On October 11, the world celebrated World Migratory Bird Day. To mark the occasion, the Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan (ACBK) announced the start of the autumn migration of steppe eagles: nine young birds tagged with GPS trackers in Kazakhstan have already set off for their wintering grounds.
Context: The steppe eagle is a large bird of prey typical of the steppe and semi-desert landscapes. Up to 85% of the global population of steppe eagles nests in Kazakhstan, making the country crucial for the conservation of this rare species.
In the summer of 2025, ACBK specialists tagged nine steppe eagle chicks in western Kazakhstan with GPS transmitters.
How it works: The trackers attached to the young eagles look like tiny backpacks secured between their wings on their backs. These miniature devices help scientists monitor the birds’ movements, identify threats, and determine causes of mortality during migration. A lost signal often indicates that the bird may have fallen victim to poachers or died from electrocution on power lines. Sometimes, the signal is lost due to a lack of coverage, and data is transmitted later when the bird returns to a coverage area.
The GPS trackers weigh up to 30 grams, are powered by solar batteries, and do not interfere with the birds’ flight or movement. Each device has an average lifespan of about five years.
During their migration, steppe eagles cross up to thirty countries, covering vast territories across Eurasia and Africa. Their main breeding grounds are located in Kazakhstan, while the remaining global population nests in Russia, Mongolia, China, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan.
Azerbaijan, Armenia, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and Nepal make up the main migratory corridor for the species. Their wintering areas are found in the Middle East and East Africa — including Saudi Arabia, Oman, Yemen, Sudan, Ethiopia, and Kenya — as well as in South Asian countries such as India, Iran, and Pakistan.
Why it matters: The collected data helps identify migration routes and key stopover areas for the birds. These insights are also valuable for planning infrastructure projects, including the development of wind energy.
In May 2025, a discussion on the Global Steppe Eagle Conservation Plan took place in Astana. The document outlines a set of coordinated actions to be implemented by all countries within the species’ range to ensure its preservation. The plan will be submitted for approval at the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species in March 2026.
ACBK continues research to identify the main threats to the species, including assessing the extent of bird mortality on power lines. The organization emphasizes the urgent need to acknowledge the scale of this problem and to strengthen the obligations of power companies to prevent bird deaths on transmission lines. Additionally, stronger legal protection for the species is required.
Currently, the fine for harming or killing a single steppe eagle amounts to only 20 Monthly Calculation Indices (MCI), which does not reflect the true ecological value of the species.
