Abstract
Only one species of parrot is considered
at risk on the African continent,
that being the Black-cheeked Lovebird.
With the most restricted range of
any agapornid, the Black-cheeked is a
lowland bird inhabiting river valleys in
southwest Zambia along the Zambesi
River. While Forshaw documents its
sporadic occurrence at Victoria Falls
in far northwestern Zimbabwe, other
authors claim it is now extinct in
Zimbabwe. As is the fate of most parrots,
trapping for the live bird trade
has contributed greatly to its current
threatened status. While not common
in aviculture in the United States,
several small colonies do exist in private
collections.
While finches have been exported.
in large numbers from the African
continent, only two waxbills and eight
weavers seem not to be faring well.
The Anambra Waxbill is found along
rivers and lagoons in southern
Nigeria. The other threatened waxbill
is the Black-lored Waxbill that inhabits
the grassy plains along the Lualaqba
River and along Lake Upemba
in southern Zaire. As with the multitude
of weavers to follow, the waxbills
seem to occur in a very small
range making tl1em extremely vulnerable
to habitat destruction.
Threatened African birds of interest
to aviculturists (from: ICBP World
Checklist of Threatened Birds, Mise
Pub. No. 8 Collar and Andrews, editors):
Swierstra's Francolin, Wattled
Crane, Northern Bald Ibis, Marbled
Teal, White-headed Duck, Houbara
Bustard, Black-cheeked Lovebird,
Price Ruspoli's Touraco, Ankober
Serin, Yellow-throated Serin, Ethiopian
Brush-crow, White-breasted
Guineafowl, Abbott's Starling, Jackass
Penguin, African Green Broadbill,
Congo Peacock, Marungu Sunbird,
Rockefeller's Sunbird, Anambra Waxbill,
Black-lored Waxbill, Lake Lufira
Weaver, Golden-naped Weaver, Yellow-
legged Weaver, Black-chinned
Weaver, Loango Slender-billed
Weaver, Clarke's Weaver, Bannerman's
Weaver, Bates' Weaver.
Of the eight species of weavers, four
occur in Zaire, again with small
ranges. Some, such as the Loango
Slender-billed Weaver, seem to be disappearing
without obvious threat.
Few of the remaining species on the
list are known to aviculturists. Prince
Ruspoli's Touraco also has a small
range in souiliern Ethiopia. It may also
face risk from competition from the
White-cheeked Touraco. The Marbled
Teal's range spans from north Africa to
Spain, Pakistan and Iraq yet it is considered
one of the rarest of European
ducks. It is however, considered
widespread and well established in
captivity. The other rare African spe
cies of waterfowl also has a wide range.
The White-headed Duck
breeds along the western Mediterranean
and winters in north Africa. While
considered declining in many areas, it
is not well established in captivity
except at the Wildfowl Trust and in a
few additional collections.
Additonal species of concern in
Africa include two species of serins
and sunbirds, as well as a starling,
crow, penguin, broadbill, peacock
(the only peacock in Africa), bustard,
crane, ibis and francolin.
With the exception of South Africa
which has well over a hundred professional
ornithologists, the rest of Africa
seems to exhibit the same wildlife
conservation challenges as most
developing or third world nations.
What conservation work is being
done is coordinated through the various
universities, museums and zoos
that can afford such activities. The Pan
African Ornithological Congress and
Pan African Association of Zoological
Gardens, Aquaria and Botanical Gardens
serve to pull it somewhat
together. As with the rest of the world,
birds of prey and parrots are dealt
with to a greater degree than insect or
fruit eating species. Foreign
speresearchers
play an important roll
bringing expertise and funding to deal
with species that otherwise would not
be studied. While a great deal of conservation
work needs to be done in
west African countries, few ornithologists
are willing to risk "life and
limb" for such a cause.
In South Africa both conservation
and avicultural organizations are well
represented, the Endangered Wildlife
Trust being one such forward-thinking
conservation body. Aviculturists have
both the A vicultural Council of South
Africa as well as the excellent avicultural
publication "Avizandum".
With imports dwindling in the near
future many will likely focus on Australian
and South American species.
Particularly with the finches, our
actions today will determine the diversity
available to "fledgling" aviculturists
tomorrow. We can only hope
that it will always be possible to add a
touch of Africa to our aviaries. Who
knows, perhaps along the way we
may develop the methodology
needed to save a weaver or lovebird
or serin from planetary extinction as well.