Undertaken conservation measures improving the population status of Imperial Eagle in Bulgaria

Undertaken conservation measures improving the population status of Eastern Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca) in Bulgaria Dimitar Demerdzhiev, Stoycho Stoychev, Svetoslav Spasov, Dobromir Dobrev and Nikolay Terziev

•Occupied territories and breeding pairs 28 different breeding territories were occupied the population increased by 20%,24 p. in 2013 Number of territories occupied by pairs Number of pairs start incubating 30

pairs

25 20 15 10 5 0 2008

2009

2010

2011 years

2012

2013

Age structure of the Imperial Eagle population

0.18

0.08

BS

5.00 1.18

0.92

1.44

0.89

1.47

0.04

0.21

0.09

FS

5.00 1.68

1.49

1.88

1.54

1.90

0.03

0.16

0.07

Stand

0.03

ev.

1.19

ce

0.74

mum

1.26

Maxi

0.81

00% mum

5.00 1.03

The breeding success increased by 16.8% compared to the previous study period (20002009)

ard

Std.D

Varian

0 % +95,0 Mini

95,00 dence

-Confi

Confi

P

Variable

Valid

N Mean

dence

•Brood size, productivity, breeding success, fledgling success, success rate

The broods with 2 chicks increased

Annual replacement of breeders increased over the years

Mortality

Eggs

Chicks

Infertlity

6; 32%

Desturbance

1; 5%

Storm

1; 5%

3; 11%

Nest robbing

5; 26%

2; 8%

Unknown factors

6; 32%

6; 23%

Starvation

5; 19%

Kainism

2; 8%

Dropping from the nest

6; 23%

Predation

2; 8%

Mortality of juvenile and immature n= 15

•Nest guarding 31 breeding attempts were guarded The guarding of nests increased by more than 35 % the breeding success of the “risky” pairs

Build and install artificial nests

36 artificial nests Imperial Eagle - 3 newly formed pairs; Long-legged Buzzard - 7 nests; Common Buzzard - 1 nest; Hobby - 1 nest; Black Stork - 2 nests.

Restore Imperial Eagle nesting habitat

A total of 5430 poplars planted in an area of 132 ha

Winter supplementary feeding

for 14 Imperial Eagle pairs

Summer supplementary feeding for twenty-two breeding pairs

Insulate electricity poles 561 electric poles in the territories of 7 Imperial Eagle pairs

Land purchase ďƒź15 ha of riparian habitats ďƒź60 ha of foraging habitats

Satellite tagging

23 birds in Bulgaria, 2 birds in the European part of Turkey

Establishing a new agri-environmental scheme

Education and PR

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