Two Sociable Lapwings (Vanellus gregarius), which were satellite-tagged in Kazakhstan have been recorded in central Sudan, where these birds spend the winter.
The birds were flying from Korgalzhin, in central Kazakhstan on 3 August 2007 and arrived at Viransehir, Turkey around 8 October. They joined a flock of over 3000 birds – the largest assembly of these bird species recorded in over a century – before leaving Turkey in late October and arriving in Sudan on 3 November.

Dr. Rob Sheldon, an ecologist with RSPB, said: “The more we know, the easier it will be to improve their protection and help them increase their numbers.” Maxim Koshkin of the Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity in Kazakhstan (ACBK) added that better understanding of the migration and wintering patterns of this critically endangered species will enable conservations to identify sites which need to be protected in order to bring the Sociable Lapwing back from the brink of extinction.

The Sociable Lapwing is protected under AEWA by an International Single Species Action Plan (SSAP). Countries are called upon to transform this SSAP into a National Action Plan and work together to halt the decline in populations of these species in the future. The SSAP also includes the above mentioned countries Kazakhstan and Sudan.

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