CANBERRA, July 31 (Xinhua) -- Scientists have used tiny satellite "backpacks" to track the extraordinary migrations of nomadic Australian waterbirds across the continent's arid interior.
Researchers from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), Australia's national science agency, attached solar-powered satellite trackers -- just 1 to 3 percent of a bird's weight -- to four waterbird species, collecting over 50,000 days of migration data from more than 200 birds and mapping their flyways over seven years.
Australia's inland waterbirds migrate via hidden flyways between seasonal wetlands stretching from southwest Victoria's Barmah-Millewa Forest to key sites in New South Wales, including Macquarie Marshes and Lake Cowal, according to a CSIRO release on Wednesday.
A plumed egret was tracked flying nonstop for 38 hours from northern New South Wales to Papua New Guinea, researchers said.
The study found tracked birds adapt their migration strategies yearly, traveling hundreds of kilometers daily and over 15,000 km annually by using favorable winds and weather conditions.
The research highlights that waterbirds rely on floodwaters to breed, but increasing water competition from agriculture and unpredictable rainfall due to climate change threaten their habitats.
To help, managers at Murray-Darling Basin in southeastern Australia release environmental flows from dams, yet balancing the needs of wildlife and humans will become harder as water scarcity grows.
"While these birds have been able to survive Australia's seesawing climate, it's an open question whether they can hold on as climate change makes water even less predictable -- and as human demands increase," wrote CSIRO scientists. ■
