Eagles changed migration route to avoid Ukraine war
Eagles changed their migration routes
across Ukraine to avoid fighting and because their habitats were likely
damaged or destroyed by war, say scientists.
The
researchers believe the Greater Spotted Eagles skirted around dangers
including artillery fire, jets and tanks as well as buildups of troops.
They fly through Ukraine every Spring on
their way from Greece and The Sudd - a large wetland in South Sudan -
to breeding grounds in Belarus.
The
scientists studied GPS data from tagged birds in the months after the
February 2022 invasion, a time of heavy fighting in northern Ukraine as
Russia tried to take Kyiv by sending troops south from Belarus.
“The
war in Ukraine has had a devastating impact on people and the
environment. Our findings provide a rare window into how conflicts
affect wildlife," said lead author Charlie Russell, a postgraduate
researcher at the University of East Anglia.
Classified as a vulnerable species, the Greater Spotted Eagle is a large, brownish-coloured bird of prey.
Researchers started following them using
GPS tracking devices in 2017 but didn't expect to be monitoring them
through an active conflict zone five years later.
The
findings reveal they made large deviations from their previously
tracked routes. They also spent less time stopping at their usual
refuelling sites in Ukraine or avoided them entirely.
As a result, they traveled farther, about an extra 52 miles (85km) on average.
For migrating birds, stopover sites are essential places to get food, water, and shelter.
These changes delayed the birds' arrival at the breeding grounds and likely made them use more energy, to damaging effect.
"No
doubt about it. I think the take-home story is that the conflict in
Ukraine is fundamentally disrupting the migratory ecology of this
species," said Dr Jim Reynolds, Assistant Professor in Ornithology and
Animal Conservation at the University of Birmingham, who was independent
from the study.
"For a vulnerable
species like this, anything that disrupts breeding performance is a
major problem. As a conservation biologist, you worry about that in a
massive way."
Despite all the tagged birds surviving, researchers believe their experience may have affected their ability to breed.
