Abstract
This study provides the first description of autumn migration routes of juvenile Short-toed Eagles Circaetus gallicus tagged in southeastern Spain. Three nestlings were tagged with Argos/GPS satellite transmitters, of which two reached their wintering grounds in Mali, close to the Inner Niger Delta. Onset, duration and routes of migration differed between the two individuals, but both eventually settled in approximately the same area (c. 170 km apart). The wintering grounds were located more than 2500 km away from the breeding sites, although the birds covered some 3800–4700 km to reach the wintering area. The observed differences in migration strategies may be related to juvenile eagles migrating, or not, in mixed flocks with adults; the latter depart earlier from the breeding grounds and follow a more direct route to the wintering grounds.
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