Tagged steppe eagle soars through 34 countries in 2-year odyssey
A STEPPE eagle, tagged with a satellite transmitter in the eastern Turkish province of Iğdır, has flown 48,865 kilometers (30,363 miles) across three continents and 34 countries in two years.
The bird is being tracked with satellite transmitters at the Aras Bird Research Center in Yukarı Çıyrıklı village, Tuzluca district, Iğdır, with the permission of the General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks.
On April 14, 2022, the steppe eagle was tagged with a satellite transmitter in Iğdır and released back into the wild. After spending 11 days in the region, the eagle flew from Türkiye’s Black Sea city of Artvin to Georgia on April 25, 2022, then to Kazakhstan and later to the city of Sorocinsk in Russia. After a brief stay there, the eagle entered Türkiye’s eastern Ardahan via Armenia on Sept. 30 and crossed from Türkiye’s southeastern Mardin to Syria on Oct. 1.
From there, the eagle flew to Africa, passing through Gaziantep on April 16, 2023, and returning to Türkiye. Crossing eastern Anatolia and flying over the Black Sea to Russia, the steppe eagle turned its route back to Africa on Sept. 18.
MIGRATION ROUTE
The steppe eagle entered Türkiye from the southeastern province of Şırnak on April 20, 2024, and continued its continuous flight to Russia via Türkiye’s eastern Kars.
According to recent data, the steppe eagle, while in Russia, reached its highest altitude of 6,866 meters from Beirut, Lebanon to southern Cyprus. The eagle’s uninterrupted flight covered 520 kilometers (323 miles) from there to the city of Azraq in Jordan.
Flying from the Red Sea’s Gulf of Suez while migrating from south to north and passing through the Bab-elMandeb Strait on its return journey, the steppe eagle visited numerous countries on several continents during its journey.
While spending the longest time in Russia during the summer and Namibia during the winter, the steppe eagle stayed the longest in Iğdır in eastern Türkiye.
Kayahan Ağırkaya, the station manager of the Aras Bird Research Center, said they have started their 19th year of work at the station this year. He mentioned that many important species are being tracked with satellite transmitters, including the steppe eagle. “The steppe eagle, which we tagged with a satellite transmitter two years ago, covered 48,865 kilometers during this twoyear period,” he said.
Ağırkaya explained that the steppe eagle uses the border regions near Kazakhstan in Russia as its breeding area and the inland areas of Namibia as its wintering area. “During this process, the eagle, which passed through a total of 34 countries, used the Aras Valley as its resting area. This is important data that reveals how important the Aras Valley is for all bird species,” he added.
The steppe eagle (Aquila nipalensis) is a large bird of prey that breeds in the steppes and dry areas of Europe, Asia and Russia. It is a migratory bird that travels long distances between its breeding and wintering grounds.