Emily Chan
“Flying is an eagle’s defining behavioral trait and you would think that when they fledged, they should take to it like fish to water. But apparently, they need experience and learning to extract energy from the atmospheric flows, shaping and changing how they move and where they go,” said Kamran Safi, a research group leader at the Max Planck Institute in Konstanz.
As the eagles aged, the area where they could feed, shelter, and breed expanded greatly. The study has implications for conservation and wildlife management practices.
By understanding more about eagle behavior and development, conservationists can identify critical habitats that young eagles use to train in. Then, efforts can be focused on preserving these specific regions.
The details of the study were published in the journal eLife.
