Table Of Content1 1
Shortcommunications 47
adult birds as prey I have found in the literaturerelate to exampleskilled in grass fires
(Brown,etal. 1982,Kemp1985).TheMarshWarblerspreyedonatNguliamayhavebeen
exhaustedorinpoorconditionaftertheirmigrationalthoughtheywereactiveenoughto
requirethe Secretary Bird torun afterthemandthenimmobilizethemwithkicks.
Nikolaus (1990)reported shrikesLaniidaefeeding on migrating MarshWarblersin a
desertoasis in the Sudan. In addition, the timing ofthe breeding ofEleonora's Falcons
FalcoeleonoraeandSootyFalconsF.concolortocoincidewiththeautumnmigrationof
small passerines is well known (Cramp & Simmons 1980, Walter 1979). Whether
Secretary Birds regularly exploit concentrations of grounded warblers remains to be
shown byfurtherobservation.
References
Brown, L.H., Urban, E.K. & Newman, K. (eds) 1982. The birds ofAfrica. Vol I. London:
AcademicPress.
Cramp,S.&Simmons,K.E.L.(eds) 1980.HandbookofthebirdsofEurope,theMiddleEastand
NorthAfrica. Vol. 2. Oxford: OxfordUniversityPress.
Kemp,A.C.1985.Secretary-bird,inAdictionaryofbirds(Campbell,B.&Lack,E.,Eds).Calton:
Poyser.
Nikolaus,G. 1990.ShrikesLaniidaefeedingonMarshWarblersAcrocephaluspalustrisduring
migration.Scopus 14: 26-28.
Pearson, D.J. & Backiiurst, G.C. 1976. The southward migration of Palaearctic birds over
Ngulia,Kenya.Ibis 118: 78-105.
Walter,H. 1979.Eleonora'sFalcon,adaptationstopreyandhabitatinasocialraptor.Chicago:
UniversityofChicagoPress.
SusanneAkesson,DepartmentofEcology,AnimalEcology,LundUniversity,Ecology
Building,S-223 62,LundSweden
Scopus 15:46^7,August 199 Received 13 May 199
Harrier Hawk Polyboroides typus breaks open tree hole to aid prey capture
On27July1990nearKibokoontheNairobi-Mombasaroad,weobservedanadultHarrier
Hawk Polyboroides typus as it foraged in mature Acacia xanthophloea. The bird was
searchingholesandothercavitiesintheclassicmanner,clingingprecariouslyandflapping
itswingsforbalanceateachstop.Afterafewminutes,itreachedintoaholeandgrabbed
asmallmammalwhichitcarriedtoaperchwhichwastooheavilyscreenedbyvegetation
toallow usagoodview. On finishing, thehawkreturnedtothe sametree holeand, after
amomentortwoofdelvingwithitsleg,proceededtodismantletheentrancewithbilland
foot, stopping every few seconds to delve again. After five minutes ofmodification, a
second small mammalwascaptured andcarriedoffto the sameperch. Positiveidentifi-
cationwasimpossible,butthepreywassimilarinsizetoanacaciaratThallomyspaedulcus.
Whilehunting,harrierhawksarewellknowntodestroynests,likeasthoseofweavers
Ploceinae(Brown,Urban&Newman, 1982),butsuchmodificationoftreeholesmaybe
lesscommon, andit seems worthreporting.
48 Shortcommunications
Reference
Brown,L.H.,Urban,E.K.&Newman,K.(1982)ThebirdsofAfrica.Vol 1.London:Academic
Press.
JohnH. Fanshawe,DepartmentofOrnithology,NationalMuseumsofKenya,Box
40658Nairobi,Kenya andClareD. FitzGibbon,LargeAnimalResearch Group,De-
partmentofZoology,PembrokeStreet, Cambridge CB23EJ,England
Scopus 15: 47-48,August 1991 Received 20June 1991
New birds from Kenya's northern borderarea
DuringrecentvisitstotheLokichoggioareaofnorthwesternKenya(DATandMACC,11-
14 August 1990), and to Kiwayu, Kiunga area, northern Kenya coast (DAT, 22-24
September 1990), thefollowing birdswererecordedforthecountry forthe first time.
Mirafra hypermetrakidepoensis Red-winged Bush Lark
On 14August 1990twobirds,approximately20-25mapart,wereobservedcallingfrom
the tops of small bushes in an area of bushed grassland (altitude 500 m) some 15 km
northwestofLokichoggio towards the Kenya-Sudan border. Itwasclearthatbothbirds
wereRed-wingedBushLarksM. hypermetra; thecallsofboth weresingleshort,drawn
outwhistles,repeatedevery 5-6 s. Both birds appeared to be smallerthan nominateM.
hypermetrafromeasternKenya,whileabuffysuperciliumandthediagnosticall-rufous
wings as seenin flight, werethemostprominentfeaturesofboth birds.
Britton(1980)statesthatthenominateraceislocallycommoninbushedgrasslandsof
theeasternplateaubelow 1350m,withthesmallerkidepoensisoccurringinnortheastern
UgandafromKidepoNationalParktoMtMoroto. In Sudan,Cave&Macdonald(1955)
show therangeofkidepoensis asrestrictedtoextreme southeastern areas.
Thisrecordrepresentsasmall,butnottotallyunexpectedextensionofrange,andisthe
firstrecord oftheracekidepoensisfromKenya.
Cisticolaruficeps Red-pate Cisticola
On 13August 1990,some 15kmnortheastofLokichoggio,whilewatchingamixedbird
party comprising several Red-fronted Warblers Spiloptila rufifrons, White-bellied Ca-
nariesSerinusdorsostriatusandasinglePurpleGrenadierUraeginthusianthinogaster,we
noticedthatthereweretwosmall,chestnutheadedcisticolaswiththem.Wewereableto
observethebirdsatcloserangefor15-20min,andalsorelocatethemwithapparentlythe
same mixed bird partyearly the following morning.
Bothcisticolashadidenticalplumage,andwerepresumedtobeapair.Thedullchestnut
head and napecontrasted sharply with the warm brown upperparts, and traces ofsome
mottlingonthemantle,andbuffyedgingstotheprimariesandwingcovertswerenoticed.
Chin and throat were clear creamy-white shading to buffy-white on the rest of the
underparts, while the tail was plain brown with broad buffy-white edgings to the outer
feathers. Sizewas similarto thatoftheTiny CisticolaCisticolanana.
Theplainbrownupperpartsidentifiedthesebirdsasbelongingtothemongallaraceof
C.ruficeps,whichChappuis(1974)treatedasadistinctspeciesonaccountofitsdifferent
voice. Unfortunately both birds were silent throughout the periods we had them under
observation,and forthetimebeingweprefertoconsidermongallaasaraceofruficeps.
