GreaterGreater SpottedSpotted EagleEagle AquilaAquila clangaclanga inin thethe VolgaVolga--UralUral regionregion,, WesternWestern SiberiaSiberia andand AltaiAltai--SayanSayan regionregion

IgorIgor KaryakinKaryakin R.R. BachtinBachtin,, R.R. BekmansurovBekmansurov,, E.E. NikolenkoNikolenko,, S.S. VazhovVazhov DistributionDistribution DistributionDistribution

Volga-Ural region Western Siberia DistributionDistribution

Volga-Ural region Western Siberia

Tobol-Tura Volga-Kama

Ishim Baraba

Belaya Altai pine forest DistributionDistribution

Altai-Sayan DistributionDistribution

Chulym

Altai-Sayan

TheThe populationpopulation numbersnumbers werewere estimatedestimated onon thethe basebase ofof verificationverification ofof nestingnesting habitatshabitats onon satellitesatellite images.images. ValuesValues ofof densitiesdensities obtainedobtained forfor thethe nestingnesting habitatshabitats withinwithin studystudy plotsplots werewere extrapolatedextrapolated forfor thethe similarsimilar habitatshabitats suitablesuitable forfor nestingnesting outout ofof thethe plotsplots butbut withinwithin thethe territoryterritory wherewhere thethe speciesspecies breedingbreeding hadhad beenbeen confirmedconfirmed

Western Siberia

Steppe PopulationPopulation numbersnumbers

Volga-Ural region Western Siberia

407-515 1070-1290 PopulationPopulation numbersnumbers

Altai-Sayan

130-155 DistributionDistribution

No data

A total of 1607 – 1960 pairs of the Greater Spotted Eagle are estimated to inhabit the zone of forest-steppe, coniferous-broadleaved forests and subtaiga stretching from the Volga to the Yenisey river and encompassing 22,500 sq.km. TheThe distancedistance Volga-Ural region betweenbetween eagleeagle’’ss nestsnests andand edgesedges ofof forests,forests, wherewhere thosethose nestsnests areare locatedlocated

If in the Volga-Ural region the Greater Spotted Eagle Western Siberia prefers to nest far form the forest edges, In Western Siberia on the contrary the species builds its own nests close to the edges of forests especially in dry forests InIn thethe VolgaVolga--UralUral regionregion 99%99% pairspairs ofof eagleseagles breedbreed inin thethe riverriver valleys,valleys, inin thethe AltaiAltai--SayanSayan regionregion –– 100%100% andand inin WesternWestern SibeiaSibeia –– onlyonly 37%37%

FloodplainFloodplain forestsforests loselose thethe rolerole ofof mainmain nestingnesting habitatshabitats forfor thethe GreaterGreater SpottedSpotted EagleEagle inin WesternWestern Siberia,Siberia, thethe speciesspecies preferprefer toto nestnest inin moremore drydry habitatshabitats there,there, whilewhile swampsswamps remainremain asas thethe mainmain huntinghunting habitatshabitats

NestingNesting habitatshabitats ofof thethe GreaterGreater SpottedSpotted EagleEagle inin thethe VolgaVolga--UralUral regionregion NestingNesting habitatshabitats ofof thethe GreaterGreater SpottedSpotted EagleEagle inin thethe AltaiAltai--SayanSayan regionregion NestingNesting habitatshabitats ofof thethe GreaterGreater SpottedSpotted EagleEagle inin WesternWestern SiberiaSiberia NestsNests TheThe forestforest isis wetterwetter andand thethe nestnest isis locatedlocated deeperdeeper inin thethe forestforest thethe nestnest isis lessless hiddenhidden TheThe speciesspecies prefersprefers toto placeplace itsits nestsnests onon pinespines especiallyespecially inin WesternWestern Siberia,Siberia, aboutabout aa halfhalf ofof eagleeagle nestsnests knownknown inin WesternWestern SiberiaSiberia andand aa thirdthird ofof nestsnests knownknown inin thethe VolgaVolga--UralUral regionregion areare placedplaced onon pinespines AboutAbout aa halfhalf ofof SpottedSpotted EaglesEagles inhabitinginhabiting thethe VolgaVolga-- UralUral regionregion nestnest onon aldersalders Volga-Ural region Western Siberia Altai-Sayan 9

16

TheThe nestsnests placedplaced atat thethe mostmost heightheight areare locatedlocated inin drydry areasareas nearnear thethe edgesedges ofof forestsforests DifferentDifferent nestnest locationslocations inin drydry pinepine forestforest ClutchesClutches ofof thethe GreaterGreater SpottedSpotted EaglesEagles containcontain 22 eggseggs (clutches(clutches consistingconsisting ofof 11 eggegg areare extremelyextremely rare)rare) InIn thethe VolgaVolga--UralUral regionregion thethe averageaverage broodbrood sizesize (n=50)(n=50) isis 1.241.24 nestlingnestling perper successfulsuccessful nestnest 76%76% ofof thethe broodsbroods consistconsist ofof thethe oneone nestlingnestling InIn WesternWestern SiberiaSiberia thethe averageaverage broodbrood sizesize (n=66)(n=66) isis 1.441.44 nestlingnestling perper successfulsuccessful nestnest InIn thethe AltaiAltai--SayanSayan regionregion thethe averageaverage broodbrood sizesize (n=12)(n=12) isis 1.421.42 nestlingnestling perper successfulsuccessful nestnest TheThe largestlargest numbernumber ofof broodsbroods consistingconsisting ofof 22 nestlingsnestlings isis recordedrecorded inin thethe largestlargest populationspopulations inhabitinginhabiting thethe BelayaBelaya riverriver floodflood landland andand thethe AltaiAltai pinepine forestsforests thatthat connectedconnected directlydirectly withwith structurestructure andand capacitycapacity ofof habitatshabitats TheThe mostmost recordsrecords ofof huntinghunting birdsbirds werewere mademade atat aa distancedistance notnot moremore thanthan 1.51.5 kmkm formform thethe nestnest TheThe mostmost productiveproductive pairspairs thatthat produceproduce 22 nestlingsnestlings everyevery yearyear nestnest closeclose toto waterwater bodiesbodies GenerallyGenerally aa successfulsuccessful hunthunt isis 11 hourhour 1010 minutes,minutes, andand itit isis longerlonger forfor pairspairs nestingnesting farfar fromfrom waterwater bodiesbodies

AnalyzingAnalyzing thethe huntinghunting habitatshabitats ofof thethe GreaterGreater SpottedSpotted EagleEagle atat averageaverage 7%7% outout ofof thethe breedingbreeding territoryterritory fallsfalls onon waterwater bodiesbodies inin thethe VolgaVolga--UralUral region,region, 13%13% -- inin thethe AltaiAltai-- SayanSayan regionregion andand 45%45% -- inin WesternWestern SiberiaSiberia Volga-Ural region

HuntingHunting

Western habitatshabitats Siberia onon landland

Altai-Sayan region The Water Vole is the main prey species in the general part of the species breeding range

Sousliks and Pikas are the main preys in the diet of the species only in the Altai-Sayan region In Western Siberia the diet consists of 76% waterfowl, in the Volga-Ural region – 8% and in the Altai-Sayan region – 3% ComparingComparing withwith thethe datadata obtainedobtained forfor thethe VolgaVolga--UralUral regionregion inin WesternWestern SiberiaSiberia thethe portionportion ofof openopen swampsswamps asas huntinghunting habitatshabitats ofof thethe GreaterGreater SpottedSpotted EagleEagle increasesincreases fromfrom 99 toto 36%,36%, butbut aa portionportion ofof cultivatedcultivated landslands isis reducedreduced ComparingComparing withwith otherother regionsregions inin thethe AltaiAltai--SayanSayan 58%58% ofof thethe SpottedSpotted EagleEagle huntinghunting habitatshabitats fallfall onon steppesteppe areas,areas, whilstwhilst aa portionportion ofof swapsswaps isis reducedreduced AA portionportion ofof peatpeat bogsbogs asas huntinghunting habitatshabitats isis lowlow inin thethe VolgaVolga--UralUral regionregion andand inin WesternWestern SiberiaSiberia asas wellwell –– onlyonly 33--4%4% InIn thethe forestforest--steppesteppe thethe GreaterGreater SpottedSpotted EagleEagle isis secondsecond toto thethe ImperialImperial EagleEagle inin thethe populationpopulation numbers,numbers, inin thethe middlemiddle andand southsouth taigataiga –– toto thethe GoldenGolden EagleEagle andand onlyonly inin thethe zonezone ofof broadleavedbroadleaved forestsforests (European(European partpart ofof Russia)Russia) andand subtraigasubtraiga (Siberia)(Siberia) predominatespredominates amongamong eagleeagle speciesspecies.. GenerallyGenerally thethe GreaterGreater SpottedSpotted EagleEagle isis thethe mostmost successfulsuccessful eagleeagle speciesspecies inin Russia.Russia. ButBut itit isis quitequite vulnerablevulnerable fromfrom humanhuman activitiesactivities forfor atat leastleast onon aa thirdthird partpart of of its its range range TheThe mainmain factorsfactors havinghaving thethe negativenegative impactimpact onon thethe speciesspecies areare electrocutionelectrocution andand firesfires.. WhatWhat hashas beenbeen donedone forfor thethe GreaterGreater SpottedSpotted EagleEagle conservation?conservation? z There are no State Nature Reserves on the territory form the Volga to the Yenisey where the Greater Spotted Eagle populations are protected. z The eagle is an occasionally breeding species in all the State Protected Areas that connected with peculiarities of territorial principles of nature protection in Russia. z Populations of the Greater Spotted Eagle in Western Siberia are not listed in the Red Data Book of Russia z No damages or penalties were recovered from businesses and poachers on the 56 confirmed cases of destruction of the Spotted Eagles and their nests z There are no target projects on the monitoring of the Greater Spotted Eagle in Russia. TheThe speciesspecies isis confuseconfuse inin identificationidentification notnot onlyonly duringduring migrationsmigrations butbut inin itsits breedingbreeding groundsgrounds GreaterGreater SpottedSpotted EagleEagle SteppeSteppe EagleEagle TheThe mostmost partpart ofof recordsrecords ofof thethe speciesspecies nestingnesting inin mountainmountain larchlarch forestsforests inin SouthSouth SiberiaSiberia isis referredreferred toto thethe SteppeSteppe EagleEagle TheThe speciesspecies maymay bebe correctlycorrectly identifiedidentified byby thethe nestnest lininglining andand nestlingsnestlings asas wellwell The nest of the Steppe Eagle usually contains rags, wool and manure while dry grass is absent Nestlings of the Steppe Eagle covered with bright white down, the nostril is slit-like Down of Spotted Eagle nestlings is brownish

Coverts of fledglings and juveniles of the Steppe Eagle are uniformly light-brown

Coverts of fledglings and juveniles of the Greater Spotted Eagle are uniformly dark- brown

Wing coverts are with ochre spots at the edges Feathers on the breast are with ochre stripes along their shafts Records pale birds are more common in the eastern part of Western Siberia and the Altai-Sayan region (typical "fulvescens" and atypical pale morphs). ThankThank youyou forfor attentionattention!!