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Bird-hunting jackals of the Kgalagadi

AMBUSH IN NOSSOBEVOLUTION AT WORK AT THE WATERHOLES

OF A REMOTE SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL PARK

SCOOP!

Several Black-backedjackals Canis mesomelas

have learned to ambush birdscoming to drink at the

waterholes of Nossob camp, in the Kgalagadi National Park.

N ossob is one of the most important visitors’ campsof the Kgalagadi Transfrontier (ex-Kalahari

Gemsbok) National Park of South Africa, up far in the northand sharing a long straight western border with Namibia.The Park itself is not well known outside South Africa, andNossob camp is just a hub of bungalows with a supposedlylion-proof fence around it built in the middle of nowhere.But something very special has been going on here, forquite some time. Water is desperately scarce in theKgalagadi, and the Park features lots of man-made

waterholes - little concrete pools which get filled withdrinking water pumped from underground by a solar-powered pump (until a lion cub doesn’t break it to pieces- we saw this happening twice in a week). As it is to beexpected, wildlife stays in the area all year-round justbecause of the water provided by these, and waterholeshave become a dependable sighting spot - so much, infact, that at some camps spacious hides are often builtoverlooking one, and some are even floodlit at night toallow viewing of nocturnal animals. At a couple of

waterholes of Nossob, several Black-backed jackals Canismesomelas have learned to ambush the hundreds of Capedoves and sandgrouse which flock daily to the pool for amuch needed morning or evening drink - waiting patientlyfor the birds to land and start drinking, creeping stealthilyand intensely focused towards one in particular (despiteappearances, the jackals do not strike randomly, butunfailingly target a single individual in the flock) and thenfinally bolting at full speed in the middle of the milling birds,all taking off simultaneously in panic. The success rate is

TEXT BY ANDREA FERRARIPHOTOS BY ANDREA & ANTONELLA FERRARI

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A female jackaljumps unsuccessfullyat her intendedprey. Despiteappearances, thejackals alwaystarget a specificbird and do notstrike at random.

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Strike! A Cape turtledove Streptopilia

capicola is caught inmid-air and hurriedlycarried a few meters

away to be immediatelyconsumed.

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Attack runs last a few meters only and usually end in a jump. Aboutone ambush in fourmeets success.

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Depending onlight conditions, thedorsum occasionallyappears of a toned-down, mustard-likecolor. The tail ishowever brick-redas in most brightgreen Trimeresurusspecies.

The act of successfullysnatching a flying bird inmid-air lasts a fraction of a

second and is not easilycaught on camera.

Focusing is also difficultgiven the number of birdstaking off in all directions.

Approaching verystealthily, jackals will also

occasionally catch a drinkingCape dove by surprise, from

behind. Most attacks arehowever launched to the

birds taking off en masse,when they hinder each other.

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incredibly high - we’ve calculated thatabout one strike in four ends in a kill.The bird is gulped down franticallyand basically whole, often on the run- less experienced in the fine art ofdove-catching, other jackals close inquickly on the successful hunter tosteal its prey. The whole spectacle isalways fast and dramatic (somewould say entertaining), but whatmakes it really fascinating is that weare watching what we might call aculture evolving at Nossob’swaterholes. The older, mostexperienced and most successful (onecould say most intelligent) jackalshave obviously learned from directobservation and experience thatwaterholes are a dependable sourceof food, that flocks of birds comedaily, that while busy drinking theyare at their most vulnerable - andthese proficient hunters are passingon this stored information to theyounger generations and even toother unrelated jackals, which watchintently and finally learn. The huntersalways follow the same routine,depending on the individual - somecrash in from the right, others from theleft. They will even occasionally feintdisinterest and pretend to sleep toavoid alarming the birds too much.There’s a lot of intelligence andcraftiness being shown by theseclever, fascinating animals here - inconclusion, what one sees at Nossobcamp is basically an evolutionarylab, and that makes the place ratherunique in our experience. .

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Most attacks frombehind are unsuccessful,and jackals have learnedto utilize other ambushtechniques.

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Two separate attacks. A jump will occasionallyalso end with a mouthfulof feathers - usually a tail- torn off with the Capedove flying away to liveanother day.

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A very focused jackalbolts on its intended prey,a Cape dove busy drinkingfrom the Nossob waterhole.

Despite the bird actuallybeing on the verge

of taking off, this attack wassuccessful (see page 9).

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Watch and learn - this female has become a very experienced andproficient hunter. Others -possibly its own offspring- will follow suit and learnto do the same.