Breaking Point

Widespread decline of Kenya's raptors

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Long-crested Eagle numbers have declined by 94 per cent in Kenya.

Α team of Kenyan and international scientists has reported severe declines of Kenya's birds of prey over the past 40 years. In a study published in Biological Conservation, scientists from Kenya, the UK, France and the USA have recorded the first nationwide trends for Kenya's raptors.

Kenya's diurnal raptors were first surveyed in the 1970s by identifying and counting individuals while driving along roads, both inside and outside protected areas. These roadside surveys were repeated multiple times during the 2000s. Of 22 species examined, 19 were seen less frequently during the recent period and the median rate of the decline was -70 per cent. Some of Kenya's most iconic raptors have almost disappeared.

The largest declines were recorded in Secretarybird and Long-crested Eagle -94 per cent; Common Kestrel -95 per cent; Lesser Kestrel -93 per cent; Augur Buzzard -91 per cent; and Hooded Vulture and Montagu's Harrier, both -88 per cent.