Projects of the Avian Demography Unit

SAFRING
AFRING

History The idea of a coordinated ringing effort throughout Africa, called AFRING, is not a new idea. The idea was first proposed at the Third Pan-African Ornithological Congress, held at the Kruger National Park in 1969. During the Ringing meeting, Dr Zink proposed the following resolutions: Cooperation between ringing schemes in Africa, and between African and European schemes To that end, 2 immediate steps are: Develop a code for recoveries Compose a numbered checklist for all Ethiopian species Organize a meeting within 6 months to complete 2(a) Shortly afterwards the AFRING idea was taken further at the 15th International Ornithological Congress, 1970. The following countries were represented at the AFRING meeting: Angola, Ethiopia, South Africa, Congo, Nigeria, Zambia, East Africa, and Senegal. Two aims were agreed on (Bokmakierie 22:93, 1970): To standardise recovery data To put all African recovery records on standard forms Unfortuantely nothing happened for the next three decades, partly because South Africa became isolated from the rest of Africa due to apartheid. In 1998 a paper was presented at the Second The 2nd International Conference on Wetlands and Development in Senegal, promoting the idea of AFRING. One of the recommendations made as a result of this meeting (falling under the African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) was: 16. The development of an intra-Africa ringing co-ordination scheme (“AFRING”) is a very high priority. Similarly, the AEWA Implementation Priorities 2000-2004 list Priority No. 20 as follows: Coordination of waterbird ringing schemes, particularly in Africa. Ringing studies have contributed greatly to our current understanding of waterbird migration and ecology. Whilst in Europe, the EURING has provided international coordination between the various national ringing schemes, no homologue exists for Africa or SW Asia. It is proposed to support the deveopment of an African Ringing Scheme (AFRING), specifically for studies of migratory waterbirds. This will initially be through a coordinated study of intra-African migratory waterbirds. The project will have fixed goals and a five-year timetable. A second paper motivating the idea of AFRING was presented at the 2001 International Seminar on Bird Migration, in Israel. Several possible projects were proposed. Tasks of a proposed AFRING Model AFRING on EURING Standardize codes and methods Facilitate bird ringing – training workshops, provide rings, database management Provide leadership in all aspects of bird-marking in Africa Promote collaborative projects (by country/continent/flyway) Provide a secure backup for data Curate primary data of defunct schemes Analyse data, especially with respect to conservation and management issues Funds needed SAFRING, the South African Bird Ringing Unit, is able to host AFRING but three new posts are needed: Information systems specialist Researcher Fieldwork extension officer Proposed budget: R280 000 Salaries R100 000 Running costs & travel Next steps and possible projects SAFRING's journal, Safring News, has been changed to Afring News, to facilitate communication about bird ringing through Africa. Some of the greatest gaps in knowledge of African birds, that can be answered by ringing, include the following issues: Intra-African migration, e.g. Diederik Cuckoo, Whitethroated Swallow Annual survival Timing and duration of primary moult Table of potential ringing projects in Africa by species Species Latin Purpose Project White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus Movements, survival Engraved; satellite Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis Dispersal movements Engraved rings White Stork Ciconia ciconia Movements Satellite, new German rings Abdim's Stork Ciconia abdimii Movements Engraved rings Sacred Ibis Threskiornis aethiopicus Movements, survival Engraved rings African Spoonbill Platalea alba Movements Engraved rings Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus ruber Movements Engraved rings Egyptian Goose Alopochen aegyptiacus Movements, survival Ringing Southern Pochard Netta erythrophthalma Movements Ringing Knob-billed Duck Sarkidiornis melanotos Movements Ringing White-fronted Plover Charadrius marginatus Movements, ecology Colour rings Kittlitz's Plover Charadrius pecuarius Movements Colour rings Crowned Plover Vanellus coronatus Movements, survival Colour rings Blacksmith Plover Vanellus armatus Movements, survival Colour rings Turnstone Arenaria interpres Migration Colour rings Black-winged stilt Himantopus himantopus Movements, survival Colour rings Grey-headed Gull Larus cirrocephalus Local movements, survival Engraved rings Hartlaub's Gull Larus hartlaubii Local movements, survival Engraved rings Caspian Tern Hydroprogne caspia Local movements Engraved rings Swift Tern Sterna bergii Movements, ecology Engraved rings Common Tern Sterna hirundo Migration Counts; search for recoveries European Swallow Hirundo rustica Migration, wintering EURING Swallow project Red-billed Quelea Quelea quelea Movements Ringing

   
Office Avian Demography Unit
Enquiries/More Information: SAFRING safring@gmain-com
Last Modified 3 October 2001