Science Advances
Published May 22, 2019 | 14:00 EDT (News release from AAAS)
Up to 30,000 ortolan buntings are killed illegally for food each year in southwest France, where hunters say the migrating songbirds come from large, stable populations elsewhere in Europe. Genetic testing, tiny electronic bird-backpack trackers, and feather-isotope analysis confirm the birds come from small, fragmented, and declining populations in northern and western Europe.
Canadian co-authors: Keith Hobson, Western University – khobson6@uwo.ca; Kevin Kardynal, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Saskatoon – kevin.kardynal@canada.ca
