Distribution Patterns and Ecology of the Steppe Eagle in China
From 2011 to 2013, the distribution, population size, diet and breeding ecology of the Steppe Eagle (Aquila nipalensis) were investigated in different nesting sites in northern Xinjiang Province. In China, the Steppe Eagle normally nests on cliffs, and the female lays 1 to 3 eggs in early April. The incubation period lasts 41-45 days and fledging takes place at 65-75 days of age. In addition, we collated data from the China Bird Report and related literatures. The results suggest that Steppe Eagle is predominately a migratory bird in China, with a local population size estimated at 7800-9200 individuals. In summer, they breed in Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Tibet, Qinghai and Gansu provinces, and spend the winter in the eastern and southern parts of China (e.g. Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi provinces and the southern Tibet Autonomous Region). The Steppe Eagle faces a number of threats in recent times, such as poaching, poison for rodent control, illegal trading of wild birds, food shortage and injury from power lines. The largest threat is posed by the effects of development in Western China, including overgrazing, increases in human population, mining, roadworks, tourism and other activities which lead to the destruction of the f steppe habitat.