VOJVODINA, SERBIA – Ornithologists are finding renewed hope in the plains of Vojvodina, Serbia, as the eastern imperial eagle makes a remarkable comeback from the brink of extinction. Just seven years ago, the country was home to a single breeding pair of the majestic raptor. Last year, the Bird Protection and Study Society of Serbia (BPSSS) recorded 19 breeding pairs, with 10 successfully raising young.
The recovery is a testament to dedicated conservation efforts in a region where the species faced a deadly combination of habitat destruction, food scarcity, and illegal hunting. Driving through Vojvodina, the landscape reveals vast, open fields crisscrossed by farm tracks – a consequence of agricultural intensification that has stripped the region of its forests. In some municipalities, tree cover drops below 1%, making it difficult for eagles to find suitable nesting sites.
“You can drive here for an hour and a half and not see a single tree taller than five metres,” says Milan Ružić, executive director of BPSSS. “Even if an eagle wants to return, the question is: to which tree?”
The decline of the imperial eagle, Aquila heliaca, began with persecution. Historically, the region experienced unrest and conflict, leading to a culture where birds of prey were shot for sport or to protect livestock. “People shot birds of prey for fun or to protect livestock. Raptors were the enemy,” Ružić explained.
Following World War II, widespread poisoning campaigns targeting large carnivores, including wolves and bears, further decimated the eagle population. The practice proved indiscriminate, as eagles and vultures often consumed poisoned bait intended for other animals. “If you poison a sheep carcass in the open, eagles and vultures will be the first to find it,” Ružić said. “If an eagle is shot, others learn. With poison, there is no warning.”
Compounding the problem, agricultural intensification led to a loss of the eagle’s primary food source: ground squirrels, or sousliks. These creatures thrive in grazed pastures with short grass, but as cattle were moved into stables and grazing land disappeared, so did the sousliks.
By the late 1980s, the imperial eagle population had dwindled to two small pockets: one in the Deliblato Sands and another in the hills of Fruška Gora. The Deliblato population was lost in the 1990s, and Fruška Gora’s eagles disappeared in 2015.
However, a positive trend was unfolding across the border in Hungary, where decades of protection efforts had boosted the imperial eagle population from 20 pairs in the 1980s to 550 today. As Hungarian territories became saturated, young eagles began dispersing south, arriving in Serbia in 2011.
Spurred by EU-funded projects, BPSSS volunteers began guarding nests, camping nearby to deter disturbance, and even rebuilding damaged nests. This intervention proved crucial in ensuring the survival of the last breeding pair.
The recovery has resonated with local communities. “In village cafes, we would point out there were fewer imperial eagles left in the entire country than people drinking beer in the room,” Ružić said. “People suddenly cared.”
Despite the progress, challenges remain. Power lines and wind farms pose a threat, and illegal poisoning continues to occur. Serbia’s political climate has also complicated research, with increased bureaucracy surrounding the import of satellite tags used to track the birds.
“We had to sign documents proving we’re using them to track birds, not to wage a bloody war,” Ružić noted.
Despite these obstacles, the trend is positive. The eagles are expanding their range, and the BPSSS remains committed to their protection. “Unless something dramatic happens, they will keep coming back,” Ružić concluded.
