Efforts to take injured eagle to German rehabilitation centre

The Malta Environment and Planning Authority is trying to make arrangements to send an injured lesser spotted eagle to a rehabilitation centre in Germany and Air Malta has offered to transport the bird free of charge.

Renè Scicluna, who is setting up the Malta Falconry Centre, offered to help by providing the special box in which such birds are ferried.

The bird is being kept by International Animal Rescue (Malta). The bird was one of 16 eagles that in all cost €1 million (Lm430,000) to rescue in a project aimed at saving the second sibling in eagles' nests in the county of Oberhavel, Germany.

The bird, which was barely three months old, was shot and wounded in Birzebbuga on Sunday, having flown at least 2,000 kilometres. It was found with gunshot wounds in a field by a woman who took it to the police station.

As the population of lesser spotted eagles in Germany is about 100 pairs, and as most eagles have two eggs and, when they hatch, the eldest often kills and eats the youngest, the Federal State of Brandengurg embarked on an EU life project aimed at saving the second sibling.

The eagle found at Birzebbuga was one of the 16 eagles saved in this way. It had been taken out of the nest on July 3 and returned on July 15, bearing ring number CA007795 and a white ring with the letters AAATTT.

The lesser spotted eagle is a medium-sized eagle, about 60 centimetres in length and with a wingspan of 150 centimetres. Its head and wing coverts are pale brown and contrast with the generally dark plumage. Its head and bill are rather small for an eagle. This eagle breeds in Central and Eastern Europe and south-eastwards to Turkey. The birds spend the entire winter in Africa and have to cross the Mediterranean and the Sahara to reach South Africa and Mozambique, some 9,000 kilometres away from their breeding sites.

Lesser spotted eagles do not manage to rear young every year. Studies conducted in Slovakia showed that an adult male bird who occupied the same nest site for 11 years running only managed to rear young successfully in six years.

Studies show that the species spend about 43 per cent of the year at their breeding site, 33 per cent in their winter quarters, and the remaining 24 per cent on migration. Using satellite tracking, it has been estimated that lesser spotted eagles annually fly about 21,000 kilometres, which includes travel in the wintering areas. While on migration, the birds travel distances of about 178 kilometres a day, which means that the German eagle took about 11 days to reach Malta.

It is hoped that the bird found injured in Malta will be rehabilitated and released again. What is unsure is whether it will be released in Germany or whether an airline will be found to take it to Africa to help it regain some lost time.