Steppe eagle 'Yoruk' returns home

By Mustafa Calkaya

ANKARA (AA) - A steppe eagle named Yoruk, which is endangered and has a satellite transmitter installed in the central Anatolian city of Konya, has returned to its homeland after spending the winter in Chad, Nigeria, and Sudan.

Yoruk, which means nomadic in Turkish, was followed minute by minute by Türkiye's Agriculture and Forestry Ministry as part of a special project to protect endangered species.

A transmitter was placed on him when he was an eaglet.

Usually, he flies from Konya to Africa in a week at a speed of 60 kilometers per hour at an altitude of 2,000 meters.

Migrating south in autumn, Yoruk returns to the country around March-April.

The steppe eagle is known as one of the five species shortlisted by the ministry for its project.

It was chosen as a pilot scheme because it is critically endangered in the country. Only about 10 breeding pairs remain and its protection will also contribute to the protection of other species.

In this context, the nestlings of breeding steppe eagle couples started to be monitored with satellite transmitters in order to prepare scientific data and to prepare an action plan.

Although people often think a steppe eagle is an ordinary eagle, each eagle species is important because it has adapted to different habitats.