Alan Lee is Editor-in-chief of Ostrich: Journal of African Ornithology. This article was the result of a 2-year contract with BirdLife South Africa as part of a conservation assessment of the birds of the Karoo region. Prior to that he completed a post-doctoral research position on the endemic birds of South Africa’s unique Fynbos biome, following his PhD on the parrots of the Peruvian Amazon. He is a free-lance researcher, and lives on the Blue Hill Nature Reserve in the Fynbos of South Africa. You’re welcome to visit him at www.bluehillescape.co.za to assist bird ringing efforts there.

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