any photos of the Olive ibis out there?

[Papuan birder]

The last days I have been trying to gather info, pictures and photos of the poorly known Olive ibis Bostrychia olivacea, it inhabit a few West African countries and small numbers also exist on Sao Tome.

The hbw books dont give you much info about the status, just that its rare on Sao Tome and also mentioned the status in a few other places, the birdlife factsheet just give you info about the Sao Tome species/subspecies and on the naturalis page I have found some info and a single museum photo on the extinct, Principe subspecies.

I still try to find some good page about the nominate race, which lives on the mainland, but strangely that one seems to be the most poorly known and also badly documented, I have seen a single photo of the mainland race, that is on a nest with eggs, the first nest found or something, have also seen three pictures of it, but still searching after a photo on a adult one? any out there?



Isnt this a bird which merit uplisting?


/Papuan birder

[Hidde Bruinsma]

Hey PB,

Good question. As far as info is concerned I think the best you can do is check "The Birds of Africa", Vol. 1 in combination with the recently published "Birds of Western Africa" by Borrow and Demey. This is still a scarcely known bird. The rare Sao Thomé population is probably the one that has received the most study since its rediscovery in 1988. What I can tell you is the fact that the Principé race is not extinct, it was rediscovered in 1991.
Now for the photographs. If you've seen a photograph of one of the mainland races (there are two: cupreipennis from Cameroon to Congo and the nominate from Sierra Leone to Ghana) then you have seen more than I have. I don't know of any of any subspecies. Have you sent a PM to Steve "Cuckooroller" Pryor about this ? He will know. Soon a book will be published on the birds of Sao Thomé and Principé. I hope a photograph of one or both of the island birds will be featured.

[Papuan birder]

Hey PB,

Good question. As far as info is concerned I think the best you can do is check "The Birds of Africa", Vol. 1 in combination with the recently published "Birds of Western Africa" by Borrow and Demey. This is still a scarcely known bird. The rare Sao Thomé population is probably the one that has received the most study since its rediscovery in 1988. What I can tell you is the fact that the Principé race is not extinct, it was rediscovered in 1991.
Now for the photographs. If you've seen a photograph of one of the mainland races (there are two: cupreipennis from Cameroon to Congo and the nominate from Sierra Leone to Ghana) then you have seen more than I have. I don't know of any of any subspecies. Have you sent a PM to Steve "Cuckooroller" Pryor about this ? He will know. Soon a book will be published on the birds of Sao Thomé and Principé. I hope a photograph of one or both of the island birds will be featured.






Thanks Hidde


I wasent aware of the rediscovery on Principe, yes I actually have been looking in the book made by Borrow and Demey and its from that book I have seen two of the pics while the third I have one seen in hbw. I also think that the bird on the nest was a juvenile as its very old from the early 1950s if i rember right, but I have just found a second one, on Africanbird, but thats just a nest with a few eggs in it. Also look forward to that book about Principe and Sao Tome, fascinating islands isnt it?

I still search after that adult one, no luck so far :-C

[Rasmus Boegh]

Actually, there are a number of localities where the mainland form of the Olive Ibis is, perhaps not common, but not really rare either. The problem is that they're very shy and live in a habitat that's already hard to survey. I've seen it twice (in Kenya) and both times flying overhead late in the evening - this is how most people see this species and that pretty much excludes any photo opportunities.

[cuckooroller]

Actually Rasmus has a stronger DB than I. He sent me the only photo I have of olivacea (a rather small photo of a life mount), as well as a photo of a nesting Bostrychia rara (the same as in HBW).

[cuckooroller]

PB,
Here is that photo, for what it is worth.

[Hannes]

Surely a very rare species these days, its not common here in Cameroon anylonger, and you must be very lucky to see one, its just remains in the southern marginals of the country.

I suppose Kenya is the best country to see them, I saw three of them at dusk at the treetop lodge in Aberdare NP, Kenya in 2001.

[Hidde Bruinsma]

Nik Borrow of Birdquest has just posted an amazing photograph of the Dwarf Olive Ibis from Sao Thomé on the Surfbird site.

[Papuan birder]

Nik Borrow of Birdquest has just posted an amazing photograph of the Dwarf Olive Ibis from Sao Thomé on the Surfbird site.

Hi Hidde,

Could you please link to the page, I have searched for it, fruitless so far. I would really love to see it.

[Hidde Bruinsma]

PB,

I'm sorry, you're right. I should have been a little bit more specific. It's on the World Rarities Photo List:

www.surfbirds.com/cgi-bin/gallery/display.cgi?gallery=gallery16

[Hannes]

Good number recently sighted at a swamp in Northern Congo Brazzaville, flocks on 9 to 15 birds seen at five seperate occasions.

I took a few photos of them, I could PM you some photos if you are intrested PB.

[cuckooroller]

Good number recently sighted at a swamp in Northern Congo Brazzaville, flocks on 9 to 15 birds seen at five seperate occasions.

I took a few photos of them, I could PM you some photos if you are intrested PB.

Hi Hannes,

Just saw your post. I would certainly be interested in your photos, and I am sure Rasmus would be as well. My e-mail: steve.pryor(at)gmail.com

Thanks

[sebbe67]

Hey PB,

Good question. As far as info is concerned I think the best you can do is check "The Birds of Africa", Vol. 1 in combination with the recently published "Birds of Western Africa" by Borrow and Demey. This is still a scarcely known bird. The rare Sao Thomé population is probably the one that has received the most study since its rediscovery in 1988. What I can tell you is the fact that the Principé race is not extinct, it was rediscovered in 1991.
Now for the photographs. If you've seen a photograph of one of the mainland races (there are two: cupreipennis from Cameroon to Congo and the nominate from Sierra Leone to Ghana) then you have seen more than I have. I don't know of any of any subspecies. Have you sent a PM to Steve "Cuckooroller" Pryor about this ? He will know. Soon a book will be published on the birds of Sao Thomé and Principé. I hope a photograph of one or both of the island birds will be featured.

Well that is quite intresting, you dont happen to have anymore info on this rediscovery on Principe in 1991 Hidde? I would love to learn abit more abit the report of a rediscoverey in 1991. I thought the Principe race was generally classified as extinct.

http://ip30.eti.uva.nl/naturalis/de...p?lang=uk&id=58
listed as extinct here

And I found not info, what so ever at the net.

[Hidde Bruinsma]

I can imagine that many people overlooked the publication of this find. The rediscovery of this bird was only briefly mentioned in an article by Dave Sargeant in the Bulletin of the African Bird Club, Vol. 1, No. 2, P. 98, September 1994. It says: " On Príncipe, two birds seen flying low over forest just below the communication tower 4-5 km from Santo Antonio (10th, Aug.1991). This is the first sighting of the endemic Príncipe subspecies B.o.rothschildi since early this century, and it had been postulated that this subspecies was extinct. "
If there is any more recent information on this bird it must be found in "The Birds of Príncipe, Sao Thomé and Annobon", BOU Checklist 23 (2006), by Peter Jones and Alan Tye. I haven't bought it yet, so I don't know.

[sebbe67]

I can imagine that many people overlooked the publication of this find. The rediscovery of this bird was only briefly mentioned in an article by Dave Sargeant in the Bulletin of the African Bird Club, Vol. 1, No. 2, P. 98, September 1994. It says: " On Príncipe, two birds seen flying low over forest just below the communication tower 4-5 km from Santo Antonio (10th, Aug.1991). This is the first sighting of the endemic Príncipe subspecies B.o.rothschildi since early this century, and it had been postulated that this subspecies was extinct. "
If there is any more recent information on this bird it must be found in "The Birds of Príncipe, Sao Thomé and Annobon", BOU Checklist 23 (2006), by Peter Jones and Alan Tye. I haven't bought it yet, so I don't know.

Thanks for the extra info Hidde, very intresting stuff.