Highlights of the Northern Bald Ibis reintroduction project: start-up for two new breeding colonies
Newsletter 11/05/2020
On May 7, the male Zoppo landed in the breeding area of Überlingen at Lake Constance. He is the first adult Northern Bald Ibis to return to this former breeding area independently, 400 years after extinction.
Zoppo had left the wintering area WWF Oasi Laguna di Orbetello on March 29 and crossed the border between Italy and Switzerland on April 7. He crossed the alps three times, before staying in the Swiss foothills of the Alps for several days. After a short stop at France, he flew towards Lake Constance and reached Überlingen on May 7. Another milestone was reached on May 6, as for the first time a Northern Bald Ibis returned from the wintering area to Zoo Rosegg in Carinthia. The male named Phebe became the founder of a first wild migrating breeding colony south of the Alps. Thus, the 2020 season so far could hardly be more successful.
Zoppo met his former foster mother Anne-Gabriela Schmalstieg in the breeding area. He recognized her immediately, the reunion was obviously gratifying on both sides. Anne brought Zoppo to an artificial breeding structure, just above the Molasse-cliffs on the shores of Lake Constance. There the birds returning to Überlingen should start breeding and then be moved together with their chicks into the natural cliffs. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the breeding structure could not be completed on time for this season. The aviary is missing to temporarily enclose the arriving birds at this site, which is unknown to them.
Zoppo already got company as the two-year-old female Bonsi arrived at May 10. Three further Northern Bald Ibis have already crossed the Alps and are in Switzerland right now. Additionally, another 12 birds from the breeding colony Überlingen are in Italy on their way north. This is a great success for the project, even if there will probably be no brood this year. In any case, a brood is to be expected in 2021, in time for the State Garden Show in Überlingen, which also had to be postponed to 2021.
Emanuel Lichtenstein, the owner of the Zoo Rosegg in Carinthia, together with the animal keeper Lynn Hafner, are at least as enthusiastic as the Waldrappteam about the return of Phebe to Rosegg. This still subadult bird has an exciting story. He hatched in the zoo's own non-migrating, free flying breeding colony. In autumn 2018, he unexpectedly flew south together with 10 conspecific juveniles from the zoo colony. The untagged birds were sighted near Rome a few days later and then disappeared. In early December, two of these birds were sighted in Abruzzo, caught by Daniela Trobe and integrated into the migratory population at the winter area in Tuscany. This event triggered the goal of gradually integrating the Rosegg colony into the European migratory population. As a subadult, most likely Phebe will not breed this year, but his return is a milestone for the establishment of this fourth European breeding colony.
Picture: Foster mother Anne-Gabriela Schmalstieg shows Zoppo the breeding structures in Überlingen at Lake Constance, which unfortunately is not yet fully finished due to COVID-19. Picture: Hanspeter Walter
Click here to get to our Newsletter archive.
