MOSCOW, May 22. Greater spotted eagles, birds of prey listed in the Russian Red Book, have changed their seasonal migration routes due to fighting in Ukraine, Newsweek writes, citing a study published in the journal Current Biology.
“Armed conflicts have a very strong impact on impact on nature, including on animal behavior. “We have for the first time evidence that migrating birds deviate from their usual flight routes in order to avoid hotspots of hostilities,” one of the study’s authors, Charles Russell from the University of East Anglia, told Newsweek.
According to the publication, during a flight through a conflict-ridden country, Greater Spotted Eagles (Clanga clanga) encountered numerous problems and changed their usual route.
It is noted that researchers from the University of East Anglia, The Estonian University of Life Sciences and the British Trust for Ornithology have been using GPS trackers since 2017 to study new bird migration routes. Using GPS data, they found that during hostilities the birds were much less likely to use their usual stopover sites than before.
«»This in itself is cause for concern, since Greater Spotted Eagles use these familiar areas for hunting, drinking and shelters,” said the experts.
Scientists called for more attention to be paid to local ecosystems during post-conflict restoration of territories.
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