Fritz et al. 2020
Fritz J, Eberhard B, Esterer C, Goenner B, Trobe D, Unsöld M, Voelkl B, Wehner H & Scope A (2020)
Biologging is suspect to cause corneal opacity in two populations of wild living Northern Bald Ibises.
Avian Research 11, 38 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40657-020-00223-8
In this paper, we present evidence that biologging is strongly correlated with eye irritation, suggesting a causal relationship with obvious impairing effects for the affected individuals. A migratory population of Northern Bald Ibises (Geronticus eremita) is reintroduced in Europe, in the course of a LIFE+ project (LIFE Northern Bald Ibis). Since 2016, an increasing amount of birds were equipped with solar-powered devices, fixed on the upper back, as this is the more sun-exposed position. From 2016 to 2018, a total of 25 birds were affected by an opacity in the cornea of one eye (unilateral corneal opacity; UCO), with varying intensity up to blindness. However, only birds carrying a device on the upper back were affected (2017 up to 70% of this group). In contrasts, none of the birds which carried devices on the lower back ever showed UCO symptoms.
