Refine
Document Type
- Article (15)
Language
- English (15)
Has Fulltext
- yes (15)
Is part of the Bibliography
- no (15)
Keywords
- Cape Verde Islands (13)
- distribution (8)
- Cetacea (4)
- Aves (3)
- Delphinidae (2)
- Megaptera novaeangliae (2)
- Odonata (2)
- breeding (2)
- dragonflies (2)
- endemics (2)
For two centuries, the seas of the Cape Verde archipelago were a favorite whaling ground – known as the ‘San Antonio Ground’ among whalers – for an international fleet of whaling ships and especially for the "Yankee whalers" from New England, USA. One of their main targets was the humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae, of which large numbers were caught (e.g. Clark 1887, Townsend 1935, Reeves et al. 2002, Smith & Reeves 2003, 2010).
Recent data on status and distribution of resident and migrant birds in the Cape Verde Islands are presented, including records of nine taxa new to the archipelago, viz. Ciconia nigra, Ciconia ciconia, Circus macrourus, Falco naumanni, Chlidonias hybrida, Chlidonias leucopterus, Apus affinis, Ptyonoprogne fuligula and Phylloscopus inornatus. Also presented are data on a number of breeding taxa, including the first record of the endemic Cape Verde purple heron Ardea bournei outside Santiago island. The alarming situation of the magnificent frigatebird Fregata magnificens, of which only three individuals remain in Cape Verde, constituting the entire population in the East Atlantic, remains of great concern. Several species of birds of prey are also highly threatened and have already become extinct in some islands. Following its expansion through Northwest Africa and the Canary Islands, Eurasian collared dove Streptopelia decaocto has now also become established in at least three of the Cape Verde Islands.
Recent data on status and distribution of resident and migrant birds in the Cape Verde Islands are presented, including records of 25 taxa new to the archipelago, viz. Mareca penelope, M. americana, Anas carolinensis, A. clypeata, Pterodroma arminjoniana, Sula dactylatra, Egretta thula, Ardea melanocephala, Hieraaetus pennatus, Porzana porzana, Crecopsis egregia, Porphyrula martinica, Pluvialis apricaria, Calidris fuscicollis, C. bairdii, Gallinago delicata, Larus audouinii, L. atricilla, Streptopelia decaocto, Ceryle rudis, Ptyonoprogne rupestris, Motacilla citreola, Erithacus rubecula, Oenanthe leucopyga and Lanius senator. The current situation of some endemic taxa is discussed, some of which (e.g. Ardea bournei) are critically endangered, while others (e.g. Acrocephalus brevipennis) have been shown to be more widespread than previously known.
On 6 October 2012, the remains of a frigatebird were recovered at João Barrosa beach (16°01.387’N, 022°43.610’W), southeastern Boavista, Cape Verde Islands. The carcass had been found in mid September 2012, during a beach survey to monitor loggerhead turtle nesting activity in the area and was then buried in the sand. The field assistant of the Cabo Verde Natura 2000 turtle project who found the bird indicated the location of the corpse to the first author. His description of the bird allowed it to be identified as an adult female magnificent frigatebird Fregata magnificens Mathews, 1914. The remains consisted of numerous black and white feathers as well as several bones, including the skull, thorax and wing bones, which are preserved at the Cabo Verde Natura 2000 headquarters at Sal Rei, Boavista. Some feathers, together with remains of an egg and tissue of a mummified male found at Ilhéu de Baluarte in 2005 (see below), were deposited at the Centro de Análise Molecular, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos (CMA/CIBIO), Vairão, Portugal.
On 10 February 2012, at 0845 UTC, a mass stranding involving seven (six adults and a juvenile) pygmy killer whales Feresa attenuata Gray, 1874 occurred at Praia de Boa Esperança (16º12’26”N, 22º52’00”W), along the northern coast of Boavista island, Cape Verde Islands. The event was witnessed by a group of kite-surfers, who managed to move three animals (two adults and a juvenile) back to the sea. No re-strandings were noted. At 1330 UTC, staff of the Protected Areas Department visited the site and recorded four specimens (two alive and two dead). At 1700 UTC, only two carcasses were found on the beach, the others apparently having been washed out to sea.
Dragonflies (Insecta, Odonata) of São Vicente, Cape Verde Islands : 10 species on a desert island
(2010)
The island of São Vicente, Cape Verde Islands, has no natural and permanent surface fresh water habitats. Surprisingly, with records of 10 species of dragonflies, the island is the most species-rich in the archipelago so far (cf. Aistleitner et al. 2008, this study). Knowledge of Odonata from São Vicente is based on a small number of reports, mostly including single records only (Calvert 1893, Kirby 1897, Lobin 1982, Aistleitner et al. 2008). During a visit to the island in August 2009, AM recorded four species as single adults. Two species were recorded on 26 August 2009, after two days of heavy rainfall which caused extensive temporary waterflows and pools in the main courses of river beds, on the plains, as well as on roads and sports grounds in and around the town of Mindelo.
First record of Straw-coloured fruit bat Eidolon helvum (Kerr, 1792) for the Cape Verde Islands
(2010)
On 8 September 2010, at 9:45 AM, a fruit bat was seen flying at a height of ca. 2 m over the sea off Ervatão, southeastern Boavista, Cape Verde Islands (16º 02’ N, 22º 41’ W). After a while, the animal landed in the beach vegetation. When captured, it did not offer any resistance to being handled and it was taken to the nearby sea turtle station, operated by the NGO Cabo Verde Natura 2000. The bat – which proved to be a female – was placed in an improvised cage made of plastic netting where it eagerly fed on the food provided, i.e. tomato, apple and banana. At 16:00 PM, the following biometric data were taken: head width 31.6 mm, humerus 81.1 mm, ulna 121.2 mm, tarsus 49.7 mm. When restrained for taking body measurements, the bat attempted to defend itself with its mouth.
When I first visited the Cape Verde Islands, back in 1986 and 1987, I would not have guessed that this marked the beginning of a long and intensive relationship with the islands, their people and their wildlife. In the course of these early visits, which focused on endemic birds and seabirds, it became clear that the situation of many taxa was dramatic and decisive steps to safeguard their continued existence were urgently needed. After consultations with local authorities, it was agreed that an action plan should be drafted and during the following eight years I worked in Cape Verde for prolonged periods each year, engaging both in research and educational activities. One of the outcomes of this was the designation of a number of areas as Natural Reserves protected by law, thus laying the basis of the network of protected areas that we know today.
The history of the green monkey Chlorocebus sabaeus, a species introduced by man, in the Cape Verde Islands is discussed. The earliest reference to the presence of monkeys on the island of Santiago dates from the late 16th century, when they were said to be abundant, suggesting that their introduction took place during the first 100 years since the first arrival of European navigators in the archipelago around 1460. Brava is the only other island in the Cape Verdes where the green monkey has been introduced. Reports of the former existence of feral monkey populations on other islands (e.g. Santo Antão and Fogo) are unsubstantiated. Today, populations of the green monkey survive on both Santiago and Brava, although – due to heavy persecution because of the damage they caused to plantations – their numbers are now probably less then they may have been in the past. In addition, the occurrence of other mammals introduced to the Cape Verde Islands is discussed. These encompass rodents (house mouse Mus musculus, brown rat Rattus norvegicus, black rat R. rattus) and the rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus. Finally, the history of free-living ungulates, particularly goats, in the archipelago is briefly discussed.
Dragonflies from the Cape Verde Islands, collected between 1960 and 1989 and kept in institutes in Portugal and Cape Verde, were studied. The Cape Verde collection at the Centro de Zoologia, Instituto de Investigação Científica Tropical, Lisbon, Portugal, includes eight species of dragonflies represented by 279 specimens collected in 1960-61 and 1969-72. The entomological collection at the Instituto Nacional de Investigação e Desenvolvimento Agrário (INIDA), São Jorge dos Orgãos, Republic of Cape Verde, includes four odonate species, represented by 27 specimens, collected in the years 1987 and 1989. Anax tristis Hagen and A. rutherfordi McLachlan, single male specimens of which were collected in Santo Antão, 27 October 1972, are new taxa for the archipelago. Both are tropical migrants of which the nearest known occurrence in continental Africa is more than 1,000 and 1,500 km, respectively, from the Cape Verde Islands. The two collections contain several specimens from new localities within the archipelago, particularly from the islands of Maio and Fogo. Current knowledge of flight season and island distribution are summarized and updated.