INVESTIGATION PLAN

Research Question:
Why is Spanish Imperial Eagle in danger of extinction in the National Park of Guardarrama?

Report Organization:
Introduction- Description of the bird and physical characteristics. How the bird lives and
emigrates to places.

Length: 78-82 cm
Wingspan: 180-210 cm
Weight: 2,500-3,500 g
Family: Accipitridae
Genus: Aquila
Species: A. adalberti
The spanish imperial eagle is up to live 44 years in captivity

HABITAT - We HAVE to make a reference about the National Park of Guadarrama.

3 Body Paragraphs about Causes- Why, when, how, what, who etc

Electrocution
Deforestation
Poisoning

Conclusion- short

General Info:
-The spanish imperial eagle feeds mainly on rabbits and hares., but they also hunt other birds
and species such as Greylag Goose, coots, ducks, pigeons and magpies.

-The spanish imperial eagles disperse just after they become independent. Some stay not to far
away from their birth site, and others go further.
In spain, knowing that they are in danger of extinction, the SEO recorded in 2011 about 341
eagles, and they have been increasing since they were first recorded, with a score of 50 pairs,
about 40b years

-The species is classified as Vulnerable by IUCN.

Why is the Spanish imperial eagle endangered?

There are three main reasons why this animal is in danger of extinction.
In 2008, 33 spanish imperial eagles were found electrocuted by electricity towers. Sometimes,
some eagles reproduce in electricity pylons, and this is why, most of the cases of death because
of electrocution, are most juveniles eagles.
Normally, when the mom takes over incubation and has the juvenile eagles, the female stays
with the siblings for 69-83 days (depending on the female), and after that the parents take care
of them for 3-6
After those months of fledging, they go independent, but they still don't know the environment
yet. Sometimes, they will build their nests in electricity pylons, where they can easily get
electrocuted.

Another point of why is this eagle in danger of extinction, is because of the poisoning. According
to the data accessed by the ecological associations, poison was relayed via a poisoned rabbit,
which was used as bait to attract the adult eagles in the enclosed supplementary feeding area in
the vicinity of the nest, where food is shipped in for meal times by the technicians of the National
park of Guadarrama for the eagles
Peter. "Three Spanish Imperial Eagles Poisoned!" Three Spanish Imperial Eagles Poisoned! N.p.,
n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2016.

The last cause of why is this bird in danger of extinction is because of deforestation. Many trees are
being cut and also some die, because of natural causes, and this is what makes the birds feel like
their habitat is being destroyed and their lifestyle is changing. What do I mean by this? In a human
example, it would be like if someone else would be destroying piece by piece your house, until
theres no habitat for you, and thats what makes their lifestyle change. Trees are being cut, some
just die for the shortage of resources. And this is what makes the eagles to not be comfortable and
feel weird about their ambient. Besides this, when animals know that they are being affected by
deforestation, much of them are obligated to emigrate somewhere else because of living conditions.

The species is classified as Vulnerable by IUCN.

-Graphs of number of pairs in the different regions of Spain.

Sources and dates:

By Antonio Lucio Carrasco Gmez, GFDL, via. "The Eagle Directory." Spanish
Imperial Eagle. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Oct. 2016. - General Info

- "Spanish Imperial Eagle, Aquila Adalberti." European Raptors: Spanish Imperial

Eagle. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2016.

Gonzalez, Luis Mariano, Javier Oria, Roberto Snchez, Antoni Margalida, Antonio
Aranda, Luis Prada, Javier Caldera, and Jos Ignacio Molina. "Status and Habitat
Changes in the Endangered Spanish Imperial Eagle Aquila Adalberti Population
during 19742004:."Doi:10.1017/S0959270908000245 Printed in the United Kingdom
Status and Habitat Changes in the Endangered Spanish Imperial Eagle Aquila
Adalberti (2008): n. pag. Gypaetus. BirdLife International, 25 Jan. 2007. Web. 11 Oct.
2016.

"Support the." Aquila Adalberti (Adalbert's Eagle, Spanish Eagle, Spanish Imperial
Eagle). N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2016.

Jais, Markus. "Spanish Imperial Eagle, Aquila Adalberti." European Raptors: Spanish
Imperial Eagle. European Raptors Biology and Conservation, n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2016.

Peter. "Three Spanish Imperial Eagles Poisoned!" Three Spanish Imperial Eagles
Poisoned! N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2016.

Prieta, Javier. "Birds of Extremadura (Spain)." Web log post. Blogpost. N.p., May 2013.
Web. 19 Oct. 2016. (Graphs)

______________________________________________________________________________
 Jose Manuel Saez and Carla de Malezieux
Friday 21, October, 2016

Why is the Spanish Imperial Eagle in danger of extinction in the National

Park of Guardarrama?

The Spanish Imperial Eagle also known as the Spanish Eagle or Adalbert's Eagle, from the A.
Adalberti species, is a large and elegant bird of prey that is characterised for its dark brown and
prominent white shoulders, Weighing 2,500-3,500 g, having a length of 78 to 82 cm and a
wingspan of 180 to 210 cm this bird can live up to 40 years in captivity and 31 years in the wild,
they also have an average lifespan of 16,4 years.The spanish imperial eagle feeds mainly on
rabbits and hares., but they also hunt other birds and species such as goose, coots, ducks, pigeons
and magpies.
Aquila Adalberti breeds and lives (they generally in the Iberian Peninsula, mostly in the Sierra of
Guadarrama and the Sierra de Gredos, as well as the plains of the Tajo and Tietar rivers (central
and south western areas of the Iberian Peninsula)
The species is classified vulnerable by the IUCN for the next reasons:

There are three main capable reasons of why is this important eagle in danger of extinction in the
National Park of Guadarrama; In 2008, 33 Spanish Imperial Eagles were found dead because of
electrocution in the National Park of Guadarrama.
The first cause of their danger of extinction is because of electrocution. When eagles mate,
females usually build their nests, on or very close to electricity pylons, when the female takes
over the incubation of the eggs and when eventually the eggs hatch the parents stay with their
children for 69-83 days (Sometimes, the parents stay for 3-6 weeks more depending on the case
taking care of the little birds). Being so young, the birds can easily wander off and electrocute
themselves. After those months of fledging, the now grown-up but young eagles go independent,
but not knowing the environment, the easily run into electricity poles etc.

Another cause of the extinction in this species of eagle is poisoning. Poison was relayed via a
poisoned rabbit, which was used as bait to attract the adult eagles in the enclosed supplementary
feeding area in the vicinity of the nest, where food is shipped in for meal times by the technicians
of the National park of Guadarrama for the eagles(Carrasco, Alfredo, 2009).
Poisoning is a really serious problem with birds. People use poison to kill these eagles
intentionally and unintentionally; They have been using animals like rabbits as bait to get the
attraction and attention of the eagles, which they like to hunt and meal, and after hours of effect
of the poison, the birds finally die. They also get poisoned unintentionally when a small predator
(like a fox) has been poisoned for eating animal farms etc, so the owner of those animals poisons
the fox and the eagle eats that poisoned after randomly eating that animal.

The third and final argument of why these animals are in danger of extinction is because of
deforestation. Whats happening with deforestation? How is it affecting these birds, and even
other animals? Well, there are many reasons. When we talk about deforestation, we talk about the
cutting trees on a huge scale, sometimes the rates are as high as cutting a forest or more per day.
Deforestation is happening in the areas in which these eagles live, (such as the Sierra of
Guadarrama). And since a lot of these species of birds have their nests in trees (apart from
electricity pylons, as mentioned earlier) where they breed and hatch their eggs , these nests can
be seriously affected by deforestation; when a tree is cut, there is a big probability of the
destruction of a nest. Apart from other animals who live in these trees and forests that can also be
affected because of this cause. Besides this, when animals know that they are being affected by
deforestation, much of them are obligated to emigrate somewhere else because of living
conditions. It has been affirmed in laboratories that birds have common sense, like human does,
and this is real.

The Spanish Imperial Eagle , a bird in which a lot in the Sierra of Guadarrama is in danger of
extinction because of human origin: In a study that examined the death of 267 Spanish Imperial
Eagles between 1989 and 2004, 91.7% of the causes of mortality (where the cause of death could
be determined) were of human origin. Electrocution and poisoning were by far the most common
causes of death (European Raptors, 2009) And although the number of pairs in Spain and
different regions of such have decreased noticeably and alarmingly, the pairs of the Aquila
Adalberti are slowly but surely beginning to catch up to what they used to be.
Bibliography

Antonio Lucio Carrasco Gmez, GFDL, via. "The Eagle Directory." Spanish Imperial Eagle.
N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Oct. 2016. - General Info
http://www.eagledirectory.org/species/spanish_imperial_eagle.html

Carrasco, Alfredo "Three Spanish Imperial Eagles Poisoned!" Three Spanish Imperial
Eagles Poisoned! N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2016.
http://www.andaluciabirdsociety.org/article-library/about-birds/26-three-spanish-imperial-
eagles-poisoned.html

Gonzalez, Luis Mariano, Javier Oria, Roberto Snchez, Antoni Margalida, Antonio Aranda,
Luis Prada, Javier Caldera, and Jos Ignacio Molina. "Status and Habitat Changes in the
Endangered Spanish Imperial Eagle Aquila Adalberti Population during 1974
2004:."Doi:10.1017/S0959270908000245 Printed in the United Kingdom Status and Habitat
Changes in the Endangered Spanish Imperial Eagle Aquila Adalberti (2008): n. pag.
Gypaetus. BirdLife International, 25 Jan. 2007. Web. 11 Oct. 2016.
http://www.gypaetus.com/fotos/noticias/BCI_2008.pdf

Jais, Markus. "Spanish Imperial Eagle, Aquila Adalberti." European Raptors: Spanish
Imperial Eagle. European Raptors Biology and Conservation, n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2016.
http://www.europeanraptors.org/raptors/spanish_imperial_eagle.html

Prieta, Javier. "Birds of Extremadura (Spain)." Web log post. Blogpost. N.p., May 2013. Web.
19 Oct. 2016.
http://birds-extremadura.blogspot.com.es/

The ICUN Red list of Threatened Species. "Support the." Aquila Adalberti (Adalbert's Eagle,
Spanish Eagle, Spanish Imperial Eagle). N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2016.
http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/22696042/0
 http://www.hbw.com/sites/default/files/styles/ibc_1k/public/ibc/p/IMG_5757.jpg?
itok=00rX7pPL (1st image)
http://www.europeanraptors.org/raptors/spanish_imperial_eagle.html (3rd image)
http://birds-extremadura.blogspot.com.es/ (2nd and 4th graphs)