Satellite Tracking – Eurasian Bustard Alliance

U. Tuvshin holds a young male Great Bustard. Photo: B. Dashnyam.
The spring movements of one of our Great Bustards (yellow lines), overlaid on a satellite image from Google Earth. This bird occupied an valley filled with both active and fallow agricultural fields.
We learn about reproductive activities of our tagged birds by carefully examining their transmissions. Photo: G. Natsag.
We release the bustards after only 5-20 minutes of tagging or measurements. Here a bustard flies into the night. Photo: B. Dashnyam.
Through telemetry, we have learned that female Great Bustards range over relatively large areas of agricultural land in winter. The average temperature in these areas is 0°C (32°F).
Transmitters allow us to monitor the bustards over a long period of time, and to investigate their eventual cause of death. This bird died of natural causes. Photo: D. Gilroy.
Indiscriminate poisoning of birds in agricultural fields causes mortalities of bustards, cranes, and passerines. Photo: J. McGovern.
In the case of poaching, we find the transmitter harness neatly clipped, with no feathers or bones nearby. We interview local families to determine details about who carried out the hunting, and for what reason. Photo: M. Kessler.
We have found collision with a powerline to be the cause of death of one of our tagged birds, on her wintering grounds in China. This is a frequent cause of death of Great Bustard in Europe. Photo: P. Carr.
D. Dorjhurel holds a male Great Bustard, immediately after its capture. Photo: B. Dashnyam.
A re-sighting of one of the bustards we have captured: the antenna of the backpack transmitter is visible on the far right female bustard. Photo: M. Kessler.
We visit the sites heavily used by bustards with transmitters for habitat analysis. Photo: M. Kessler.
Data received from bustards with transmitters is used to determine their habitat use patterns. Here, B. Dashnyam works on his masters research on bustard habitat characteristics. Photo: M. Kessler.
A large male bustard, custom fitted with a backpack transmitter and patagial tag (a numbered tag which pierces a membrane on the wing, commonly used on large birds). Photo: M. Kessler.

Our team attaches satellite transmitters to Great Bustards using custom-fitted backpack-style harnesses. The capture process is streamlined and fast, lasting only 15-20 minutes. These transmitters relay detailed information about our bustards’ locations through a satellite connection, allowing our team to collect high-resolution movement data without frequently disturbing these incredibly wary birds. Learn about bustards we have tagged.

We use this data to determine conservation parameters for these populations. Our master’s student B. Dashnyam visits sites frequently used by Great Bustards to investigate habitat requirements on their breeding grounds. We are able to monitor these birds as they travel long-distance, on their annual migration. And the transmitters also notify us of the death of the Great Bustard, which we investigate to determine causes of mortality.

These transmitters have allowed our team to make several important preliminary findings on Mongolian populations of Great Bustards. Notably, we have found migratory routes twice as long as have previously been recorded for this species! We have also identified poaching as a key threat to the species in this region.

We share these findings with conservation organizations, government agencies and academic groups in order to advance the conservation of this species. We also engage in a “two-way” exchange of information with local people through both formal and informal programs.

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