Authors trace 18th century letter about bird migration

A new book about birds shows that the roller (farrug) used to breed in Malta in the 18th century.

The book, L-Ghasafar Li Jbejtu Fl-Ambjent Naturali Tal-Gzejjer Maltin, fills a big void in local ornithological literature. It was written by Alfred E. Baldacchino, a former honorary general secretary of the Ornithological Society, and John Azzopardi, a former chairman of the Malta section of the International Council for Bird Preservation.

The book is graced with watercolours and line drawings by Malta's foremost wildlife artist Andrew Micallef.

For the first time, the authors have traced the manuscript of a short letter packed with information about bird migration through Malta, written in 1749 by the French Knight Godeheu De Riville. This letter was mentioned in several previous ornithological works but no one seems to have found it before as none of the published works make any reference to its contents.

In the letter, De Riville describes how rollers nested in sand dunes, like they do in Cyprus today. Rollers normally prefer to nest in holes dug in trees by woodpeckers, but in Cyprus, where woodpeckers are absent, they breed in sand dunes just as they did in Malta 250 years ago.

The book provides an overview of the Maltese natural environment in which birds breed, and describes in detail each species which breed, or used to breed, on the island. It lists recent breeding records for rare and irregular breeders.

Information is given about birds that breed occasionally as well as those that used to breed. The publication mentions species such as the bee-eater and long-eared owl, which were recorded breeding for the first time only recently, as well as extinct species such as the jackdaw. There are also life-size drawings of bird's eggs.

The last part of the book deals with the history of legislation related to the protection of breeding birds. It also comes with an extensive bibliography and index.

In his introduction to the book, biology professor Patrick J. Schembri states that it contains sound scientific knowledge written in layman's terms that makes it appealing to a wide spectrum of readers.

The book was published by Malta University Publishers Ltd.