4.3.2.4 — Birds: Raptors

Around half of the species belonging to 4 families generally known as raptors are migratory according to the definition of GROMS (Figure 4.10). All families are listed on CMS and CITES Appendix II. Six eagles are also included into CMS Appendix I (Aquila spp., Haliaeetus spp. and Falco naumanni; see Figures A2.62-A2.66). Raptors, and eagles in particular, symbolise freedom and are associated with pristine wilderness areas. In fact, most species are threatened by habitat alteration. Disturbance, unintentional or intentional, leads to breeding failure, and eagles disappear from areas with too much human interference (e.g. Steller’s sea eagle Haliaeetus pelagicus, Figure A2.63). Nest robbing and illegal trade increased, in particular after the disintegration of the Soviet Union, which still is a stronghold for most palaearctic raptor species: "[...] There is a general lack of enforcement of the CITES regulations [...] The method used for smuggling birds of prey out of the former Soviet Union are clearly very efficient and there are good grounds for believing that the extent of trapping and smuggling will increase further in the near future if no immediate national and international actions are taken to prevent this. Many of the birds taken from the wild are brought into zoos where they are registered as ‘legal’ and the put into the market as captive-bred" (Heredia et al. 1996, p. 162). Further severe threats include collision with power lines and ingestion of poisoned baits (Figure A2.62 and references therein).

As top predators, raptors suffer from accumulation of organochlorines and heavy metals. Kim et al. (1999) report lead poisoning in Steller’s sea eagle (Haliaeetus pelagicus) and white-tailed sea eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla), from secondary poisoning through ingestion of lead shot embedded in the tissue of their prey. After severe declines of most species during the 1950s and 1960s, the ban on DDT and other pesticides led to a recovery of some species. A detailed long-time study from Sweden, based on raptor autumn migration since the early 1940s, summarises the complex picture of population development for distinct species (Kjellen & Roos 2000). Populations of white-tailed eagles stabilised in Sweden, and are growing in Germany and other countries of its north-western breeding range (Hauff 1998, and Figure A2.62). In contrast, populations of lesser kestrel (Falco naumanni) declined up to 95% since 1950, and the species got locally extinct in the Ural region and northern Kazakhstan (Figure A2.66, and references therein).

Raptors are comparatively well protected by national and international law, threats are well-known, and they are well-monitored within the framework of special conservation programs. Positive results are reported from various countries, but on a global level there is still a lack of implementation and enforcement of legislation and action plans.

This document should be quoted as part of the publication "Riede, K. (2001): The Global Register of Migratory Species ­ Database, GIS Maps and Threat Analysis. Münster (Landwirtschaftsverlag), 400 pp." + CD

 by Klaus Riede