Satellite tags are being used to
plot the course of two grey plovers as they fly 13,000 kilometres back to
Adelaide from Russia.
The birds were tagged earlier
this year before they took off on their incredible long-haul flight.
The tags showed the pair flew
non-stop 7,000km from Adelaide to China before they rested and continued on to
Wrangel Island in the Arctic Ocean.
Tony Flaherty, the manager of
coast and marine for Natural Resources Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges, said
satellite tags were invaluable research tools.
Every two days they plot the
birds' location.
Mr Flaherty said the technology
meant researchers could monitor their exact movements.
"[The tags] are very small,
solar-powered units," he said.
"[They] come in under one
gram [in weight]."
Previously, researchers had
relied on bird sightings and made calculated guesses of their travels.
Mr Flaherty said it was
incredible to watch the birds read complex weather systems and time their
departures with complementary winds.
No comments:
Post a Comment