Protection and conservation programs have recorded a banner year for the eastern imperial eagle, as majestic a bird as you’re likely to see in Europe, and the national bird of Serbia.
Emblazoned on the flag of the Balkans nation, 29 breeding pairs were counted out of which 16 helped 25 chicks to hatch and fledge.
The news comes from the Serbian Bird Protection and Research Society (DZPPS) which called it the most successful year since targeted conservation began in 2017. Then, just a single known breeding pair remained in the country.
The news is reminiscent to America sparing no amount of effort to save her own national bird: the bald eagle.
Most birds were sighted in the Banat region along the Tisa River, but expansion has also been recorded into several areas. For the first time, a nesting couple were found in southern Bačka. The population recovery has been aided by additional recolonization of Hungarian lands.
Young fledglings will be fitted with radio transceivers when possible and safe, a method of conservation that will inform where this gradually growing population of eastern imperial eagles are dispersing to, where they’re hunting, and where bachelor males are traveling.
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Bird Guides.com wrote that Milan Ružić, Executive Director of DZPPS, described the species as “a symbol of nature conservation in Serbia,” adding that growing public interest in the eagle’s fortunes offered reason for optimism.
The bird is listed as “Vulnerable” by the IUCN, and though was living on the brink in Serbia, is found across Eurasia as far eastward as Hong Kong.
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