In Almaty, it is increasingly rare to see wild birds traditional for our city – sparrows, titmice, thrushes… Somehow their cheerful voices have quietly and imperceptibly dissolved into space, they themselves have disappeared… What is happening? Our interlocutor is a junior research fellow at the laboratory of ornithology and herpetology of the Institute of Zoology of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Ekaterina Akentyeva.

– What is the current situation in the “bird world” of the country’s largest metropolis – Almaty?

– Almaty has always been and remains one of the greenest cities in the country and even in the world. Therefore, the number and species composition of birds in it are quite large. According to our estimates, there are about 230 species of birds in the city today, including migratory ones. And if we talk about those permanently living in the city – 136 species. There are several natural zones in Almaty, there are semi-deserts, there are mountains, foothills, many more “remnants” of fruit gardens, there are parks and squares, the streets are buried in green trees – in a word, we have all the conditions for the life of a wide variety of bird species here.

Birds are generally very adaptive creatures, but everything, of course, depends on the species. Some successfully adapt even in the environment of bare concrete towers, while others definitely need clean air, low noise levels and abundant vegetation. The city is actively being built up with modern buildings, expanding in all directions, so many species have to look for new habitats. Birds settle outside the rapidly developing urban areas of the city, often in the suburbs, where the relatively untouched natural environment to which they are accustomed has been preserved. And some, highly adaptable to urban changes, develop these abandoned territories. For example, the myna, or, as it is also called, the Afghan starling, which has now settled almost all over Almaty, and about which there are so many myths and rumors.

– Yes, there are various publications in the media, on social networks, where the myna is presented as almost the main threat to bird diversity in cities, a kind of bird “terminator”…

– This is an incorrect and unscientific opinion. Myna simply occupied those natural niches and territories that were abandoned by more demanding, less adaptive to living conditions bird species. This is a natural process, mynas did not destroy anyone, did not displace anyone. Of course, competition in the bird world exists, but it never takes such apocalyptic forms, when one species destroys another. These are myths generated by the lack of scientific information among people.

– Okay, we have removed the unfair suspicions from the mynas. But still, one cannot help but notice that the composition of the “bird community” in Almaty has changed. I remember that about fifty years ago, when I was a boy, swallows nested on our balcony – and for several years in a row! There were small turtle doves, there were clouds of sparrows, their chirping waking the city dwellers to work every morning… And in the Baum grove I personally saw owls, cuckoos, orioles, even falcons. True, the city was different then… The swallows were the first to disappear. Then the turtle doves. And all the rest. Is this also a natural process?

– Yes, if we include human activity in the concept of “natural”. You said it yourself – the city was different. Human activity, large-scale construction of houses, roads, an increase in the population, a reduction in gardens and vegetation zones in general – all this could not but affect the birds. Some birds felt the unpleasant consequences of urbanization earlier – and migrated to other places. Others endured, adapted longer, but still were forced to go to the foothills, to the suburbs, etc. But the myna’s natural mechanisms of adaptation turned out to be stronger, it was able to find both safety and food resources here, in particular – in garbage dumps, where mynas and pigeons found a huge source of free food. They have practically no enemies in the city, so they occupied this natural niche. But mynas also exterminate many harmful insects, pests of urban flora, so they bring considerable benefit.

– What do you say about pigeons?

– This is one of the most common birds in the world. Absolutely unpretentious, feeds on both seeds and human food waste, is not afraid of people, is easily tamed – and therefore it is widely represented in cities. In Almaty, pigeons have found their niche also because it is warm here, even in winter. The city is growing and, accordingly, the pigeon population is increasing. Pigeons, like mynas, have developed a reflex: where there is a person, there is food. Therefore, they have learned to eat things that other wild birds will not eat, for example, corn sticks, pizza leftovers, etc.

– And how does this affect their health? Many people note that today’s Almaty pigeons look somewhat unkempt, their feathers stick out, they are dirty…

– Of course, if they eat bread from garbage dumps, human food scraps – it does not have a very good effect on their organisms, after all, it is not their natural food, not seeds, not grain. Hence the sloppy, often sick appearance of these birds. But over time, when their organisms get used to it, perhaps they will look better. The adaptation process is ongoing, and we do not know how it will end.

– It seems that there are no other birds in the city except for mynas and pigeons…

– Add crows and magpies. This impression is deceptive. In the city center, with its tall towers of new houses, you really don’t often see other birds. But if you get to the outskirts of the city, to the suburbs, to the mountainous areas, you will see sparrows, tits, and many other bird species. As strange as it may sound, but according to famous ornithologists who have observed birds in the southern capital, compared to the middle of the last century, the species composition of birds here has even increased (although such studies have not been conducted in recent years). And this is also naturally connected with human activity. People simply bring some bird species from other countries, from other regions. The landscape changes, bushes have appeared in place of the forest – they are being developed by another bird species that was not previously noted here. Unexpectedly, birds also change their migration routes. This is a dynamic process connected with both natural conditions and anthropogenic factors.

– Isn’t that why wild ducks appeared in the pond in Almaty’s Central Park, which had never been there before? And they even spend the winter in this park, without water, in the snow! And they are not afraid of people or packs of dogs, of which there are plenty in the park…

– Yes, apparently, wild ducks have found a place that suits them in terms of key indicators – safe, warm, with good food resources. But some component of the balance will change – and they can just as quickly change their habitat.

– What can you say about the sparrows? They disappeared from the city center all at once. Just a few years ago the bushes near my house were ringing with their chirping – and suddenly…

– There is a real problem with sparrows, and not only in Almaty or Kazakhstan. Sparrows are disappearing all over the world. Large international projects are currently underway to study this problem. There are several theories about the decline of the sparrow population.

In the middle of the last century, during the development of virgin lands, there were a lot of sparrows in Kazakhstan. Without exaggeration, millions of flocks. Unfortunately, at that time they were considered field pests because they were grain eaters. At that time, various methods were used against sparrows to displace them, and often simply to destroy them, all kinds of chemicals – pesticides, herbicides, even DDT. The entire biota perished indiscriminately – soil insects, birds, field rodents. Perhaps the echo of this cataclysm still haunts the sparrows that were hit then. Add to this the persecution of sparrows in China at the same time.

Another hypothesis is the problems of sparrow migration. As well as other birds, by the way. Many birds die during migration. Including from the blades of wind power plants in Europe and other places through which their routes are laid.

– And many die?

– The number is in the millions. This problem is of great concern to ecologists and biologists in Europe and around the world today, there are many publications on this issue. The role of victims of wind power plants with birds is also shared by bats, whose population in the world is also sharply decreasing.

Birds also die during migration from exhaustion, diseases, unexpected natural changes, and many other things. Birds often do not have time to adapt to the changes that humans bring to nature.

But, I repeat, these are only versions of a sharp decline in the sparrow population in the world. Research is still ongoing, and even international ornithologists have come to Kazakhstan to study this problem on the spot.

– Who in our country studies birds, the changes that occur in the bird world? Do we have enough ornithologists?

– In general, this is a fairly large group of people. Birds are studied by our laboratory of ornithology and herpetology of the Institute of Zoology of the Republic of Kazakhstan. In addition, each national park or reserve has its own biologist-ornithologist. On behalf of government agencies, we are supervised by the Committee of Forestry and Wildlife of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Our laboratory is currently studying the problem of infectious diseases transmitted by birds. This is a government order, a special grant was received for it, and the research is going very intensively. Specialists from the Institute of Microbiology and Virology are collaborating with us in this research. The project has been implemented for three years already.

We have an ornithological stationary research complex Shakpak on the border of the Zhambyl and Turkestan regions – where the migration routes of almost all migrating birds pass. Here we study different species of birds. We ring, monitor birds, and install expensive GPS equipment on some birds to track the migration routes of birds. With its help, it turned out that birds often change their flight routes; instead of their usual Africa, they can end up, for example, in Saudi Arabia or France.

Kazakh ornithologists work closely with their foreign colleagues, in particular with specialists from China, which is our neighbor and where there are also problems with birds.

The Institute organizes summer schools, where we invite biology students, and where they can gain knowledge in ornithology. Which may help them in choosing a specialization. Our Institute closely cooperates with Kazakhstani universities, and students come to us for practical training every year, and we teach them skills in working with birds.

Unfortunately, there is currently no such specialization as zoology in universities. We believe that this is a big omission, Kazakhstan has a huge and diverse animal world, and it needs to be professionally studied. We hope that this omission will be corrected.

I can’t help but mention one more phenomenon. There is such a concept as birdwatching from the English “bird watching”, i.e. “observing birds”. There are many such people, amateur observers in Kazakhstan. They provide us with great help, getting into places where professional ornithologists sometimes cannot get. They share with us the most interesting information. There are entire organizations of such people, united by such a hobby, and there are also just lone observers. But they all talk about their discoveries on social networks, publish photos. Some sites on social networks even have an interactive map, where birdwatchers mark where, when and what kind of bird they saw. In short, this system is active, bringing us important information about birds.

– To summarize our conversation: what would you call the main thing in the relationship between birds, these unusual natural creatures that can fly, and the city, the product of human activity?

– The main thing… Perhaps, it is the need to preserve the biosphere, the most careful attitude to natural landscapes during construction and development of the city, shrubs, trees, expansion of parks, groves. What kind of city – such are the birds. If a person chooses for himself, for life, concrete and glass boxes, “concrete jungles”, then the birds will not tolerate it. They can always fly away. This is what you should always remember.