Very little information is known about seasonal habitat use and movements of Bengal Floricans, making it difficult to target conservation efforts effectively across their range. Researchers from the University of East Anglia, led by graduate student Charlotte Packman, are seeking to increase our understanding of Bengal Floricans movements by deploying radio and satellite transmitters on individual birds to record their movements.
These transmitters, deployed on males, females and subadults, will provide key information on wet season movements, including the timing of movements between dry and wet season sites, the location of non-breeding areas and the links between breeding and non-breeding sites.
This work began in 2008, and so far 19 transmitters have been deployed at three different sites. This fieldwork was funded by a Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund grant, with transmitters awarded by the National Avian Research Centre, North Star Science and Technology and the Ford Motor Company. Radio tracking equipment was purchased with a Chester Zoo grant.