Tony Cross of the Welsh Kite Trust, said it was great to have genetic proof of a long-held suspicion. However, in scattered areas across Wales, the team did discover genetic evidence of breeding with re-introduced birds, suggesting that Red Kites will, if pressed, fly long distances to find a mate.Īnother finding, as expected, was that Red Kites in the border counties of Herefordshire and Shropshire are a genetic mixture of native British birds and Continental incomers. “Despite being capable of daily flights of over 100km and a significant expansion in numbers and geographical range, the Northern and Southern birds are choosing to nest close to where they were born, maintaining a partially stable genetic barrier over 30 breeding seasons,” said Dr McMahon. This was a slight surprise, given the 18-fold expansion in the UK population in just 30 years. The study found evidence that some re-introduced Red Kites have begun mating with Welsh birds (Image: Mike Hayward, Welsh Kite Trust)Īnalysis also discovered that the Welsh Red Kite population has remain “genetically homogenous”. The reason is not known but one explanation is that Red Kites from the Continent at one stage bred with the South Wales population. The difference, in the birds’ inherited material, is only tiny. It confirmed the existence of a north/south genetic divide that runs along the Towy Valley. These were analysed at the Translational Genomics laboratory, IBERS, and compared with findings of a similar Red Kite study carried out in 1989 when DNA techniques were in their infancy. Ilze Skujina, overseen by Dr McMahon, extracted DNA material from cast feathers gathered at nest sites across Wales and the border counties. It was such a success that there are now an estimated 1,800 breeding pairs in the UK – a far cry from the 1930s when only a single nest was known in Wales. This saw birds from other European populations – including some from Wales – established elsewhere in Britain. It set out to assess the changing dynamics of the UK’s Red Kite populations in the wake of a re-introduction programme in the 1990s. The Aberystwyth University study was undertaken by postgraduate student Ilze Skujina as part of a project to provide guidance on Red Kite conservation. “It suggests we are a long way seeing the kind of nesting saturation levels you might see in places like the Black Forest region of Germany,” said Dr Robert McMahon, research associate at IBERS Phenomics Centre, Aberystwyth. This indicates there is still plenty of scope for expansion of Red Kite numbers in Wales. The study also discovered that the genetics of core Red Kite populations in Wales have changed very little over the years, confirming field observations that the birds prefer to nest close to where they hatch. Researchers in Mid Wales have identified a north/south genetic divide in Welsh Red Kite populations – and evidence that introduced Continental kites have begun to mate with Welsh birds.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |