The Hindu : Front Page : Survival struggle of the bald ibis

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Tuesday, Apr 15, 2008
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Survival struggle of the bald ibis

Bernhard Warner

If it is to thrive in Europe, it must migrate and mate. But there’s a problem: it hates flying and has no sense of direction.

The waldrapp ibis is one of Europe’s most precarious bird species, and a team of researchers is trying to increase their numbers.

If they are to survive, this bird, also known as the northern bald ibis, needs more human assistance than the average bird. It is one of the rarest bird species on the planet. In the wild there remains just one large colony, of about 350 birds, on the Moroccan coast; less than a dozen more are scattered in a small community in Syria. They are on the World Conservation Union’s “red list” of threatened species.

As Johannes Fritz, an Austrian biologist specialising in animal behaviour and head of the waldrapp research team, says, any combination of factors — a nasty virus, an unscrupulous resort developer, a sudden depletion of fresh water or food supplies — would mean instant extinction in the wild. The birds disappeared from southern Europe about 400 years ago, hunted out of existence by the locals, who developed an appetite for these poky flyers. To be sure, the birds have not evolved well. If they do not take flight in the first autumn of their life, they usually settle into a sedentary existence. And even the mobile ones are far from fleet. When they are motivated to take flight, they need almost ideal conditions to get anywhere. A stiff tail wind is best; a headwind is a deal-breaker. Generations of poor self-motivation and even poorer stamina (their top speed is 35 kmph, and during migration the young require ample recuperative days off) seem to have robbed the birds of one crucial instinct: an innate sense of direction. They still have a powerful migratory instinct; they just cannot be counted on to find their way. The birds seem completely at home on the ground, loitering in one spot, pecking at the occasional grub. Their jet black plumage, growing spiky and unkempt on top, gives them a distinctly punky, adolescent appearance. Convincing them to take flight appears to be a major challenge; even the most devoted conservationist would be tested by the northern ibis’ slacker disposition. Not surprisingly, while this species is dying out in the wild, it is thriving in zoos around Europe. Key to the reintroduction in Europe is teaching a dozen or so young ibises to follow the near-1,000km route that their ancestors may have taken centuries ago, south from the Alps to Orbetello on the Tuscan coast. The idea is to program into each generation a migratory route, plus a place to breed, which they can then pass on to the next generation. If they don’t learn to migrate safely, they will never reach the breeding area and reproduce. — ©Guardian Newspapers Limited, 2008

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