RAG1). Southern birds showed clear evidence for morphological divergence, with a longer wing and tail length, when compared with eastern and western birds. Phylogenetic analyses using Bayesian methods identified two well-characterised genetic clusters, representing the two subspecies. We determined that H. s. senegalensis and H. s. cyanoleuca are closely related subspecies that split recently, approximately 0.66–1.31 MYA in the Pleistocene. Furthermore, genetic substructure was evident within H. s. senegalensis, with three distinct genetic clusters in each region. The separation between the Ghana+Gabon and Uganda lineages of H. s. senegalensis occurred approximately 0.12–0.57 MYA. Nuclear–mitochondrial discordance was detected, however, wherein the pattern of divergence was not detected in the RAG1 and FIB5 sequences. Our results suggest that climate change, biogeographic barriers and local adaptation has played a role in the diversification of Woodland Kingfishers in Africa.","PeriodicalId":54655,"journal":{"name":"Ostrich","volume":"93 1","pages":"192 - 207"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2022-07-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45159745","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}