Circus ranivorus

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	AVES	FALCONIFORMES	ACCIPITRIDAE

Scientific Name:

Circus ranivorus

Species Authority:

(Daudin, 1800)

Common Name/s:

English	–	African Marsh-harrier, African Marsh Harrier, African Marsh-Harrier
French	–	Busard grenouillard

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Least Concern ver 3.1

Year Published:

2012

Assessor/s:

BirdLife International

Reviewer/s:

Butchart, S. & Symes, A.

Contributor/s:

Justification:
This species has an extremely large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). Despite the fact that the population trend appears to be decreasing, the decline is not believed to be sufficiently rapid to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size has not been quantified, but it is not believed to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (<10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be >10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.

History:

2009	–	Least Concern
2008	–	Least Concern
2004	–	Least Concern

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	This species is resident in wetlands from South Africa north to Democratic Republic of Congo and southern Sudan. The extensive Okavango marshes (Botswana) are probably its stronghold (Harrison et al. 1997a).
Countries:	Native: Angola (Angola); Botswana; Burundi; Congo; Congo, The Democratic Republic of the; Kenya; Malawi; Mozambique; Namibia; Rwanda; South Africa; South Sudan; Sudan; Swaziland; Tanzania, United Republic of; Uganda; Zambia; Zimbabwe Vagrant: Somalia Present - origin uncertain: Central African Republic; Ethiopia; Nigeria
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	The global population size has not been quantified, but the species is reported to be still well represented at some wetland sites in both eastern and southern Africa, especially in Uganda, Botswana and Zambia (Ferguson-Lees et al. 2001). In South Africa, c.3,000-6,000 pairs remain, but populations are declining here (Barnes 2000), as is the case in some other parts of its peripheral range (Brown et al. 1982, Ginn et al. 1989). However, in some huge countries such as Zambia suitable habitat is extensive and the species is still locally common (F. Dowsett-Lemaire and R. J. Dowsett in litt. 2000).
Population Trend:	Decreasing

Population:

The global population size has not been quantified, but the species is reported to be still well represented at some wetland sites in both eastern and southern Africa, especially in Uganda, Botswana and Zambia (Ferguson-Lees et al. 2001). In South Africa, c.3,000-6,000 pairs remain, but populations are declining here (Barnes 2000), as is the case in some other parts of its peripheral range (Brown et al. 1982, Ginn et al. 1989). However, in some huge countries such as Zambia suitable habitat is extensive and the species is still locally common (F. Dowsett-Lemaire and R. J. Dowsett in litt. 2000).

Population Trend:

Decreasing

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	The species breeds in wetlands, foraging primarily over reeds and lake margins (Harrison et al. 1997a). Its diet consists largely of small mammals, particularly striped mouse Rhabdomys pumilio (Kemp and Dean 1988).
Systems:	Terrestrial; Freshwater

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	Drainage, burning and grazing of wetlands have probably led to general declines, although these have been partly mitigated by adaptation to new wetlands created by dams (Ginn et al. 1989) and sewage-works (Barnes 2000). The Okavango marshes are threatened by water abstraction (R. Simmons in litt. 1999), and there has been massive drainage of wetlands in KwaZulu-Natal (Begg 1986). Accumulation of chemical pollutants in eggs may be responsible for poor hatching success, although it does not appear to have an effect on adult reproductive output (de Kock and Simmons 1988, R. Simmons in litt. 1999).

Major Threat(s):

Drainage, burning and grazing of wetlands have probably led to general declines, although these have been partly mitigated by adaptation to new wetlands created by dams (Ginn et al. 1989) and sewage-works (Barnes 2000). The Okavango marshes are threatened by water abstraction (R. Simmons in litt. 1999), and there has been massive drainage of wetlands in KwaZulu-Natal (Begg 1986). Accumulation of chemical pollutants in eggs may be responsible for poor hatching success, although it does not appear to have an effect on adult reproductive output (de Kock and Simmons 1988, R. Simmons in litt. 1999).

Citation:	BirdLife International 2012. Circus ranivorus. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 19 June 2013.
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