130925-studie-wildlife-comeback-in-europe

mainly feed on fish and aquatic birds, and carrion
is an important source of food, especially during
winter [2] . A sufficient prey base is necessary, as well
as suitable nesting trees in forested areas and low
levels of human disturbance [2] .
Legal protection and conservation status
White-tailed eagle is listed in Annex I of the EU
Birds Directive, Appendix I of CITES, Annex I and
II of the Convention on Migratory Species, and
Annex II of the Bern Convention [8] .
Abundance:
current status and changes
According to the latest White-tailed eagle
population estimates, the European population
numbers 8,600 – 10,900 breeding pairs (Table
2). In descending order, Norway, European
Russia, Poland, Germany and Sweden hold
the largest numbers of breeding White-tailed
eagles, together supporting 81% of the total
European population. This highlights the
importance of Norway, which holds 39% of the
Scale Status Justification
Global
Least Concern
(since 2005;
was considered
Near Threatened
in 2004 and
Threatened in
1988)
Extremely large range, moderately small to large
global population size (>10,000 mature individuals)
and increasing population trend.
Europe Rare (SPEC 1) Small European breeding population
EU25
Rare
(< 10,000 pairs).
European population (Table 2), and the countries
surrounding the Baltic Sea (northern European
population) [12] , while most of the remaining
population in Europe is found in the countries
along the river Danube [6] .
During the period 1800 – 1970, White-tailed
eagle populations across Europe suffered dramatic
declines. The species became extinct in a number
of countries, including the Czech Republic
(1880s [13] ), the United Kingdom (1911 [14] ), Denmark
(1912 [15] ), Austria (1950s [16] ), and Slovakia (1964 [17] ).
During the last few decades, White-tailed eagles
have undergone a large increase (Figure 1) and
population trends continue to be positive in nearly
all countries in Europe (Table 2).
Table 1.
Global IUCN Red List
status [9] , European
population and SPEC
status [10] and EU
population status [11]
of White-tailed eagle.
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