Page 26 - State of Biodiversity 2019-2020

22 STATE OF BIODIVERSITY REPORT 2019/2020
ETHEKWINI MUNICIPALITY HOUSE CROW MONITORING REPORT
By Mmatjie Mashao
Corvus splendens, also known as House Crow, is one of the most invasive bird species that occurs within the EM, particularly in Durban. Other large cities such as Richards Bay, Cape Town and East London all face similar high invasive levels in South Africa. It is listed as a Category 1a alien bird species under the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act (NEMBA),Act 10 of 2004,8 which means that it must be controlled.
The House Crow Project in eThekwini was initiated in the early 1990s, then re-implemented between 2009-2013, 2013- 2015, then again in 2018 to date. Previous intervention methods resulted in a vast reduction of the species. Leading up to 2015, the numbers became so low that the municipality was declared free of House Crow. However, due to poor follow-up on monitoring and eradication, the population is on the rise (±100 birds estimated in 2018), and this requires immediate intervention in order to prevent even further establishment into other areas.
EM, in collaboration with SANBI, have conducted surveillance of the species within the boundaries of eThekwini Municipality and this report seeks to present House Crow population estimates based on those sightings for 2019-2020. Sightings reported by the public also contributed to the presented results, from which it is obvious that the House Crow mainly occur in the coastal area of EM.
House Crows are always associated with human habitation where they feeds mainly on refuse.They are highly opportunistic birds and given their omnivorous diet, they can survive on nearly anything that is edible, which explains their presence in areas such as central Durban, Berea and Isipingo as compared to other areas where refuse is not readily available.
8. SANBI is mandated to conserve South Africa’s rich biodiversity. Its Biological Invasions Directorate (BID) aims to reduce the threat of biological invasions through detection, identification, assessment and management of invasive species that may be contained or eradicated.