Citizen scientists have responded to a call from the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) and the University of NSW (UNSW) to collect and send in moulted waterbird feathers to assist with research into wetland management.
ANSTO said it was overwhelmed by the response, with a total of 835 submissions received from citizen scientists (including students, environmental groups and individuals), from 553 wetlands across Australia, with some submissions including up to 50 samples.
“Researchers from ANSTO and UNSW have analysed a vast selection of the feathers using nuclear techniques and gained an in-depth understanding of the water birds in our basins and the broader ecosystems they live in,” ANSTO said.
“ANSTO and UNSW researchers were able to reveal information about the movement patterns, diet and habitats of each bird as it grew the feather,” it said.
The Organisation said the information could be used by water and wetland managers to inform decision making and help researchers better understand waterbirds to ensure their survival.
Lead Feather Map researcher for UNSW and ANSTO, Kate Brandis said the Feather Map of Australia was an extremely successful citizen science project.
“Each feather is like a memory chip of where that bird has been, so comparing feathers from diverse parts of Australia identifies differences and creates a map to understand more about the ecosystems,” Dr Brandis said.
“Birds were found to travel long distances across the country and many species are very mobile moving between basins, most likely in search of good habitat because of its variability,” she said.
Dr Brandis said this highlighted the importance of the country-wide water ecosystem to birdlife.
“We couldn’t have produced the results that we have without the help of our citizen scientists who collected hundreds of feather samples that are vital to our study,” she said.
Further information on the Feather Map can be accessed at this PS News link.
