From breeding grounds in Uzbekistan, Anya and Arys migrate to India : The Tribune India

New Delhi, January 18

Anya and Arys – the young Egyptian vultures – after starting their journey from the breeding grounds of the Kyzylkum Desert in Uzbekistan eventually settled in northern India traveling 900 to 1,400 miles.

Two of the three vultures tracked by researchers from the University of East Anglia in Britain migrated to India, including one that visited the three cities of the Golden Triangle and flew over the iconic Taj Mahal.

This is the first time that the migration of this species has been described in Asia. Monitoring work is important to identify causes of decline and set conservation priorities for this endangered species.

A groundbreaking migration study has provided unexpected and invaluable insights that will aid future conservation efforts for the globally endangered Egyptian vulture.

Migration is an extremely dangerous time for birds with risks ranging from drowning and hunting to poisoning and electrocution. The results of this study are therefore essential to help inform and shape conservation work aimed at protecting and augmenting the remnant population, the researchers say.

It is estimated that there are only 135 breeding pairs of Egyptian vultures in Uzbekistan, where the project is based.

While similar studies have been undertaken in other regions, the results from Central Asia have been a missing piece of the puzzle.

Now the project team, co-led by Dr Robert Burnside from the University of East Anglia and with members Dr Vladimir Dobrev from the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds and Anna Ten from the Institute of Zoology in ‘Uzbekistan, can analyze the information they have. collected to identify the type and location of threats faced by Egyptian vultures as they migrate through this part of the world.

At the start of the study, GPS tags were attached to juvenile birds at previously identified breeding grounds in the Kyzylkum Desert. When the birds flew south for the winter, the team was able to record illuminating details by tracking the complete journeys of three birds – named Timur, Anya and Arys.

The three birds first flew south over Turkmenistan before taking very different routes.

• Timur traveled more than 3,800 miles (6,200 km), passing through Iran, Iraq, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia before settling in Yemen.
• anya passed through Iran and moved south through Afghanistan and Pakistan before stopping to winter in northern India after traveling about 1,400 miles (2,300 km).
• arys traveled about 930 miles (1,500 km), south through Afghanistan and Pakistan before also settling in northern India.

Anya followed a traditional route south from Uzbekistan and migrated fairly straight south, avoiding mountain crossings, until she reached the Rann of Kutch, north of the Indus. near Karachi, Pakistan.

The Rann of Kutch (which actually spans parts of Pakistan and India) is known for its populations of Egyptian vultures.

Anya, however, only stayed here for a few weeks, then crossed the Indus and into the Thar Desert in Rajasthan, where she remained in the deserts west of Barmer. Judging by satellite photos, she largely stayed in remote areas and did not use human waste sites or landfills.

On the other hand, Arys showed quite a different migratory behavior. Arys’ route was much further east and took him directly over the Hindu Kush mountain range in Afghanistan and Pakistan. It then followed the crest of the Sulaiman Range in Pakistan to the south, after which it directly crossed the Indus south into the Thar Desert.

Once in India, Arys used artificial habitat several times, in the form of slaughter areas and carcass dumps.

Notably, his first point of arrival in India, Bhadriya, was near a ranching facility, after which he moved east to the town of Bikaner. Bikaner is famous for its carcass dump which attracts thousands of vultures and steppe eagles during the winter months.

Arys spent several weeks at this site before moving east again where he spent over a month just south of New Delhi.

He is a real tourist, since he had already visited the three cities of the famous Golden Triangle at the end of December: New Delhi, Jaipur and Agra.

During its journey it flew over the India Gate in New Delhi and within 200m of the famous Taj Mahal where it remained till the time of writing.

Timur’s journey was more unexpected for scholars with his trip to Yemen and the Middle East.

This is a major discovery for Egyptian vulture biology and establishes for the first time that Central Asian populations are related to western Egyptian vultures that live in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

“These results confirmed what we expected that migratory Central Asian populations would join resident populations of Egyptian vultures in the Indian subcontinent during the winter,” said Burnside, researcher (conservation science and reintroduction) at the University of East Anglia. , noted.

“However, we did not expect the birds to migrate to Yemen in the Middle East. This establishes for the first time that Central Asian populations show connectivity with populations from Europe, the Balkans, Arabia and East Asia.

“Migration in European populations has proven particularly dangerous with juvenile migrants susceptible to high mortality from a range of threats including drowning, hunting, poisoning and electrocution.

“These threats exist mainly in Africa and cross the Mediterranean, but also in Yemen. In contrast, accidental poisoning with diclofenac and other veterinary drugs is the main threat in India and is potentially ongoing, although many efforts be deployed to actively address poisoning in Asian countries as it is a recognized problem,” the researchers state. IANS