‘Birds know no borders’: Interview with BirdLife Africa’s Alex Ngari
Every year, twice a year, millions of birds belonging to hundreds of species fly between breeding grounds in Europe and Asia and their non-breeding habitats in Africa. Scientists have surprisingly sparse knowledge of exactly where many species actually go — or what risks and obstacles the migrating birds encounter along the way. Populations of the […]
Every year, twice a year, millions of birds belonging to hundreds of species embark on an annual journey, flying between breeding grounds in Europe and Asia, and their non-breeding habitats in Africa. The exact paths and dangers encountered by these migrating birds remain largely unknown to scientists. For instance, the vulnerable curlew sandpiper, which breeds in Siberia, can be found across South Asia, East and Southern Africa during the northern hemisphere winter.
Alex Ngari, the migratory birds and flyways program manager for BirdLife Africa, stresses that "these birds know no borders", and thus, their conservation requires a borderless safety net, as "these birds do not belong to any one country". Traditionally, monitoring migratory birds involved ringing; however, reconstructing their complete yearly journey depended on encountering a ringed bird, recognizing the band, and having the encounter documented by authorities.
With the advent of lighter and more reliable electronic tags that can record and transmit location data, researchers have begun to gather more precise information about migratory pathways. Despite the advances, such tracking methods remain costly, particularly for tags suitable for smaller birds.
Written by urgent.news from Mongabay's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
