HABITAT FRAGMENTATION LIMITS THE DISTRIBUTION OF CAPE FRANCOLIN, FRANCOLINUS-CAPENSIS, ON DECIDUOUS FRUIT FARMS IN SOUTH-AFRICA

The effects of deciduous fruit orchard farming on the distribution of the southern African endemic Cape francolin, Francolinus capensis, was investigated by comparing the size and placement of the home ranges o f six individuals (coveys) in the fruit orchards with those of four in dividuals (coveys) in an extensive fynbos habitat. The mean daily home range size of Cape francolin was 1.34 ha in the orchards and only 0.2 3 ha in extensive fynbos. Whereas home ranges were separated, on avera ge, by 96.7 m in the natural habitats, they were highly overlapping an d straddled the fynbos patches present within the orchards. Roosting s ites in the orchards were all within the fynbos patches and the mean d istance moved daily from these patches was 125.3 m. The mean proportio n of the day spent outside of the fynbos patches within the orchards w as 72.5%. Group sizes were not significantly different between orchard s (mean=4.27, SD=1.5, N=15 coveys) and extensive fynbos (mean=4.9, SD= 2.5, N=16 coveys) habitats. It is therefore suggested that the placeme nt, size and connectedness of fragmented natural habitats between the orchards determines the distribution of Cape francolin within deciduou s fruit farms.