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PODOCES 2013 Vol. 8, No. 2 Journal homepage: www.wesca.net

A Review of Current Knowledge of Radio-Tracking of Waterbirds and Raptors in

Mohammad E. Sehhatisabet 1 & Abolghasem Khaleghizadeh 2*

1) Kerman Office of the Department of the Environment, Kerman, Iran 2) Ornithology Lab., Agricultural Zoology Research Dep., Iranian Research Institute of Protection, Tehran, Iran

Article Info Abstract Review Article Although research activities on tracking the migration routes of are increasing all over the world, this kind of research is very limited in Iran. Received 2 February 2013 To promote this activity, this aims to review all available Accepted 15 March 2014 information on the migration routes of birds in Iran derived from radio- tracking techniques. To concentrate more on groups, we have Keywords focused on waterbirds and raptors, and exclude information on the Asian Houbara Bustard. Five species of waterbirds and seven species of raptors Radio-tracking have been tracked entering or crossing Iran. Raptors Waterbirds

1. Introduction the world (Berthold et al. 2001). In Iran, bird Iran lies at a strategic location at the ringing scheme was as one of main programmes convergence of three major faunal regions in the Department of the Environment (DOE) (Firouz 2000). The migratory elements of during the 1970s. This scheme resulted in Iranian birds are: summer visitors, winter obtaining good results in bird migration of visitors, passage migrants, and internal migrants Iranian birds (Argyle 1975, 1976, Cornwallis & within Iran (Scott 1989, 1995). Their migration Ferguson 1970). Coloured plastic leg-bands is due to the seasonal nature of the Iranian were also used for Common Cranes Grus grus biotopes as well as Iran’s location on the (Farhadpour 2012), Grey Herons Ardea cinerea migration routes between the main Eurasian and other Ardeidae species (Sehhatisabet 2009). breeding grounds and the wintering grounds in With the recent growing research on the , Southwest Asia and tracking bird migration by radio-tracking and Africa. The majority of migration through Iran lack of sufficient data in Iran, it was necessary occurs along the north-northeast to the south- to gather information obtained about migration southwest axis, the main corridor between the routes through Iran. The aim of the present Palearctic breeding grounds and the Ethiopian is to present current knowledge and Region wintering grounds (Scott 1989, Martins activities regarding radio-tracking and wing- & Hirschfeld 1998). tagging of birds or their tracks through Iran. We Bird migration can be tracked by means of focused on waterbirds and raptors and excluded various methods and currently acoustic Asian Houbara Bustard Chlamydotis registration, radar tracking, telemetry and macqueenii which was extensively discussed satellite tracking, bird ringing recoveries, neck before (Bailey & Launay 1997, Combreau et al. collars, wing, leg, back and bill tags are major 1999, 2011a,b, Gao et al. 2009, Judas et al. methods in finding bird migration routes around 2006, 2009, Riou et al. 2012, Tourenq et al. 2004). * Corresponding: [email protected] 22

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2. Recent knowledge eastern side of the . One stopped in Mazandaran Province, while another continued 2.1. Waterbirds on through Khorasan to Zahedan, Sistan & Only five species of waterbirds, namely Greater Baluchestan. The third bird passed through Phoenicopterus roseus , White Khorasan to the southeastern coast of Ciconia ciconia , Siberian Grus Hormozgan, and returned to the Samara region leucogeranus (Fig. 1), Crab Plover Dromas via the same route. The fourth bird migrated ardeola (Fig. 2) and Little Ringed Plover along the west coast of the Caspian Sea through Charadrius dubius , have been followed by central Iran to the southwestern and radio-tracking in Iran. southeastern coasts of . These contrast Two Greater crossed into Iran with the two birds that were tagged much from Al Wathba, UAE, in 2006. The first data further to the east, in the Omsk region of from Iran were obtained from Neiriz on 4 , and migrated southwestwards. One bird March 2006 where a bird stopped for nearly ended up in an area near Charmahal & two weeks. It was then recorded near the Bakhtiari, southwest Iran (Chernetsov et al. Caspian Sea coast in south-western 2004). Three other White fitted with in early June (Javed et al. 2006; transmitters in crossed western areas Fig. 1). Another bird from the northeast of UAE of Iran to reach (Acopian crossed into Iran at Bandar Abbas, then Centre for the Environment, unpublished map continued through and central released on 17 October 2013). Iran to East Azarbaijan Province where it made Tracking of an individual of the Siberian a sudden change in direction toward the Crane showed that the bird started its spring Republic. It then surprisingly migration from Fereidoon-Kenar and passed crossed the Caspian Sea and reached through somewhere around Rudsar, Gilan northeastern areas of the sea in Province and the Azerbaijan Republic coasts (Anonymous 2012a; Fig. 1). The data obtained and stopped at Kizliyar, northwest of the from satellite-tracking provide precise Caspian Sea, before continuing on along the information on routes taken rather than just the north coast of the Caspian Sea to the region of ringing and recovery sites obtained from Obzhorovskiy, at the eastern end of the ringing data. Ringing recoveries have revealed River delta. The bird took 56 days for its that many Greater Flamingos from the Lake migration from Iran to its presumed breeding Tenghis colony in Kazakhstan reach Iran, area to the east of the Ural Mountains, Russia, especially the south-east Caspian region, while near the northern border of Kazakhstan (Kanai young birds from the Lake Uromiyeh colony et al. 2002). Ten birds that had been reared in have been recovered from 27 countries as far captivity were fitted with transmitters and afield as southern Europe (), the Western released in winter during the period 1996/97 to Mediterranean ( and ), East 2008/2009, but the results were very limited. In Africa (Ethiopia, , Somalia and Djibouti) the winter of 2003, a bird fitted with a PTT and the Bay of Bengal (India and Sri Lanka) migrated from Fereidoon-Kenar to Azerbaijan and do not show a preference for any particular Republic and Daghestan (Russia). Another bird direction (Cornwallis & Ferguson 1970, Argyle with a PTT migrated from its wintering site but 1975, Behrouzi-Rad 1992, 1993, D.A. Scott, was caught by local people, c. 300 km away pers. comm.). near Anzali , while another bird fitted Young White Storks taken from the nest with a PTT left Fereidoon-Kenar on 25 were tagged in three locations of Armenia, and February 2008 and transmitted its final signal c. two locations north of the Caspian Sea in 250 km away at Sefid-Rud River on 1 March southern Russia (Fig. 1). Of seven individuals 2008 (Sadeghizadegan et al. 2009). tagged in the Samara region of Russia in 2001, four crossed Iran, three of them from the

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Review of Radio-tracking in Iran- Sehhatisabet & Khaleghizadeh

Fig. 1. Migration routes of Greater Flamingo (Javed et al. 2006, Anonymous 2012a), White Stork (Chernetsov et al. 2004, Acopian Centre for the Environment, 2013) and Siberian Crane (Kanai et al. 2002, Sadeghizadegan et al. 2009).

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PODOCES, 2013, 8(2): 22-29

Fig. 2. Migration routes of Crab Plover (Bom et al. 2013).

A study involving Crab Plovers showed that of 12 wintering individuals at Barr al Hikman, , tagged with loggers transmitting data via a local wireless network, two moved northwest along the north coast of the Persian Gulf. Both remained for some months at a breeding area on Dara Island and in adjacent areas in Khuzestan Fig. 3. Migration routes of Griffon Vulture (McGrady Province (one, probably a breeding bird, stayed & Gavashelivili 2006). from 21 April to 14 July 2012; the other, probably a non-breeding bird, stayed from 30 May to 22 October 2011). These two birds then returned to their wintering site in Oman; one 2.2. Raptors returned via the south coast of the Persian Gulf, Recent studies on raptor migration using while the other returned along the north coast satellite tracking have provided information on (Bom et al. 2013; Fig. 2). seven species, namely Griffon Vulture In a study in Sweden to track the year-round fulvus (Fig. 3), Black Vulture Aegypius migration routes of Little Ringed Plovers, light- monachus (Fig. 4), weight geolocators were used. One male nipalensis (Fig. 5), travelled in a south-easterly direction from Aquila (Fig. 6), south Sweden and made a long stopover in Aquila heliaca (Fig. 7), Pallid Circus northwest Iran before migrating to India, while macrourus and Peregrine Falcon Falco other individuals travelled from south Sweden peregrinus (Fig. 8). Most of the and the to the and then southwest to Africa Peregrine Falcons showed a northeast– (Hedenström et al. 2013). An individual ringed southwest direction for their migration route. in western Germany in May 1971 was The Peregrine Falcon had the longest migration recovered in Mazandaran Province in from northern areas of Siberia to . December 1974 (Argyle 1975).

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Review of Radio-tracking in Iran- Sehhatisabet & Khaleghizadeh

Fig. 4. Migration routes of Black Vulture (McGrady & Gavashelivili 2006, Gavashelishvili et al. 2012. Fig. 6. Migration routes of Steppe Eagle (Meyburg & Meyburg 2010a).

Fig. 7. Migration routes of Eastern Imperial Eagle (Meyburg & Meyburg 2010b). Fig. 5. Migration routes of Greater Spotted Eagle (Meyburg et al. 1995, Strick et al. 2011).

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PODOCES, 2013, 8(2): 22-29

and another in Ilam province, and one breeding site was identified in the Salmas area, West Azarbaijan Province (Gavashelishvili et al. 2012). A Greater Spotted Eagle fitted with a transmitter in the southwest of the migrated north through the Saudi Arabia and southern . In Iran, it went through the and along the southern slopes of the Elburz Mountains. It then continued across the Kopet Dagh Mountains and past the and finally reached the southern part of the West Siberian lowlands, about 196 km northwest of Omsk (Meyburg et al. 1995; Fig. 5). Another individual passed from Oman and UAE through central Saudi Arabia to , Iraq and southern Khuzestan Province. It then travelled extensively in central Iran (Esfahan, Fars, Yazd and Kerman provinces) before heading to Sarakhs and then Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan (Strick et al. 2011; Fig. 5). Data obtained from 15 Steppe Eagles tagged in Saudi Arabia and one in revealed that the principal migration route

Fig. 8. Migration routes of Peregrine Falcon (Dixon between and Central Asia passes et al. 2012). through Bab-al-Mandeb and Suez, and continues on through Iraq, central Iran, northeastern Iran, the southeast corner of the One Griffon Vulture fitted with a PTT in Caspian Sea to Lake Aral and regions further was found dead on the north and northeast in Central Asia. A southwest of the Caspian Sea. One individual migration route along the western side of the travelled around northern Armenia to the Iran- Caspian Sea was also used by some birds border, northwest of Lake Uromiyeh. (Meyburg et al. 2003, Meyburg & Meyburg An individual tagged with a wing tag in 2010a; Fig. 6). northeastern Armenia was found dead in Of six Eastern Imperial Eagles fitted with Mouteh Wildlife Refuge, Isfahan. One subadult transmitters in their wintering site in west- Griffon Vulture travelled from Georgia through central Saudi Arabia, four migrated to northern western Iran to central Saudi Arabia, and then parts of Russia and one to southern Russia. The returned to its colony in Georgia (McGrady & other individual reached northern , and Gavashelivili 2006; Fig. 3). then returned along the same route through Iran Seven immature Eurasian Black Vultures to the area in Saudi Arabia where it had been (Cinereous Vultures fitted with transmitters in fitted with a transmitter. The six birds passed Georgia were tracked through northwestern Iran through central and northern areas of Iran on to central Iran, southern Iran, eastern Iraq, their migration routes (Meyburg & Meyburg Kuwait and eastern Saudi Arabia. Two of the 2010b; Fig. 7). birds reached Hormozgan province in After leaving its wintering area in eastern southeastern Iran. One of the birds which Africa (Ethiopia), a crossed the reached central Saudi Arabia headed back north and then travelled north through Saudi to Astrakhan in southern Russia (McGrady & Arabia, Iraq, Iran and the Caspian Sea, and Gavashelishvili 2006) (Fig. 4). Three wintering finally entered south-western Kazakhstan areas were identified, two in the Esfahan region (Anonymous 2012b). 27

Review of Radio-tracking in Iran- Sehhatisabet & Khaleghizadeh

Radio-tracking of eight Peregrine Falcons on Sarakhs (Kharasan-e Razavi province), autumn migration from their breeding area on Anzali Wetland Complex (Gilan province), the Yamal Peninsula, in north-central Russia, Moghan Plain (Ardabil province) and Shadegan showed that they migrated to southern Europe Marshes (Khuzestan province) (Evans 1994, East Africa and the Middle East. Three of these Scott 1995). These important sites must be birds passed through Iran. Ten birds from considered as priority sites when finding birds Eastern Taymir and seven birds from the Lena for marking and tracking. Delta in north-eastern Russia were also tagged, but none of these crossed Iran (Dixon et al. 2012; Fig. 8). Acknowledgements We thank Dr Michael McGrady and Dr Derek A. 4. Conclusion Scott for their kind help during the preparation of Most of the recent knowledge obtained through this manuscript. radio-tracking of birds fitted with transmitters

(PTT) has been obtained from other countries. References With the lack of radio-tracking activities in Anonymous (2012a). Twelve flamingos tagged at Iran, activities are going ahead with wing- Abu Dhabi's Al Wathba Wetland Reserve. tagging with raptors. However, it seems that the Available at www.wildlifeextra.com on 10 first priority in research on bird migration in January 2013. Iran would be to restore bird ringing activities Anonymous (2012b). Pallid Harried tracking. in the DOE as well as by NGOs. Recently, http://pallidharriertracking.blogspot.com/ ringing recovery through photography was Argyle F.B. 1975. Report on Bird-Ringing In Iran, implemented and revealed interesting 1970–74. Iran Department of the Environment, information about seabirds (Tayefeh et al. Tehran, 78 pp. Argyle F.B. 1976. Report on bird-ringing in Iran, 2012). The recovery of some long-distance 1975. Department of the Environment, Tehran, 52 migrants such as Eurasian Siskin, which pp. travelled about 3000 km from Sweden to Iran, Bailey T. & Launay F. (1997). Satellite tracking could help to analyse movement pattern of Hubara Bustards. Arabian Wildlife, 3(2), 14–16. eruptive migrants (Newton 2006). Behrouzi-Rad B. 1992. On the movements of the In Iran, the main migration route of birds is Greater Flamingo, Phoenicopterus ruber , in Iran. along a northeast-southwest axis. This was Zoology in the Middle East 6, 21–27. demonstrated by ringing recoveries during the Behrouzi-Rad B. 1993. Determination of flyway of 1960s and 1970s (Cornwallis & Ferguson 1970, Greater Flamingo in Iran. Mohit-e-Zist (the Argyle 1975, 1976). The importance of this axis Environment) 5(1), 16–24. [In Persian] Berthold P., Bauer H.-G. & Westhead V. (2001). has been confirmed by radio-tracking of Bird Migration: A General Review. Cambridge Greater Spotted Eagle (Meyburg et al. 1995, University Press. Strick et al. 2011), Steppe Eagle (Meyburg et Bom R., van Gils J.A. & Bouten W. (2013). al. 2003, Meyburg & Meyburg 2010a), Eastern Migration routes and breeding origin of wintering Imperial Eagle (Meyburg & Meyburg 2010b), Crab Plovers at Barr al Hikman, Oman. Phoenix Pallid Harrier (Anonymous 2012b) and 29, 10–11, 13. Peregrine Falcon (Dixon et al. 2012). Chernetsov N., Berthold P. & Querner U. (2004). Birds migrating from northern Siberia and Migratory orientation of first-year white storks Central Asia use both the eastern and western (Ciconia ciconia ): inherited information and Journal of Experimental sides of the Caspian Sea to reach the southern social interactions. Biology, 207, 937–943. Caspian lowlands. This idea is supported by the Combreau, O., Launay, F., Al Bowardi, M. and rich diversity and high numbers of migrant Gubin, B. (1999) Outward migration of Houbara birds that have been found in Miankaleh bustard from two breeding areas in Kazakhstan. Wildlife Refuge in the southeast Caspian Condor, 101, 159–164. (Feeny et al. 1968, Ullman & Ullman 2010) Combreau O., Riou S., Judas J. & Lawrence M. and Baku area in the southwest Caspian (Hess (2011a). Population structure, migratory 2011). Other important sites for supporting connectivity and inference of gene exchange large numbers migrating birds in Iran include mechanisms in the Asian Houbara Bustard 28

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