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Spatio-temporal usage of water sources by Black-cheeked Lovebirds Agapornis nigrigenis: implications for conservation planning

G. Phiri, Chaona; J. Collar, Nigel; Devenish, Christian; Marsden, Stuart, J.

Spatio-temporal usage of water sources by Black-cheeked Lovebirds Agapornis nigrigenis: implications for conservation planning Thumbnail


Authors

Chaona G. Phiri

Nigel J. Collar

Stuart, J. Marsden



Abstract

The Black-cheeked Lovebird Agapornis nigrigenis has a highly restricted range in dry south-western Zambia, where its distribution is clumped and localised in association with mopane Colophospermum mopane woodland and permanent water pools. Fieldwork and monitoring over 30 months between December 2018 and October 2021 established that the lovebirds’ usage of pools for drinking was higher towards the centre of the bird’s distribution and influenced by the pools’ proximity to mopane woodlands, surrounding tree cover, and level of human activity. Of the four pool types available for use by lovebirds (i.e. mopane, grassland, river, and artificial), mopane and grassland pools were disproportionally susceptible to drying out in the dry season, hence showed greater variation in numbers of visiting birds compared with the other two types. Lovebirds showed a preference for pools with a perimeter of <50 m and tended to avoid those with a perimeter >100 m, consistent with a positive association between pool size and human activity. Convergence between humans and lovebirds in dependence on water resources and mopane woodland points to the need to find ways to overcome potential conflicts. Such ways include creating small, shallow-sided, undisturbed pools in or near mopane woodland, extending water retention in existing mopane pools, and enhancing the capacity of artificial pools to meet the needs of the lovebirds.

Citation

G. Phiri, C., J. Collar, N., Devenish, C., & Marsden, S. J. (2024). Spatio-temporal usage of water sources by Black-cheeked Lovebirds Agapornis nigrigenis: implications for conservation planning. Bird Conservation International, 34(e27), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0959270924000261

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Jun 19, 2024
Publication Date 2024
Deposit Date Oct 16, 2024
Publicly Available Date Oct 16, 2024
Journal Bird Conservation International
Print ISSN 0959-2709
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 34
Issue e27
Pages 1-9
DOI https://doi.org/10.1017/S0959270924000261
Public URL https://keele-repository.worktribe.com/output/950684

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Licence
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Publisher Licence URL
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Copyright Statement
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution and reproduction, provided the original article is properly cited.




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