FEATURE
Figure 3 : A typical open patch setup with one camera trap per patch , facing one feeding station . Open patches also had an average circumference of 36 meters . fruit in the nearby open habitat . The data indicate that bushclump habitat is important for birds , as most of the fruit removal took place in bushclumps . This suggests that keeping patches of intact thicket may be an important determinant in keeping fruit removal rates high and this should be developed further in future studies . Birds in this study removed more fruit of the small knobwood tree , which is red in colour , compared to the fruit of the crow-berry tree , which is yellow in colour , and previous studies suggest that red-coloured fruit may be more visible to birds than yellow-coloured fruit . Future studies should further assess what types of indigenous fruit are most likely to attract fruit-eating birds to help aid the distribution of intact habitat in the ATB and increase the success of restoration initiatives of this kind .
It was further predicted that generalist and opportunist bird species may be more willing to feed from artificial feeding trays , especially in the open habitat compared to specialist bird species . The results from the experiment were in line with this prediction as fruit removal was mostly by generalist and opportunist feeders like the Southern Boubou and the Cape Robin-chat both in bushclump and open habitats .
Figure 4 : A Cape Robin-chat ( Cossypha caffra ) recorded on the camera trap visiting open patch 6 .
The results suggest that thicket degradation may affect the diversity of frugivorous , forest specialist bird species like the Cape White-eye and Bar-throated Apalis , and their fruit dispersal abilities , and this should also be researched further in future studies to get a better understanding of the effects of land-use change on different bird species and the ecosystem processes that they provide .
This study has shown that birds and particularly generalist and opportunistic feeders such as the Southern Boubou will feed on indigenous fruit from artificial feeding trays in both bushclump and open habitats . In light of the increasing land-use change for grazing and agriculture within the ATB , these findings suggest that artificial feeding trays may be used in restoration initiatives to help promote the distribution of thicket species by birds and could be a way to mitigate the negative effects of land-use change in years to come .
Figure 5 : A Southern Boubou ( Laniarius ferruginius ) recorded on the camera trap removing fruit of Zanthoxylum capense from a fruit removal tray at open patch 4 .
The results showed that birds removed the fruit from artificial feeding trays in both bushclump and open habitats , suggesting that feeding trays could be used to help with restoration initiatives in the ATB . The woody diversity of the nearby bushclump habitat at the site and the visibility of feeding trays in the open habitat probably explain why fruiteating birds were attracted to remove
For further reading materials and more information contact Kelly Bernard , Rhodes Restoration Research Group , Rhodes University , Makhanda , South Africa 6139 . Email kellymonicatandi @ gmail . com , tel . + 27 ( 0 ) 83 565 5733 .
All images ( excluding camera trap records ) were taken by the author , Kelly Bernard .
Grassroots Vol 21 No 1 March 2021 10