CAnMove seminar on how ecological barriers are shaping migratory strategies of raptors

At this week´s CAnMove seminar, Ugo Mellone was giving a talk about “Ecological barriers shaping the migratory strategies of raptors”. Ugo Mellone is currently doing his PhD at the University of Alacante in Spain but will stay in Sweden until January, working with Thomas Alerstam and Raymond Klaassen.


Two examples of the influence of ecological barriers on migratory strategies have been shown: the Eleonora’s falcon breeds in Mediterranean islands and reach the wintering grounds, located in Madagascar, in a 9’000 km journey. These birds migrate also during night, especially when crossing the Sahara desert, in order to overcome this ecological barrier as soon as possible. Besides this, Eleonora’s falcons are able to cross large water bodies like the Indian Ocean, flying non-stop also for 1’500 km and changing route accordng to weather conditions. Conversely, the Short-toed eagle is a broadwing raptor less adapted to flapping flight and therefore unable to cross large stretches of sea. The migratory strategies of the populations breeding in peninsular Italy are deeply influenced by the geography of the Mediterranean basin.

You can follow the journey of two eagles tagged with satellite transmitter from this website, where the maps are constantly updated.















Some papers concerning these researches can be downloaded from this website.


//Ugo