Extinct in Europe for 300 years, some northern bald ibis were spotted recently. According to The Guardian, “Now, it has returned – and scientist ‘foster parents’ aboard a tiny plane are teaching the birds to fly their long-forgotten migration routes.” Thirty-six of these birds are now following an aircraft 1,740 miles from Austria to Spain, on a trip that could take up to 50 days. During the flight, human foster parents sit on the back of the aircraft, shouting encouragement to the birds as they fly. Biologist Johannes Fritz, who came up with the idea, pilots the small aircraft, which has a small fan-like motor on the back and yellow parachute keeping it in the air.
It is the first attempt to reintroduce migratory birds using this technique, says Fritz. “It’s an almost surreal experience, to be up there in the sky with these birds, experiencing them in the air, perfectly shaped for flying,” he says. “It’s a touching and extraordinary experience.” Fritz was inspired by the 1996 film Fly Away Home in which the main character flies a plane to show orphaned geese their migratory path. The movie was based on “Father Goose” Bill Lishman, a naturalist who taught Canada geese in the same way in 1988.
The northern bald ibis, or the Waldrapp, used to be common across North Africa, the Arabian peninsula and much of Europe, but the birds were hunted and their habitat was destroyed. They were extinct in central Europe for 300 years, with small populations surviving in zoos. Breeding efforts to increase their population over the past two decades have been successful, but without guidance from wild ancestors, the birds, known for their bald red head and long curved beak, didn’t know which direction to fly for winter. Early reintroduction attempts were unsuccessful, instead of returning to wintering grounds such as Tuscany, Italy, the birds flew in different directions and died.
To prepare them for travel, the chicks were removed from their breeding colonies in a zoo in Austria when they were only a few days old, taken to an aviary and looked after by a human foster parent to “imprint”. Once this happens, the birds can trust the human enough to follow them along the migration route. This year marks the 17th journey with humans. The current flock is still in route, they started their journey on 13 August and are expected to arrive in Vejer de la Frontera in Andalusia in early October.
The first generations have already bred in the wild, and taught their offspring the path they learned from humans. But the climate crisis is making migration more challenging for the birds, and means humans need to guide younger generations of birds along new routes. The ibis migrate later in the season now, which forces them to cross the Alps in colder and more dangerous weather. The Waldrapp team piloted a new route in 2023, from Bavaria to Andalusia in southern Spain. This year’s route is approximately 186 miles longer than last year’s route.
Fritz would like to do more projects with geese, cranes, storks or other ibis. “I think I can fall in love with every species which I work with … I would love to continue flying with birds,” he said.
Find out more here: The Guardian.