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Flying Scientists Help Nearly Extinct Birds Learn to Migrate Again
- Waldrappteam guides 36 hand-raised northern bald ibises on a 1,740-mile migration from Austria to Spain using an ultralight aircraft.
- The journey, spanning about 1,740 miles, is expected to take up to 50 days with midair coordination from foster parents Helena Wehner and Barbara Steininger.
- The project follows the birds’ migratory route and addresses climate-change-driven shifts in timing and range.
- The team adapts routes to avoid harsher Alpine weather, moving the project forward despite challenges.
- Bill Lishman’s 'Father Goose' work inspired the method of teaching ibises to migrate via human-guided flight.
- The ibises' status has shifted from critically endangered to endangered thanks to conservation efforts.
- The 2024 migration marks the 17th year of Waldrappteam’s intensive conservation flights.
- Researchers and birds travel in stages, sometimes with two team members aboard the ultralight at a time.
- On August 28, 2024, the team reported roughly 64 miles covered over France as part of the route.
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