Sondela Secretary Birds

The Secretarybird (Sagittarius serpentarius) was up-listed from Near-threatened to Vulnerable. BirdLife South Africa has thus initiated research on thesebirds in order to understand aspects of their biology, which will assist with their conservation. This research includes tracking the movements of birds using satellite tracking devices. With these devices the movement of individual birds can be determined in great detail (accurate locations to within 10m are provided every 15 minutes, from sunrise to sunset). This way it is possible to determine long distance movement patterns, habitat usage and territory sizes. Two juvenile birds have been fitted with such tracking devices on Sondela to date. The first bird became somewhat of a celebrity, as the tagging process was broadcasted on the SABC nature program “50/50”. The second bird was unfortunately lost due to predation. BirdLife SA is now looking to fit tracking devices also to adult birds and the Sondela pair might just be suitable for such a project. We shall keep you posted in this regard…