Bird's Eye View: Humans Direct Once-Extinct Birds to Migration Lands

It’s a rare event when a “critically endangered ” bird returns from that dire scientific group. But conservationists in Europe have poured a massive amount of effort and resources into saving the northern bald ibis. Now, they just have to teach the birds where to fly.

The bald ibis in Europe was hunted to near extinction in the 1600s. But over the past couple of decades, a conservation group in Austria has bred and rewilded the species back to an “endangered” status. Roughly 300 are now in Europe.   

The problem that remains? The unique black-and-green birds with bald heads and long beaks don’t seem to know where to migrate. They lost all sense of a flight compass when their wild-born elders died off. The new ibis were first brought back in the early 2000s. But those birds released into the wild flew in all different directions. They likely died rather than flying to traditional wintering grounds in places like Tuscany, Italy.

But scientists for the Waldrapp project refused to give up. They devised a way to direct the birds to migration regions in Spain or Italy each year. 

First, the team takes about three dozen chicks to an aviary. It's run by Waldrapp “step parents.” There, the young birds can bond with humans. Then, team members take off in microlight aircraft to guide the birds hundreds of miles over many months. They travel from Bavaria through the Alps to Spain. The humans sometimes yell at the birds through bullhorns to keep them on track.  

The birds fly fast and “they change sides, and look at the scenery, and really enjoy themselves,” Waldrapp biologist Barbara Steininger told the BBC. "It's a magical moment, seeing all 35 of them in the air.”  

Reflect: What do you think motivates people to help animals in need, and how do you feel when you see someone go out of their way to protect or care for wildlife?

Photo of northern bald ibis from Unsplash courtesy of Stanislav Ferrao.