A young Steppe Eagle was successfully tagged and tracked by the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD). Thanks to this satellite tracking programme, the Agency has learned interesting information that will help it to conserve the Eagle’s wintering routes and breeding areas.

The Steppe Eagle is a relatively uncommon winter migrant to the UAE, compared to other countries in the region. They are more likely to be found in Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Oman.

The Steppe Eagle was brought to the Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital by a member of the public, after it was discovered suffering from its injuries. The bird completely recovered and was rehabilitated at the Hospital for several weeks. It was then returned to the wild in January in Al Ain, near the Zakher area, and tracked by EAD.

During its continued winter migration from Al Ain, the bird covered nearly 4,000 km to reach southern Yemen, via Oman and Saudi Arabia. The bird wintered in Yemen, near the strait of Bab Al Mandeb, a well known wintering area for migrating eagles, until the end of February. During its spring migration, the bird covered more than 7,000 km to reach Kazakhstan, where it spent the entire summer, east of Lake Tenghiz.

“At EAD, we are always investing in cutting-edge technologies to understand our environment more. We are using satellite tracking to understand the movements and migration patterns of key bird species,” said H.E Majid Al Mansouri, Secretary General of EAD.

“These satellite tracking programmes for birds have helped us identify important stopover sites and key areas that need to be conserved for several species,” said Abdulnasser Al Shamsi, Director of the Biodiversity Management Sector-Terrestrial Environment at EAD.