First record of Common Sand Martin Riparia riparia for São Tomé and Príncipe

2007·0.34 MB·

by  Michael S L Mills

Common
First record of Sand Martin Riparia riparia
for Sao Tome and Principe
MichaelS. L. Millf John CaddickJ, Ron Hojf, Dollyann Myerd andIzak Coetzeid
,
Premiere mention de 1 Hirondelle de rivage Riparia riparia pour Sao Tome et Principe. Une
Hirondelle de rivage Riparia riparia a ete observee le 28 septembre 2006 le long du Rio Papagaio,
aux abords de Santo Antonio, Principe. Ceci constitue la premiere donnee pour le pays de ce
migrateur palearctique.
C
ommon
Sand Martin Riparia riparia is a References
&
scarce Palearctic migrant in west-central Borrow, N. Demey, R. 2001. Birds ofWestern Africa.
Africa, with only a handful ofrecords from south- London, UK: Christopher Helm.
& &
ern Cameroon, Gabon, western Congo-Kinshasa Jones, P. Tye, A. 2006. The Birds ofSao Tome
and Angola (Keith et al. 1992). A recent revision Principe withAnnobon:Islandsofthe GulfofGuinea.
ofthe avifauna ofSaoTome and Principe lists only An Annotated Ghecklist. BOU Checklist No. 22.
&
four Hirundinidae: Banded Martin Riparia cincta Oxford: British Ornithologists’ Union British
(not recorded in the last 100 years), Grey-rumped Ornithologists’ Club.
&
Swallow Pseudhinmdo griseopyga (unconfirmed). Keith, S., Urban, E. K. Fry, C. H. (eds.) 1992. The
Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica (reported to be reg- Birds ofAfrica. Vol. 4. London, UK: Academic
ular) and Common House Martin Delichon Press.
nrbicum (known from two records, both on “Birding Africa, 21 Newlands Road, Glaremont 7708,
Principe) (Jones & Tye 2006). Cape Town, South Africa & DST/NRF Centre of
On 28 September 2006 we observed a single Excellence at the Percy FitzPatrick Institute, University of
Common Sand Martin patrolling the Rio Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, SouthAfrica.
Papagaio on the outskirts of Santo Antonio, ^30 White Oak Drive, Beckenham, Kent, BR3 6QE, UK.
Principe. It was distinguished from Brown-throat- ‘282 Hackworth Lane, Clinton, Tennessee37716, USA.
ed Martin R. paludicola by having a white throat '^Box392, DepartmentofEducation Studies, University of
bordered ventrally by a distinct brown bar across SouthAfrica 0003, SouthAfrica.
the upper breast, and from Banded Martin by its
Received 29 November 2006; revision accepted 6
small size, more flitting flight and lack of a white
eyebrow (Borrow & Demey 2001). Given March 2007.
Principe’s relatively close proximity to the African
mainland (c.220 km) this record, the first for the
country, is perhaps not entirely unexpected.
First recordofCommon SandMartinforSao Tome andPrincipe: Mills etai BullABC Vol 14 No2(2007) -207