Post-fledging movements of white-tailed eagles: Conservation implications for wind-energy development

• Published in: Ambio
• Main Authors: Balotari-Chiebao, Fabio, Villers, Alexandre, Ijä, Asko, Ovaskainen, Otso, Repka, Sari, Laaksonen, Toni
• Other Authors: Section of Ecology, University of Turku, Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé - UMR 7372 (CEBC), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-La Rochelle Université (ULR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Centre for Maritime Studies, Department of Biosciences Helsinki, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences Helsinki, Helsingin yliopisto = Helsingfors universitet = University of Helsinki-Helsingin yliopisto = Helsingfors universitet = University of Helsinki, Department of Biology Trondheim (IBI NTNU), Norwegian University of Science and Technology Trondheim (NTNU), Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)-Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2016
• Subjects: Wind energy; Post-fledging; White-tailed eagle; Movements; Habitat use; Conservation; [SDE]Environmental Sciences
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-01393281; https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-016-0783-8

International audience The presence of poorly sited wind farms raises concerns for wildlife, including birds of prey. Therefore, there is a need to extend the knowledge of the potential human–wildlife conflicts associated with wind energy. Here, we report on the movements and habitat use of post-fledging satellite-tagged white-tailed eagles in Finland, where wind-energy development is expected to increase in the near future. In particular, we examine the probability of a fledgling approaching a hypothetical turbine that is placed at different distances from the nest. We found that this probability is high at short distances but considerably decreases with increasing distances to the nest. A utilisation–availability analysis showed that the coast was the preferred habitat. We argue that avoiding construction between active nests and the shoreline, as well as adopting the currently 2-km buffer zone for turbine deployment, can avoid or minimise potential impacts on post-fledging white-tailed eagles.