Bonelli's Eagle electrocution risk in Israel can be reduced by 80% by insulating only 4% of the pylons

Asaf Mayrose, Eli Haviv, Ohad Hatzofe, David Troupin, Michal Elroy, Nir Sapir

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The Bonelli’s Eagle (Aquila fasciata) is a critically endangered species in Israel, with electrocution on power lines posing a serious threat to its population. Because retrofitting of electricity pylons to prevent mortality is a slow and costly process, it is important to prioritize the pylons in the network for quick and efficient mitigation of eagle mortality. To determine which pylons need to be retrofitted, we applied a three-stage maximum entropy modeling process for identifying the risk factors posed by different environmental variables. The environmental feature with the highest correlation to electrocution is the distance to reservoirs (i.e., many electrocution events occur near water reservoirs). The reservoirs are foraging hotspots for Bonelli’s Eagles in Israel’s arid environment. Electricity pylons powering the reservoirs’ pumping facilities tend to be the highest perches in the vicinity of many of the reservoirs, creating an ecological trap. The strong attraction of reservoirs to eagles may explain the high level of selectivity indicated by the model, suggesting that retrofitting only 3.6% of the pylons in the network would achieve 77% reduction in eagles’ electrocution probability. Moreover, insulating pylons according to the model will also likely reduce electrocutions of other avian species, including Eastern Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca) and White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla). The modeling process presented here yielded 2 electrocution risk maps, one to facilitate prioritization of mitigation in Israel’s existing power network and the second to support planning and designing new infrastructure. The model may help reach conservation goals for the Israeli Bonelli’s Eagle and the modeling approach may also be useful in prioritizing pylon retrofitting in other arid landscapes.

Original languageEnglish
Article numberduae004
JournalCondor
Volume126
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 May 2024

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © American Ornithological Society 2024. All rights reserved.

Keywords

  • Israel
  • MaxEnt model
  • bird electrocution
  • eagles
  • ecological trap
  • electricity pylons
  • mitigation measures
  • power lines
  • raptors
  • spatial risk prediction

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
  • Animal Science and Zoology

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