Migratory bird species hit by insect scarcity

IN MARKING World Migratory Bird Day on Saturday, attention was focused on the importance of insects and their impact on migratory birds.

The theme, Protect Insects, Protect Birds, highlighted the importance of insects for insectivorous migratory birds which rely on a variety of insects for their energy as they migrate north in winter. A reduction in insect populations threatens the survival of these species, the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) said.

“The decline in insects worldwide is being caused by not only habitat loss, but also the use of pesticides, which have the knock-on effect of increasing bird and other insectivore mortalities.

“Although no official figures have been released yet, early indications are that there have been fewer kestrels and amur falcons visiting South Africa this year,” EWT said.

While insect declines may be a contributing factor, it may also be attributed to the fact that there was exceptional rainfall further north in East Africa resulting in migratory birds remaining in areas of abundant resources instead of travelling further south for food – to South Africa, for example, that is why there may have been lower numbers of migratory falcons and other species such as white stork in southern Africa this past summer, the EWT said.

Counts conducted across South Africa by EWT field officers, particularly in the Northern Cape, North West, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal in January and February this year range from thousands of falcons and kestrels in the Hanover area on January 20, 2024 to only a few hundred at a roost in Standerton, Klerksdorp, in Underberg, Victoria West and the Beaufort West Areas. Between 160 and 180 of the raptors were counted at De Aar in February this year. These figures are still being collated for official publication.

The report on the Status of the World’s Migratory Species and the review of the Mid-Term Implementation Action Plan to Conserve African-Eurasian Vultures (Vulture MsAP) released at the UN Convention on Migratory Species in March this year showed that over the past 30 years, 70 CMS-listed migratory species – including the Egyptian vulture – have become more endangered.