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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Environment
Tom Peeters

No trees, no food, shot for fun … yet Serbia’s imperial eagles are making an improbable return

An eastern imperial eagle in flight.
Once widespread in Serbia, poisoning, habitat loss and being shot for sport or to protect livestock pushed the eastern imperial eagle almost to extinction in the country. Photograph: Morvai Szilárd/PBSS

At the start of every spring, before the trees in northern Serbia begin to leaf out, ornithologists drive across the plains of Vojvodina. They check old nesting sites of eastern imperial eagles, scan solitary trees along field margins, and search for signs of new nests.

For years, the work of the Bird Protection and Study Society of Serbia (BPSSS) has been getting more demanding – and more rewarding. In 2017, Serbia was down to a single breeding pair. Last year, BPSSS recorded 19 breeding pairs, 10 of which successfully raised young.

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