No CrossRef data available.
Article contents
The conservation status of the Nubian Bustard Nubotis nuba: a review and prognosis
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 November 2023
Summary
Records of the Nubian Bustard Nubotis nuba range across the drier northern component of the Sahel zone in Africa from Mauritania through Mali, Niger, and Chad to Sudan. Reports of significant hunting pressure have caused it to be treated as IUCN “Near Threatened” for almost 40 years, but information relating to distribution and population trends remains scattered, anecdotal, and unevaluated. All accessible evidence bearing on its conservation is therefore assembled and reviewed here. The lack of records from Mauritania since 1984, Mali since 1974, and Sudan since 1988 suggests that populations there may now be very small and perhaps entirely extinguished. Records from Niger and Chad remain many, thanks largely to the assiduous reporting of observations on the West African Bird DataBase (WABDaB) by researchers involved in ungulate conservation. The national nature reserves of Aïr and Ténéré (RNNAT) and Termit and Tin-Toumma (RNNTT) in Niger and the Ouadi Rimé–Ouadi Achim Faunal Reserve (RFOROA) in Chad emerge as vital to the long-term survival of the Nubian Bustard, given the accumulating evidence in both countries of (1) widespread habitat degradation and conversion, as human populations and their livestock expand in numbers and range in the Sahel, and (2) intensifying persecution, as highly mobile and well-armed local poachers plus Gulf state hunters gain increasing vehicular access to the remotest regions, depleting all huntable wildlife (a Sahel-wide bird study, 2011–2019, encountered just 16 bustards of four species – none Nubian – in 487 observation days). Populations of Nubian Bustard must now be greatly fragmented and depleted, with many entirely lost, so targeted programmes to minimise disturbance, persecution, and damage to habitat in the three key reserves (including the exclusion of powerlines) are urgently needed. Ultimately however the survival of this and other endemic Sahelian species can only be secured via a huge programme of ecologically and economically sustainable management practices.
- Type
- Research Article
- Information
- Copyright
- © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of BirdLife International
References
Appiah, K. A. and Gates, H. L. (2005) Africana: the encyclopedia of the African and African-American experience. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Baldamus, E. (1856) Ornithologische Beobachtungen, aus Dr Richard Vierthaler’s Tagebuche einer Reise durch Egypten, Nubien, Dongola und Sennaar. Naumannia 6: 68–76.Google Scholar
Bannerman, D. A. (1931) The birds of tropical West Africa, 2. London: Crown Agents for the Colonies.Google Scholar
Bates, G. L. (1934) Birds of the southern Sahara and adjoining countries in French West Africa, Part II. Ibis (13)4: 61–79.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Berlioz, J. (1938) Etude d’une collection d’oiseaux du Tchad. Bull. Mus. Natl. Hist. Nat. 10: 252–259.Google Scholar
BirdLife International. (2023) Species Factsheets: Otididae. Accessed online 01 March 2023 from http://www.birdlife.org.Google Scholar
Boano, G., Belemsobgo, U., Silvano, F., Hema, E. M., Belemsobgo, A., Dimobe, K. and Pavia, M. (2022) An annotated checklist of the birds of Burkina Faso. Zoosystema 44: 27–107.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Borrow, N. and Demey, R. (2014) Birds of western Africa. Second edition. Helm Field Guides. London, UK: Bloomsbury Publishing.Google Scholar
Bowen, W. W. (1925) The game birds and waterfowl of the Sudan. Sudan Notes Rec. 8: 87–95.Google Scholar
Brehm, A. E. (1856) Blätter aus meinem ornithologischen Tagebuch. J. Ornithol. 4: 395–413.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brito, J. C., Durant, S. M., Pettorelli, M., Newby, J., Canney, S., Algadafi, W., Rabeil, T., et al. (2018) Armed conflicts and wildlife decline: challenges and recommendations for effective conservation policy in the Sahara-Sahel. Conserv. Lett. 11: e12446.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brito, J. C., Godinho, R., Martinez-Freiría, F., Pleguezuelos, J. M., Boratyński, Z., Santos, X., Vale, C. G., et al. (2014) Unravelling biodiversity, evolution and threats to conservation in the Sahara-Sahel. Biol. Rev. 89: 215–231.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Butler, A. L. (1905) A contribution to the ornithology of the Egyptian Soudan. Ibis (8)5: 301–401.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Canney, S. M. (2019) The Mali Elephant Project: protecting elephants amidst conflict and poverty. Internatn. Zoo Yearb. 53: 1–15.Google Scholar
Cave, F. O. and Macdonald, J. D. (1955) Birds of the Sudan: their identification and distribution. Edinburgh, UK: Oliver and Boyd.Google Scholar
Chardonnet, P., Mallon, D. and Woodfine, T. (2022) To Save the Addax Antelope, the Oil Sector and Government Must Work Together with Conservationists. https://www.iucn.org/crossroads-blog/202202/save-addax-antelope-oil-sector-and-government-must-work-together.Google Scholar
Cloudsley-Thompson, J. L. (1992) Wildlife massacres in Sudan, Oryx 26: 202–204.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Collar, N. J. (1996) Family Otididae (bustards). Pp.240–273 in del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A. and Sargatal, J. eds. Handbook of the birds of the world – Volume 3. Barcelona, Spain: Lynx Edicions.Google Scholar
Collar, N. J. (2022) No hiding place for the African Houbara? Bull. Afr. Bird Club 29: 195–206.Google Scholar
Collar, N. J. (in press) The African Houbara Chlamydotis undulata in Mauritania. Bull. Afr. Bird Club.Google Scholar
Collar, N. J., Goriup, P. D. and Osborne, P. E. (1986) Family Otididae: bustards. Pp.148–179 in Urban, E. K., Fry, C. H. and Keith, S. eds. The birds of Africa – Volume 2. London: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Collar, N. J. and Kirwan, G. M. (2023) The generic position of the Nubian Bustard Neotis nuba (Cretzschmar, 1826) (Aves: Otididae). Zootaxa 5315: 122–130.Google Scholar
Collar, N. J. and Stuart, S. N. (1985) Threatened birds of Africa and related islands: the ICBP/IUCN Red Data Book. Cambridge, UK: International Council for Bird Preservation.Google Scholar
Collar, N. J. and Wacher, T. (2023) A remarkable fork-tailed display in the Nubian Bustard Neotis nuba. Bull. Afr. Bird Club 30: 54–59.Google Scholar
Cretzschmar, J. (1826) Atlas zur der Reise im nördlichen Afrika von Eduard Rüppell. Vögel. Frankfurt am Main, Germany: Heinr. Ludw. Brünner.Google Scholar
Crochet, P.-A. (2007) Western Palearctic birding in Mauritania. Bird. World 20: 383–394.Google Scholar
Dare, P. J. (undated) Sudan bird records, 1958–1961. Part 3. Game-birds, plovers, gulls and sandgrouse. Ms held in Natural History Museum, London, in file ‘David W. Snow African Atlas DF236/4/507–517’.Google Scholar
Dolman, P. M., Burnside, R. J., Scotland, K. M. and Collar, N. J. (2021) Captive breeding and the conservation of the threatened houbara bustards. Endanger. Species Res. 46: 161–173.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dolman, P. M., Collar, N. J. and Burnside, R. J. (2018) Captive breeding cannot sustain migratory Asian houbara Chlamydotis macqueenii without hunting controls. Biol. Conserv. 228: 357–366.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dolman, P. M., Scotland, K. M., Collar, N. J. and Burnside, R. J. (2015) Ark or park: the need to predict relative effectiveness of ex situ and in situ conservation before attempting captive breeding. J. Appl. Ecol. 52: 841–850.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dowsett, R. J. and Forbes-Watson, A. D. (1993) Checklist of birds of the Afrotropical and Malagasy Regions, 1: species limits and distribution. Liège, Belgium: Tauraco Press.Google Scholar
Dowsett-Lemaire, F. and Dowsett, R. J. (2005) The avifauna of the dry evergreen forests of Mali. Malimbus 27: 77–111.Google Scholar
Dragesco-Joffé, A. (1993) La vie sauvage au Sahara. Lausanne, Switzerland: Delachaux et Niestlé.Google Scholar
eBird. (2023) eBird: an online database of bird distribution and abundance. Ithaca, NY, USA: Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Accessed online 1 January 2023 from http://www.ebird.org.Google Scholar
Elgood, J. H. (1982) The birds of Nigeria. British Ornithologists’ Union Checklist No.4. London: British Ornithologists’ Union.Google Scholar
Elgood, J. H., Fry, C. H. and Dowsett, R. J. (1973) African migrants in Nigeria. Ibis 115: 1–45.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Elgood, J. H., Heigham, J. B., Moore, A. M., Nason, A. M., Sharland, R. E. and Skinner, N. J. (1994) The birds of Nigeria: an annotated check-list. British Ornithologists’ Union Checklist No.4. Second edition. Tring, UK: British Ornithologists’ Union.Google Scholar
Fairon, J. (1975) Contribution à l’ornithologie de l’Air (Niger). Gerfaut 65: 107–134.Google Scholar
Fishpool, L. D. C. and Evans, M. I. (2001) Important Bird Areas in Africa and associated islands: priority sites for conservation. Conservation Series 11. Cambridge, UK: Pisces Publications and BirdLife International.Google Scholar
Fletcher, L. N., Bawa, S. M. and Soulé, M. (2022) Impacts of terrorism on biodiversity management in West Africa Sahel: a review. Research in Ecology 4(3): 20–29.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fremantle, T. P., Wacher, T., Newby, J. and Pettorelli, N. (2013) Earth observation: overlooked potential to support species reintroduction programmes. Afr. J. Ecol. 51: 482–492.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Friedmann, H. (1962) The Machris expedition to Tschad, Africa. Birds. Los Angeles County Mus. Contrib. Sci. 59: 1–27.Google Scholar
Gillet, H. (1960) Observations sur l’avifaune du Massif de l’Ennedi (Tschad). L’Oiseau et RFO 30: 45–82, 99–134.Google Scholar
Giraudoux, P., Degauquier, R., Jones, P. J., Weigel, J. and Isenmann, P. (1988) Avifaune du Niger: état des connaissances en 1986. Malimbus 10: 1–140.Google Scholar
Hartert, E. (1924) Ornithological results of Captain Buchanan’s second Sahara expedition. Novit. Zool. 31: 1–48.Google Scholar
Hartmann, R. (1863) Ornithologische Reiseskizzen aus Nord-Ost-Afrika. J. Ornithol. 11: 299–320.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
von Heuglin, T. (1873) Ornithologie Nordost-Afrika’s: der Nilquellen- und Küsten Gebiete des Rothen Meeres und des nördlichen Somali-Landes. Cassel, France: T. Fischer.Google Scholar
Isenmann, P. (undated [2006]) The birds of the Banc d’Arguin, Mauritania. Montpellier, France: CRNS (self-published).Google Scholar
Isenmann, P., Benmergui, M., Browne, P., Ba, A. D., Diagana, C. H., Diawara, Y. and Ould Sidaty, Z. E. A. (2011) Oiseaux de Mauritanie. Paris, France: Société d’Études Ornithologiques de France.Google Scholar
Jensen, F. P., Christensen, K. D. and Petersen, B. S. (2008) The avifauna of southeast Niger. Malimbus 30: 30–54.Google Scholar
Kessler, M. and Collar, N. J. eds. (2022) Proceedings of the International Conference ‘Advancing the Conservation of the Great Bustard in Asia’. Sandgrouse 44: 3–121.Google Scholar
Knight, P. J. (1975) Birds observed at the Banc d’Arguin. Pp. 52–61 in Dick, W. J. A. ed. Oxford and Cambridge Mauritanian Expedition 1973 report. Unpublished.Google Scholar
Kollmannsperger, F. (1959) Ornithologische Beobachtungen im Ennedigebirge (1.8.–10.10.1957). Bonn. Zool. Beitr. 10: 21–67.Google Scholar
Lamarche, B. (1980) Liste commentée des oiseaux du Mali. 1ère partie: Non-passereaux. Malimbus 2: 121–158.Google Scholar
Lamarche, B. (1988)
Liste commentée des oiseaux de Mauritanie: données prises en compte jusque juin 1988
. Volume 1. Etudes Sahariennes et Ouest-Africaines. Paris, France: Association des Naturalistes Sahariens et Ouest-Africains.Google Scholar
Lavauden, L. (1926) Voyage d’un ornithologiste à travers l’Afrique. Rev. Franç. Orn. 10: 311–356, 428–439, 484–509.Google Scholar
Le Houérou, H. N. (1992) Outline of the biological history of the Sahara. J. Arid Environ. 22: 3–30.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mackenzie, P. Z. (1955) A record of the species of birds observed and collected at Um Badr Lake in north-west Kordofan in January, 1955. Sudan Notes Rec. 36: 176–179.Google Scholar
Mackworth-Praed, C. W. and Grant, C. H. B. (1952) Birds of eastern and north eastern Africa (African handbook of birds Series 1 Vol. 1). London: Longmans, Green & Co.Google Scholar
Mackworth-Praed, C. W. and Grant, C. H. B. (1970) Birds of west central and western Africa London: Longman.Google Scholar
Macleay, K. N. G. (1960) The birds of Khartoum Province. Univ. Khartoum Nat. Hist. Mus. Bull. 1.Google Scholar
Malbrant, R. (1952) Faune du Centre Africain Français. Mammifères et oiseaux. Encyclopédie biologique 15. Second edition. Paris, France: Paul Lechevalier.Google Scholar
Malbrant, R. (1954) Contribution à l’étude des oiseaux du Borkou-Ennedi-Tibesti. Oiseau et RFO 24: 1–48.Google Scholar
Malbrant, R. (1957) Note additionelle sur les oiseaux du Borkou-Ennedi-Tibesti. Oiseau et RFO 27: 214–231.Google Scholar
Martin, E. J. (1942) The Lincolnshires at Omdurman, September, 1898: diary of Lieutenant Hamilton Hodgson. J. Soc. Army Hist. Res. 21: 70–82.Google Scholar
Miehe, S., Kluge, J., von Wehrden, H. and Retzer, V. (2010) Long-term degradation of Sahelian rangeland detected by 27 years of field study in Senegal. J. Appl. Ecol. 47: 692–700.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Milmo, C. (2012) The Acton Princess Calling for Reform in Saudi Arabia. The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/the-acton-princess-calling-for-reform-in-saudi-arabia-6284225.html.Google Scholar
Monfort, S. L., Newby, J., Wacher, T., Tubiana, J. and Moksia, D. (2001)
Sahelo-Saharan Interest Group (SSIG) wildlife surveys. Part 1: central and western Chad
. Conservation Report 1. London, UK: Zoological Society of London.Google Scholar
Moreau, R. E. (1934) A contribution to the ornithology of the Libyan Desert. Ibis 4: 595–632.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
des Murs, O., Prévost, F., Guichenot and Gu é rin-Menneville [sic] (1845) Voyage en Abyssinie… par… Théophile Lefebvre, 4: histoire naturelle – zoologie. Tome sixième. Paris, France: Arthus Bertrand.Google Scholar
Newby, J., Grettenberger, J. and Watkins, J. (1987) The birds of northern Aïr. Malimbus 9: 4–16.Google Scholar
Newby, J. E. (1979) The birds of the Ouadi Rime–Ouadi Achim Faunal Reserve: a contribution to the study of the Chadian avifauna. Malimbus 1: 90–109.Google Scholar
Newby, J. E. (1990) The slaughter of Sahelian wildlife by Arab falconers. Oryx 24: 6–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nikolaus, G. (1987) Distribution atlas of Sudanese birds with notes on habitat and status. Bonner Zoologische Monographieren 25. Bonn, Germany: Zoologischesforschungs Institut und Museum Alexander Koenig.Google Scholar
Ostrowski, S., Massalatchi, M. S. and Mamane, M. (2001) Evidence of a dramatic decline of the red-necked ostrich Struthio camelus camelus in the Aïr and Ténéré National Nature Reserve, Niger. Oryx 35: 349–352.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oufkir, M. A. (2019) Les territoires de l’outarde au Maroc: du nomade à la mondialisation via les émiratis. Revue GéoDév.ma 6–7. http://revues.imist.ma/?journal=geodev.Google Scholar
Peters, J. L. (1934) Check-list of birds of the world. Volume 2. Cambridge, MA, USA: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Poilecot, P. (1996) La faune de la Réserve Naturelle Nationale de l’Aïr et du Tenéré. Pp. 181–259 in Giazzi, F. ed. La Réserve Naturelle Nationale de l’Aïr et du Ténéré (Niger). Gland, Switzerland: International Union for Conservation of Nature.Google Scholar
Potts, M., Zulu, E., Wehner, M., Castillo, F. and Henderson, C. (2013) Crisis in the Sahel: Possible Solutions and the Consequences of Inaction. https://oasissahel.org/resources/7flv42nqmlsa7ycje4c0w4joq8o2wi.Google Scholar
Pringle, S., Chiweshe, N., Steward, P. R., Mundy, P. J. and Dallimer, M. (2019) Rapid redistribution of agricultural land alters avian richness, abundance, and functional diversity. Ecol. Evol. 9: 12259–12271.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rabeil, T., Beudels-Jamar, R. and Greth, A. (2010) Mission in Kellé and Termit–Tin Toumma, February 2010. Unpublished report.Google Scholar
Salvan, J. (1968) Contribution à l’étude des oiseaux du Tchad. Oiseau et RFO 38: 53–85.Google Scholar
Scholte, P., de Kort, S. and van Weerd, M. (1999) The birds of the Waza–Logone area, Far North Province, Cameroon. Malimbus 21: 16–50.Google Scholar
Sclater, P. L. and Mackworth-Praed, C. W. (1920) A list of the birds of the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan [etc.]. Part IV. Ibis (11)2:781–855.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sclater, W. L. (1924) Systema avium Æthiopicarum, part 1. London: British Ornithologists’ Union.Google Scholar
Sharpe, R. B. (1894) Catalogue of the birds in the British Museum, 23. London, UK: by order of the Trustees.Google Scholar
Silva, J. P., Catry, I., Palmeirim, J. M. and Moreira, F. (2015) Freezing heat: thermally imposed constraints on the daily activity patterns of a free-ranging grassland bird. Ecosphere 6: 119.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Silva, J. P., Marques, A. T., Allinson, T., Andryushchenko, Y., Bernardino, J., Dutta, S., Kessler, M., et al. (2023) The effects of powerlines on bustards: how best to mitigate, how best to monitor? Bird Conserv. Internatn. 33: e30: 1–14.Google Scholar
Simon, P. (1965) Synthèse de l’avifaune du massif montagneux du Tibesti et distribution géographique de ces espèces en Afrique du nord et environs. Gerfaut 55: 26–71.Google Scholar
Sinclair, A. R. E. and Fryxell, J. M. (1985) The Sahel of Africa: ecology of a disaster. Can. J. Zool. 63: 987–994.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Snow, D.W. ed. (1978) An atlas of speciation in African non-passerine birds. London, UK: British Museum (Natural History).Google Scholar
Staples-Browne, R. (1912) Diary of birds seen on the White Nile, part 1. Avicult. Mag. (3)3: 157–163.Google Scholar
Strydom, H. (2019) Mali and the Sahel: making peace in another rough neighbourhood. Neth. Internatn. Law Rev. 66: 75–99.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thiollay, J.-M. (2006) Severe decline of large birds in the northern Sahel of West Africa: a long-term assessment. Bird Conserv. Internatn. 16: 353–365.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vaurie, C. (1961) A new subspecies of the Nubian Bustard. Bull. Br. Ornithol. Club 81: 26–27.Google Scholar
WABDaB (2023) West African Bird DataBase. Accessed online 17 May 2023 from www.wabdab.org.Google Scholar
Wacher, T. (2010) Wildlife and land use survey of Gadafaoua & Taguedoufat regions, Niger, May–June 2010. Sahara Conservation Fund Pan Saharan Wildlife Survey Technical Report 3.Google Scholar
Wacher, T., Amin, R., Newby, J., Hatcha, M. H., Abeye, K., Ali, H., Bourtchiakbé, S. Z., et al. (2023) Gazelle–livestock interactions and impact of water resource development in the Ouadi Rimé–Ouadi Achim Reserve, Chad. Oryx 57: 205–215.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wacher, T. and Newby, J. (2010) Wildlife and land use survey of the Manga and Eguey regions, Chad, August 2010. Sahara Conservation Fund Pan Saharan Wildlife Survey Technical Report 4.Google Scholar
Wacher, T. and Newby, J. (2012) Summary of results and achievements of the pilot phase of the Pan Sahara Wildlife Survey 2009–2012. Sahara Conservation Fund Pan Saharan Wildlife Survey Technical Report 12.Google Scholar
Wacher, T., Newby, J., Bourtchiakbe, S. Z. and Banlongar, F. N. (2011a) Wildlife survey of the Ouadi Rimé–Ouadi Achim Game Reserve, Chad (Part I), January–February 2011. Sahara Conservation Fund Pan Saharan Wildlife Survey Technical Report 5.Google Scholar
Wacher, T., Newby, J., Molcanova, R., Bourtchiakbé, S. and Hassan, M. (2011b) Wildlife and land use survey of the Ouadi Rimé–Ouadi Achim Game Reserve, Chad (Part II), September 2011. Sahara Conservation Fund Pan Saharan Wildlife Survey Technical Report 7.Google Scholar
Wacher, T., Newby, J., Monfort, S., Dixon, A. and Houston, B. (2004) Sahelo-Saharan Interest Group (SSIG) wildlife surveys. Part 2: central and south-eastern Niger (February–March 2002). Conservation Report 2. London, UK: Zoological Society of London.Google Scholar
Wettstein, O. (1917) Wissenschaftliche Ergebnisse der… Zoologischen Expedition nach dem Anglo-Ägyptischen Sudan (Kordofan) 1914. II. Bearbeitung der auf der Expedition gesammelten Vögel und Säugetiere. Vienna, Austria: Alfred Hölder.Google Scholar
White, F. (1983) Vegetation of Africa – a descriptive memoir. (Natural Resources Research Report XX). Paris, France: UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.Google Scholar
Wilson, C. W. W. (1886) From Korti to Khartum: a journal of the desert march from Korti to Gubat, and of the ascent of the Nile in General Gordon’s steamers. Edinburgh, UK: Blackwood.Google Scholar
Zwarts, L., Bijlsma, R. G. and van der Kamp, J. (2023) Effects on birds of the conversion of savannah to farmland in the Sahel: habitats are lost, but not everywhere and not for all species. Ardea 111: 251–268.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zwarts, L., Bijlsma, R. G., van der Kamp, J. and Wymenga, E. (2009) Living on the edge: wetlands and birds in a changing Sahel. Zeist, The Netherlands: KNNV Publishing.Google Scholar