Attrappe Waldrapp zeigt Wirkung: Vögel nisten in Bodensee-Felswand
Published: Sunday, Apr 28th 2024, 06:10
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The attraction was obviously strong: two dummy Northern Bald Ibises have lured at least eleven real members of the species to nest in a rocky niche on the German shore of Lake Constance. The dummies come from a 3D printer and are part of a reintroduction project.
"The site has been very well received," said Anne-Gabriela Schmalstieg from the so-called Waldrapp team in Überlingen on Lake Constance in southern Germany. "We are very optimistic that breeding will also take place in the rock face."
There are still no eggs in the nests. With three breeding pairs and a potential fourth this year, hopes for chicks are high. "We could start breeding next week." The first chicks are expected at the end of May to the beginning of June. The "Südkurier" had previously reported.
Natural breeding grounds
Four females and seven males had returned to Überlingen from their wintering grounds in the south. They would "mess around" in the nests, but would also fly away again and again. The birds were denied an artificial breeding wall made of wood this spring. This has certainly also led to some success.
It is important that the birds naturally seek out breeding sites, said the project manager of the Northern Bald Ibis team, Johannes Fritz. "This is the final step towards independence and was the goal from the very beginning." There are many nesting opportunities for the birds on the rock faces along Lake Constance, the biologist continued. This is a good opportunity to grow as a colony.
Last year, two Northern Bald Ibis chicks hatched in Rümlang ZH for the first time in 400 years in Switzerland. The parents of the chicks were released into the wild as part of the colony in Überlingen. They chose a windowsill in an industrial area as their breeding site.
Very rare bird
According to nature conservation organizations, the Northern Bald Ibis (Geronticus eremita) is one of the rarest birds in the world. The species likes to breed near bodies of water on rocky cliffs and steep coasts. The goose-sized migratory birds once lived widely in the Alpine and Mediterranean regions.
The migratory birds with the distinctive crested feathers on their heads and sickle-shaped beaks were practically extinct in the wild. The Northern Bald Ibises on Lake Constance belong to one of several colonies that are part of a reintroduction project in the Alpine region. The Northern Bald Ibis team is leading the reintroduction. Until the 17th century, Northern Bald Ibises lived on rocks in Überlingen, among other places. Then bird hunters became their undoing.
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