Swallows trackers & GPS-type device..[ 856 ]

Swallows get high-tech trackers

'GPS-type' device to map bird movements

(ANSA) - Rome, April 8 - Swallows kitted out with miniature GPS-type devices will soon help a team of Italian scientists map their migratory movements and develop conservation plans.

The project, which brings together researchers from several organizations, will involve capturing around 200 swallows and fitting them with tiny microchips weighing less than a gram. The birds will then be released back into the wild for two years. In 2012, they will be recaptured and scientists will remove the tracking devices, which will be used to create a detailed reconstruction of the birds' movements. The devices should allow scientists to map their precise migratory routes and wintering grounds in sub-Saharan Africa.

This information will then be cross-referenced with climate change data, to assess the potential impact of warming on the birds' travels. "The application of this state-of-the-art technology to a migration study will finally allow us to make significant steps forward in understanding the biology of these migratory birds," said Professor Nicola Saino of Milan University's Ecology Department.

"It will also help us understand the causes of the recent sharp fall in their numbers, which may be attributable to climate change".

Swallow populations summering in Italy have fallen away in recent years, particularly in the Po Valley, where numbers have dropped by up to 50%. A recent study by the Milan and Bicocca universities, which are overseeing the current project in conjunction with the LIPU bird protection league, reported a 40% drop in some parts of northern Italy. The current initiative hopes to combat the trend not only by identifying reasons for the decline but also by involving farmers in the battle. Starting in 2011, farmers in spots popular with swallows will be encouraged to adopt best practices aimed at assisting the birds, such as allowing fields to lie fallow for several years or by growing herbs favoured by swallows on spare strips of land. In return, LIPU will provide them with nesting boxes which can also be used to collect bird guano, a rich, cost-free and organic fertilizer. Ecology Professor Danilo Mainardi of Ca Foscari University in Venice said this aspect could be critical in helping reverse negative population trends.

"This is a very important project because it will allow us to study the migration of swallows in an innovative manner as well as helping conserve the species," he said.

"But the real strength of the project lies in its interdisciplinary approach and the strong involvement of farmers working in relevant areas".