NORTHERN BALD IBIS (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Env and Eco)

Context: The northern bald ibis, once extinct in Europe, has returned and now requires human assistance for its winter migration. Previously seen soaring over North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and Europe, this bird species is making a comeback.

Northern Bald Ibis

• About: It a distinctive bird known for its iridescent plumage and bald red head.
• Geographic Range: European Alps, Northern Africa, and the Middle East until the start of the 1900’s.
• Migration: Eastward from Morocco and Turkey through countries such as Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
• Habitat: Northern bald ibises are found in semi-arid desert, steppe regions.
• Numbers: It disappeared from Europe over 300 years ago, although reintroduction programmes in the region are underway.

o In 2019 there were about 700 wild birds remaining in southern Morocco, and fewer than 10 in Syria, where it was rediscovered in 2002 but where their number declined in the following years, maybe to zero.

• Conservation Status:

o IUCN Red List: Endangered. It was categorised as “Critically Endangered” but moved to endangered category in 2018.

o CITES: Appendix I species.

Reintroduction of the Northern Bald Ibis

• About: It is the first time that a migratory bird population has been built from zero by establishing a new migration tradition and by the use of chicks from zoo colonies. The project have been instituted internationally in recent times, with a semi-wild breeding colony in Turkey as well as sites in Austria, Italy, Spain, and northern Morocco.
• Achievment: Reintroduction of the critically endangered northern bald ibis into Europe and the establishment of a pattern of migration that will ensure the survival of the species.