Satellite telemetry and seasonal movements of Magpie Geese (Anseranas semipalmata) in tropical northern Australia

We tracked the seasonal movements of 10 Magpie Geese in tropical northern Australia, predominantly within Kakadu National Park, using ARGOS satellite telemetry. Movements were multi-directional and the maximum linear distance travelled by an individual was 114 km from the site of release, over 38 weeks of tracking. Movements did appear to be related to seasonal environmental fluctuations, with some birds moving to favoured breeding and foraging sites, but most monitored birds were resident within the national park. No accurate data were obtained beyond 12 months, with most birds apparently losing their telemeters within 6 months. Just 62% of point-location data were accurate to within 1000 m.

Project Summary

Licencing and Ethics

• Animal ethics was approved through the University of Adelaide (S-050- 2007). The project was listed with the Australian Bird and Bat Banding Scheme (project number 1456).

ZoaTrack Dataset

• Brook, B, Traill, L (2016) Data from: 'Satellite telemetry and seasonal movements of Magpie Geese (Anseranas semipalmata) in tropical northern Australia'. ZoaTrack.org. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4226/68/5692F738E5A44

Related Publications

1. LW Traill, CJA Bradshaw, BW Brook (2010) Satellite telemetry and seasonal movements of Magpie Geese (Anseranas semipalmata) in tropical northern Australia. Emu 110 (2), 160-164 10.1071/MU09098 [Link]