Joint Russian and American team of ornithologists has recently started studying of rookeries, located on the Commander Islands, which bear the status of international biosphere reserve.
      
      WWF supports said international research programme, aimed at studying the Commander Islands. Joint expedition of two countries allows analyzing situation with bird populations, as well as patterns and periods of bird migrations from the US to Russia and back.
      
      The Commander Islands shelter about 1 million birds, however, they are quite vulnerable due to predators, which arrived to the isles by ships, rodents and human activity. Scientists will give recommendations for keeping unique nature and fauna of the Commander Islands safe.
      
      The Commander Islands obtained biosphere reserve status in 2002, and now are world’s natural heritage, being the habitat of 21 mammal and 180 bird species, many of which are endangered.
      
      Source: Science News