Aerial shot of straw-necked ibis nesting on reed beds at Kow Swamp in 2019. We’re hopeful Elf will nest at Kow Swamp this year. Photo: CSIRO
Elf – adult female straw-necked ibis. Photo: Heather McGinness
Since 2017, Elf – the straw-necked ibis – has been sporting a lightweight GPS mini-backpack to help us understand more about these special birds. So, what has she taught us?
The CSIRO waterbird research team, led by Dr Heather McGinness, have been satellite tracking the movements of straw-necked ibis, Australian white ibis and royal spoonbills since 2016. Elf is a particularly special bird as she has been tracked migrating each season for three years, journeying the length of the Murray-Darling Basin between Victoria and Queensland. Elf spends the cooler months in Queensland and moves south to Victoria during August-September.
Since the team first met Elf at Kow Swamp in Victoria nearly three years ago, she has recorded over 13,000 GPS locations, from as far north as Emerald, Queensland, to Bridgewater, Victoria- about 1500km apart (as the ibis flies)!
By keeping an eye on Elf’s movements, we are learning more about how waterbirds behave and the habitats they need during their lifecycle: where they fly, stop, feed, breed and roost.
“Tracking the movements of waterbirds like Elf is revealing an amazing level of detail about their lives and choices” said Dr Heather McGinness, who leads the research, “We’re using this detail to help inform better management of wetlands and water”
This information helps us provide water for the environment in the right places at the right times, for the many waterbirds that depend on the Basin’s waterways. Water for the environment is critical for supporting successful waterbird breeding and recharging key nesting, refuge, roosting and foraging sites. It’s particularly important for species like spoonbills and ibis that nest in colonies, and where the nesting can fail if there isn’t enough water.
A light-weight solar-powered satellite tracker, ready to be attached to an adult bird. Photo: Heather McGinness
So far, the research is telling us:
- The location of key habitats used by waterbirds
- Where, when and for how long water for the environment should be used to support foraging habitat and food resources
- How to support waterbird breeding and survival during and after flooding events
“Science underpins our understanding of how plants, fish and birds, like Elf, are responding to water for the environment. This work ensures we are using our water in the best way possible to support river habitat, wetlands and animals in the Basin,”
— Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder, Jody Swirepik.
And, as for Elf – we are hoping she settles down to nest this year, which would be the first time since we started following her in December 2017- she’s recently returned to the nesting site where her journey began! Stay tuned…
Further information
Straw-necked ibis sitting on nests with eggs. Photo: CSIRO
- Waterbird breeding and movements: Knowledge for water managers - CSIRO
- Flow-MER Program - our very own on-ground monitoring, evaluation and research program for Basin-wide science
You can also keep up to date with our satellite tracked birds via:
