Habitat preferences of Helmeted Guineafowl Numida meleagris in the Krugersdorp Game Reserve, Gauteng province, South Africa
Field surveys were conducted in the Krugersdorp Game Reserve, Gauteng province, South Africa, during 1978–1981 to study the habitat preferences of Helmeted Guineafowl Numida meleagris . The study area was traversed with a vehicle in the late afternoons on a set route (12 km) and at least one observa...
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Published in | Ostrich Vol. 84; no. 2; pp. 153 - 156 |
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Main Author | |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Johannesburg
Taylor & Francis Group
01.08.2013
Taylor & Francis Ltd |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Field surveys were conducted in the Krugersdorp Game Reserve, Gauteng province, South Africa, during 1978–1981 to study the habitat preferences of Helmeted Guineafowl Numida meleagris . The study area was traversed with a vehicle in the late afternoons on a set route (12 km) and at least one observation was conducted each month during the three-year period. With the aid of binoculars all guineafowl that were sighted were counted and recorded on a map. The purposes were to (1) describe the habitat preferences of guineafowl and (2) to demonstrate that weeds attracted guineafowl during winter and can be retained in modified landscapes (e.g. farms) to provide important microhabitats. The highest mean monthly density across five habitat categories throughout the year was recorded in old vegetable gardens. The old vegetable gardens of c. 35 ha attracted more than 60% of the guineafowl population from April to October, which was mainly during winter when the birds scratched actively in weedy patches. |
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Bibliography: | http://dx.doi.org/10.2989/00306525.2013.822029 ObjectType-Article-2 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-1 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 1727-947X 0030-6525 1727-947X |
DOI: | 10.2989/00306525.2013.822029 |