The crew at 10000birds.com has started an effort to raise money for a survey of an endangered and endemic bird in Kenya; the Sharpe’s Longclaw. The longclaws belong to the same family (Motacillidae) as the American Pipit and wagtails. According to BirdLife International, there are only between 10,000 and 20,000 Sharpe’s Longclaws remaining.
The Sharpe’s Longclaw has an extremely restricted range, basically limited to the remaining grasslands in sw Kenya which are quickly disappearing due to development. As you can see in the range map below, the Sharpe’s Longclaw is very vulnerable to even small amounts of development in its territory.
The surveys are going to be conducted by 26-year-old Kenyan Dominic Kamau Kimani. He has been birding since he was young and has previously worked on research related to birds and wildlife conservation.
A fund called the “Small African Fellowship for Conservation” has been set up and the goal is to raise $2,000 to fund two things: a survey of suitable longclaw habitat and an educational program to take to local schools about habitat conservation for the Sharpe’s Longclaw.
If you can contribute anything to this cause, click on the widget below to easily add your dollars to a good conservation fund. A couple dollars from lots of people will help reach the goal.
Sharpe’s Longclaw- photo © Charlie Moores