Iraq lies between African sites and northern nesting areas

JOHANNESBURG, March 13 - The threat of war in Iraq has ornithologists in a
flap as millions of birds make their way across the country on their annual
spring migration to northern breeding grounds. "At this time of year,
March-April, you have the greatest number of birds in Iraq," said Phil
Hockey, a migration specialist with the Percy FitzPatrick Institute of
African Ornithology in Cape Town.

'Long-distance migrants can't make it from their non-breeding grounds to
their breeding grounds in a single flight.'
- PHIL HOCKEY
Ornithologist "FROM A biodiversity point of view this is the
worst possible time of the year to have a war there," Hockey said Thursday.
U.S. President Bush has vowed to go to war to disarm Iraq with or
without U.N. backing and many analysts expect an invasion within a few
weeks.
Iraq lies on a key migration route for many feathered species that
winter in Africa and breed in Europe and western Russia in the summer.
"Iraq's two major rivers (Tigris and Euphrates) are an important part
of the route for many long distance migrants, including pelicans and storks,
and for shore birds that breed along the Caspian Sea and in central Asia,"
Hockey said.
"A lot of the birds will be moving now, with the main movement time
from the middle of March to the end of April."

REFUELING SITE
White storks that have wintered in South Africa and are en route to
nesting grounds in places like Estonia could give up their migration if it
took them over battle zones.
"Long-distance migrants can't make it from their non-breeding grounds
to their breeding grounds in a single flight," said Hockey.
* Threatened species and stress on land and water "They have to
stop along the way and refuel and for a lot of species these refueling sites
are traditional. If they are prevented from doing so because of a
disturbance they could abort their migration or even starve to death," he
said.
Even if the birds push ahead with their migration, war-related
disruptions could see them arriving too late in their northern nesting sites
to complete their breeding cycle.
This is especially critical for birds that nest far in the north
where the breeding season is quite brief.
"It wouldn't be the first time in history that war has had a
significant impact on biodiversity," Hockey said.
In African countries like Angola and Mozambique, civil wars have
decimated wildlife, with elephants poached for their ivory and other species
hunted to feed roving armies.

BIRDWATCHING IN IRAQ
Iraq's habitat and location make it a birdwatcher's paradise.
"Southern Iraq has been identified as a globally important hot spot
for bird biodiversity, one of only three in the Middle East. The marshes
there are among the most important wintering grounds for water birds in
western Eurasia," Hockey said.
Environment news
Keep up with environment news: MSNBC's special section is updated regularly
Iraq is a vital breeding area for the marbled teal, with about 40 to 60
percent of the global population of this bird breeding there.
Iraq may also be crucial for the slender-billed curlew, an extremely
rare species that may only number 200 worldwide, Hockey said.