And their journeys were still extraordinary
Although the “20-year eagle” story is false, the real scientific story is fascinating.
The tracked Steppe Eagles traveled enormous distances between their breeding areas in Central Asia and their wintering areas farther south.
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Some reached regions of Saudi Arabia and Africa, while others remained farther north or returned toward Asia. Fact Crescendo Myanmar
Researchers use satellite and GPS tracking to understand these migrations, including where birds stop, which routes they take, and which geographical barriers influence their movements.
Why do the routes seem to avoid large bodies of water?
There’s a real scientific explanation behind this part of the viral story.
Large soaring birds such as eagles often depend on rising columns of warm air called thermals to gain altitude and travel efficiently.
Thermals are generally much easier to exploit over land than over large bodies of water.
