Migration research in Africa, British Trust for Ornithology
Migration research helps us understand the ecology and movement of (often declining) bird populations, allowing researchers to identify drivers of population change and inform conservation efforts. Over the past four years, reciprocal visits between the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) in the UK, the A. P. Leventis Ornithological Institute (APLORI) in Nigeria and the University of Cape Coast (UCC) in Ghana have supported the training of future ornithologists and the development of a standardised system of bird recording in West Africa using BirdTrack, BTO’s global data entry system. BTO staff have taught undergraduate ornithology courses and co-supervised MPhil students on a unique crosscountry joint programme by UCC and APLORI / University of Jos, providing a steady stream of new ornithologists and conservationists in Anglophone West Africa. BTO and UCC are also working on a joint research programme to track intra-African migrant birds using small GPS tracking devices. An initial training visit to catch African cuckoos in Mole National Park has taken place, and the organisation is building on this experience to expand the tracking of intra-African species in the future.
Grants given:
2015, 2016, 2017, 2018
