Sandgrouse - Black Bush Robin in Egypt

Sandgrouse 23 (1): May 2001 OSME BANNER
The first Black Bush Robin Cercotrichas podobe in Egypt

SHERIF M. BAHA EL DIN AND MINDY BAHA EL DIN

BLACK BUSH ROBIN Cercotrichas podobe was excluded by Goodman & Meininger (1989) from the Egyptian avifaunal list. They rejected a claim of one observed, on 29 January 1896 by Cholmley (1897), near Gebel Elba in the south-east Eastern Desert, for lack of details. There are also two recent reports from Egypt, lacking documentation or details, in Miles (1998), both in south Sinai, singles at Nuweiba, in 1993, and at Naama Bay, on 31 January 1997.

On 3 November 2000, SMBD observed and photographed a Black Bush Robin at Gebel Elba, representing the first substantiated record of the species in Egypt. Gebel Elba (1435 metres), a montane outcrop on the Red Sea coast, is part of the mountain chain that runs nearly continuously along the Red Sea from Djibouti to Suez. It is situated within the Elba Protected Area and located immediately north of the political boundary with Sudan. Gebel Elba supports a relatively rich biodiversity unparalleled among terrestrial environments within Egypt. A number of Afrotropical elements reach their northern limits at Elba, including several bird species, e.g. Shining Sunbird Nectarinia habessinica and Rosy-patched Shrike Rhodophoneus cruentus.

The Black Bush Robin was found in dense Acacia woodland within Wadi Aideib, at an altitude of c. 300 metres, on the north-east slope of Gebel Elba. SMBD had previous experience with C. podobe and immediately recognised it as this species. It was observed for approximately five minutes, hopping on small boulders, skulking in low vegetation and in flight. General structure was similar to Rufous Bush Robin C. galactotes, but it had a distinctly longer tail. A rather poor photograph was obtained, but the species was still easily recognisable as an adult, being sooty black in coloration, with rusty inner webs to the primaries obvious in flight. The tail was held erect, giving prominence to the white tips to the undertail-coverts and outertail feathers.

Black Bush Robin is largely confined, in Africa, to the Sahel, breeding in a band across the continent from Senegal and Mauritania east to the Red Sea coast (Snow & Perrins 1998). According to Nikolaus (1987), it is locally common in Sudan in arid rocky hills and is a breeding resident in the Red Sea Mountains, where it is reported to nest between May and July (Snow & Perrins 1998). The species inhabits arid regions in Africa, such as savanna and thorn-scrub of scattered Acacia, or clumps of tamarisks, gardens and hedges, to at least 1500 metres, as well as in hot arid semi-desert and wadis with thickets (Snow & Perrins 1998).

The species also occurs in montane regions east of the Red Sea, being reported as a breeding resident in south-west Arabia, from Yemen north to the Ha'il region of Saudi Arabia (Snow & Perrins 1998). It has also been regularly recorded in Israel since 1981, where Shirihai (1996) considered the species an 'occasional to extremely rare local spring and summer visitor between March and July and apparently casual breeder in southern Arava'.

While the species is largely resident, it appears to be subject to seasonal movements. According to Snow & Perrins (1998), it is prone to some altitudinal and north-south movement in winter. Furthermore, the species is reported to be expanding north in Arabia as a result of land-use changes associated with desert reclamation (Shirihai 1996, Snow & Perrins 1998).

The occurrence of Black Bush Robin in Egypt is unsurprising, as it is known from the Red Sea mountains immediately south of the border with Sudan and at Eilat, Israel. It is difficult to speculate about the status of the species at Elba, as ornithological coverage of this region is relatively limited. The record lends support to the previous claim by Choimley (1897), and it is possible that the species has been overlooked since. It is potentially a breeding resident or migrant breeder at Elba, especially as the species breeds in the Red Sea mountains to the south.

The habitat at Gebel Elba is similar to other habitats where the species is known to reside. Elba enjoys a higher precipitation than any other mountains in the region, mostly in the form of orographic moisture. This permits a diverse flora to exist: ferns, mosses and succulents are relatively common at higher altitudes, while at lower levels in the wadis and foothills, there is dense Acacia woodland in parts (Baha el Din 1999). Vegetation is particularly rich in the north and north-east, seaward-facing, slopes that receive moisture-laden winds.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We acknowledge Gabriel Mjkhajl, Omar Attum and Mohammed Gad who participated in the trip to the Elba Protected Area. Dr Moustafa Fouda, Director, Nature Conservation Sector, Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA) facilitated the visit.

REFERENCES

BAHA EL DIN, S. M. (1999) Directory of Important Bird Areas in Egypt. Bird Life International, Cambridge.
CHOLMLEY, A. J. (1897) Notes on the birds of the western coast of the Red Sea. Ibis 109: 442-444.
GOODMAN, S. M. AND MEININGER, P. L. (EDS.) (1989) The birds of Egypt. Oxford University Press.
MILES, J. (1998) Pharaoh's birds. The American University in Cairo Press.
NIKOLAUS, G. (1987) Distribution atlas of Sudan's birds with notes on habitat and status. Bonn. Zool. Monogr. 25.
SHIRIHAI, H. (1996) The birds of Israel. Academic Press, London.
SNOW, D. W. AND PERRINS, C. M. (1998) The birds of the Western Palearctic. Concise edition. Oxford University Press.

Sherif Baha el Din and Mindy Baha El Din, 3 Abdulla El Kattib St., Apt. 3, Dokki, Cairo, Egypt.

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	BLACK BUSH ROBIN Cercotrichas podobe was excluded by Goodman & Meininger (1989) from the Egyptian avifaunal list. They rejected a claim of one observed, on 29 January 1896 by Cholmley (1897), near Gebel Elba in the south-east Eastern Desert, for lack of details. There are also two recent reports from Egypt, lacking documentation or details, in Miles (1998), both in south Sinai, singles at Nuweiba, in 1993, and at Naama Bay, on 31 January 1997. On 3 November 2000, SMBD observed and photographed a Black Bush Robin at Gebel Elba, representing the first substantiated record of the species in Egypt. Gebel Elba (1435 metres), a montane outcrop on the Red Sea coast, is part of the mountain chain that runs nearly continuously along the Red Sea from Djibouti to Suez. It is situated within the Elba Protected Area and located immediately north of the political boundary with Sudan. Gebel Elba supports a relatively rich biodiversity unparalleled among terrestrial environments within Egypt. A number of Afrotropical elements reach their northern limits at Elba, including several bird species, e.g. Shining Sunbird Nectarinia habessinica and Rosy-patched Shrike Rhodophoneus cruentus. The Black Bush Robin was found in dense Acacia woodland within Wadi Aideib, at an altitude of c. 300 metres, on the north-east slope of Gebel Elba. SMBD had previous experience with C. podobe and immediately recognised it as this species. It was observed for approximately five minutes, hopping on small boulders, skulking in low vegetation and in flight. General structure was similar to Rufous Bush Robin C. galactotes, but it had a distinctly longer tail. A rather poor photograph was obtained, but the species was still easily recognisable as an adult, being sooty black in coloration, with rusty inner webs to the primaries obvious in flight. The tail was held erect, giving prominence to the white tips to the undertail-coverts and outertail feathers. Black Bush Robin is largely confined, in Africa, to the Sahel, breeding in a band across the continent from Senegal and Mauritania east to the Red Sea coast (Snow & Perrins 1998). According to Nikolaus (1987), it is locally common in Sudan in arid rocky hills and is a breeding resident in the Red Sea Mountains, where it is reported to nest between May and July (Snow & Perrins 1998). The species inhabits arid regions in Africa, such as savanna and thorn-scrub of scattered Acacia, or clumps of tamarisks, gardens and hedges, to at least 1500 metres, as well as in hot arid semi-desert and wadis with thickets (Snow & Perrins 1998). The species also occurs in montane regions east of the Red Sea, being reported as a breeding resident in south-west Arabia, from Yemen north to the Ha'il region of Saudi Arabia (Snow & Perrins 1998). It has also been regularly recorded in Israel since 1981, where Shirihai (1996) considered the species an 'occasional to extremely rare local spring and summer visitor between March and July and apparently casual breeder in southern Arava'. While the species is largely resident, it appears to be subject to seasonal movements. According to Snow & Perrins (1998), it is prone to some altitudinal and north-south movement in winter. Furthermore, the species is reported to be expanding north in Arabia as a result of land-use changes associated with desert reclamation (Shirihai 1996, Snow & Perrins 1998). The occurrence of Black Bush Robin in Egypt is unsurprising, as it is known from the Red Sea mountains immediately south of the border with Sudan and at Eilat, Israel. It is difficult to speculate about the status of the species at Elba, as ornithological coverage of this region is relatively limited. The record lends support to the previous claim by Choimley (1897), and it is possible that the species has been overlooked since. It is potentially a breeding resident or migrant breeder at Elba, especially as the species breeds in the Red Sea mountains to the south. The habitat at Gebel Elba is similar to other habitats where the species is known to reside. Elba enjoys a higher precipitation than any other mountains in the region, mostly in the form of orographic moisture. This permits a diverse flora to exist: ferns, mosses and succulents are relatively common at higher altitudes, while at lower levels in the wadis and foothills, there is dense Acacia woodland in parts (Baha el Din 1999). Vegetation is particularly rich in the north and north-east, seaward-facing, slopes that receive moisture-laden winds.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
	We acknowledge Gabriel Mjkhajl, Omar Attum and Mohammed Gad who participated in the trip to the Elba Protected Area. Dr Moustafa Fouda, Director, Nature Conservation Sector, Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA) facilitated the visit.
REFERENCES
	BAHA EL DIN, S. M. (1999) Directory of Important Bird Areas in Egypt. Bird Life International, Cambridge. CHOLMLEY, A. J. (1897) Notes on the birds of the western coast of the Red Sea. Ibis 109: 442-444. GOODMAN, S. M. AND MEININGER, P. L. (EDS.) (1989) The birds of Egypt. Oxford University Press. MILES, J. (1998) Pharaoh's birds. The American University in Cairo Press. NIKOLAUS, G. (1987) Distribution atlas of Sudan's birds with notes on habitat and status. Bonn. Zool. Monogr. 25. SHIRIHAI, H. (1996) The birds of Israel. Academic Press, London. SNOW, D. W. AND PERRINS, C. M. (1998) The birds of the Western Palearctic. Concise edition. Oxford University Press. Sherif Baha el Din and Mindy Baha El Din, 3 Abdulla El Kattib St., Apt. 3, Dokki, Cairo, Egypt.