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Status and Population Trend of the Eastern Imperial Eagle (Aquila Heliaca) in Europe in the Period 2000-2010

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Status and Population Trend of the Eastern Imperial Eagle (Aquila Heliaca) in Europe in the Period 2000-2010 ACTA ZOOLOGICA BULGARICA Acta zool. bulg., Suppl. 3, 2011: 5-14 Status and Population Trend of the Eastern Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca) in Europe in the Period 2000-2010 Dimitar Demerdzhiev1, Márton Horváth2, András Kovács2, Stoycho Stoychev1 and Igor Karyakin3 1 BSPB BirdLife Bulgaria, Haskovo 6300, P.O.Box 130, Bulgaria; E-mail: [email protected], www.bspb.org; www.saverap- tors.org 2 MME BirdLife Hungary, H-1121 Budapest, Költő u. 21., Hungary; E-maol: [email protected] 3 Center of Field Studies Korolenko str., 17a–17 Nizhniy Novgorod 603000 Russia; E-mail: i [email protected] Abstract: The summary of data from range countries estimates the population size of the Eastern Imperial Eagle (Aq- uila heliaca Savigny 1809) in Europe at 1800-2200 pairs, which reflects a significant increase compared to previous estimations. Also, there has been a significant increase in the number of known breeding pairs reaching 1134 known territories. Recent intensified surveys on distribution and abundance in key regions (Russia, Kazakhstan, European Turkey, Macedonia, Azerbaijan), as well as the currently recorded stabilization and increase of the entire Carpathian population makes a more precise status assessment of Eastern Imperial Eagles in Europe possible. Although in recent years the population of Eastern Imperial Eagles in some Balkan countries has been studied more intensively, further detailed research is still needed in potential breeding areas in SE Europe. In the region of Thrace (Bulgaria and European Turkey) the Eastern Imperial Eagle population was found to be more abundant, while population decline has been recorded in Greece, Macedonia, and Serbia. Russia and Kazakhstan hold the largest populations of the Eastern Imperial Eagle in Europe, which seem to be stable. Between 2000 and 2010 a sevenfold increase was documented in the number of known breeding pairs of Eastern Imperial Eagles in Europe. Based on the results of regional surveys in range countries, the Eastern Imperial Eagle population status in Europe can be considered to be stable and probably increasing. Key words: Eastern Imperial Eagle, Population, Europe, status Introduction The conservation threat status of the Eastern Imperial BI lg IN 2002). Scattered breeding populations of the Eagle is classified as vulnerable globally (BIRD LIFE species are known in Central Europe, the Balkans, INTERNATIONA L 2008) and rare at European level Asia Minor, Eastern Europe, Kazakhstan, Southern (BIRD LIFE INTERNATIONA L 2004). The species is listed Siberia, and northernmost parts of China and in Annex 1 of the European Union’s Birds Directive, Mongolia. Possible northward range expansion has Appendix 1 of CITES, and Appendix 2 of the Bonn been recorded for the past decade, and single pairs and Bern Conventions. It is a Palearctic species have been bred even in the 59° and 60° northern (VOOUS 1960), whose breeding range extends from latitudes in Siberia (SORO K IN 2009, MOSH K IN 2009). Austria in the west (16° E) to Lake Baikal in the The western populations of the Eastern Imperial east (110° E) and from the South-Ural mountains Eagle (i.e. Central Europe, Balkan and Asia Minor) in the north (57° N) to Turkey in the south (39° N) are mainly residents, while the eastern ones are (WICHMANN 2011, KARYA K IN et al. 2008, GÜRSAN , long-distance migrants (DE L HOYO et al. 1995). The 5 Demerdzhiev D., M. Horváth, A. Kovács, S. Stoychev and I. Karyakin migratory populations winters in the Middle East, Methods the Arabian Peninsula, North-East Africa (reaching Tanzania), India, Southeast Asia and also in Korea, The presented population data is based on the 12 th Japan, and Taiwan to the east (CRAMP , SIMMONS presentations held at the 6 International Conference 1980, KHAN et al. 1996, WE ll S 1999, FARNS W ORTH on the Conservation of the Eastern Imperial Eagle et al. 2000, BIRD LIFE INTERNATIONA L 2001, UETA , (5-7 September 2008, Topolovgrad, Bulgaria). RYA B TSE V , 2001, SCOTT , ADHAMI , 2006, LO bl EY 2007, Population data was also updated with the most KIR W AN et al. 2008). recent available publications and by personal The population size and status of the species communication with national experts, where it was was not precisely known in most of its European possible or nescessary. The financial and personnel range untill the end of the 20th century. Scarce capacities, and also the exact methods of surveys bibliographic data shows that in the 19th century differed among countries. the Eastern Imperial Eagle was a widely distributed species with high-density populations in the Balkans Results and other parts of Europe (ETTIN G ER 1857, RUDO L F The current European status of the Eastern Imperial von OSTERREICH et al. 1878, LE V ER K ÜHN 1907, th Eagle is discussed and summarized on a country-by- All EON , VIAN , 1869). During the 20 century the species’ population in Central and Southeast Europe country basis. was subject to strong anthropogenic pressure marked Albania by drastic decline. The last comprehensive summary The species’ status remains unknown. A pair of the species’ status in Europe was published after with territorial behaviour was recorded in 1996 the 4th International Imperial Eagle Conference and 1997 at the Albanian-Greek national border (Budapest, 23-24 November, 1998), and it reported (SA K OU L IS , BOURDA K IS , 2002). The country could different population trends and completely different possibly hold several breeding pairs, but data on any levels of knowledge in the range countries at the mil-mil- confirmed breeding of the species is not available in lennium (HOR V ÁTH et al. 2002). In the last decade international literature. of the 20th century, increasing, decreasing, and stable populations were recorded in various parts Armenia of the species’ range in Europe. The population The recent status of the Eastern Imperial Eagle in of the Carpathian basin started to increase in size Armenia is unknown. The last confirmed breeding and expanded its range into the lowlands from the of the species in the country was in 1979 (M. mountains during the 1990’s (BA G YURA et al. 2002). GHASA B YAN , PERS . COMM .). Abuladze (1996) reported The Balkan populations were also properly surveyed 2-3 pairs in Armenia at the Georgian and Azerbaijani and reported to be more or less stable (STOYCHE V et border between 1984 and 1991. One adult bird was al. 2004 A), while only rough population estimations observed 2 km from the Armenian border in Georgia and no reliable trend data were available for Turkey in September 2007 (HOR V ÁTH , KO V ÁCS PERS . COMM .). and for the largest East-European populations Previously, the population was estimated at 2-10 (Ukraine, Russia and Kazakhstan). The total pairs (HOR V ÁTH et al. 2002), but the most recent European population was estimated to be between estimation is 0-2 pairs, as there is no proof of breeding 1051-1619 breeding pairs in 2000 (HOR V ÁTH et al. of the species during the last three decades (HOR V ÁTH 2002) and 1099-1752 breeding pairs in 2003 (sum- et al. 2006). Except in the north-eastern corner of marized at the 5th International Imperial Eagle the country, where the breeding of the species is Conference, Budapest, 23 May 2003, HOR V ÁTH , probable, the Imperial Eagle is very rare in Armenia KO V ÁCS PERS . COMM .). and it occurs there primarily during migration. In the present paper we are summarizing the Austria available information on the status of the Eastern Imperial Eagle in the European countries between In 1999, after being absent for almost 200 years, 2000 and 2010. the species returned as a breeder in the Austrian 6 Status and Population Trend of the Eastern Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca) in Europe in the Period 2000-2010 avifauna (WICHMANN 2011). For the past ten years, (FL INT , STE W ART , 1992), which was most probably the population has increased slowly but continuously. exterminated before 2000 (HOR V ÁTH et al. 2002). The population comprised 4-5 breeding pairs by Czech Republic 2009 (WICHMANN 2011), and in 2010 six nesting pairs have already been located (WICHMANN PERS . After the first breeding record of the Eastern Imperial COMM .). The breeding pairs were found in the eastern Eagle in the country in 1998, annually 1-3 pairs were part of the country, near the Hungarian, Czech, and breeding in the south-eastern part of the country Slovakian national borders. till 2009 (HORA L 2011), while a total of 5 breeding territories have been located in 2010 (HORA L PERS . Azerbaijan COMM .). The Czech Republic represents the north- Thirty-one active territories were recorded in North- western limit of the species’ breeding range, and western Azerbaijan in the period 2007-2008 (HOR V ÁTH the appearance of the species in the country was et al. 2008) , and further 18 nests were found in the facilitated by the population increase in Hungary Western part of the country in 2010 (SU L TANO V 2010). and Slovakia. As the largest parts of the country are potentially Georgia suitable for the species and are not specifically surveyed, the estimations for the total population of GA lv EZ et al. (2005) reported a small and decreasing the country are widely ranged between 50 and 150 Eastern Imperial Eagle population for Georgia consisting of only 10-15 pairs. On the other hand pairs (HOR V ÁTH et al. 2006, HOR V ÁTH et al. 2008). Abuladze (2010) reported 30-40 breeding pairs in Bosnia and Herzegovina the country for the period 2001-2010, and he also No recent information was found on the status of the assumes that the population size has been continuously species in this country.
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