Further research on V-formation flight
Newsletter 03/04/2019
Since last year we run an exciting research project, which builds up on our successful studies on the mechanism, function and energetics of bird flight.
The science project is financed by the Austrian Science Foundation (FWF; P 30620). It takes use of the unique conditions during the human-led migration flights with the Northern Bald Ibis. Research in the past has contributed significantly to the optimization of the reintroduction project. It is a showcase for the synergy between conservation and basic science.
Elisa Perinot, one of two PhD`s financed out of the research project, is using this opportunity to study how the birds fly in a flock and in a V-formation. Moreover, she is also interested in studying how this is affected by the social relationships among them. This year she aims to use high-precision GNSS loggers, which allow to calculate the position of each single bird during the V-formation with cm-level accuracy! Her goal is to equip all the birds (about 30) during the human-led migration flights with one of these loggers, what would provide her with an absolutely unique dataset. It should allow a deep insight into the mechanism and function of V-formation flight as one of the most exciting and most popular behaviours in large size birds.
Since purchase of this logger technology is not fully covered by the FWF funding, Elisa has just launched a crowdfunding campaign and produced an exciting video. We invite you to give it a look by clicking this link.
Elisa’s research is very in the interest of the LIFE reintroduction project. Therefore, we ask to help her substantially in this research by giving a donation. Every sum is very appreciated. Moreover, you could help her to reach out as many people as possible, by sharing the link to this campaign.
Picture (AG Schmalstieg): Northern bald ibises with GPS devices on the back during the human-led migration 2018. The new GNSS loggers should allow to calculate the position of every bird with cm-level accuracy.
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