Bird accidents in Southern Mongolia : a case study of bird electrocution

• Published in: The Korean Journal of Ornithology Vol. 25; no. 2; pp. 94 - 100
• Main Authors: Ganbold, Onolragchaa, Bing, Gi-Chang, Purevee, Erdenetushig, Munkhbayar, Munkhbaatar, Choi, Won-Suk, Jargalsaikhan, Ariunbold, Paik, In-Hwan, Purevdorj, Zoljargal, Jargal, Namsrai, Paek, Woon-Kee
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 한국조류학회II 31.12.2018
• Subjects: 생물학
• ISSN: 1225-9179; 2586-6893
• DOI: 10.30980/KJO.2018.12.25.2.94

Bird electrocution on contact with electricity lines is well reported and is quite common in Mongolian open areas. We visited 15-kV electricity distribution pole lines in a Southern Mongolian semi-desert region three times in 2017, in April, July, and September, to assess their risks to birds. The carcasses of 45 electrocuted birds representing 12 species were identified from 250 poles (overall mortality rate of 1.12% every 10 km). The majority of these electrocuted birds were endangered Saker Falcon (n=11) and common Black Kite (n=11). The lacks of roosting or perching sites in our study sites (indeed other open areas in Mongolia) may resulted for such high rate bird electrocution. A 751-base pair (bp) cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene was amplified for DNA sequence-based identification of carcasses that were difficult to identify directly. Our findings revealed the high electrocution risk for birds in Mongolian open areas, especially for the birds of prey, with relatively low-efficiency electrocution mitigation approaches. The findings also indicate that there is a need for better understanding of the risk of bird electrocution, particularly in the open areas. This will contribute to the conservation of endangered species. KCI Citation Count: 0