MIGRATION: A FLIGHT FOR SURVIVAL
he beautiful plumage of
the Eastern Imperial Eagle
Aquila heliaca reflects its
regal name. With gold-
flecked feathers and a golden crown,
it builds nests at the tops of trees,
which reach a magnificent size as they
reuse and renovate them year after
year. Perched upon their high vantage
points, they look like royalty sat on a
throne.
Equipped with a thick, hooked bill,
sharp talons, keen eyes and a wingspan
that can stretch over two metres, the
bird can access quite a menu, from
ground squirrels, hares and hamsters to
more formidable quarry such as foxes
and snakes.
The eagle’s mighty power not only
enables it to conquer its prey, but
facilitates a remarkable migration.
Adults in central Europe, the Balkan
Peninsula, Turkey and the Caucasus are
usually residents and do not migrate.
However, a few juveniles do travel to
southern wintering grounds, returning
in spring. Some of these birds fly an
incredible distance - travelling as far as
8,000 km in just a few weeks.
But even the mighty have their
Achilles heel and for these eagles,
that downfall is humans. The Eastern
Imperial Eagle is in decline, currently
classed by BirdLife as Vulnerable. For
central European populations, the
biggest human threat they face is
poisoning – whether accidental or
intentional. Some farmers use legal
pesticides to rid their fields of small,
crop-destroying rodents, and eagles
that feed upon this prey unwittingly
ingesting a dose of poison. This
poison can render eagles infertile, or
accumulate in their bodies and lead to
death.
More devastatingly, Eastern Imperial
Eagles (among other predators) are
sometimes directly targeted with illegal
T
EASTERN
IMPERIAL EAGLE
FACT FILE
WINGSPAN: 180-215 CM
TOP SPEED: 80 KM/H
THREATS: POISONING,
SHOOTING, POWERLINES
APR-JUN 2019 • BIRDLIFE
In Central Europe, most Eastern
Imperial Eagles are sedentary, though
some juveniles head as far as Africa to
overwinter. In early spring, they travel up
to 8000 km back across the Sahara Desert
and the Mediterranean Sea to reach their
continent of birth.
EASTERN
IMPERIAL EAGLE
MIGRATION
ROUTE
poisons by poachers and gamekeepers.
The aim, in what is known as predator
persecution, is to decrease the number
of game species ending up in a raptor’s
talons, rather than a hunter’s hand.
Following poisoning, the second
major threat to this species is
electrocution from contact with
powerlines. Increased felling of tall
trees is adding to the risk, as eagles
resort to perching and nesting on
pylons. The only silver lining to this
tragic situation is that the eagles are
also open to accepting safe, artificial
vantage points created by humans.
This is one of many initiatives that
give us cause for hope - because it’s not
too late to save this species. In Hungary,
home to a third of Europe’s breeding
population, decades of dedicated work
from MME (BirdLife in Hungary) have
pulled the bird back from the brink. The
population has recovered dramatically
from 15-25 breeding pairs in the 1970s
to roughly 200 pairs now. This is down
to a multi-pronged approach including
training sniffer dog units to detect
the use of poison, operating a hotline
for witnesses to report bird crimes,
monitoring eagle numbers and creating
a rehabilitation centre for injured eagles.
On the back of this success, MME
is now leading the PannonEagle Life
project - a collaborative mission
between Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech
Republic, Austria and Serbia. This will
involve rolling out methods that have
proven to be successful in Hungary
across central Europe.
The main aims will be greater
enforcement of poisoning laws
and increased conviction of those
caught in the act. These efforts will
be complimented by environmental
education – for example, raising public
awareness of the minimal impact
raptors really have on game bird
populations, in order to curb predator
persecution. Overall, the project is
expected to help central Europe’s
Imperial Eagle population to exceed
250 breeding pairs by 2021.
There is something sorrowful about
seeing the mighty fall. The Eastern
Imperial Eagle is so well-equipped for
nature’s challenges, but not for the
dangers posed by man. But the success
of tried and tested methods in Hungary
gives us great confidence that this
species can be rescued globally.
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