Streptopelia birds, which haven't nested in our country for half a century, have slowly started to return. This was reported by the Ornithological Community.
During the conference "Under Threat in the West, Safe in the East. Status of the Eastern Streptopelia Population," the results of the first stage of the Streptopelia population monitoring program in the Chui Valley of Kyrgyzstan were summarized.
"In 2019, our organization, the Ornithological Community of Kaygy (OSKG), a local public organization of amateur ornithologists, learned from farmers about a Streptopelia nest in an alfalfa field. Thanks to a grant from the Ornithological Society of the Middle East, the Caucasus, and Central Asia (OSME), we were able to study the possibility of Streptopelia recovery. The first stage of the research lasted from spring 2021 to autumn 2023, involving around 15 people," the community noted.
The main conclusions regarding the sustainable return of Streptopelia to the Chui River valley in Kyrgyzstan include their preference for irrigated agricultural landscapes with a mosaic of alfalfa, pastures, and dry grasses. They seem to inhabit most of the Chui Valley, at least up to the Red River in the east, with a relative population of males ranging from 625 to 1,972 individuals in the Chui Valley.
Streptopelia birds are highly attached to alfalfa and can stay there even during harvest. The loss of nests, and often females, due to agricultural machinery (often in alfalfa fields), is likely the most serious risk for this species.
Streptopelia, especially displaying males, are often active and conspicuous, making them vulnerable to poaching as more people become aware of their existence. Large migrating flocks (September-October) are known to suffer greatly from poaching.
The community emphasized that they did not detect signs of recent population decline despite agricultural intensification in the area, but the data is too recent to accurately assess long-term trends.
"There was little known about Streptopelia in Kyrgyzstan. Decades ago it was here, then disappeared, and recently there were reports of its reappearance, but scientists were not aware of it yet. When we went on the first trial expedition, we heard and saw Streptopelia for the first time, properly documented these encounters, it was equivalent to a real scientific discovery," noted Pavel Isaenko, an active member of the research group OSKG.
