J. Field Ornithol., 70(2):169-181

METHODS FOR LIVE TRAPPING HOUBARA

PHILIPJ. SEDDON National Wildlife ResearchCenter National Commissionfor Wildlife Conservationand Development P..O. Box 1086, Taif Saudi Arabia

FREDERIC EAUNAY National Avian Research Center P.O. Box 45553, Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates

YOLANDA VAN HEEZIK National Wildlife ResearchCenter National Commissionfor Wildlife Conservationand Development P.O. Box 1086, Taif Saudi Arabia

MOHAMED AL BOWARDI National Avian Research Center P.O. Box 45553, Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates

Abstract.-•The ability to trap and mark individualsis important for the ecologicalstudy of wild populationsof the Houbara ( Chlamydotisspp.). Techniquesfor the live-capture of Houbara Bustardsused on breeding or at high population densitiesmay not be suitablefor non-breedingbirds at low density.We revieweight trappingmethods, six of which havebeen used with varyingsuccess on wild HoubaraBustards in northernand centralSaudi Arabia, in the United Arab Emirates,and in Kazakhstan.Baited cagesand netswere ineffec- tive at low bustarddensities. Lines of snaresare worth usingin areaswhere the movements of Houbara Bustardsare predictable.Snares carry a low risk of causinginjury or death and may be most effectiveat higher Houbara Bustarddensities, for use on breeding bustards faithful to nestor displaysites and which can be attractedto decoys,or for the recaptureof radio-taggedbirds. Cannon nets, clap nets,and net gunsalso require that location can be predicted or influenced, but carry greater risk of injury to the and therefore little advantageover the use of snares.The use of trained falcon may carry a high risk of injury to Houbara Bustards,but this is markedlyreduced when the falcon is fitted with clawand beak covers,and where the terrain allowsthe falconerto move rapidly to the site of capture. Unrestrainedfalcons should not be used for the live capture of Houbara Bustards.The use of disarmedfalcons is justified only where other capture methodsare forbidden, or when recreationalfalconers can be persuadedto co-operatewith researchers. Unfledged Houbara Bustardchicks are most easilycaught by hand.

M•TODOS PARA ATRAPAR VIVOS INDIVIDUOS DEL G•NERO Sinopsis.--Lahabilidad de atrapary marcarindividuos es importante para el estudioeco16- gico de las poblacionessilvestres de Chlamydotissp. T6cnicas para la capturaen vivode estas avesusadas en avesreproduci6ndose o en grandesdensidades poblacionales pueden no ser apropiadaspara avesno reproductivasen densidadesbajas. Revisamosocho m6todosde atrapar, seisde los cualesse hah utilizadoscon 6xito variable en Chlamydotissp. en el norte y centro de Arabia Saudita,en los EmiratosArabes Unidos, yen Kazakhstan.Trampas con sefiueloy nidosfueron inefectivasen densidadesbajas de las aves.Se pueden utilizarlineas de lazosen fireasdonde los movimientosde las aveses predecible.Los lazostiehen un riesgo

169 170] P.J. Seddonetal. j. FieldOrnithol. Spring 1999 menor de causardaftos o la muerte y pueden ser muy efectivosen lugaresdonde Chlamydotis sp. se encuentre en densidadesaltas, donde las avesreproductivas atiendan susnidos o en lugaresde alta visibilidady donde pueden ser atraidoscon sefiuelos,o para la recapturacon radio-sellos.Redes de cafi6n, redes de cierre mecfinicoy armas de redes tambi6n requieren que la localizaci6nde estasaves se puedan predecir o influenciar,pero presentanun mayor riesgo al ave y por lo tanto tienen pocasventajas sobre el uso de lazos.E1 uso de halcones (Falcosp.) entrenadospueden tener un mayorriesgo de herir individuosde Chla•dotis sp., pero estfi marcadamente reducido cuando el ave (Falco) tiene cubiertaslas garrasy el pico, y donde el terreno permite que el cetrerose mueva al lugar de captufa.Cetreros sin entrenat no debieran utilizarsepara la captura en vivo de Chlamydotissp. El uso de indix4duosde falcones(Falco) se justifica solo cuandolos m6todosde capturaestrin prohibides, o cuando cetrerosrecreacionales se pueden persuadira colaborarcon los investigadores.Pichones no- volantonesde Chlamydotissp. son capturadosmils fficilmentea mano.

The Asiatic Houbara Bustard (Chlamydotis[undulata] macqueenii)is a strong-flying,but largely cursorial bird inhabiting flat and undulating plains in desertand semi-desertareas of the Middle Eastand Central Asia (Johnsguard 1981, Cramp and Simmons 1983). In some parts of the range resident and migrant Houbara Bustardswill mix seasonally(e.g., Pakistan,northern Saudi Arabia, Syria,Jordan, Iraq and Oman); other areashold only breeding (Commonwealthof Independent States)or mi- gratory (United Arab Emirates,southern Saudi Arabia) populations.The number and range of Houbara Bustardshas decreased in the last 30 years as a result of over-hunting,habitat loss,and human disturbance(Collar 1980). Despiteregional restrictionson the use of falcons,hunting contin- ues to be widespreadin the Middle East and Pakistan,with falconers beginning to harvest the large Houbara Bustard populationsin Central Asia. The first meeting of the IUCN SpeciesSurvival Commission's Houbara BustardWorking Group, held in Muscat, Oman in January 1996, brought together representativesof conservationorganizations from thirteen of the range statesof the AsiaticHoubara Bustard(IUCN 1996). The crea- tion of the working group was prompted by recognitionof the threats facing Houbara Bustard populations throughout their range. Principal amongstthese threats are habitat lossthrough agriculture,human distur- bance, and unsustainablelevels of hunting. The Muscat meeting identi- fied a need for more information on the statusof Houbara Bustardpop- ulations, the interrelationshipsbetween migratory and resident popula- tions, and the relativeimpacts and causesof mortality (IUCN 1996). This information is required if any form of sustainablehunting program is to be establishedand regulated. The key to the studyof Houbara Bustardpopulations lies in the ability of researchersto deviseeffective means to trap and tag wild birds. This would allow field workers to mark individual and to fit them with radio or satellitetracking devicesfor monitoring behavior,migration, and population ecology.Trapping methodsused at high population densities or on breeding Houbara Bustardsmay not be effectiveon non-breeding birds at low densities.Some of the more intrusive trapping methodsmay causenest desertion, departure from trapping areas, or even injury. Vol.70, No. 2 TrappingHoubara Bustards [ 171

With the expectationthat the studyof wild Houbara Bustardswill be- come a focus of attention within many parts of the bird's range, we pre- sent here a critical review of methodsfor trapping Houbara Bustards. Methods are assessed on the basis of field trials conducted in Saudi Ara- bia, the United Arab Emirates,and in the Republic of Kazakhstan.

STUDY SITES Saudi Arabia.MHarrat al-Harrah was declared a Special Natural Re- servein 1987.This resultedin the protectionof over 12,000km 2 of basalt lava fields and extinct volcanic cones in the far north of Saudi Arabia, centeredon 31ø00'N,39ø00'E. Harrat al-Harrah is home to possiblythe last residentpopulation of Houbara Bustardsin SaudiArabia, presentall year round at very low densities(<0.04 birds/km=;Seddon and van Hee- zik 1996). Despiteextensive searches, only 1-4 breedingattempts are con- firmed in the reserveeach year, usually at the late chickstage. The reserve is alsoan important refuge for wintering migrant Houbara Bustards.Veg- etation is primarily concentratedin wadisand small drainagelines, and on the margins of silty depressions.The area is sparselyvegetated with Haloxylonsalicornicum, Astragalus spp., Artemisia spp., Achillea spp., Zilla spinosa,Capparis spinosa, and a number of annual herbs and grasses. Trees are absent from much of the reserve. Mahazat as-Saydis a 2200-km2 fenced reservein westerncentral Saudi Arabia (22ø15'N, 41ø50'E). The reserve was establishedin 1989 as the first reintroductionsite for Houbara Bustardscaptively bred at the National Wildlife Research Center, Taif (Combreau et al. 1995, Seddon et al. 1995). All Houbara Bustards released into the reserve have been fitted with ra- dio-transmittersand their location is monitored regularly.The reserve encompassesa portion of the Nadj Pediplain,with its characteristicplant associationsof Acaciaspp., Stipagrostisspp., Panicum turgidum,Ochtochloa compressa,Lasiurus scindicus, and a varietyof perennial and ephemeral herbs.There are currently30-50 Houbara Bustardspermanently resident in the reserve (R. Maloney and J. Judas, pers. comm.). Breeding by re- introduced Houbara Bustard was confirmed in 1995 (G61inaud et al. 1997). UnitedArab Emirates.MThe Baynunaharea in the westernpart of the Abu Dhabi Emirate is an area of approximately2000 km'•, consistingof gently undulating sand and gravel plain interspersedwith flat salt pans (sabkhas) in the north and occasionalmesas. The vegetation is sparse, comprisingplant associationsdominated by the perennial shrubsHalox- ylon salicornicumand Zygophylumspp. Other commonperennial include shrubsof the Fagonia, Cornulacamonocantha, the sedge Cyperusconglomeratus, and the grassesStipagrostis plumosa and Panicum turgidum.In general, vegetation is distributed in patches,interspersed with open, flat plains.Baynunah holds only wintering populationsof mi- grant Houbara Bustard. Tau Kum Desert, Kazakhstan.•The Tau Kum desert lies in eastern Ka- zakhstan, south of lake Balkhasch (44ø32'N, 74ø51'E). The area is a flat 172] P.J. Seddonetal. J.Field Ornithol. Spring 1999 plain bordered by vegetatedsand dunes up to 25-m high. Dominant plant speciesinclude shrubs of Artemisiaand Salsola,and grass/herb associa- tions of Poa, Allium, Allissum, Vicea,Leotice, Ranunculus, Astragalus, Car- ex, Ceratocephalus,and Suaeda.The Tau Kum desert containswhat is be- lieved to be one of the largestbreeding populationsof Houbara Bustard in the world. The bustardsin this area are migratory,moving south and southwestin autumn to wintering groundsin Pakistan,Iraq, and the Ara- bian Peninsula,where they mix with residentpopulations. Trapping trials were conductedexclusively on breeding birds.

METHODS

Trapping techniqueswere dividedinto two categories.Passive methods (cage traps and snares)involved awaiting the arrival and capture of the birds with no effort beyond trap placement and baiting. Active methods (variousnets, falconry, chasing)involved pursuit and or driving of birds into the trap. Cagetraps.rain Harrat al-Harrah betweenJanuary and March 1993 five cagetraps were deployedand were checkedtwice daily for 18 days.Cages were constructedof wire-meshor plastic-coatedwire mesh (0.6-m high X 0.4-m wide X 1.1-m long) with an open swing door at one end. Cages were placed in an extensivearea of small wadiswithin which flocks of Houbara Bustard had been regularly observedfeeding, or in vegetation along trails bearing the footprints of Houbara Bustards.The cageswere baited with a combination of plants and beetles known to be Houbara Bustardfood items. Houbara Bustardsentering a cagewould trigger the shuttingof the cagedoor by depressinga central foot-plate;alternatively, cage closuremay be triggered remotely. Snares.mSnaresconsisted of 0.35-0.4-mm diameter, transparent or green-opaquenylon tied in 5-10-cm diameterloops with a slip knot. The nylon nooseswere arranged singly,or attached every 8-10 cm along a 50-100-m long cord that wasdug into the ground, and fastenedsecurely at the ends to stakesor rocks.The nylon loops shouldsit upright. Single nooseswere placed acrossHoubara Bustardtracks or displaysites, in gaps within low artificial stone walls or vegetation barriers 15-20-cm high, placed around favored Houbara Bustard feeding sites,or around nest sites.Single nooseswere alsoattached to decoysdesigned to attract Hou- bara Bustards,and in dense mats placed on the ground. Intermittently betweenJanuary 1994 and August 1995 the equivalent of a total of nearly 1000 m of snarelines, comprisingover 10,000 individ- ual nylon nooses,was set for a total of 17 daysin the Harrat al-Harrah reserve.Trapping took place in six sessions,one during winter, two during mid-summer, and three in autumn. Between 50-200 m of snare lines were laid in fourteen sitesand checked twice daily for 8-34 days.Trap sites included narrow wadiswhere successivelines of snareswere placedacross the entire wadi at 200-500-m intervals,on the vegetatedmargins of silty depressions,and around conspicuouspatches of flowering annual vege- Vol.70, No. 2 TrappingHoubara Bustards [ 173 tation. In all cases snare lines were located in areas where Houbara Bus- tard had been seen or flushed at the time of trapping. In January and February 1994, trapping sitesof 30 nooseswere set for two nights on two occasionsin the Mahazat as-Saydreserve in an area of cultivatedalfalfa known to be visited regularly by radio-taggedbirds. During April and May 1995, snareswere used in Kazakhstanto catch breeding birds at displaysites or with a chick. Single snare lines 0.5-10-m long were placed acrossrecent tracks indicating male display sites on three occasions,and snare lines were set at male displaysites on six oc- casionsaround a stuffed Houbara Bustarddecoy, and on sevenoccasions when the snareswere attached directly to the decoy. Clap nets.--Clap nets consistedof nylon mesh within two semicircular or rectangularmetal frames.The frameswere set flat on the ground and were designed to "clap" and be held together by a spring when their releasemechanism was triggered, usuallyby remote control. In Kazakhstana remote-controlledclap net (1.5-m wide and 2.5-m long on each side) was used to catch male bustardsat display sites. Once a male was selected,a hide was erected within 200 m of the displaysite. The hide wasleft unmanned for one day.On the secondday the clap net was placed on the displayground and left until the following day. If the male returned and displayedclose to the clap net a capture attempt was scheduledfor the following day. If the male did not return, the capture attempt waspostponed or cancelled.For actual capture, a decoyHoubara Bustard was placed close to the clap net to attract the displayingmale. The trap was sprung when the male was on top of the net. Staticnets.--Nets of fine green-dyedcotton or nylon mesh1-1.5-m high and 50-100-m long were set up acrosswadis or perpendicular to bustard tracks, with the leading edge raised by fine cane poles and one edge trailing. In somecases nets were combinedinto barriersseveral kilometers long and arrangedin a broad v-shapewith capturenet or box at its center. In theory, Houbara Bustardsare herded slowlytowards the nets by the trappers. When the Houbara Bustardsare close to the nets, they are pushedharder, and in trying to evadethe trappers,will becomeentangled in the net or caughtwithin the box. A total of 300 m of nets was erected in Harrat al-Harrah for a total of 7 daysduring January 1994. Trainedfalcon.•For hundreds of years falcons have been trained in the Middle East to catch Houbara Bustards (Remple and Gross 1993). Traditionally, Peregrine Falcons (Falcoperegrinus) and Sakers(Falco chef- rug) are caught during migration and trained to fly to a lure in prepa- ration for the hunting season.A well-trainedfalcon is an efficient killer of Houbara Bustards,and although a significantproportion of bustards manage to escape,those that are brought down by a falcon are almost alwayskilled before the falcon is collected by its handler. By rendering the talonsand beak of the falcon relativelyharmless it is still possiblefor the birds to pursueand bring down live Houbara Bustards,and to restrain the bustard until the handler arrives. 174] P.J. Seddonetal. j. F,eld Ornithol. Spring 1999

In February 1992 attemptswere made to catch Houbara Bustardsin Harrat al-Harrah usinga Sakerwith bound talons.The falcon wasflown at lone bustardson five occasionsduring two daysof hunting. BetweenOctober 1994 and April 1997attempts were made in the Unit- ed Arab Emirates to catch Houbara Bustardswith Saker or Peregrine Falcons.In all casesplastic beads were placed on the points of each of the falcons'claws. On two occasionsin April 1996 and during all attempts in 1997 the falcon (a Saker) waswearing a modified hood when flying. The hood allowed the bird to see, but prevented the use of its beak. Hand capture.--Birdswere pursuedby car or on foot and restrained by hand or hand-heldnets. In 1997 attemptswere made to captureby hand unfledgedor recentlyfledged Houbara Bustardchicks within the Mahazat as-Saydprotected area.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Cagetraps.--No Houbara Bustardswere caught and no bustardswere observednear the cage trap site in Harrat al-Harrah. Attempts during a previousstudy using sevencage traps in Harrat al-Harrah over a 3-wk period in November 1990 were similarly unsuccessful(Goriup et al. 1992). Modified fox cagesmeasuring 37.5 x 37.5 x 105 cm havebeen used with limited successto catch Houbara Bustardsaggregating at cultivated plots in summerin Israel (Lavee 1985). Some experimentationwith cage sizeand constructionwas undertaken during trappingtrials in Sind.How- ever, the use of bare wire mesh resultedin injury to the single Houbara Bustard captured when the bird repeatedlythrust its head between the mesh, abrading neck, back and crown (Taylor 1985). Plasticcoating of the meshwas suggested as a meansto eliminate this problem. The success of cagetraps will depend on the willingnessof a Houbara Bustardto enter the trap in search of bait. Effective baiting will be a problem in most Houbara Bustard areaswhere natural foods are relativelyabundant. Al- though cheap and simple, the likelihood of successoutside areaswith very high densitiesis limited by the smallarea coveredby the traps. Snares.--Asingle young male Houbara Bustardwas caught in Harrat al-Harrah in July 1994 at a trapping site on a margin of a siltydepression. Observationsof seasonalchanges in Houbara Bustardnumbers and dis- tribution in Harrat al-Harrah indicated a mid-summerpeak in numbers (Seddonand van Heezik 1996), when the bustardsappeared to concen- trate around the marginsof the dry lakes,where they fed on fruits and seedsof the summer-floweringCapparis spinosa. The overall successrate of snaresin Harrat al-Harrahwas very low: 1 capture/170,000noose-days. The placementof snaresin Mahazat as-Saydresulted in the captureof a singleHoubara Bustard,enabling researchers to checkits radio-trans- mitter and harnessattachment. Successrate in Mahazat as-Sayd,where knowledgeof the location and movementsof radio-taggedbirds greatly facilitatedeffective snare placement, was 1 capture/120 noose-days. Snare line placement acrossmale displaytracks on three occasionsin Vol.70, No. 2 TrappingHoubara Bustards [ 175

Kazakhstanresulted in the capture of a male each time, whereasthe use of snaresin associationwith a decoyon 13 occasionsresulted in the cap- ture of four displayingmales. All birds were radio-taggedand remained in the vicinity of their displaysites. Four maleswere seen displayingin the daysfollowing capture. A single attempt to catch a female was suc- cessfulwhen a ring of snareswas placed around her unfledged chick, which had been caughtby hand and gently tied by one leg to a nearby bush. The female wasalso radio-tagged and observedfor two consecutive dayswith her chick. In no caseswere Houbara Bustardsdamaged by the snares,and captureswere made 1.2-7.5 h after trap placement.The over- all successrate of snaresin trapping breeding bustardsin Kazakhstanwas approximatelyI capture/100 noosesset. Lines of snaresappear to be the undocumentedmethod of choicefor the live capture of Houbara Bustardsfor falconry in Pakistan.Little Bus- tards (Tetrax tetrax) in Russia, and Arabian ( arabs) and Denham's (Neotisdenhami) bustards in Sudan are alsocaught using a modified snare technique (Schulz 1990). Snaresare inexpensiveto produce, and can be made or modified in the field asnecessary. There appearsto be little risk of damage to the Houbara Bustardproviding the trap sitesare checked regularly,at least once or twice a day, or monitored more frequentlyif the behavior of the bustardsis predictable,to ensure trapped Houbara Bustardsdo not fall prey to raptorsor foxes.Stakes securing snare lines should not protrude abovethe surfaceof the ground to avoid the risk of trappedbirds becoming entangled around the stakeand damaginglimbs. Houbara Bustardscaught by the leg in a nooseseem not alwaysto attempt to escape,but will often sit quietly, at least until approached.The prin- cipal limitation of snaresis the amount of area able to be covered.Given the large distancesover which Houbara Bustardsmay range, successwith snaresrequires that the bustardstargeted move predictablythrough the trapping area. At low densitiesand with a very mobile population the technique may be labor intensive and yield limited success.Snares are probablyof greatestefficiency when trapping breeding Houbara Bustards whose movementsmay be localized preciselyto a nest, displaysite or to young, or where the bustardsare using localizedfeeding areassuch as cultivated fields. Clap nets.--Three siteswere establishedin Kazakhstan;at two of these the male did not return to the displaysite but movedbetween 50-200 m away.At a third site a displayingmale was caught without injury. The capturedmale wassubsequently observed displaying at the samelocation within one day of capture.Clap net successrate wastherefore I capture/ 3 net placements. The method is only of use when the precise location of a Houbara Bustardcan be predicted or influenced, and is therefore most applicable with breeding birds. There is a danger that the bird will be injured by the closingof the net (Taylor 1985), clap netsfor Houbara Bustardshould thereforebe large enough to minimize the risk of injury to the bird when 176] P.J. Seddonetal. j. FieldOrnithol. Spring 1999

the two hanes spring shut. This method is fairly labor intensive,requiring constantmonitoring to operate remotely,and coversonly a small area. Staticnets.--No Houbara Bustardswere seen in the vicinity of the nets in Harrat al-Harrah. Windy conditionsand the presenceof camelswalk- ing through the trapping areasforced the termination of this trial. No Houbara Bustardswere caught and it was felt that this method was in- appropriate for the low bustard densitiesin the reserve.Nets were not deployedin any of the other studysites. The use of nets is a cheap but labor-intensivetrapping method, the successof which dependson having relativelyhigh densitiesof bustards within a limited area. Windy conditions,dense vegetation,and uneven ground may hamper net placement. In addition, the trapping site needs to be free of livestock and humans. Nets need to be monitored and bus- tards activelydriven into the trap site. In Sind, the use of netswas unsuc- cessfulwhen the Houbara Bustardsreacted to a conspicuousnet and flew insteadof walked when attemptswere made to drive them into the trap site (Taylor 1985). Capture of non-target speciesmay be a problem. Be- causeof either unsuitabilityof conditions,or the suitabilityof other trap- ping methods,the use of netswas not testedextensively in this studyand they may be worth trying in undisturbedareas with relativelyhigh Hou- bara Bustard densities. Trainedfalcon.--Two Houbara Bustardswere caught by falcon in Har- rat al-Harrah, but both birds were killed within the approximately3 min it took the handler to get to the capture site in rocky terrain. The trial was terminated after the second death, and further trials using falcons were prohibited within the reserve.An earlier attempt usinga falconwith bound talons was made in Harrat al-Harrah in November 1989 (Goriup et al. 1992), during which two adult male bustardswere caught alive. However,one of thesebirds was apparently injured by the falcon and was killed by a fox soon after release.Three Houbara Bustardswere killed by the falcon during these attempts (A. al Murri, pers. comm.). The overall Houbara Bustardmortality rate was therefore 86% when using a falcon with an uncovered beak. Ten Houbara Bustardswere caught in UAE in 1996: eight when only the falcon's claws were disarmed, and two when the falcon was fitted with a hood. Three Houbara Bustardswere killed during capture by the un- hooded bird (38% mortality). Three birds were held in captivity1-21 d after capture before being released.Of sevenHoubara Bustardreleased, one wasfound dead two daysafter release,and two migrated out of the United Arab Emirates. One of these birds was tracked to Turkmenistan (Osborneet al. 1997). Eight HoubaraBustards were caughtin 1997;one bird waskilled but the otherswere apparentlyunharmed (13% mortality). Satellite tagswere fitted to five of the unharmed birds and all undertook annual migration,moving up to 7000 km within two monthsof capture (E Launay, unpubl. data). An experienced falconer using a well-trained falcon with adequately coveredtalons and beak hasa good chanceof successfullycapturing Hou- vol.7o, No. 2 TrappingHoubara Bustards [ 177 bara Bustards. Without use of beak and claw covers however, this method carried an unacceptablyhigh risk of causingfatal injury to the Houbara Bustard (38-86%) and should not be used as a capture method under any circumstances.With the falcon's talons and beak coveredthe Hou- bara Bustardmortality rate can be reduced to 13%, with death related to the impact of the falcon strike or the fall to the ground, restrainton the ground, and the stressof pursuit and capture. It is essentialthat the handler is able to move quickly to the capture site to recover the falcon. Local regulationsmay forbid the use of falconsto catch bustardswithin reservesor no-hunting areas, or outside legally prescribedhunting sea- sons.In contrast,in some countries, (e.g., Abu Dhabi), capture of Hou- bara Bustardsfor any purpose is permitted onlyby falcon. There, and in other areas live birds may be obtained if legally operating falconerscan be persuadedto use disarmed falcons. In such casesmortality rates can be lowered from 100% to approx. 13%, reducing the impact of legal falconry, and providing Houbara Bustardsfor radio-telemetrystudies. Captureby hand.--In early summer 1995 in Mahazat as-Sayda total of three unfledged chicksless than approximately3 wk old were tracked on the ground and located when they sought cover beneath low vegetation and remained prone and still when approached. Chicks were not re- strained on these occasions,but could have been easilycaught by hand. In 1997 attemptsto catch free-rangingchicks in Mahazat as-Saydwere successfuland four chickswere fitted with radio-transmitters(R. Maloney, unpubl. data.) In Kazakhstanan adult female Houbara Bustardwas caught by a snare after its chick had been caught by hand and tethered to a bush. Powerful flight and long flush distancesmake the running down of adult Houbara Bustardsimpractical under usualconditions. Strong winds or very wet or cold weather may allow close approach. The use of spot- lights at night could warrant further trials;there is a record from Pakistan of a singleadult Houbara Bustardbeing caughtby hand after being daz- zled by car lights (Surahio in Taylor 1985). However, running down is generallypractical only for the capture of unfledged or recentlyfledged Houbara Bustard chicks,where it is the simplestmethod and the least likely to cause injury to the bird. Fledging of Houbara Bustardstakes place at around four weeks of age, though chicks 3-4 wk old may be capable of short flights and are more likely to run than freeze when approached. Othermethods.--Cannon nets use gun-powderor compressedair to fire 100-900 m2 of net overbirds entering a trap site.Sites are either regularly used feeding areas or areas into which birds may be attracted by bait or decoy. The firing of the net is triggered by an operator within several hundred meters of the trap site. Cannon nets were not used during this study,although previousattempts have been made in Harrat al-Harrah during November 1990 to attract Houbara Bustardsto automaticallyir- rigated plots of alfalfa over which a net could be fired by pnuematic cannon (Goriup et al. 1992). There were some difficulties maintaining 178] ?.J. Seddonetal. J.Field Ornithol. Spring 1999 the alfalfa plot in the harsh desertconditions and bustardsdid not enter the trap site at times when the net was manned by a hidden observer. Cannon nets are one of the more expensiveand intensive methods of Houbara Bustard capture, particularly when a great deal of effort is re- quired to establisha baited plot. A cannon net wasused to catch 43 Little Bustards(Otis tarda) in a single firing over a baited plot in La Mancha, Spain (Muerza 1985), though similar congregationsof Houbara Bustard seldom, if ever, occur. As with the other limited-area methods, cannon nets require the target birds to be within a fairly confinedarea. There is a danger of injury to birds causedby the firing of the 2-3-kg net-weights, or by the cannon itself. Misfiring and premature firing may easilynegate efforts.This method may be most appropriatewith high densitiesof birds, or where the movements and location of Houbara Bustardscan be pre- dicted or influenced, though under such circumstancesthere may be little advantagein using cannon nets over snaresor clap nets. A hand-held or tripod mounted net gun can also be fired over birds from a blind, or during approach or pursuit from a driven vehicle. This techniquewas not tried in this study.Hand-held net gunswere usedsuc- cessfullyfor trapping AustralianBustards Ardeotis australis (Schulz 1990). Active pursuit requires even terrain and carriesthe risk of injury to the bird. The long flush distancesof Houbara Bustardsin manyparts of their range would preclude any approachclose enough to make hand-held net guns worthwhile. The tendency for female Houbara Bustardsto remain prone on an active nest when approached closelyby vehicle makes the use of a net gun a potential and rapid method for female capture. There is however,risk of damage to eggsin the nest, and of nest desertion.Net guns could be used in conjunction with spotlighting at night, though available evidence suggeststhat Asiatic Houbara Bustardsdo not invari- ably freeze when caught in a spotlight beam (O. Combreau, unpubl. data).

SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS Six techniqueswere used to try to capture wild Houbara Bustardsin northern and central Saudi Arabia, in the United Arab Emirates, and in Kazakhstan.The easeof use and the recommendedapplications of each are presented in Table 1. Lines of snares,or snaresused in conjunctionwith decoysin the form of a stuffed Houbara Bustardmay be used with good resultsat male displaysites, for females on nests,or for non-breedingbirds frequenting localisedfeeding areas.Acceptable yields and low risk of injury or death make snares the method of choice. The use of noose lines in reintroduction sitessuch as Mahazat as-Sayd may be an effectivemeans of recapturingreleased Houbara Bustardsun- harmed, for health checksor to replace failing transmitters.The ability to radio-track the Mahazat as-Saydbustards greatly increasedthe likeli- hood of capture. The use of baited cages,clap nets, cannon nets, staticnets, and noose Vol.70, No. 2 TrappingHoubara Bustards [ 179 180] P.J. Seddonet at. j. FieldOrnithol. Spnng 1999 lines may be labor-intensiveand unproductivewhere there are low Hou- bara Bustarddensities and an inability of trappersto predict or influence where bustards will chooie to feed. Widespread availability of suitable Houbara Bustardfeeding habitat may hinder efforts to attract birds to baited trap sites.At low densitiesthe bestapproach may be to concentrate efforts on residentbirds and attempt to locate displayand nestsites where the location of birds can be predicted in advanceof trap placement. In use at baited or decoy siteshand held net-gunshave no clear advantage over the use of remotelyfired cannon, clap nets or snares. The use of a trained falcon with appropriatelycovered or paddedtalons and beak may be effective in the capture of Houbara Bustardsfrom mo- bile populationsat varying density,particularly in areaswhere local reg- ulations forbid the use of other methods. Capture by disarmed falcon however,carries a significantrisk (13%) of causingfatal injury to the Houbara Bustard. This risk may be minimized by choosingareas where the terrain allowsfalcon handlersto move quicklyto the site of a downed Houbara Bustard.Additional indirect risksmay include desertion of feed- ing areasor nest sites,or cessationof displayby Houbara Bustardwhich have been pursued but not necessarilycaught by the falcon. Reduction of these risksis possiblethrough use of falcon only on wintering popu- lations,and is onlyjustified if recreationalfalconers can be persuadedto use disarmed falcons,thereby reducing the impact of falconry on local populations.Unrestrained falcons or falconswith only talonsbound are efficient killers of Houbara Bustardsand should never be used to try and capture live birds. Capture of unfledged chicksis most safelyand easilyaccomplished by hand.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Houbara bustard researchin SaudiArabia is carried out under the auspicesof HRH Prince Saud A1 Faisal and Dr. A. H. Abuzinada, of the National Commission for Wildlife Conser- vation and Development.Trapping trials in Hatrat al-Harrah were made possiblethrough the assistanceof Hans Hemmingsen, the NCWCD rangers, and colleaguesat the National Wildlife ResearchCenter. Work in Mahazat as-Saydhas been carried out under the super- xSsionof O1Mer Combreau,Guillaume G61inaudand Richard Maloney.Research on Houbara Bustardsin Kazakhstanand in the United Arab Emiratesis co-ordinatedthrough the Office of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nayhan. Fieldworkin Kazakhstanwas facilitated by Dr Boris Gubin and Feodor Karpov.Dr ReuvenYosef and two anonymousreferees provided valuablecomments on early versionsof this paper.

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