The press service of the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation reported that experts will study the habitat of gyrfalcons and assess the degree of influence of global climate change and the development of the Arctic regions by humans on their reproduction.
According to approximate data, now the number of gyrfalcon in Russia is estimated at 3.5-5 thousand breeding pairs. However, due to poaching, the number of these birds is drastically reduced. According to experts, a method of accounting is necessary to maintain reliable statistics. Once the rules are formulated and approved, the "census" will be conducted annually.
In the near future, an expedition will take place to the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, where the highest nesting density of gyrfalcon in the world is noted. During field studies, specialists will study the factors that affect the distribution, density and breeding success of birds of prey, assess population size, demographic characteristics, and genomic adaptation to the Arctic. Specialists will also survey nest locations and collect genetic data for further research.
Similar work will be carried out in Kamchatka. Here in winter, due to the non-freezing coast, a large number of waterfowl nest, which is attractive to the gyrfalcon and allows some of its population in this area to live settled. A group of gyrfalcon winters here, nesting in Yakutia and Chukotka.
The Ministry of Regional Security of the Murmansk Region has developed a draft regulatory act that eases the possibilities of using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for photography and videography
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