- Before the war, the birds migrated from southern Europe and eastern Africa. Belarus
- After February 2022, they were forced to make major detours from their routes.
Every spring, thousands of spotted eagles make the arduous journey from eastern Africa and Greece to southern Belarus to breed.
Now, a study has revealed for the first time the impact of the war in Ukraine on this annual migration.
Researchers at the University of East Anglia found that shortly after Ukraine was invaded by Russia, the birds’ usual migratory course was altered.
“The war in Ukraine has had a devastating impact on people and the environment,” said Charlie Russell, lead author of the study.
“Our findings provide a rare window into how conflict affects wildlife, improving our understanding of the potential impacts of exposure to such events or other extreme human activities that are difficult to predict or monitor.”
Every spring, thousands of spotted eagles make the arduous journey from eastern Africa and Greece to southern Belarus to breed.
Researchers at the University of East Anglia found that shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the birds’ usual migratory course was altered
In the study, researchers set out to understand whether the spotted eagle’s migration was affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The team was already studying the species and had equipped the eagles with GPS tracking devices.
This allowed them to compare movement and migration before and shortly after the Russian invasion in February 2022.
An analysis of GPS data revealed how before the conflict, the birds followed a migratory route from southern Europe (females) and eastern Africa (males), to a key breeding ground in southern Belarus.
However, after February 2022, the birds were forced to make large detours from their traditional routes, traveling an additional 52 miles (85 km) on average.
This meant that their migrations lasted longer.
In the study, researchers set out to understand whether the spotted eagle’s migration was affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The team was already studying the species and had equipped the eagles with GPS tracking devices. This allowed them to compare movement and migration before and shortly after the Russian invasion in February 2022.
Female migrations took 246 hours compared to 193 hours before the conflict, while men took 181 hours to complete the journey, compared to 125 hours before the conflict.
Fewer birds stopped in Ukraine, with only 30 percent of those tested stopping over, compared to 90 percent in 2018-2021.
Some important stopover locations, such as Ukrainian Polesia, were not used at all in 2022.
“These types of disturbances can have significant impacts on the behavior and potentially the fitness of eagles,” Mr Russell warned.
“For individuals that breed in these areas, or other species that are less able to respond to disturbance, the impacts will likely be much greater.”
Worryingly, researchers warn that this change in migratory course could have lasting impacts for spotted eagles.
Dr Adham Ashton-Butt, senior research ecologist at the British Trust for Ornithology, added: ‘Migratory birds such as the spotted eagle are declining dramatically around the world and it is imperative that we better understand and mitigate our effects on these charismatic species.’