Arlie, a Lesser Spotted Eagle (Aquila pomarina) the Romanian ornithologists have been tracking by satellite, has finally arrived to Romania after a 49-day journey.

Arlie started the spring migration on February 11 this year, between 08:00 and 10:00, after spending winter in Namibia, according to the Ornithological Society in Romania.

Unlike the previous two years (2015 and 2016), the bird began the migration with a delay of three days this year. However, Arlie traveled the 12,500 km faster, arriving in Romania on March 31, similar to 2016.

The eagle passed over three continents during its journey to Romania (namely Africa, Asia, and Europe), and 17 countries - Angola, Zambia, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Sudan, Egypt, Israel, Syria, Turkey, and Bulgaria. Arlie spent the first night in Romania near Brasov mountain resort.

Arlie was captured in 2013 by a team made of specialists from the Romanian Ornithological Society, the Sibiu Regional Agency for Environmental Protection, and Milvus Group. The bird was equipped with a satellite transmitter weighing 45 grams, and then released.

From 2013 to 2016, Arlie, which is a female Lesser Spotted Eagle, had its nest near Berivoi village in Brasov county. Disturbed by forestry work last year, the bird changed its nest.

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Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Sor.ro)