Research Goals and Conservation activities

The Great Bustard is classified as globally Vulnerable by IUCN due to observed and projected population declines, particularly in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, where Great Bustards have disappeared from large portions of their former range.

Our team works to expand knowledge about poorly understood populations of this species in Mongolia and Kazakhstan, where the species is included on Red Lists (endangered species lists). Local ornithologists estimate that Central Asian Great Bustards number 1600 in Mongolia and 300 in Kazakhstan - low numbers considering the size of these two countries, their low human population density, and the extent of potentially suitable habitat.

There is urgency for research on these Asian populations of Great Bustards, which differ substantially in aspects of their natural history from better-known European populations. Great Bustards are at risk during the rapid changes taking place in the countries of Central Asia, which are transitioning from communism to a free-market economy.

Our team is making important progress on the path to understanding the natural history and risks to these populations of Great Bustards. Learn more about our research activities, including population surveys, satellite tracking, and population genetic analyses.

We work closely with local non-governmental organizations and biologists, with whom we collaborate to develop conservation recommendations and take conservation actions. Our preliminary recommendations have already been incorporated into project and policy documents, and important territories for these birds have been listed with the government for protection. A sensitive and wary animal, the Great Bustard serves as an indicator species for healthy steppe ecosystems and a flagship species for steppe conservation projects, and our project provides baseline information about its populations in the region.

Research News

Share your observations!

Have you been on vacation or worked in Central Asia and observed Great Bustards? Perhaps you have even seen one of our Great Bustards marked with a numeric wing tag? Your sightings can help to improve our knowledge of populations of Great Bustards in these areas. with the dates, numbers observed, and location (closest town, or GPS coordinates).

 

Half-way home

The bustards we are monitoring have made it to the Bayanur oasis in Inner Mongolia - half-way from their wintering site in Chinato their breeding grounds in northern Mongolia April 2012

 

Sharing Research Findings

Over the winter months we have been sharing our research findings with the conservation community, at such venues as The Wildlife Society annual meeting, Student Conference on Conservation Science, MTI's Avian and Marine Tracking Conference, and Rutgers' Mongolian Ecological Research Symposium. March 2012

 

Bustards in Winter

Master's student U. Tovshin is embarking on an adventure to determine how many Great Bustards tough out the Mongolian winter - where average low temperatures are -30C (-22F), sometimes reaching -50C (-58F). Wishing him safe travels! February 2012

 

Bosoo Bustard Poached near Mining Site

Bosoo, one of the bustards whome we monitor via satellite telemetry, died on her migration south towards her wintering grounds. An investigation revealed that she had been poached near a mining site in south Gobi desert. Her transmitter was discarded not far from a road. January 2012

 

Nergui reaches her wintering grounds

Nergui, a female bustard we have been tracking since 2007, is the first of our tagged bustards to reach her wintering grounds in Central China this year. Temperatures at her wintering ground are currently 17 to 41°F (-6 to 5°C). Meanwhile, temperatures at her breeding grounds are -6 to 21°F (-21 to -6°C). December 2011

 

Two empty leks

Leks are traditional areas Great Bustards visit each spring to display, mate, and nest. This summer we were unable to locate lekking bustards at 2 of our 6 study locations. We are unsure whether bustards did not arrive to those sites this spring due to inclement weather, or whether those small populations have permanently disappeared. We have found high rates of mortality due to poaching among our tagged bustards. July 2011

 

Wet summer dampens nesting efforts

This summer was extremely wet in northern Mongolia - indeed, our team was unable to travel in mid-June as bridges collapsed and roads were wiped out by floodwaters. We believe that flooded fields may be one of the reasons we were able to locate only four nesting females this summer. June 2011

 

Bustard lek confirmed

On the road to our field site this summer, we were able to confirm the existence of a bustard lek (breeding site) we had long suspected to exist. We were elated to observe displaying males and three nesting females. However, two weeks later we were dismayed to hear that pesticides had been sprayed in the fields preferred by the bustards. Pesticides decrease the protein-rich insect food base essential to rapid growth of chicks, and trucks spraying pesticides sometimes crush eggs and flush mothers, making eggs and young vulerable to predators. May 2011

 

Toson bustard victim of predation

En route to our field site we have investigated the death of one of the bustards we have been tracking. Feathers and bones were scattered about the site of death at a migratory stopover. Interviews with local families report an increased number of foxes following the previous winter's dzud (winter weather disaster). Dzud cause mass casualties of livestock, upon which predators then feed. May 2011

 

Songuul' - a Victim of the Wild Meat trade

Songuul', a bustard we have tracked for three years, died on her wintering grounds. An investigation located her transmitter, which had been discarded alongside a bowl and empty chemical vials. Local people spoke of "professionals" who visit the area to poison wild birds and sell the meat to "wild meats" restaurants. April 2011

 

Fall Surveys Indicate Poor Nesting Success

Great Bustard chicks remain with their mothers for approximately a year. In the fall, they move with their mothers to spots where Great Bustards gather for migration. This autumn, as in previous autumns, our surveys revealed single adult females, but few females accompanied by large chicks. Reproductive rates for these Central Asian Great Bustard populations appear to be low. October 2010

 

B. Dashnyam finishes Masters Research

B. Dashnyam, a masters student supported by our project , has finished sample collection for his research on Great Bustard habitat and diet characteristics. He plans to analyze his data and defend his thesis this winter! October 2010

 

Nest Failures

This fall our team re-located Nergüi and Songuul, from whom we had received transmissions indicating nesting behavior this spring. Unfortunately, neither was accompanied by a chick. Investigations revealed that a field in which Songuul nested was plowed while she was incubating the eggs. After losing this nest, she attempted to lay another set of eggs which were also lost. Great Bustards in Europe have very low reproductive rates, due to losses of eggs and chicks to farm machinery, predators (foxes, crows), and insufficient food supplies. It appears as though these may also be problems for Central Asian Great Bustards. September 2010

 

Investigation of Ulaana's Death

A colleague in China has traveled to the site of death of one of our bustards with transmitters (Ulaana). Unfortunately, the cause of death could not be determined because the field in which she died had been ploughed before money was available for the investigation to be undertaken. Understanding the causes of mortality these populations of Great Bustard experience is crucial to their conservation. Your financial support can help us to respond more rapidly when these events occur. October 2010

 

Our Bustards are Nesting!

We have received transmissions from two of our bustards, Nergüi and Songuul, indicating that they are now nesting. Great Bustards generally have a low reproductive rate, so we are keeping our fingers crossed that these two will successfully raise chicks this year! June 2010

 

Spring Migration Has Begun!

Nergüi and Songuul have arrived in Inner Mongolia (northern China), having flown 450 km (about 300 miles) from their wintering site in central China! April 2010

 

Team Presentations at Intl Symposium on conservation of Asian Great Bustards

B. Dashnyam and A. Kessler presented their research and recommendations for conservation of Asian Great Bustards at the International Symposium on Conservation of Asian Great Bustards in Beijing. International cooperation between Mongolia, China and Russia is important in securing the future of these populations of Great Bustard. April 2010

 

Presentation at AOU Meeting

A. Kessler presented the group's preliminary results on Great Bustard migration routes, with recommendations for conservation, at a conference of the American Ornithologists' Union in San Diego, California. February 2010

 

Tsengel Collides with Powerline

P. Carr has investigated the mortality of Tsengel - one of our bustards with a transmitter - on her wintering grounds in Central China. She died after colliding with a powerline. As heavy-bodied birds, Great Bustards are not highly maneuverable in flight, and are not able to avoid wires spotted at the last minute. Great Bustard collisions with powerlines are a common occurrence in developed Western Europe, and according to a local wildlife ranger, are becoming more frequent in China. January 2010
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