Confirmation of little eagle (Hieraaetus morphnoides) migration by satellite telemetry.

The post-breeding migration of an adult male little eagle (Hieraaetus morphnoides) was followed from south-eastern Australia to the Northern Territory using a GPS satellite transmitter. The bird bred in open woodland habitat on the edge of the city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory (ACT), before it flew more than 3300 km in 18 days, to winter in an area of eucalypt savannah in the Northern Territory. It remained there for 59 days, within a range of ~30 km², after which the last signal was transmitted. The bird was subsequently resighted back in its ACT territory at the end of winter, thus completing a return migration. This is the first confirmation of post-breeding migration for the species. The little eagle (Hieraaetus morphnoides) is listed as Vulnerable in the Australian Capital Territory, but the movements and ranges of birds breeding in the ACT are unknown. An adult male bird was tracked by GPS-satellite transmitter between the ACT and the Northern Territory. This paper gives the first confirmation that little eagles can migrate between southern and northern Australia and conservation of the species needs to be of nation-wide consideration. Photo by Stuart Rae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]