The Poisk newspaper: Altai State University takes care of rare birds

11 September 2021 Department of Information and Media Communications
The weekly newspaper of the scientific community the Poisk published an article about the work of the AltSU’s laboratory "Rare birds nursery "Altai-Falcon".

The laboratory, which has become part of the Zoological Center of the Institute of Biology and Biotechnology of Altai State University since 2020, has completed the program of reintroduction of birds from the Red Data Book this year.


According to Director of the center, Professor Sergei Snigirev, the participation in this program is caused by the rapidly decreasing number of falcons. The state of the populations of the Saker Falcon, as the most valuable species, on the territory of Altai Krai and the Altai Republic currently does not exceed several dozen nesting pairs. Globally, according to biologists, from 1992 to 2013, the number of Saker Falcon decreased by 47 percent. The main reason is the illegal capture of birds for the purpose of smuggling, as well as deaths on power lines, pesticide poisoning as a result of eating rodents, climate change, etc. Saker falcon (Falco cherrug) is included in the Red List of “endangered species” with the status of “Endangered taxa” and in the Red Book of the Russian Federation.

According to the experience, the most effective way to restore the number of birds in the Red Data Book is to get offspring in nurseries with the subsequent release of young falcons into nature, the so-called reintroduction. This method helped to restore the population of the peregrine falcon in the USA, Great Britain, Germany, and Poland, in England - the red kite and goshawk, and in Scotland - the golden eagle.

Now the number of rare bird species of the Altai-Falcon laboratory is over 150 individuals. These are the Red Book falcons (saker falcon, peregrine falcon, gyrfalcon), golden eagle, eagle owl, as well as steppe eagle, burial ground, Mediterranean lanner, owls of various species.

Employees of Altai State University have been involved in the restoration of natural populations of Saker Falcon since 1996. Since 2021, a comprehensive program has been implemented in Altai Krai and the Altai Republic. In addition to preparing young birds for life in nature with their subsequent release, a promising method is placing chicks in Saker Falcon nests on the territory of the Saylyugemsky National Park. But this technology doesn't always work. Due to the differences in weather conditions, the age of the chicks placed may differ from the time of birth of the biological offspring of wild birds. In this case, due to the large age difference, placing becomes impossible – foster birds may reject odd chicks.

Altai-Falcon plans to release 10-15 individuals annually. The expected results of the program are an increase in the population of the Saker Falcon in Altai Krai and the Altai Republic.

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