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PATERZELL, Germany (AP) — How do you teach a bird how and where to fly?
The Northern Bald Ibis, a unique bird nearly hunted to extinction by the 17th century, has made a comeback thanks to 20 years of breeding and rewilding efforts. These birds are easily recognizable by their striking black and iridescent green feathers, bare red heads, and long, curved beaks. However, they lack the instinct to know the proper migration routes without guidance from elder birds born in the wild. To address this issue, a group of scientists and conservationists has stepped in to serve as foster parents and flight instructors.
“We have to teach them the migration route,” explains biologist Johannes Fritz.
The Northern Bald Ibis once thrived across North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and much of Europe, including Bavaria in southern Germany. These migratory birds were also seen as a culinary delicacy, leading to their disappearance from Europe, although some colonies remained elsewhere.
Thanks to the efforts of Fritz and the Waldrappteam, a conservation group based in Austria, the Central European population of these birds has grown from none to nearly 300 since their project began in 2002.
This remarkable achievement has moved the species from a classification of “critically endangered” to “endangered.” According to Fritz, this marks the first successful attempt to reintroduce a bird species that had been extinct in a region.
A group of Northern Bald Ibises is guided by a microlight aircraft across central Europe in an innovative form of assisted migration. Human “foster parents” raise the birds from chicks and sit in the aircraft to encourage the birds to follow.
Despite their instinct to migrate, the Northern Bald Ibises do not know the correct direction to fly without the help of older birds that were born in the wild. Early reintroduction attempts by the Waldrappteam largely failed because the birds were not taught the migration route. Most of them disappeared shortly after being released, flying in random directions instead of returning to suitable wintering grounds like Tuscany in Italy.
To address this, the Waldrappteam took on the roles of foster parents and flight instructors for the Central European population, which consists of descendants from various zoo colonies. This year marks their 17th journey with human-led migration guides, and for the second time, they’ve had to establish a new route to Spain due to climate change.
To prepare for travel, chicks are separated from their breeding colonies just a few days after hatching. They are brought to an aviary supervised by their foster parents, who aim to create a bond with the birds — a process known as “imprinting” — so the birds will trust them during migration.
Barbara Steininger, a foster mother with the Waldrappteam, describes her role as “their bird mom.”
“We feed them, clean their nests, and ensure they are healthy. We also interact with them regularly,” she explains.
As the journey nears, Steininger and the other foster parents pilot a microlight aircraft, waving and shouting encouragement through a bullhorn as they fly through the sky.
It’s a strange sight: an aircraft that resembles a flying go-kart, equipped with a large fan and a yellow parachute, soaring through the sky while three dozen birds follow closely behind, piloted by Fritz as it glides over alpine meadows and rolling hills.
Fritz was inspired by “Father Goose” Bill Lishman, a naturalist who taught Canadian geese to fly alongside his ultra-light plane starting in 1988. He later guided endangered whooping cranes along safe paths and founded the nonprofit organization “Operation Migration.” Lishman’s work inspired the 1996 film “Fly Away Home,” which features a young girl acting as the mother to the geese.
Like Lishman, Fritz and his team have seen success. The first Northern Bald Ibis independently returned to Bavaria from Tuscany in 2011. More have successfully flown this route, which is about 550 kilometers (342 miles) long, each year. The team hopes that by 2028, the Central European population will exceed 350 birds and become self-sustaining.
However, climate change is impacting the migration patterns. The Waldrapp now migrates later in the season, forcing them to cross the Alps in colder, more hazardous weather conditions. This means they miss the warm air currents, known as thermals, that help them soar without using much energy.
In response, the Waldrappteam has adjusted their route in 2023, leading the birds from Bavaria to Andalusia in southern Spain.
This year’s journey is approximately 2,800 kilometers (1,740 miles) long, about 300 kilometers (186 miles) longer than last year’s path. Earlier this month, the team guided 36 birds from an airfield in Paterzell, Bavaria, through clear blue skies and a favorable tailwind that helped speed their journey.
The complete migration to Spain could take up to 50 days, concluding in early October. However, Fritz emphasizes that this effort transcends the Northern Bald Ibises; it aims to create pathways for other threatened migratory species.
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Dazio reported from Berlin.
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