Ochrana orla krikľavého na Slovensku

The Lesser Spotted Eagle (Aquila pomarina) is an endangered species with slightly decreasing population trend. It is a migratory species. In Europe, it breeds from Balkan Peninsula and Turkey in the South to the Baltic See in the North. The western border of the range runs through north-eastern Germany, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia and Greece. The eastern border of the range extends by the Western Russia in small area between the Black and Caspian Seas. It spends the winter mostly in eastern and south-eastern Africa.

In Slovakia, estimated breeding population is 800 – 900 pairs. In our country, the Lesser Spotted Eagle inhabits diverse habitats in altitudes 100 - 900 m a. s.l., featuring mosaic of forests, meadows, pastures, fields and wetlands. It nests in decidious, coniferous and also mixed forests. Feeds on broad range of animals, including mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles, larger insects, mollusks and other invrtebrates. However, the most frequent prey are small rodents, of which Common Vole represents approximately 70% of all diet composition.

Lesser Spotted Eagle arrives to Slovakia in the beginning of April, and already at the end of April or beginning of May a female normally lays 2 eggs at an interval of several days. The eggs are incubated for about 40 days. Raising the young in the nest lasts some 60 days, chick leaves a nest in the late July or early August. Cainism, that is, the killing of the second born eaglet by its older sibling is very common in the Lesser Spotted Eagle. Only rarely do two young fledge without human intervention. Eagles leave Slovakia in September or early October.