Updated 10
Apr 2019, 5:51am
One
endangered bird's northern migration has unravelled into a cross-country
journey of confusion, loneliness and cyclonic winds.
Rup is a
Far Eastern curlew, a migratory shorebird that makes an enormous annual journey
from Australia to breeding grounds in northern China and Siberia.
Unlike
the prolific bush stone curlew — known for their shrill, eerie calls — the Far
Eastern curlew is critically endangered.
A local
conservation project tracking the birds shows Rup's travel through Victoria,
Central Australia and into the western Top End.
What
happened next, according to migratory shorebird researcher Amanda Lilleyman,
was a matter of unfortunate timing.
"Its
two fellow flock members left Victoria just a few days beforehand, so it was
maybe a bit late to leave," Ms Lilleyman said.
Instead
of continuing north, tracking data shows Rup zig-zagged through the Gulf of
Carpentaria as it encountered Cyclone Trevor, whose category-four winds reached
250kph.
"It
got caught up in this cyclone and it's just terrible news, because it probably
spent a lot of energy flying through this cyclone."
After
taking a brief break in Karumba, the bird landed in Townsville, where it
meandered between a salt marsh and local beach.
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