Observations of Red-billed Spurfowl (Pternistis adspersus) in the arid Molopo Nature Reserve, North West Province, South Africa

Field work was conducted in the southern half of the Molopo Nature Reserve (MNR) near Vostershoop in the North West Province of South Africa to (1) describe the past and present distribution of Red-billed Spurfowl (Pternistis adspersus) in South Africa and (2) to describe the dispersion of Red-billed Spurfowl at waterholes in the MNR. The Red-billed Spurfowl did not colonize this area from Botswana in the 1990s as reported in Hockey et al. (2005) and their distribution status and population sizes are not determined by long distance (30–100 km) and/or seasonal movements between the two countries. Red-billed Spurfowl are sparsely distributed and mainly occur in clusters near man-made waterholes. Waterholes provide water and food found in and around antelope droppings. The movement of the Red-billed Spurfowl between waterholes over short distances of 2–5 km was probably encouraged by the sinking of more boreholes since the 1980s (and the creation of 'veeposte' (game/livestock camps) around them). Low rainfall that results in limited insects is probably the single most important factor limiting populations of the Red-billed Spurfowl in South Africa.