Student Tracks Asian Bird's Migration Patterns; Recommends Conservation Strategies

Apr. 17, 2013 — An Arizona State University biologist and her team have found that the Asian subspecies of great bustard, one of the heaviest birds capable of flight, covers migratory routes of more than 2,000 miles, traveling to and from its breeding grounds in northern Mongolia and wintering grounds in Shaanxi province in China.

The research study, which is available online and will be published in the next volume of the Journal of Avian Biology, is the first of its kind to monitor the movement of this rarely studied subspecies through satellite telemetry and to connect a breeding population of Asian great bustards to their wintering grounds. The research also offers insight into conservation challenges.

Mimi Kessler, a doctoral candidate in biology at the School of Life Sciences, has spent more than two years on Eurasian grasslands, studying habitat use, population genetics, causes of mortality and migration routes of the Asian great bustards.

"We attached GPS transmitters to these birds that collect location data," Kessler says. "These transmitters relay the datasets to a satellite system, so we are able to remotely monitor the movement of these birds very closely, something that has never been done before."

Great bustards are large birds found in grasslands from Spain to Mongolia. Males of the Asian subspecies can weigh up to 35 pounds, but females only weigh up to 11 pounds. The significant size difference between males and females makes bustards the most sexually dimorphic avian species on Earth.

Despite their large size, studying and monitoring these birds is no easy feat. Known for their elusive nature and wariness toward humans, Asian bustards are rarely seen with the naked eye. Kessler and her colleagues use spotting-scopes on hillsides to scan valleys in Mongolia, but it may take the team months to capture and tag a single bird.

Continued:  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/04/130418100156.htm

Climate change threatening Asian birds

New study highlights the need for countryside-based conservation

February 2013. Climate change has been the alarming reality for some time now and humans have been grappling with the threat in various ways. But the disastrous impact of impending and accelerated climate change could strike our avian friends first. A new study in UK by Durham University and BirdLife International, of which Bombay Natural History Society, (BNHS) is the India Partner, on Asian bird species reveals that many are likely to suffer under climate change and will require not just enhanced protection of important and protected sites, but also better management of the wider countryside. In some extreme cases, birds may be required to be physically moved to climatically suitable areas for survival.

Asian birds and their habitats in peril
The research, published in the journal Global Change Biology, examined the potential future distribution of species where suitable climate is likely to remain within protected areas and conservation sites, such as Important Bird Areas (IBAs) and also the likelihood of an IBA network to maintain suitable habitats outside protected areas. This study was conducted for 370 Asian bird species whose conservation is a cause of concern, across the biodiversity hotspots of eastern Himalaya and lower Mekong River basin regions.

Bhutan, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and parts of India and Nepal
The countries studied include Bhutan, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and parts of India and Nepal. The results show that IBAs in the Lower Mekong region were affected more negatively than those in the eastern Himalaya. Many parts of these regions will experience significant turnover of bird species, which means that they will either colonize new areas or become locally extinct. The study draws upon the work of thousands of experts and organisations, including BirdLife Partners across countries, such as BNHS from India.

Read on:  http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/asian-birds.html