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Rationale

Listed as Least Concern in view of its wide distribution (estimated extent of occurrence within the assessment region is 114,402 km²), its occurrence in multiple protected areas (including Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park), and because there are no major identified threats that could be causing widespread decline. It has been shown to occur more extensively in the assessment region (recorded from KwaZulu-Natal) than known in the previous assessment and may tolerate human disturbed habitats to a degree. Further field surveys and research are necessary to delimit distribution, population size and habitat selection more accurately.

Regional population effects: The range of this species is continuous across the borders of the assessment region into Zimbabwe through its occurrence in Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park and Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Area. However, it has low wing loading, so rescue effects are uncertain (Schoeman & Jacobs 2008).

Distribution

This species is widespread but patchily distributed throughout much of sub-Saharan Africa. It ranges from Sierra Leone and Senegal in West Africa, eastwards through Cameroon and Central Africa, to Ethiopia and East Africa, being recorded as far south as northeastern South Africa. It occurs in Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Angola (Monadjem et al. 2010). It is probably more widespread in Mozambique and eastern Zambia than is currently documented (Monadjem et al. 2010). Outside of Africa, it has been recorded from southern Yemen (ACR 2015). Riparian fringes along the Limpopo and Zambezi rivers explains outlying records of this species in semi-arid savannahs of southern and northern Zimbabwe (Monadjem et al. 2010). Within the assessment region, it is restricted to the eastern lowveld regions, having been recorded from Limpopo, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal provinces of South Africa. Its occurrence in KwaZulu-Natal was not documented in the previous assessment (Friedmann & Daly 2004). It has been confirmed to occur in Swaziland where two individuals were sampled at localities 75 km apart at Mlawula weir in Mlawula Nature Reserve in 2007 and at the Ngonini Citrus Estate in 2010 (Shapiro & Monadjem 2016). Its current estimated extent of occurrence within the assessment region is 114,402 km².

Habitat View more ecological information

Population trend

Trend

This species is difficult to survey as it forages low over open water (Monadjem et al. 2010), meaning that it may be more common that current records suggest. As such, it is not well represented in museums, with only 60 records examined in Monadjem et al. (2010). It is often mentioned in southern African studies that this species occurs singly or in pairs (Happold 1987; Skinner & Chimimba 2005). However, in Central and West Africa, it lives in harem groups (Brosset 1976; Monadjem & Fahr 2007) and this may be the case in southern Africa (Monadjem et al. 2010).

Threats

There appear to be no major threats to this species as a whole (ACR 2015). It appears to be able to utilise semi-disturbed vegetation or landscapes for roosting and foraging. However, there is ongoing habitat loss from agricultural transformation, especially in KwaZulu-Natal (Jewitt et al. 2015). Selective logging of trees for fuelwood and charcoal production may also cause local declines. Pesticide use in agricultural landscapes may reduce the insect prey base.

Uses and trade

There is no evidence to suggest that this species is traded or utilised.

Conservation

There are no direct conservation measures currently needed for this species as a whole. In the assessment region, the species is recorded from the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Area, Tzaneen Dam and iSimangaliso Wetland Park. No direct interventions can be put in place until more data on subpopulation size and trends, as well as local threat severity, is produced. However, the species would benefit from further protected area expansion, such as that being planned to link Maputaland to the Lubombo Transfrontier Conservation Area (Smith et al. 2008). Additionally, this species would benefit from holistic land management that reduces pesticide use and conserves buffer strips of natural vegetation to sustain insect biomass. Identification and protection of key roost sites is also necessary.

Recommendations for land managers and practitioners:

Reduce pesticide use in agricultural landscapes and maintain buffer strips of natural vegetation.

Research priorities:

More research is needed on the distribution and population sizes of the species. Monitoring of known subpopulations should be performed to establish population size and trend.
Studies into the reproductive behaviour and general ecology of the species are also needed.
Quantification of severity of local threats.

Encouraged citizen actions:

Citizens can assist the conservation of the species by reporting sightings on virtual museum platforms (for example, iSpot and MammalMAP), and therefore contribute to an understanding of the species distribution.

References

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