08/06/2018
As part of an ongoing study to
find out why Common Cuckoo is declining, the British Trust for
Ornithology (BTO) has fitted a further 10 individuals with tiny satellite tags
this summer.
The study aims to better
understand the reasons behind why we have lost almost three-quarters of our
Common Cuckoo population over the past 25 years. It has already identified
important migration routes via stopover sites in northern Italy and southern
Spain, and the precise wintering locations in the Congo rainforest.
Mortality of cuckoos taking the
route via Spain has been linked to population decline within the UK. What
scientists at the BTO would like to know now is how well our cuckoos make it to
and from Africa in different summers, and specifically, how relatively
important conditions in the UK and southern Europe are in contributing to a
successful – or otherwise – Saharan crossing in autumn.
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