Swiftlet Have The Ability To Trace Where They Take Their First Flight !!!

According to Mr Silvester of Jabatan Perhutanan dan Perhilitan Sabah (JPDP), swiftlet have the ability to trace where they were first released or take their first flight.

It is something that will be embedded inside the bird's DNA.

Once released into the BH and take their first flight these swiftlet will be able to recognize their place as their home.

In Sabah it is becoming very common where BH owners, working with JPDP, have a higher successful rate when they use a special technique called "Translocation".

This translocation technique is described as when you released those young birds inside your BH.

These young birds can either be from another BHs, Caves or you breed them by hatching them from swiftlet eggs.

Once these birds reached about 40 days old, you can transfer them into your BH, make sure you create a special room for them, feed them and later allow them to fly out of your BH.  Make sure they fly out using your exit or entrance hole.

Usually young birds will be able to take their first flight on their 45th days after hatching.

So when they are 40 days old you need to keep them in a special room inside your BH and you need to feed them for at least 3 more days.

They will usually stop eating on the 43rd day to reduce their weight and practise using their wings for their first flight on the 45th day.

If you can look after them for these three days, you will have a very good chance to populate your BH with ease.

Once they take their first flight, they will usually inspect the BH where they take their first flight and use to trace the BH back by the end of the day.

The birds seems to be able to embed the BH position in their brain and will later locate this BH by the end of the day, according to Silvester.

No wonder why the success rate in Sabah is higher than other state.

The good news is that his department do train Sabahan BH owners on how to carry out the Translocation technique plus how to feed those young birds obtained from the Department.

Each young bird is sold at about RM5 and the maximum number will be 200 birds per registered BH owner.

Where do you thing these young birds comes from?

I understand they are from those Caves.

If you need to know more about the Translocation technique kindly visit JPDP in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

You need to attend a special seminar on how to release those young birds, conducted by JPDP.

I would say that this interesting idea is something that will help the industry plus minimize the failure rate.

Remember there is no quick short cut but if your BH is well designed and proper micro habitats there is a very strong chance that this technique will work.

I can only say "Syabas" to JPDP.

If you released say 200 birds per cycle and say 20-30% will return to your BH, you will have at least 40 -60 birds back home.

Remember not all of these birds will be able to survive and find their way home.  Some might be eaten by their predators.

If you continue doing this for at least three years, you can easily have about 480 -720 birds in your BH.

Hmm ... this is not bad as compared to not a single bird.

To those who are not from Sabah, I believed you can still attend these course and learn how to breed young birds yourself and released them as per the required ways.