Noxious weed invades Archer’s Lark site

Bird and vegetation surveying on the Wajaale Plains, Somaliland © Callan Cohen & Michael Mills

The rampant spread of the noxious American weed Parthenium hysterophorus in many parts of world (including Eastern and Southern Africa) is causing great concern as it is believed to significantly degrade grazing and agricultural lands. The Birding Africa expedition team to visit Somaliland (Michael Mills, Callan Cohen, Julian Francis, Clide Carter and Gus Mills) were disturbed to find on a recent survey that this weed has invaded the Wajaale clay plains adjacent to the town of Tog Wajaale on the Somaliland/Ethiopia border. The Wajaale Plains are the only known site for Archer’s Lark, Heteromirafra archeri, not recorded with certainty since its discovery here in 1922. Read more, click here.