The Indian Ocean Coastal Belt (IOCB) forest is a critically endangered biome on the east coast of southern Africa. Over half of this biome has been lost to development, leaving the forest and many wildlife populations highly fragmented. The Spotted Ground Thrush (Geokichla guttata) is one of the endangered forest specialists that has been impacted by the loss and fragmentation of the IOCB forest in South Africa. The best guesstimate of the population size of this rare species is less than 600 mature individuals. Despite its rarity and the ongoing loss of its forest habitat, it has remained a poorly studied species.
Starting in winter 2025, we began coordinating a mid-winter population survey of Spotted Ground Thrush across fragmented forest patches of KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. Combining count surveys with colour ringing (banding), the project aims to develop a more robust population estimate and understand aspects of population dynamics, such as survival rates and wintering site fidelity.
