Eagle released from Turkey covers over 20,000 kilometers in Middle East, Africa

Photo: AA

Researchers in Turkey have tracked the journey of a migratory bird dubbed "little eagle" spread over nine countries in six months, corresponding to 20,000 km (over 12,400 miles).

Researchers at the Aras Bird Research Center in the eastern province of Iğdır placed a transmitter to the bird's body. On September 13, 2021, it was released into nature.

The bird left Turkey's eastern province of Van for Iran on the same day. It detoured to Turkey's border province of Hakkari and the very next day crossed to Iraq.

After staying in Iraq for three days, the eagle reached Saudi Arabia. Spending seven days there, it flew to Ethiopia on September 28.

After a month, the eagle flew to Kenya on October 30, Uganda on October 31, and stayed there for five months in the Nakarapirpirit area.

The winter migration

With the approach of winter in the southern hemisphere, it began its journey to the northern hemisphere.

Leaving Uganda on March 12, 2022, the eagle came to Saudi Arabia after a journey spread over several days.

Emrah Çoban, a researcher tracking the bird, told Anadolu Agency that significant studies on bird science are being conducted at the center.

Stating that many important bird species arriving in this area have been monitored, Çoban said: "On Sept. 13, 2021, we started monitoring the little eagle that was attached to our net by installing a 10-gram satellite transmitter."

Stating that the eagle spent the winter in an area close to the Kenya-Uganda border, he said, "Now it has started its journey back (to Turkey) and is currently in Saudi Arabia."

"On its migration journey, it has soared to 3,500 meters (over 2.17 miles)," he said. "We hope that it will again go through Igdir to the breeding ground and breed there."

Noting that Iğdır is a vital route that birds often use during their north-south migration, Çoban said, "The eagle we caught is an adult individual, weighing 700 grams.

"When you look at the (figures) world over, the population of little eagles is not endangered. It has a stable population. Their average lifespan is seven years. It'll probably be breeding and moving on when it gets back."

It is expected that the little eagle will come back to Igdir in about ten days and after staying there for a while, then it will cross to Russia and nest in the northern hemisphere. (VK)