The northern bald ibis (Geronticus eremita) is an extravagant waterbird adapted to forage in dry, open habitats, and is included in the list of the most genetically and evolutionarily unique creatures of the world. Five centuries ago, it was widespread from Southern and Central Europe to Northern Africa and the Middle East. Since then, it has undergone a steady decline mainly due to human collection of chicks for food, direct persecution, and habitat change, but also, it is suspected, due to the long-term changes of the climate (namely the so-called Little Ice Age, which occurred in Europe mainly between 1550 and 1650, and the current era’s global warming). Following its extinction from Central and Southern Europe more than four centuries ago, the species split into two geographically disconnected populations, one inhabiting northwestern Africa (Algeria and Morocco) and the other one the Middle East (Turkey and Syria), which diverged over time in relation to their behavior outside the breeding season. The western population is more or less resident, while the eastern one (or “oriental”) is a long-range migrant. Unsurprisingly, having been separated for centuries, the populations have proven to be genetically distinct, as evidenced by two independent studies performed in 2001. Extinct from Egypt millennia ago, the so-called oriental population still holds important cultural symbolism in the Middle East. It is mentioned in the Old Testament as a messenger of fertility and was sacred to the ancient Egyptians as the symbol of the afterworld divinity, Akh. In recent history, it used to breed…This article was originally published on Mongabay
The post The effort to save Syria’s northern bald ibis population failed, but much can be learned (analysis) first appeared on EnviroLink Network.