Little known African bird: Mali Firefinch Lagonosticta virata

2005·1.2 MB·

by  Robert B Payne

Little-known African bird:
Mali Firefinch Lagonosticta virata
RobertB. Payne
Un oiseau africain peu connu: l’Amarante de Kulikoro Lagonosticta virata. Bien que
l’Amarante de Kulikoro Lagonosticta viratase trouve principalement au Mali, son aire de reparti-
tion connue s’etend jusqu’a Test du Senegal et pourrait egalement comprendre le nord-est de la
Guinee. L’espece est tres semblable a la sous-espece ouest-africaine de l’Amarante fonce L. rubri-
cata mais en differe par l’absence de nuance rosatre a la calotte gris-brun, le bee droit et etroit,
certaines vocalisations (notamment le long sifflementfeee, le kyah nasal et descendant, et le cri
d’excitation churn) et l’habitat rocheux et semi-aride. Les vocalisations sont imitees par le
Combassou de Barka Vidua larvaticola, qui parasite le nid de l’amarante.
W
hen Bates, in 1932, described Mali tral belly grey, lower belly and undertail-coverts
Firefinch Lagonosticta virata also named black; the bill is blackish, base oflower mandible
,
Kulikoro Firefinch, as a newsubspecies ofAfrican pale blue, and the eye-ring is pink (all as in L.
Firefinch L. rubricata, he noted that males have rubricata polionota) and the outer primaries are
plumagelikemaleL. r.polionotaelsewhereinWest broad, not emarginated (Fig. 1). Females are
Africa, and female plumage is almost identical to slightly paler below. Male Mali Firefinch differs
that of the male. Goodwin (1982), based on its fromAfrican Firefinch inWestAfrica in lacking a
calls and broad outer primary, considered virata a pinkwash to the grey-brown crown, in bill shape,
race ofJamesons Firefinch L. rhodopareia. Recent straight and narrow (the culmen is deep and
field observations and molecular analysis reveal curved inAfrican Firefinch), and in the hand bya
that L. virata is more closely related to Rock broad outer primary. Distinctive field marks are
Firefinch L. sanguinodorsalis and L. rhodopareia the bill shape and churring calls, and in West
than to L. rubricata butbyits plumage, songs and Africa the rocky and semi-arid habitat is
,
molecular genetic distance from these congeners, characteristic.
Mali Firefinchshould betreatedasspecificallydis- In voice, the contact call, a wheeze kyah, rises
tinct (Payne 1998, Barlowetal. 2001, Sorenson et rapidly in pitch then falls and lasts 0.2 second; it
al. 2003, Payne 2004, Payne & Barlow 2004). has a nasal tone. The long-distance callfeeee is a
Based on specimens, Mali Firefinch occurs in whistle, maintained for c.1 second, sometimes ris-
Mali at Bamako, Tienfala, Koulikoro, and Fiko ing or falling in pitch, or with an overtone. The
near the Bandiagaraescarpment, and in Bamako a alarm or excitement note is a rattle churrrr, con-
bird dealer had Mali Firefinches caught close to sisting of20-22 notes per second, loud and mel-
the Niger River near San (Payne & Barlow2004). low, often given in series ofthree, churrrr, churr,
These few records suggest a limited distribution. churr. Their whistled trills are much as in African
Earlier observations of CZ. rubricata in Mali Firefinch. The churrrr, churr, churr, wheeze kyah
(Lamarche 1981) probablyrefer to Mali Firefinch; and whistlefeeeeare all distinctive.
the two species are very similar in appearance. Habitat change is the main threat to the
Mali Firefinch also occurs in eastern Senegal species’ populations. Mali Firefinches were
(Payne 1997), and based on our knowledge of observed in September 1996 and 2000 in Mali, at
habitat preferences might also occur in south-west Tienfala Forest Reserve (12°33'N 07°42'W) (not
Mali and north-east Guinea. in September 1999 and October 2000, as men-
&
Males have the crown brownish grey, back tioned in error in Payne Barlow 2004), where
grey-brown, rump red, tail black with outer feath- Nicolai (1982) had also observed them. The
er fringes red; the lores are red, the cheeks, chin, reserve was being cut and the wood sold by the
throat to belly deep pinkish red, breast-sides and bundle on the roadside, although the rocky hill-
upper flanks marked with small white spots, cen- sides with grass and shrubs were still intact, as in
168-BullABCVol12No2(2005) Little-knownAfrican bird
Figure 1. MaliFirefinch/Amarantede KulikoroLagonostictavirata,Tienfala, Mali, 29 September2000 (RobertB.
Payne)
Nicolais (1982) photograph. This habitat may Payne, R. B. 1997. The Mali Firefinch Lagonosticta
persist for many years: photographs taken else- viratain Senegal. Malimbus 19: 39-41.
where showscrubbyrockyhillsides to survive near Payne, R. B. 1998. A new species of firefinch
human occupation over nearlya century (Schantz Lagonostictafrom northernNigeria, andits associa-
& Turner 1958, Turner et al. 1998). Mali tionwith theJos Plateau Indigobird Vidua maryae.
Firefinch also appears in the bird trade (Payne & Ibis 140: 368-381.
Barlow 2004). Although Mali Firefinch is host to Payne,R. B. 200&4.MaliFirefinchLagonostictavirata.In
the brood parasitic Barka Indigobird Vidua lar- Fry, C. H. Keith, S. (eds.) The Birds ofAfrica.
&vaticola, which mimics its calls and songs (Payne PaynVeo,l.R.7.BL.on&donB,arlUoKw:, CCh.riRs.to2ph0e0r4.HeSlomn.gs of Mali
Barlow2004), theeffects ofindigobirds on fire-
Firefinch Lagonosticta virata and their mimicry by
finches are negligible in other populations (Morel
Barka Indigobird Vidua larvaticola in WestAfrica.
1973).
Malimbus26: 11-18.
&
Schantz, H. L. Turner, B. L. 1958. Photographic
References
Barlow,C., Hammick,J. &Sellar,P. 2001. BirdSongof odvoecrumaetnhtiartdioofnaocfenvteugreyt.atiUonniavl.cAhrainzgoensa iCnollAefgreicoaf
The Gambia andSenegal:An Aidto Identification.
AgricultureRep. 169.
Wimborne: Mandarin Productions. Sorenson, M. D., Sefc, K. M. & Payne, R. B. 2003.
Goodwin, D. 1982. Estrildid Finches of the World.
Speciationbyhostswitchinbroodparasiticindigo-
London, UK: Brit. Mus. (Nat. Hist.).
birds. NatureA24: 928-931.
Lamarche, B. 1981. Liste commentee des oiseaux du &
Mali, 2eme partie. Malimbus3: 73-102. Turner, R. M., Ochung, H. A. Turner, J. B. 1998.
Kenya’s ChangingLandscape. Tucson: University of
Morel, M.-Y. 1973. Contribution a l’etude dynamique
ArizonaPress.
de la population de Lagonosticta senegala L.
(Estrildides) a Richard-Toll (Senegal). Mem. Mus. Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, Ann
Natl. Hist. Nat. Ser. A, Zool. 78. Arbor, MI48109-179, USA.
Nicolai, J. 1982. Comportement, voix et relations de
parents de famaranthe du Mali (.Lagonosticta vira-
ta). Malimbus4: 9-14.
Little-knownAfrican bird BullABCVol12No2(2005)-169