Wildlife Society Bulletin

Wildlife Society Bulletin 32(3):680-684. 2004
doi: 10.2193/0091-7648(2004)032[0680:MFCAFE]2.0.CO;2

Methods for capturing African fish eagles on water

¹⁰¹*Address for Simon Hollamby, Gretchen N. Hui, John B. Kaneene, and James G. Sikarskie: Veterinary Medical Center, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA; e-mail for Hollamby: simrah63@hotmail.com; present address for Hollamby: Bureau of Wildlife Management, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, P.O. Box 7921, Madison, WI, 53707. Address for Josephine Afema-Azikuru: Uganda Wildlife Education Centre, P.O. Box 369, Entebbe, Uganda. Address for William W. Bowerman: Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Faculty of Environmental Toxicology, Clemson University, P.O. Box 709, Pendleton, SC 29670 USA. Address for Kenneth N. Cameron: Cincinnati Zoo and Botanic Gardens, 3400 Vine St, Cincinnati, OH 45220-1399 USA. Address for Christine Dranzoa: Department of Wildlife and Animal Resource Management, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda. Address for A. Rae Gandolf: The Wilds, 14000 International Road, Cumberland, OH 43732 USA. Address for Amanda Norris: 20 Montague Hill, Kingsdown, Bristol, BS28ND, England. Address for Scott D. Fitzgerald and Wilson K. Rumbeiha: Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824 USA

Abstract

Twelve adult African fish eagles (Haliaeetus vocifer) were captured on water using a floating fish “snare vest” on Lake Victoria near Entebbe and Lake Mburo in Uganda. The snare vest comprised 8–12 monofilament nylon snares attached to a floating 15–25-cm Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). Capture success was 17% of birds that struck the bait at Lake Mburo and 10% at Lake Victoria. The success rate was dependent on multifactorial local site conditions, operator experience, and snare design. The methods described are the first detailed report on the capture of this species, and the snare vest highlights subtle variations in technique from those reported for the capture of other large eagle species.

Keywords: African fish eagle, floating fish snare capture methods, Haliaeetus vocifer, snare vest, Uganda

Literature cited

Bloom, P. H. 1987. Pages 99–123 in B. A. Pendleton, B. A. Millsap, K. W. Cline, and D. M. Bird, editors. Raptor management techniques manual. National Wildlife Federation Scientific and Technical Series No. 10.

Brown, L. 1980. The African fish eagle. Bailey Bros. & Swinfen Ltd., Folkestone, England.

Brown, L. H. and J. B D. Hopcraft. 1973. Population structure and dynamics in the African fish eagle Haliaeetus vocifer (Daudin) at Lake Naivasha, Kenya. East African Wildlife Journal 11:255–269.

Bub, H. 1991. Bird trapping and bird banding. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York, USA.

Cain, S. L. and J. I. Hodges. 1989. A floating-fish snare for capturing bald eagles. Journal of Raptor Research 23:10–13.

Frenzel, R. W. and R. G. Anthony. 1982. Method for live-capturing bald eagles and osprey over open water. United States Department of Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, Resource Information Bulletin. 82–13.

Hodges, J. I., E. L. Boeker, and A. J. Hansen. 1987. Movements of radio-tagged bald eagles in and from southern Alaska. Canadian Field Naturalist 101:136–140. CSA

Krueger, O. 1997. Population density and intra- and interspecific competition of the African fish eagle Haliaeetus vocifer in Kyambura game reserve, southwest Uganda. Ibis 139:19–24. CrossRef, CSA

Prevost, Y. A. 1984. A perch snare for catching ospreys. Journal of Wildlife Management 48:991–993. CrossRef, CSA

Stewart, K. M., D. P. Matthiesen, L. Leblanc, and J. West. 1997. Prey diversity and selectivity of the African fish eagle: data from a roost in northern Kenya. African Journal of Ecology 35:133–145. CrossRef, CSA

Sumba, S. J A. 1988. Nestling growth in the African fish eagle in Uganda. African Journal of Ecology 26:315–321. CrossRef

Thorstrom, R. K. 1996. Methods of capturing tropical forest birds of prey. Wildlife Society Bulletin 24:516–520.

enlarge figure

Figure 1. Snare vest utilizes Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). Note that fish floats laterally due to Styrofoam in the coelomic cavity and small pebbles in the mouth. A total of 8 to 12 snares were made per fish (a). A modified “figure-eight” slipknot was used to tie nooses on the snare vest. To create the snares, a 60–80-cm piece of 11.3-kg-test line was cut and a “figure eight” knot tied loosely in one end (b, c top view). The end of the line, used for the final knot, was then placed through one circle of the 8 to create a slipknot, and excess line was pulled through to make 5–6-cm-diameter snares and a free end of line (d bottom view). Drawings by A. R. Gandolf.

Simon Hollamby

Simon Hollamby is a graduate of the University of Sydney, Australia with degrees in arts (1986) and veterinary science (1991). He has worked as a veterinarian in zoos, wildlife parks, and in field projects in Australia, North America, New Zealand, and East Africa. He obtained his M.S. degree in pathology and completed a residency in wildlife medicine, management, and pathology at the Michigan State University in 2003. At press time Simon is about to take up the position of wildlife veterinarian with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

Associate Editor: Crête

Cited by

Simon Hollamby, Josephine Afema-Azikuru, Samuel Waigo, Kenneth Cameron, A. Rae Gandolf, Amanda Norris, James G. Sikarskie. (2006) Suggested Guidelines for Use of Avian Species as Biomonitors. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 118:1-3, 13-20
Online publication date: 1-Aug-2006.
CrossRef

Simon Hollamby, Josephine Afema-Azikuru, Samuel Waigo, Kenneth Cameron, A. Rae Gandolf, James G. Sikarskie. (2006) African fish eagle nest site characteristics within Uganda. African Journal of Ecology 44:1, 109-112
Online publication date: 1-Apr-2006.
CrossRef