Eagles Are Forced to Change Their Migration Route Amid Russia-Ukraine War

The ongoing conflict in Ukraine is not only a human tragedy but also a threat to wildlife, forcing migrating eagles to alter their flight paths. 

The greater spotted eagles, a species already classified as "vulnerable" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), are now facing additional dangers due to the war in Ukraine.

According to a study published in the journal *Current Biology*, these majestic birds have been compelled to deviate from their usual migration routes as they navigate the war-torn regions. 

Greater spotted eagles, which have largely vanished from western and central Europe, find a significant refuge in the vast wetlands of Polesia. 

This region, spanning Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, and Russia, remains a crucial habitat for the species.

The study, conducted by researchers from the UK and Estonia, revealed that the eagles began to encounter conflict-related disruptions in their migratory patterns shortly after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. 

On March 1, 2022, a week into the invasion, the first of 21 tagged greater spotted eagles crossed into Ukraine, initiating their northward migration towards breeding grounds in southern Belarus.

Charlie Russell, the lead study author and a conservation scientist and ornithologist at the University of East Anglia, expressed the team's anxiety as they monitored the eagles' movements. 

"When the conflict started in February 2022, we were kind of watching things unfold on the news like everyone else, but sitting there also with the feeling that we know our birds are about to pass through that area and wondering what that might mean for them," he told CNN.

By combining conflict data with GPS tracking, the researchers assessed the war's impact on the migratory behavior of 19 eagles during their northward journey between March and April 2022. 

The findings were stark: the eagles significantly altered their routes compared to pre-conflict migrations from 2019 to 2021, resulting in longer and less direct journeys to their breeding grounds.

Although the researchers could not pinpoint the exact stimuli prompting these deviations, they speculated that noise and light from military activities might have influenced the birds' behavior. 

These disruptions forced the eagles to travel further and extended the duration of their migrations. 

For instance, female eagles spent an average of 246 hours traveling to their breeding grounds, a considerable increase from the pre-conflict average of 193 hours.

The study noted that the eagles traveled an average of 85 kilometers (53 miles) further than usual. 

In extreme cases, some birds flew an additional 250 kilometers (155 miles). Male eagles also showed changes in their migration speed, averaging around 7.66 meters (25 feet) per second compared to the pre-conflict average of 9.75 meters (32 feet) per second.

Interestingly, outside Ukraine, the researchers observed no significant differences in migration performance and deviation patterns, indicating that the disruptions were directly linked to the conflict zones. 

The deviations were more pronounced in areas with higher levels of military activity, highlighting the varied exposure and responses of individual birds to the conflict.

This study underscores the profound and far-reaching impacts of human conflict on wildlife. 

As greater spotted eagles struggle to adapt to these new challenges, it becomes increasingly important to address the environmental repercussions of war. 

Protecting these vulnerable species requires concerted efforts to mitigate the effects of conflict on their habitats and migratory paths.

The plight of the greater spotted eagles serves as a poignant reminder of the interconnectedness of all life on Earth and the urgent need to preserve and protect our natural world, even amid human conflicts.