Scientists at the University of East Angila (UK) in the field of bird research said that the flock of great spotted eagles they monitored had no longer flown over many areas in Ukraine on their migratory journey since the war. Conflict began in the country in 2022.
This flock of eagles lives in the Polesia forest on the border between Ukraine and Belarus . A total of 21 individuals were studied and tracked, each with a GPS device attached to it.
Before 2022, their migration journey will pass through some areas that are currently war zones in Ukraine and reach their breeding grounds in southern Belarus.
Instead of being able to fly straight to shelter each breeding season, they are now forced to fly around to avoid the dangers of war. That's why their flight distance has increased from 85km to 255km.
In addition, there are fewer qualifying stops for eagles to relay on their migratory journeys, so their continuous flight time has also increased significantly. According to researchers' estimates, their average flight time has increased from 193 hours to 246 hours.
Eagles will be almost exhausted after this harsh migration journey and they will need a lot of time to recover. This may cause their reproduction to fail.
The great spotted eagle is one of the species at the top of the food chain in the natural environment of Eastern European countries, Western Europe and some areas of Russia . They are listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as species that are likely to become extinct in the future because they are facing many negative changes in the environment and living conditions.
