CONSERVATIONISTS from the Great Bustard Group will be releasing 19 birds on Salisbury Plain tomorrow as part of an ongoing reintroduction project in the UK.
The globally threatened Great Bustard is the heaviest flying bird in the world and due to habitat loss and hunting became extinct in the UK during Victorian times.
Over the last three years, researchers from the University of Bath have been working with conservationists at the Great Bustard Group to manage the reintroduction of the birds to the UK and study existing wild populations in Russia.
This will be the fifth batch of young birds from Russia to be released on the site. They will join the small flock of birds from the previous four years' releases that are still regular visitors to the site at Salisbury Plain.
The researchers are hoping the birds will start to breed next year and will be observing them to understand more about their complex mating rituals.
They will also be recommending conservation strategies for the birds, identifying any threats to their population and finding ways of mitigating them. In addition the project will investigate the evolution of behaviour and breeding systems in the Great Bustard.
The release of the new birds will be filmed by the BBC's Autumn Watch programme, due to be aired later this year. The Great Bustard Reintroduction Project is open to visitors - for more information or to arrange a visit, visit www.greatbustard.com
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