Annual migration of Houbara Bustard <i>Chlamydotis undulata macqueenii</i> from the United Arab Emirates

Launay, Frédéric; Combreau, Olivier; Bowardi, Mohammed Al

doi:10.1017/s0959270900002276

Cited by 14 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…The birds considered in this study have travelled all over the distribution range of the species for periods up to 23 months Launay et al, 1999;NARC, unpublished data). Some of them went as far southwest as the UAE and as far northeast as the Inner Mongolia province of China.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An assessment of annual mortality rates in adult‐sized migrant houbara bustards (Chlamydotis [undulata] macqueenii)

Combreau

Launay

Lawrence

2001

Animal Conservation

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Between the years 1994 and 2000, we assessed the mortality rate of adult-sized, migrant Asian houbara bustards (Chlamydotis [undulata] macqueenii) via banding and satellite tracking programmes. The birds were captured either on their breeding grounds in Kazakhstan (Taukum desert and Buzachi peninsula) and in China (Jungar basin) or on their wintering grounds in Pakistan (Cholistan desert) and in the United Arab Emirates (Baynunah area). For the banding programme, 104 houbara bustards were marked and statistical analysis was performed on the number of transmitters and rings returned by falconers. This allowed us to calculate a 0.045 (SD 0.061) annual mortality rate attributable to hunting activities. The tracking programme analysed the fate of 41 houbara bustards equipped with satellite transmitters (PTTs). Overall, the satellite-tracked birds were followed for 10,965 days and had travelled all over the distribution range of the species in Asia. The causes of mortality were assessed from the interpretation of the ARGOS data relayed by the sensors embarked on the PTTs. The annual mortality rate was derived from the calculation of the average finite daily survival rate using the Trent & Rongstad (1974) method. With this method, the overall annual mortality rate in adult-sized houbara bustards migrating through Asia was 0.283 (95%lcl 0.186-95%ucl 0.404). The hunting and poaching pressure could explain 73.5% of the observed mortality. The mortality rate during winter, when the houbara is under severe hunting pressure, was 11.2 times higher than during the breeding season. Houbara appear to be especially at risk in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran. A VOR-TEX simulation showed that under current hunting and poaching pressures, the probability of extinction of the houbara population modelled can be anticipated at 50 years with a 94% probability. The maximum sustainable yield was estimated at 7.2% of the adult-sized population whereas as much as 20.8% is currently taken. This work stresses the need for conservationists and Arab falconers to take appropriate concerted measures as soon as possible.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An assessment of annual mortality rates in adult‐sized migrant houbara bustards (Chlamydotis [undulata] macqueenii)

Combreau

Launay

Lawrence

2001

Animal Conservation

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“…The same is true for the Canary Islands race (C. u. fuerteventurae) (Cramp & Simmons, 1980). However, the Asiatic subspecies (C. u. macqueenii) has both resident and dispersive populations in the southern part of its range, including the Middle-East, and 'leap-frog' migratory populations that move between north-eastern (largely the former U.S.S.R.), southern and south-western parts of their range (Dementiev & Gladkof, 1951;Meinerzhagen, 1954;Cramp & Simmons, 1980;Johnsgard, 1991;Combreau et al, 1999;Launay et al, 1999).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Home range and movements of houbara bustards introduced in the Najd Pediplain in Saudi Arabia

Combreau¹,

Gélinaud²,

Smith³

2000

Journal of Arid Environments

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“…1995). Previous satellite‐tracking studies revealed migration routes of Houbara and the complex connectivity between breeding and wintering areas (Osborne et al . 1997, Combreau et al .…”

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confidence: 99%

Migration and range use of Asian Houbara Bustard Chlamydotis macqueenii breeding in the Gobi Desert, China, revealed by satellite tracking

Judas

Combreau

Lawrence

et al. 2006

Ibis

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Four adult male Asian Houbara Bustards Chlamydotis macqueenii were caught on their breeding grounds in the Gobi Desert of China and tracked by satellite from July 2000 for from 5 months to > 3.5 years. Wintering areas were identified for two individuals, one on the Turkmenistan/Uzbekistan border in the Amur‐Darya valley, the second at the Iran/Turkmenistan border. One individual used the same wintering and breeding areas for three consecutive years. Overall departure dates from breeding grounds ranged from 29 September to 14 October, with arrival on wintering quarters from 23 October to 7 November. Birds left their wintering grounds between 2 and 21 March and reached their breeding areas between 11 and 21 April. The mean overall migration distance was 3935 km (sd = ± 229, n = 9). Houbara Bustards mainly followed steppe areas to migrate avoiding the highest elevations of the Himalayan massif and travelling 267 km/day on average. Pre‐breeding migration lasted longer than post‐breeding and included more and longer stopovers. The Taukum Desert and Jungar Basin are critical areas for migration of eastern Houbara populations. Breeding range, used for 5.5 months, was 274 km2 (sd = ± 53, n = 4), whereas wintering range, used for around 4 months a year, was 76 km2 (sd = ± 22, n = 3). Range use pattern appeared similar for Asian Houbara released in central Saudi Arabia, but differed from the African Houbara Bustard. More investigations are required to determine the effects of food availability and meteorological conditions on the migration pattern and on the use of stopovers by Asian Houbara Bustards.

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Annual migration of Houbara Bustard Chlamydotis undulata macqueenii from the United Arab Emirates

Cited by 14 publications

References 9 publications

An assessment of annual mortality rates in adult‐sized migrant houbara bustards (Chlamydotis [undulata] macqueenii)

An assessment of annual mortality rates in adult‐sized migrant houbara bustards (Chlamydotis [undulata] macqueenii)

Home range and movements of houbara bustards introduced in the Najd Pediplain in Saudi Arabia

Migration and range use of Asian Houbara Bustard Chlamydotis macqueenii breeding in the Gobi Desert, China, revealed by satellite tracking

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