Rui Lourenço first started collecting eagle-owl feathers because they were beautiful. Below the birds’ cliff-side nests in rural Portugal, he would find their shed feathers and bring them back to his ecology lab at the University of Évora. “It was just the typical curiosity of a naturalist,” he says. “Especially the flight feathers, they’re large, […]
Tag: buzzards
Scientists uncover widespread declines of raptors in Kenya
A recent study confirms alarming declines in raptor populations in Kenya. Incidental poisoning is a major problem for vultures in particular, depriving ecosystems of the birds’ vital role as scavengers. Conservationists are working with communities to help species recover. “The population of raptors today bears no resemblance to those numbers we saw a half century […]
Guess who’s coming to dinner? Roadkill placed on ‘sky tables’ to lure rare birds of prey
When a bearded vulture last year graced the UK with its presence, awed birdwatchers from across the country gathered in the Derbyshire moors in the hope of catching a glance. Now conservationists are hoping to make sightings of these magnificent birds more frequent by adding raw nature back into the countryside. No one wants to […]
Golden eagle deliberately poisoned near Balmoral estate, say police
The bird of prey was found dead on a hillside on the Invercauld Estate, in the heart of the Cairngorms, near Crathie and the Balmoral estate on March 19 after being illegally targeted with a toxic substance. Police Scotland said officers searched a number of properties on the estate on Tuesday as they continue carrying […]