Cuckoo for Canaries!

Cuckoos and canaries have very little in common, other than a little alliteration. Both also have common cultural references (he's gone cuckoo, the canary in the coal mine) but I suspect that most people know little about them. Even as a birder, it took me a couple years to see my first cuckoo. Let's take a closer look at these "C" birds.

The brimstone canary (Serinus sulphuratus) is pretty common at ASYV.
It looks very similar to the bird in the picture below, but note that the
above species has a light grey malar stripe that goes to its bill (a
malar stripe is coloration below and behind the bill, above the throat).
It also has an all yellow back and rump.

Canaries eat seeds, and they roam around to find food, often doing so in flocks. It is not behaviors, however, that scientists use to classify most organisms. Structural, cellular, and genetic evidence is looked at to determine where a bird is classified in relation to other birds.

The yellow-fronted canary (Serinus mozambicus) can be distinguished
from the brimstone canary (above) by its black malar stripe that does not
make it all the way to the bill. Its yellow rump contrasts to its brownish
back in flight, and the bills of the two are also noticeably different. 

Canaries are part of a much larger family of birds called "Fringillidae." And although there are no canaries or even Serinus birds in North America, there are similar birds like the house finch, purple finch, and pine siskin, among others.

The Western Citril (Serinus frontalis) is a canary species that visits ASYV.
It, with the African citril and Southern citril, was recently considered
one species. When a body of scientists finds enough evidence, they
may "split" the species into respective species. This split
indicates that Western citrils do not breed with African or Southern
citrils. All three species look slightly different and have different ranges.

What makes a bird a Fringillid then?  According to Don Roberson's Bird Families of the World website, which is a go-to source for exploring bird diversity, birds of the family Fringillidae "have stout conical bills, strong skulls, large jaw muscles, and powerful gizzards. All have modified beaks for holding and shelling seeds. The seed is wedged in a special groove at the side of the palate and crushed by raising the lower jaw onto it."

Not all canaries are yellow. The streaky seedeater, Serinus striolatus, is
found in the highlands of Eastern Africa. "Canary" is an arbitrary
common name that gets its name from the Canary islands.

The differences in birds are one of the things that I love about seeing and studying them. Cuckoos are bigger than canaries, but a more important difference is the structure of their feet. All Passerines (an order of birds in the Domain-Kingdom-Phylum-Class-Order-Family-Genus-Species classification system) which includes the canaries, warblers, flycatchers, sunbirds, hummingbirds, and more than half the world's bird species, have three toes pointing forward and one facing back. Cuckoos have two toes pointing forward and two facing back (which for this and other reasons, places them in a different order, Cuculiformes). This is perhaps something you don't see so well in the field, but it demonstrates how much is going on with birds if you look close enough.

We spotted this red-chested cuckoo, Cuculus solitarius, on a walk down
Lake Mugesera in March.

Cuckoos mainly eat insects. If you look at their bills, they are thin and sharp compared to the thick conical bills of the canaries. These bills are well-suited to snatching caterpillars, moths, and grasshoppers, among other bugs.

Levaillant's cuckoo (Clamator levaillantii) has visited ASYV several times. 

Many cuckoos are brood parasites (about 40% of species worldwide). If a cuckoo species is parasitic, the adult female lays her egg in the nest of another species. The owners of this nest, if they don't reject the egg by destroying it or abandoning the nest, incubate the eggs and then feed the young bird until it has fledged (basically, a fledges when it is able to leave the nest and is no longer dependent on the parents). Sometimes the young cuckoo, directly after hatching, knocks all other objects out of the nest; these other "objects" are either baby birds or other eggs.

A male dideric cuckoo, Chrysococcyx caprius, is electric green on its back
(although it doesn't show in the picture). This bird was feasting upon flying
insects at the edge of Akagera National Park in Rwanda.

Some cuckoos are host-specific, which means they target specific types of birds. Red-chested cuckoos lay their eggs in nests of scrub-robins and robin chats, Levaillant's cuckoos lay in babbler nests, diderik cuckoos lay in weaver nests, and African emerald cuckoos lay in nests of robins and small thrushes.

The African Emerald Cuckoo (Chrysococcyx cupreus) is bright green like
the above dideric cuckoo, but it also has a bright yellow stomach
and green throat. As colorful as it is, this bird was a tough bird
to spot in the highland forests of Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

Despite their negative impacts on their host species, cuckoos make important contributions to the ecosystems. They eat insects (including many caterpillars that decimate leaves) and serve as meals for predators. Interactions between individual species may seem quite cruel, and perhaps they are, but I enjoy overall healthy ecosystems.

The white-browed coucal (Centropus superciliosus) is a different type
 of cuckoo than the previous four. I see this species about every other
day here at ASYV. It is not parasitic like the other cuckoos.
Nearby parent birds sigh relief...

Thanks for reading- I hope you are now cuckoo for canaries!


Works Cited

• Ehrlich, P, et al. "Brood Parasites." Birds of Stanford. Accessed: 18 July 2011. http://www.stanford.edu/group/stanfordbirds/text/essays/Brood_Parasitism.html
• Ehrlich, P, et al. "Passerines and Songbirds." Birds of Stanford. Accessed: 18 July 2011. http://www.stanford.edu/group/stanfordbirds/text/essays/Passerines_and_Songbirds.html
• Fanshawe, J. and Stevenson, T. Birds of East Africa. Princeton and Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2002. 
• Roberson, D. "Finches: Fringillidae." Bird families of the World. Accessed 17 July 2011. http://creagrus.home.montereybay.com/fringillids.html
• Roberson, D. "Cuckoos and Allies: Cuculidae." Bird families of the World. Accessed 17 July 2011. http://creagrus.home.montereybay.com/cuckoos.html
• Ryan, P. and Sinclair, I. Birds of Africa south of the Sahara. Struik Nature: Cape Town, 2003.

Big cats and the endless plains of the Serengeti

A leopard rests in an acacia tree next to a stream.  At night, they stalk
their prey and pounce, but rarely chase. Leopards are widespread
throughout Africa, but this is the only one I have ever seen.

When grasses bloom, the herds follow. Lurking in places beneath the eye, the cats await their next feast. With muscles tensing, jaws opening, claws extending, they pounce!

Read on for lions, cheetahs, and the endless plains...

Welcome to Agahozo-Shalom Nature Park!

Murakaza neza ku Parike Y'Umutungo Kamere W'Agahozo! What in the world does that mean? It means that you are about to enter a brand new nature park.

The Environment Club poses by the sign marking the park. Students have
worked on every aspect of the park, including making these signs,
surveying flora and fauna, and removing invasive species. 

This will be the first of several posts about a special project: a student club has adopted a piece of land and turned it into the Parike Y'Umutungo Kamere W'Agahozo.

What is Parike Y'Umutungo Kamere W'Agahozo?

Welcome to the jungle! Let's explore Nyungwe rainforest

Rainforests present a conundrum for visitors. They harbor as much biodiversity as any habitat on the planet, and yet you are unlikely to see most of their wonders.

The sun rises over the forested mountains... what lives in these
blankets of green? The pictures below show just a fraction of forest life.

Where the Blue Monkeys climb: our journeys through the swamp

From the top of our hill, Lake Mugesera and the swamp appears to be just a short walk away. Six kilometers later, you look back, and realize that the six kilometers back are uphill. Fortunately, the wildlife is worth it.

Welcome to the swamp!

There are several routes one can take to reach the lake. Sometimes great birds are found along the way; sometimes hordes of children swarm a few meters behind you. Whatever the route, although it is only 5km to the lake as the crow flies, your path will wind at least 6km past farms, homes, and through swamp.

Swamp-jumping! We have yet to have a full fall-in. If that happens,
we'll definitely get pictures! 

The swamp that fringes Lake Mugesera is actually much better for spotting wildlife than the lake itself. We have seen only around four species on the lake water in five trips, but dozens live in the swamp.

The muck and water can past your knees. Expect to get a little wet.

Much of the swamp has been cleared and cultivated (rice is a major crop in former swamps). Local residents harvest the papyrus and use it to cover soil to prevent unwanted plants from growing. Still, some native vegetation remains.

Papyrus dominates the swamp. What lives inside is a mystery unless you
are lucky enough to have something pop out. 

Patience is required at the swamp. Some spots hardly even afford a view. The potential in a swamp is high, but at the same time, you may walk away with seeing only common species.

Hadada ibis (Bostrychia hagedesh) forage among the swamp grasses.
They are one of three ibis species found in Rwanda.

We have yet to find any of the regional papyrus-endemic species in our local swamp (endemic means that a species is unique to some area, whether it be a habitat type or region). However, if we do find one, it would be quite the treasure. Shoebills, papyrus gonoleks, papyrus canaries, Carruther's cisticolas, and white-winged warblers are all known to live in swamps in Rwanda.

Find the bittern! Clue: look for its outstretched neck.

The allure of the swamp is mainly different birds than we are used to seeing. Every once in a while, we find a species new to us. Our swamp is the only place we have seen little bitterns, cape wagtails, northern brown-throated weavers, and slender-billed weavers.

The little bittern (Ixobrychus sturmii) is spectacular bird, and we
believe there is a pair nesting in this piece of swamp (we have
seen them in the same spots over a three-month period).

There are plenty of butterflies and dragonflies that dazzle along. Sometimes frogs jump from the side and plop into the watery muck of the swamp. We have yet to see any snakes, but this is a habitat where several species could thrive. Locals say there are no crocodiles, and our observations confirm that. People have told us that hippos and elephants used to live here- can you imagine looking down from the hill and seeing elephants?

We found a troop of twelve gentile blue monkeys (Cercopithecus species)
traversing the swamp. They came out on the opposite side to raid
some banana trees.

If you are interested in seeing the swamp and the lake near where Michele and I live, plug in these coordinates to Google Earth or another similar program:  Latitude: 2° 4'13.31"S Longitude: 30°22'5.07"E. That spot is a small cove surrounded by swamp that is favored by both human residents for water and by birds for its prominent perches and abundant food. You can see the swamp (full of small squares that are now cultivated) going north until it forms the top of a "Y." Welcome to the local swamp!

The electric malachite kingfisher (Alcedo cristata) is great to see,
unless you are a fish, amphibian, or giant insect. It uses its long,
spear-like bill to snag its prey while in swooping down at the water.

The pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) is a widespread species that is very
easily seen at the swamp and hovering over the lake.

The blue-headed coucal (Centropus monchus) is a species that lives
primarily in swamps. Although it sometimes calls while resting in the open,
most of the time it is secretive as it forages among the swamp grasses.

The sacred ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus) stands here on some cropland
just outside the swamp. It is generally looks for macroinvertebrates
and snatches them with its long, curved bill.

Cape wagtails (Motacilla capensis) are reportedly common in southern
Africa,  but here in East Africa they are considered "local" residents that
can only be found near their territories. Indeed, at the swamp is the only
place Michele and I have seen them.

The black-headed gonolek (Laniarius erythrogaster) is a brilliant-looking
bird.  Jet black on the head, back and wings with a blood-red throat and
belly, it is always a pleasure to see. 

The swamp flycatcher (Muscicapa aquatica) is only found around,
you guessed it, swamps and lakeside vegetation.

Once we are satisfied or if rain clouds or darkness approach, it is time to turn our backs to the lake and begin the long walk climbing from 1335 meters above sea level to our house at 1538 meters above sea level. The lake and swamp is not for everyone; in fact, some might say it is for the birds! So it is, and also for bird lovers like us.

Swamp creatures!

Happy Environment Day from Agahozo!

This past Saturday, Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village celebrated Rwanda's Environment Day. The Environment Club and its two sponsors (a woman named Anne-Marie and myself) coordinated the day's events, which included tree plantings, speeches, and a movie.

Two students and their housemother planted an acacia tree in their yard
 for Rwanda's Environment Day. When fully grown, this tree will be great
 for wildlife and for shade.

We started the day with over 50 people working on our new nature park and trail and gave the inaugural tour to some visiting donors (the park and trail will be covered in an upcoming post). Then we hosted an after-lunch event, where we screened a fun environmental film, heard from four speakers about water and trees, and explored environmental issues at an Idea Marketplace. This event attracted more than 250 village residents, including 220+ students and over 30 staff/volunteers. Finally, we planted 34 trees, including 11 acacia, 20 papaya, and 3 guava. Please enjoy the pictures of our version of Earth Day!

Agahozo staff members learn to fly!

To understand another person's perspective, sometimes you have to step into their shoes. To understand the world of birds, you might just need to sprout some wings and fly. On June 8, I helped the staff of Agahozo-Shalom see our planet and our village from a bird's eye view.

Agahozo-Shalom staff and volunteers act the part of birds in the
migration challenge.