Tomsk scientists will help preserve three rare bird species in the Arctic and Siberia

Scientists from Tomsk State University (TSU) will help preserve three rare bird species and conduct genetic analysis to study the hummingbird goose, red-throated goose and pipit. This was announced on April 2 by the university's press service.

"TSU biologists, with the support of the Presidential Nature Foundation, have launched a project aimed at preserving three species of geese from the Red Book — the forest subspecies of hummingbird, red-throated goose and pipit. Bird migration surveys conducted in the Tomsk Region in 2002 and 2025 showed a one—and-a-half-fold decrease in the number of humennik," the university told TASS.

It is specified that within the framework of the project, scientists will continue to take into account the humennik in southern Siberia, as well as monitor the already known and search for new breeding settlements of cossacks in the Arctic zone of Russia.

According to Igor Korobitsyn, co-director of the project, if the humennik was numerous in the 20th century, then studies in the 2020s showed a decrease in its number by almost one and a half times. New observations will make it possible to clarify population dynamics and identify areas where hunting restrictions or the creation of protected areas may be required.

It was noted that in the north of Siberia, in the southern part of the Gydan Peninsula, experts will study the nesting sites of the red-throated goose and pipit. In 2019-2024, six new breeding sites have already been discovered on the Nyakh River. Scientists will also explore the tributaries of the Messoyakha using drones and make a map of all the identified nests.

Genetic analysis will help to assess the diversity and differences of hummingbird subspecies, as well as the adaptive potential of geese and pipits. To do this, DNA samples will be collected during the expeditions and materials will be received from partners, including hunters from different regions, the press service concluded.

Time of the rare: the data of all Red Book birds will be entered into the genetic bank

How will such a storage facility help combat the illegal trade in birds

The press service of Novosibirsk State University (NSU) reported on March 31 that scientists for the first time studied the jaws of a woolly rhinoceros using a computed tomograph (CT). It was noted that the study will help to understand how the teeth of these ancient animals changed, and use the results to study modern endangered rhinos.

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