Post-fledging movements and habitat associations of White-tailed Sea Eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla) in Central Asia

Evgeny A. Bragin; Sharon A. Poessel; Michael J. Lanzone; Todd E. Katzner

doi:10.1676/17-055.1

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Post-fledging movements and habitat associations of White-tailed Sea Eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla) in Central Asia

Evgeny A. Bragin·Sharon A. Poessel·Michael J. Lanzone·Todd E. Katzner

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Abstract

Behavior of young birds can have important consequences for population dynamics. We investigated the autumnal post-fledging movements of 3 White-tailed Sea Eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla) hatched in Kazakhstan. All 3 eagles traveled south, flying on average 25–108 km/d. Movement was nonrandom, with eagles generally traveling near mosaics of forest, open areas, and water, and rarely using areas with little vegetation. As the first study of movements of White-tailed Sea Eagles in arid Central Asia, this study provides insight into potential limiting factors and how these birds interact with their environment during long-distance movements.

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Evgeny A. Bragin, Sharon A. Poessel, Michael J. Lanzone, Todd E. Katzner. 2018. Post-fledging movements and habitat associations of White-tailed Sea Eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla) in Central Asia. https://doi.org/10.1676/17-055.1

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