Analysis of the interactions of the Bonelli's Eagle with overhead electricity transmission infrastructures in Catalonia

Determine the use made of electricity towers by Bonelli's Eagle (Hieraaetus fasciatus), according to their design and availability in the territories. To obtain an in-depth knowledge of the factors that have an impact on their use of the towers and those that determine the spans of lines crossed by the eagles in their flights, analyzing the impact of lines on the mortality rate of territorial individuals.

Geographic scope

Barcelona and Tarragona (Catalonia)

Results
  • Radio-tracking of 18 territorial individuals (11 males and 7 females) and GPS-satellite tracking of 3 individuals (3 males).
  • The Bonelli's Eagle has the preference of perching on electricity transmission towers (110-400 kV) versus distribution towers (≤ 66kV). The percentage of perching time is 8% of their daily time, for some individuals this reaches 34%.
  • The factors that determine the use of the electricity transmission towers (110-400 kV) are: their location in the areas most actively used by eagles (50% kernels), the predominant presence of scrubland habitat and the elevated height of the towers.
Period

2007-2008

In collaboration with
  • Department of Animal Biology. University of Barcelona
  • Fundació Miguel Torre
More info
Attachments
Modelling the risk of collision with power lines in Bonelli’s Eagle Hieraaetus fasciatus and its conservation implications. (PDF - 514.59 KB) Download
Guidelines for the conservation of bonelli’s eagle populations. February 2016. (PDF - 7.38 MB) Download