This project, developed by GREFA (Group for the Rehabilitation of Native Fauna and its Habitat), aims to recover Bonelli’s eagle (Hieraætus fasciatus or Aquila fasciata) populations by joining the efforts of several Bonelli’s Eagle Recovery Programmes in different populations located in the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands. The recovery of this species is carried out through population reinforcement in Madrid, Navarra and Alava, as well as reintroduction in Mallorca. This species is listed in Annex I of the EU Birds Directive 2009/147/EC and in Appendix II of the Bern, Bonn & CITES Conventions, and with different degrees of protection at European, national and regional level.

The starting point for the actions to be carried out is based on the selection of the release sites, which are integrated into protected natural areas of the Natura 2000 Network, and which maintain all the conditions for the return of the species. The reintroduction/reinforcement points are Álava, Madrid, Mallorca and Navarra.

All specimens that are released within the framework of LIFE Bonelli are transferred and marked (ringing and marking with emitter). During the 2016 season, GREFA has travelled to France on three occasions to collect a total of 11 chicks, which were transferred to GREFA’s breeding facilities and then transferred to the release points in Madrid, Mallorca, Navarra and Álava. The three chicks born at the Breeding Centre were transferred to the release points in Álava, where one was released, and to Mallorca, where two were released.

6 chicks have also been rescued from nests of the Andalusian population (provinces of Jaén, Almería, Granada and Málaga). The selection of nests in which action was taken was made based on the results obtained by the Junta de Andalucía from the monitoring and surveillance of nests in these provinces during the previous months, and taking into account the reproductive results of these pairs in previous years. The extraction work was carried out by a professional climber, under the supervision of a technician, a veterinarian and a technician from the Junta de Andalucía. This year a total of 8 actions have been carried out in Bonelli’s Eagle nests in Andalusia for the extraction or rescue of chicks and 3 more actions for the collection of samples (without extracting chicks).

The project developed by GREFA has contributed significantly to the recovery of the Bonelli’s eagle in the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands. The results of the releases of specimens in Madrid, Álava, Navarra and Mallorca are very positive, especially when observing the trend that improves year after year, with a higher initial survival rate. As for the rest of the actions, 3 chicks have been born and later released, the specimens released in previous years have been monitored, threat factors for the species have been corrected, such as dangerous power lines, eliminating 9 dangerous supports in the Community of Madrid, 8 chicks have been rescued from unviable clutches and about 10,000 visitors have been attended to at the GREFA Educational Center, raising awareness among the population about the conservation of the species.