This Iberian imperial eagle It is regaining its presence in Spain. This endemic bird of the peninsula (not found anywhere else in the world) was on the verge of extinction, but is slowly regaining its presence in our natural areas, thanks to the ups and downs of remediation.
TOBy the 1960s it had become a critically endangered species with only 30 pairs surviving., all located in Spain. After conservation efforts, recovery began in the 1980s at the rate of five new breeding pairs per year until 1994. By 2011, the species’ global population had grown to 324 pairs, and in 2015 it exceeded half a thousand.
But the threats weren’t over. Just three years later, in 2018, the pair count of this breed fell again to 407, illustrating the fragility of its positive evolution and the ups and downs to which its recovery is subject. Today, power lines, hunting, and loss of their preferred ecosystems are their main enemies.
Spanish imperial eagle (eagle adalbert) is a very unique bird because, in addition to being native to the Peninsula, Spain and Portugal are the only European regions to be home to an endemic eagle species.
If this type stands out in anything, it’s in her flawless plumage. 190-220 centimeters wingspan They are covered with very dark brown hairs, with white spots on their shoulders and golden on the back of their heads and necks. It is a large bird of prey and is actually the second largest Spanish eagle (after the golden eagle) and the fifth bird of prey (after black and griffon vultures, bearded vulture and golden eagle).
When young, they are so different from adults that they are often difficult for ornithologists to identify. In young eagles, its color is between brown and reddish, it turns straw yellow in the second year, and at the same time, it gradually darkens until it reaches the adult color around 5 years of age when it reaches sexual maturity.
A couple and a single house
Imperial eagles are monogamous and once settled in one place it is difficult for them to move to another. For this reason, their nests are large and ostentatious. This species is likely to build its nest on fairly low trees, usually cork oak, pine or eucalyptus, and since it has been used for many years in a row, the nest is getting too bulky.
Given the size of their home, it’s no surprise the couple worked as a team for days to build it. Nest materials are carried by both adults, but the interior is collected by the female. For nest selection, the couple will select areas that are inaccessible and as far away from infrastructure or human settlements as possible.
They lay and lay 4 or 5 eggs weighing 130 grams, which are incubated for 43 days between March and July. Up to three eaglets are born from the eggs, but only the older brother survives during small meal times. Although the cubs stay under the supervision of their parents until they are 4 months old, they leave the nest after 65-78 days.
on freedom, this bird can live an average of 20 years, but in captivity it has even reached 41.. Its current habitats range from pine forests in mountainous areas to dunes and marshes in coastal areas. However, their favorite places are flat areas or areas with little relief, and large numbers of rabbits have returned to the most inaccessible areas when they felt most threatened.
Still in danger, especially from power lines
Its main threats include habitat loss, human encroachment, collisions with power lines, and illegal poisoning.
In recent years, a significant effort has been made to preserve it with very positive results. Spain has taken mitigation measures that reduce the death rate associated with power lines, reduce supplemental feeding, repair of nests, relocations and disturbance during the breeding season. Monitoring measures have also been put in place for each nest to ensure the protection of its members.
But getting the eagle out of the danger zone seems difficult. Deforestation of habitats, attraction and especially for the establishment of intensive irrigation farms Electric shock on power lines alone accounts for almost half of the causes of death today. unnatural imperial eagle.
Decreased catches also pose a challenge to the survival of this key element in the Mediterranean food chain.
For this reason, and despite recovery, the species still classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
In recent years, rabbit populations (Oryctolagus cuniculusAnimals that make up 60% to 80% of their diet, the virus that causes myxomatosis in some areas where the eagle is or can be found, and, more recently, rabbit hemorrhagic disease.
In addition to the rabbit, the imperial eagle preys on small vertebrates such as other birds (especially pigeons and crows), as well as partridges, waterfowl (especially in the Doñana), reptiles such as the ocellated lizard or horseshoe snake, small rodents. dormouse careto or voles, as well as other carnivores such as fox, badger or coyote, among others.
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