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Urban Ecosystems

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20-06-2022

Human-wildlife interactions: presence of the ground-nesting Spotted Thick-knee across a South African mosaic urban landscape

Authors: Kyrone K. Josiah, Colleen T. Downs

Published in: Urban Ecosystems | Issue 6/2022

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Abstract

Urbanisation has increasingly encroached on numerous bird species' natural habitats, generally negatively affecting their persistence. Furthermore, increased human-wildlife interactions may benefit or be detrimental to the long term persistence of these species. The Spotted Thick-knee (Burhinus capensis), a ground-nesting species, persists in some mosaic urban landscapes in South Africa. We, therefore, assessed the presence of Spotted Thick-knees and their interactions with humans in the fragmented natural and human-modified landscape of Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal. We conducted presence-only surveys at 52 locations between July 2019 and December 2020. ‘Presence’ locations for Spotted Thick-knee were identified via active surveying and public participation. Newspaper articles were distributed in June 2019, requesting information on Spotted Thick-knee sightings. Questionnaires were also sent to respondents to collect qualitative information regarding their perceptions and observations of this species in Pietermaritzburg. We established that the presence of Spotted Thick-knee's at known locations was not random. They were present at 30 out of 52 sites for 75% of this study's duration. Fewer sites had Spotted Thick-knees present during non-breeding months than breeding months. Respondents' feedback highlighted the pressures associated with Spotted Thick-knees persistence in human-modified mosaic landscapes, particularly predation and disturbance by domestic pets. Our study highlights that some ground-nesting birds, such as Spotted Thick-knees, persist in mosaic urban landscapes, despite the anthropogenic pressures. This study highlights the need to address the paucity of studies on ground-nesting birds in mosaic urban landscapes to determine general trends.

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Title: Human-wildlife interactions: presence of the ground-nesting Spotted Thick-knee across a South African mosaic urban landscape
Authors: Kyrone K. Josiah
Colleen T. Downs
Publication date: 20-06-2022
Publisher: Springer US
Published in: Urban Ecosystems / Issue 6/2022
Print ISSN: 1083-8155
Electronic ISSN: 1573-1642
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-022-01254-3

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