The general biology of the South African Cliff Swallow Hirundo spilodera was studied over a two year period in the central Orange Free State. This species is highly colonial, nesting mostly on man-made structures such as concrete road bridges. Adult birds were usually faithful to their breeding colony and very few individuals changed colonies. The Cliff Swallow had a surprisingly large vocal repertoire for a swallow and contact calls of the young were individually recognizable. Three species-specific ectoparasites parasitized the Cliff Swallow but none seemed to have a noticeable negative effect on the swallows. Breeding started earlier in larger colonies than in smaller ones and conspecific brood parasitism was a common feature in some colonies. Individual pairs made up to four breeding attempts per season. The findings of this study are compared with the available information on other members of the Hirundinidae and the advantages and costs of Cliff Swallow coloniality are discussed.

The Cape Vulture (Gyps coprotheres), a southern African endemic, is a species currently listed on the IUCN Red List as “Threatened” due to its 66-81% decline over the past 50 years. South Africa and Lesotho hold 90% of the global population, which are focused at two core areas, namely northern central South Africa and eastern South Africa. This species provides important ecological services yet faces numerous anthropogenic threats. An emerging threat in the south eastern part of South Africa is that of wind energy development. Understanding the movement and roosting behaviour of the Cape Vulture may mitigate potential collisions if areas of high use are avoided. Juvenile Cape Vultures, who naturally suffer high mortality rates, are known to forage extensively over a wider landscape and as a consequence may face a greater assortment of threats. The overall aim of this study therefore was to determine the ranging and roosting behaviour of juvenile Cape Vultures in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. In order to achieve this aim, i) the ranging behaviour and habitat use were determined and ii) roost sites and factors that influence roost site selection were determined. Using five juvenile Cape Vultures tagged with Global Positioning System (GPS/GSM) transmitters, home range sizes, distance travelled from the nest and habitat use were determined. Home range was determined through kernel density estimates and distance travelled from the nest was determined through the Euclidean distance. Habitat use was determined by overlaying the home range size onto a merged layer of all protected areas and the National Land Cover Database of South Africa. To determine roost sites, data from the tagged vultures were split into encamped and exploratory movements using a mixture model in a cluster analysis setting. Encamped movements were associated with roost sites. Roost density was determined around the natal colony using predetermined buffer sizes and a generalised linear mixed model (GLMM) fitted to the data. Conditions considered favourable for roost sites were based on previous research conducted on cliff-nesting species and a GLMM conducted. Juveniles increased their home range progressively for the first two months, then exhibited a rapid increase in size associated with dispersal from the colony. Distance from the nest increased rapidly following the dispersal period. Protected areas and woody vegetation were areas of preferred habitat. The highest density of roosts for juveniles was located within 20 km’s from the breeding colony and decreased further away. Roost sites that were favoured for juveniles and adult birds were those that were located close to colonies, had low accessibility to terrestrial predators and were in areas of high wind speed. The orientation of the cliff into the prevailing wind direction was also a determining factor. Roosting sites and foraging areas are important spatial determinants of Cape Vulture behaviour and the identification of such areas can help with conservation management. With the additional threat of wind development in areas highly utilised, wind farms located too close to colonies could have a devastating impact on the Cape Vulture population. Therefore, this study highlights the importance of conservation buffer zones as no-go areas for wind energy development around vulture colonies.

Complaints of crop damage by cranes on planted maize in the North Eastern Cape, South Africa, have been increasing since the mid-1990‘s, and in some instances severe losses have been reported. Crop damage by the Grey Crowned Crane Balearica regulorum regulorum near the town of Maclear (31º04´S 28º22´E), has been quantified over two growing seasons, and assessed relative to losses caused by foraging Cape Crows Corvus capensis and other feeding damage assumed to be caused by insects. Twelve fields were selected based on previous patterns of crop depredation. Maize seed in seven of the fields was treated with the chemical ‗Gaucho‘ and five fields were planted with untreated maize. In order to determine the source of losses, twenty quadrats (4 m x 4 m) randomly distributed within each field were visited on average every second day, for a period of up to twenty eight days. Results indicate that seed treatments do act as a deterrent to feeding by both cranes and crows, however crane damage is generally insignificant compared to other sources of damage. My study also reviewed past sightings data of the Grey Crowned Crane in an effort to determine if the conversion of former grassland to plantations in this region may have increased foraging activity in maize fields. The data did not allow for clear-cut conclusions regarding changes in distribution or population trends. Conclusions provide direct input into the management of agricultural areas by enabling landowners to take steps to mitigate crop damage. These mitigation measures may either involve the application of seed treatments, or the planting of low risk crops in high risk areas. Future studies should consider the ppossible detrimental effects of chemical seed treatments on crane biology.