Project Ultraswan
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.36 (859 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0618145281 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 64 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2016-12-29 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
So scientists in the Trumpeter Swan Migration Project are taking on the role of parent swans, teaching cygnets to follow ultralight aircraft in an effort to reintroduce a migrating population to the Atlantic coast. This fascinating fieldwork includes transportation of ten-day-old cygnets from Alaska to the training site in New York State, the design of a special uniform to prevent the baby swans from recognizing their caretakers as human, and the process of training the birds to follow the ultralight—including the heartbreak of setbacks and the exhilaration of successes.. Now that the birds are protected by law, scientists hope to restore them to their former range. But unlike birds who have their migration maps built in, trumpeters must learn the routes from their parents. It has been nearly 200 years since hunters killed the last of the trumpeter swans living in the eastern part of North America
Unlike other migrating birds, swans and geese must learn their migration routes; it is not instinctive. By 1900, the species was killed off for food or feathers east of the Mississippi River and threatened with extinction. Maps are used throughout to explain routes and to depict both the historical and current range of the swan. . A chart and photographs compare the three types of swans found in North America, and another page includes some sites where trumpeter swans can be seen in the wild. The Trumpeter Swan Migration Project was hatched, with the scientists setting out to teach cygnets to follow ultralight aircraft and reestablish their traditional routes. From School Library Journal Grade 4-9-The magnificent trumpeter swan, with its eight-foot wingspan, once covered most of the United States and Canada. Osborn has documented the first three years of this project with vibrant writing and crisp, informative, and occasionally