UF scientists seek to spur research on overlooked migratory birds

July 13, 2004

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — One of ornithology’s oldest pursuits, the study of migration, is heading south.

Scientists at the University of Florida have launched an ambitious effort to jump start research on at least 237 species of South American birds that migrate north in the winter with a goal not only of counting and monitoring their populations, but understanding their habitat requirements in both their “homes” – where they breed and where they winter – in order to aid conservation efforts.

Although North American birds that journey south are well researched, little is known about austral migrating birds. This is largely because U.S. and Canadian scientists have focused on native birds, and South American scientists have received much less financial and government support, UF researchers say.

“Very little field work has been done on this subject, which is ironic because South America is known as the bird continent,” said Alex Jahn, a UF doctoral student in ecology, explaining that South America is home to 3,000 species, compared to North America’s roughly 650 species.

In general, austral migrants are birds that breed in Argentina in the South American summer and fly north across the Tropic of Capricorn to winter in northern Bolivia or other points north, though they do not come as far as the United States, said Doug Levey, a UF professor of zoology. They include ducks, sparrows, flycatchers and swallows, he said, and unlike most of their North American counterparts, many appear to be “partial migrants,” with some members migrating and others staying put.

That complexity – and the general health of the birds’ populations – is among the many relatively unknown and intriguing issues surrounding the birds, he said. Others include the birds’ contributions to the health of the larger ecosystem and their potential to carry disease, Levey said.

“West Nile Virus in the Northern Hemisphere is definitely spread by birds,” he said. “It’s quite likely that there are similar sorts of diseases spread by birds in South America, but currently we don’t know enough about bird movements there to assess this possibility.”

Supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation, Jahn and Levey sponsored the world’s first scientific symposium on austral migration last fall, attended by scientists from both North and South American. The two also launched a Web site, http://www.zoo.ufl.edu/ajahn/, aimed at promoting the study of the phenomenon. And this fall, Jahn will journey to Argentina and Bolivia to begin research on austral birds for his doctoral dissertation.