Eagles have altered their migration routes across Ukraine to avoid conflict and due to likely habitat destruction from the war, scientists report.
Researchers believe the Greater Spotted Eagles bypassed dangers such as artillery fire, jets, tanks, and troop concentrations.
These eagles typically migrate through Ukraine each spring, traveling from Greece and The Sudd, a vast wetland in South Sudan, to their breeding grounds in Belarus.
Scientists analyzed GPS data from tagged birds in the months following the February 2022 invasion, during intense fighting in northern Ukraine as Russian forces attempted to capture Kyiv by advancing from Belarus.
The study, conducted by the Estonian University of Life Sciences and the British Trust for Ornithology, was published in the journal *Current Biology*.
“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," stated 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 bird of prey.
Researchers began tracking these eagles with GPS devices in 2017, not anticipating they would be monitoring them through an active conflict zone five years later.
The findings reveal that the eagles significantly deviated from their previously tracked routes. They also spent less time at their usual stopover sites in Ukraine or avoided them completely.
Consequently, the eagles traveled an additional 52 miles (85 km) on average.
For migrating birds, stopover sites are crucial for obtaining food, water, and shelter.
These route changes delayed the eagles' arrival at their breeding grounds and likely increased their energy expenditure, with potentially harmful effects.
"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 not involved in 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 eagles surviving, researchers believe the war may have impacted their breeding capabilities.
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