Science

Migratory landbirds are experiencing widespread population declines across the African-Eurasian Flyway, driven by habitat loss, agricultural intensification, pesticide use, illegal killing, and the increasing impacts of climate change. Unlike waterbirds, many migratory landbirds depend on a mosaic of habitats throughout their annual cycle, relying on healthy savannas, grasslands, agricultural landscapes, and woodlands to breed, migrate, and overwinter. The loss or degradation of any one of these habitats can have consequences for populations thousands of kilometres away. 

South Africa represents the southernmost extent of the non-breeding range for the European Roller (Coracias garrulus), supporting birds that migrate annually from breeding grounds across Central Asia. Although the species is currently listed as Least Concern globally on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, populations continue to decline across much of its range and the species is listed as Near Threatened in South Africa. South Africa has also been identified as a priority country for the conservation of the species under the International Single Species Action Plan for the European Roller. 

A European Roller perched in a tree in the Associated Private Nature Reserves (APNR), Hoedspruit. © Subaru Southern Africa/Matt Uys

Despite decades of research on European Rollers breeding in Europe, remarkably little is known about the migration ecology of the semenowi subspecies that spends the non-breeding season in southern Africa. Understanding where these birds travel, the habitats they depend on during migration, and the threats they encounter throughout their annual cycle is essential for developing effective conservation actions across the flyway. 

Migratory routes of Central-Mediterranean European Rollers. Tracks recorded by GPS loggers between breeding sites in Italy and Croatia and the wintering grounds in southern Africa. White and yellow dots are for GPS locations during autumn and spring migrations, respectively. Black and red lines represent autumn and spring migration tracks, respectively. Blue triangles and the white-shaded polygon show wintering GPS locations and MCP at the population level, respectively. Monti, F. et al. 2024.  Spatio-temporal migratory patterns, habitat crossing and within-individual movement repeatability of Central Mediterranean European Rollers Coracias garrulus. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 78(83). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-024-03501-3

To address this knowledge gap, BirdLife South Africa launched the country’s first dedicated European Roller Monitoring Project in 2021. Combining long-term colour-ringing with satellite tracking initiated in 2024, the project follows individual birds from their non-breeding grounds in South Africa to breeding areas across Central Asia. Working alongside international researchers and conservation organisations, the project is generating the first detailed movement data for this poorly understood population. 

A European Roller being fitted with a satellite tracker and colour-ring by a qualified veterinarian and experienced bird ringer.

Already, tracked birds have revealed remarkable migration routes extending through eastern Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, Afghanistan, India, Uzbekistan and western China, highlighting previously unknown migratory connectivity and strengthening international collaborations with researchers studying the species across its breeding range. 

Since 2024, seven European Rollers have been tracked from South Africa. This map shows the migration of those individuals (some devices stopped working)

Beyond tracking individual birds, the project is improving long-term monitoring of European Rollers in South Africa, strengthening partnerships across the African-Eurasian Flyway, engaging landowners and local communities, and inspiring greater appreciation for one of the continent’s most spectacular migratory birds. By understanding the full annual cycle of European Rollers, we can help protect the network of habitats they depend on and ensure these extraordinary migrations continue for generations to come. 

Migratory waders are considered one of the most threatened bird groups globally, with many species experiencing sustained population declines and increasing risk of extinction. Their survival depends on a network of breeding, stopover, and non-breeding sites spanning multiple continents. This network is increasingly compromised by interacting pressures, including habitat loss, wetland degradation, human disturbance, and accelerating climate change, which collectively undermine population survival.

Migratory shorebirds, such as this Little Stint, are dependant on sites like the Berg River Estuary at Velddrif for their continued survival. 

South Africa’s West Coast forms a critical component of the African–Eurasian Flyway and supports some of the country’s most important estuarine systems, providing essential non-breeding habitat for Curlew Sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea) and Grey Plover (Pluvialis squatarola). Both species are undergoing significant population declines and have recently been uplisted to Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Regionally, both populations in southern African are also showing large declines. Long-term Coordinated Waterbird Count (CWAC) data indicate a ~47% population decline in Curlew Sandpiper over three generations, while Grey Plover declined by ~80% between 2000 and 2010, with no evidence of recovery. Despite these trends, the drivers of decline at southern non-breeding sites remain poorly understood. 

Intertidal salt marsh, Velddrif, Western Cape, South Africa

Recent demographic analyses from the Arctic Shorebird Demographic Network indicate that factors operating at stopover and non-breeding sites exert a stronger influence on adult survival than conditions on the breeding grounds. This highlights the urgent need to understand migratory connectivity and habitat use outside the breeding season. Although advances in biologging have greatly improved knowledge of migration routes and stopover ecology, such data remain scarce for Afro-Palearctic waders, particularly within Africa, as most tracking studies have been conducted in Europe, with limited representation of individuals wintering in southern Africa. 

To address this knowledge gap, BirdLife South Africa has launched one of the country’s first dedicated shorebird tracking projects. Working alongside international partners, we are fitting Curlew Sandpipers and Grey Plovers with lightweight satellite transmitters and colour rings to follow their movements from South Africa to their Arctic breeding grounds. 

A Grey Plover fitted with a tracking device that will help us understand their migration strategies 

The project is already revealing extraordinary journeys and identifying critical wetlands used during migration. The project strengthens long-term monitoring through the Coordinated Waterbird Counts (CWAC), engages local communities and conservation practitioners, builds partnerships with international researchers, and raises awareness of the importance of estuaries and wetlands for biodiversity. 

The tracked migration routes of Curlew Sandpipers. These data have been generated from a ground breaking study conducted by BirdLife South Africa, in partnership with the Department of Ornithology at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence and Wetlands International.