A breeding nest of the golden eagle, a globally endangered species, has been confirmed in Korea for the first time in 77 years.
The National Institute of Ecology (NIE) Endangered Species Restoration Center said on the 17th that, following the rescue of a young golden eagle on the north side of Hallasan in Jul. last year and local residents' sightings, it conducted investigations up to recently and discovered a golden eagle nest about 2 meters in diameter and about 1.5 meters tall on a cliff on the north side of Hallasan.
The nest was made of dry twigs, with dry leaves and green pine branches laid inside. During the investigation, a bird estimated to be under one year old was rescued but died after three days.
In May, the research team succeeded in capturing, with a telephoto lens from a point about 200 meters away, the sight of a pair of golden eagles and one chick in the nest. The golden eagle family was confirmed to have moved the nest in Jul.
Given the golden eagle's tendency to place and use multiple nests across a wide area while not changing its breeding site readily, the institute projected that the newly found nest will continue to serve as a breeding site.
About 10 golden eagles have been observed each year, but the last time a breeding nest and chicks were found together was in Apr. 1948, when a U.S. military officer confirmed them on Mount Yebong and Mount Cheonma in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province.
The golden eagle is a large raptor with a wingspan exceeding 2 meters when fully spread, and worldwide it inhabits the Northern Hemisphere, including Europe, Asia, and North America. It was designated a natural monument in 1973 and a Class 1 endangered wild species in 2012.
Lee Chang-seok, president of the National Institute of Ecology (NIE), said, "The discovery of a breeding nest of the golden eagle is of great academic and historical value," adding, "We will strengthen the protection of golden eagle habitats in cooperation with relevant agencies, including Jeju Island."