Last Northern Bald Ibis in Syria?

The events in Syria fill us with great sadness and grief. In spite of the crisis, the local team has continued to monitor the ibis, and has reported the sad news that only one of the Northern Bald Ibis has returned to the breeding site at Palmyra this spring. Unfortunately, there are no signs of any more birds so far returning from their migration to Ethiopia. The returning female Zenobia was last year paired to Odeinat, the last male, which was fitted with a small satellite tag that stopped transmitting in southern Saudi Arabia in July 2012. It has not been possible to search for Odeinat, as the last signals did not give an accurate location. Subsequently, a total of four birds was seen briefly in January this year by Yilma Abebe and Tariku Dagne (a visit supported by the Ethiopian Natural History Society and the Culture and Tourism Office of Ethiopia, with funds from RSPB) at the usual Ethiopian highland wintering site, but it now seems clear that only one of these birds has returned to the breeding area.

Last Syrian ibis among bedouin khaimahs 
(Photo M.S. Abdallah)

This looks ominously like it may be the end for the relict eastern population of the species, having been rediscovered in 2002 when there were 3 breeding pairs. Despite huge efforts the colony dwindled to just one pair in the past two years and now it seems to just the one bird. This comes at a time when coordinated efforts are strengthening and indeed after the establishment of the new International Working Group was held in Jazan, Saudi Arabia in November 2012.

Among the hopes for maintaining the eastern population are further releases from the former colony site at Birecik in SE Turkey where a semi-wild population persists.


Historical note:
Zenobia was the last empress of Palmyra, Odeinat's widow, who, after expanding his kingdom to Egypt and Anatolia, was defeated and captured by Aurelian in 272.

Akh: NBI from Ancient Egypt

A couple of recent articles on NBI from Ancient Egypt, from the UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology.

Janák, Jíří. (2013). Northern Bald Ibis (Akh-Bird). UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology, 1(1). nelc_uee_8788.

Three different kinds of ibis species are attested from ancient Egypt: the sacred ibis, the glossy ibis, and the northern bald ibis. Pictorial representations of the latter bird—easily recognizable by the shape of its body, the shorter legs, long curved beak, and the typical crest covering the back of the head—were used in writings of the noun akh and related words and notions (e.g., the blessed dead). We can deduce from modern observations that in ancient times this member of the ibis species used to dwell on rocky cliffs on the eastern bank of the Nile, that is, at the very place designated as the ideal rebirth and resurrection region (the akhet). Thus, the northern bald ibises might have been viewed as visitors and messengers from the other world—earthly manifestations of the blessed dead (the akhu). 

The material and pictorial evidence dealing with the northern bald ibis in ancient Egypt is accurate, precise, and elaborate in the early periods of Egyptian history (until the final phase of the third millennium BCE). Later, the representations of this bird became schematized and do not correspond to nature. Thus, they do not present us with any direct and convincing evidence for the presence of the northern bald ibis in Egypt, and, moreover, they most probably witness both the bird’s decline and its disappearance from the country.

Janák, Jíří. (2013). Akh. UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology, 1(1). nelc_uee_8790. 

The notion of akh, often translated as (effective) spirit, pointed toward many different meanings, such as the identity of the transfigured dead as well as that of living persons who acted efficaciously for (or on behalf of) their masters. The akh belonged to cardinal terms of ancient Egyptian religion and hence is often found in Egyptian religious texts, as well as in other textual and iconographic sources. Its basic meaning was related to effectiveness and reciprocal relationship that crossed the borderlines between different spheres.

NBI among the 100 most endangered species in the World

IUCN and the Zoological Society of London  have just published a book, Priceless or Worthless?, including the 100 most threatened species, both flora and fauna.

Northern Bald Ibis is among the ten birds included in this book.

In addition to that, other sections in the book include recent extinctions as well as speies that, thanks to conservation efforts, have improved their conservation status.   This book can be read or downloaded  on-line.

You can pull Northern Bald Ibis back from the brink contributing to NBI conservation project.

Last data on the Northern Bald Ibis (Geronticus eremita) in Algeria

Version française

A contribution by Amina FELLOUS 

Agence Nationale pour la Conservation de la Nature

The National Agency for Nature Conservation (ANN) works to study and monitor threatened species of fauna and one of our latest projects is investigating the last breeding site of the NBI in Algeria.

Current data on the NBI in Algeria:

Morocco and Algeria have been recognised over the last few decades as being important sites for the NBI but there was very little data on the current status of this species in Algeria.

The NBI is classified as a critically endangered species. At the international level, the main threats are:

 - Direct persecution

 - The use of pesticides (antilocust campaigns in Morocco and DDT in Turkey)

- Disturbance and loss of foraging areas due to human activities

- Disturbance of breeding sites

Algeria

In Algeria, most of the data on the historic distribution of birds or colonies date back to the 1950's, when a dozen NBI colonies were known to exist in semi-arid zones of the country. Another colony was discovered by ornithologists in 1974, in the north-west  of the country, in the El Bayadh region, which persisted until the 1990's. 

Recent distribution of Northern Bald Ibis in Algeria

Our research started in 2000 and focused on this site, aiming to establish the main causes of the NBI decline in the region. Our investigations involved local people, to get as much information as possible on this bird and also to get their perspective on the rehabilitation of the NBI in the area.

Data from the questionnaire: 
We designed 20 different questions to ask the older members of the main tribes living near the nesting site in the El Bayadh region. The tribes were Ouled Aissa, Zwa and Ould Moumen. These questionnaires were carried out by technical staff from the UCD (Conservation and Development Unit) in El Bayadh.

The questions related to:

- Past and/or recent distribution of the species

- Data on species biology (e.g. arrival/departure periods, the use of foraging areas)

- Main causes of declining numbers (hunting, predation, drought etc)

First results

The most interesting result from the questionnaires have revealed that in Autumn 2004, two NBI were seen flying at Thiet Ould Moumen, two km north of the last known breeding site for this species.

Habitat around the last nesting site

The symbolism of the species

The older people who were interviewed referred to the NBI as Aicha El Garaa, which translates as Aicha the Bald. Their responses to the questions confirmed the symbolic value of this bird and its' relation to religious beliefs on the region, as the birds choiced nesting sites facing Mecca. 
As the species disappeared during the 1990s, when political events disrupted the country, the presence of the NBI was seen by the local people as a symbol of peace, serenity and richness. 

Species Biology
- NBI generally arrived in the area towards the end of Winter (February and beginning of March) and departed around the end of the summer. 
- Juveniles arrived and left with the adults
- The birds arrived and left in large groups
- Foraging areas were always located close to the breeding site or close to water
- No data on the reproductive biology of the NBI were obtained from the questionnaires (start of nesting period, number of eggs etc)

Estimation of Numbers: 
- The colonies were composed of 300-400 birds and the initial signs of population declines were noted in the 1950's
- The last birds (12-18 individuals) were observed up until the end of the 1980's

Northern bald ibis ar El Bayadh, spring 1985 (photo  Koen De Smet)

Causes of the Declines:
- Direct hunting of the birds by French soldiers during the French occupation (El Bayadh city was a garrison town)
- Persistant periods of drought during the 1970's and 1980's 
- Divine causes were also mentioned by the local people

Other causes which were suggested to the local people but which they didn't agree with:
- Natural predation at nesting sites by raptors or corvids
- Disease
- Disturbance due to the cliff being used as a hermitage site 
- Loss of foraging areas due to overgrazing
- The use of supposed pesticides in the region
- The impact of new agricultural activities close to the breeding site

Last nesting site

The last question asked the opinion of the local people on reintroducing the NBI to the region: all the answers were very positive and some people put themselves forward as protectors of Aicha the Bald, a role which their ancestors had taken on in the past. 

Conservation and rehabilitation of the NBI in Algeria

NBI is a protected bird in Algeria, although  there is no current national action plan for its protection. Nevertheless, with  the recent data we are opbtimistic and looking forward the "the return" of the NBI.

This bird can be used as a symbol of peace and prosperity for the region and the country as a whole.

We have several ideas to focus further on this important, threatened bird in Algeria, by:
- Attracting local ornithologists and encouraging them to consider the NBI as a research priority.

- Establishing a national action plan for the rehabilitation of the species through an objective and scientific evaluation of the current status of the NBI in Algeria

- Researching further information and investigating other possible nesting sites

- Collaborating with laboratories, specialised institutions, local government, local and national NGO's - IUCN, Birdlife, IAGNBI etc

(More information in French)

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Note:  Between December 2004 and March 2005 there were reports of some untagged NBI in  Avila and Cáceres provinces, Spain, and the origin of the birds has been under discussion. 

The Little Ice Age

Attempts to attribute historical events to variations in climate are often criticised but there is no doubt that climate has always had a huge impact on humans, affecting the success of harvests, disease epidemics and many other events.

In the not too distant past, Europe experienced a remarkable number of climate changes. From the tenth century, warm temperatures in the North Atlantic region allowed vineyards to be cultivated in England and the Vikings were able to migrate northwards and colonise parts of Greenland and Newfoundland.

Ruins of the Hvalsey church in Norse Greenland. The Viking settlement had disappeared by the early fifteenth century.

This Medieval Warm Period allowed humans to cultivate areas further north and at higher altitudes. The milder climate and the expansion of crops and pastureland probably resulted in other species expanding their ranges as well.

The name of  Waldrapp  (forest crow) seems to link the northern bald ibis to woodlands, an ecosystem that now seems shocking, but maybe in the medieval warm period NBI was not uncommon in the clearings of the alpine forests.

The climate in Europe then became cooler, and from the second half of the seventeenth century to the mid-nineteenth century there was a period of intense cold, referred to as the Little Ice Age. This led to massive changes in agriculture and to the abandonment of crops at higher latitudes and altitudes, in addition to the loss of pastureland, as it was replaced by forests. Weather conditions would also have become more severe and it would have been much more difficult for birds to have crossed the Alps on their migration routes. The loss of the northern bald ibis from Central Europe has been attributed, at least in part, to this cold period.

The Mer de Glace from the Montenvers, Mont Blanc region. On the left is a painting done shortly after the maximum of the Little Ice Age and on the right is a photo from 2000. The arrows allow you to compare the different levels of ice at the same two points. Painting from the Gugelmann Collection, Swiss National Library, Bern. Photo by MJ Hambrey (2000).

There were other events which occurred over this period, such as the constant wars and the Black Death of the fourteenth century, which would also have resulted in population declines over large areas. The picture above shows a physician dealing with the plague, wearing a birdlike mask. Could it represent some kind of crow? Maybe, but the beak is too long and curved….

Informative scientific documentation for these periods is abundant, detailing changes in glaciers, sedimentology, floods, droughts, heavy snows, famines and the price of grain, all indicative of weather conditions at the time.

Waldrapp by Gesner

Unfortunately, there is less information about changes in wildlife but it seems that apart from the disappearance of the bald ibis, there was a reduction in the range of the Alectoris partridge (called Steinhuhn in German). This species was apparently common in the Rhine Valley in the 16^th century but it now has a much more southerly distribution.