Use of Satellite Telemetry and Remote Sensing Data to Identify Important Habitats of Migratory Birds (Ciconia Ciconia (Linnaeus 1758))

Abstract

This study is using new technologies such as satellite telemetry and remote sensing data to identify important habitats of migratory birds (Ciconia ciconia). Previously collected telemetry data are being used for further analysis to localise regions of frequent stopovers during migration and wintering. An index has been developed to calculate migration and staging periods semi-automatically from the satellite dataset. African land cover maps were used to characterise these staging sites. First results show the importance of wintering sites in Chad and Sudan, where the preferred habitats consist of savanna, grassland and cropland.