Europe's raptor recoveries depend on safer wintering grounds in West Africa
Ringing encounters connect Ospreys and other European-breeding raptors with wintering areas in Ghana, Togo and Benin under growing pressure.
The recovery of migratory raptors on European breeding grounds can be secured only if the same birds are protected through the non-breeding season in West Africa, researchers and conservationists have warned.
A study of ringing encounters brought together 257 records of Palearctic raptors recovered or reported in Ghana, Togo and Benin. The birds originated in 16 European countries, revealing direct links between northern breeding populations and tropical savannas, wetlands and forests.
Ospreys dominated the dataset, accounting for 145 records or 56% of all encounters. Black Kite followed with 53, European Honey Buzzard with 35, Western Marsh Harrier with 17 and Eurasian Kestrel with seven.
Finland and Sweden together accounted for 164 birds, or 64% of the complete sample. Among Ospreys, 95% originated in Fennoscandia, with small numbers from Germany and the UK.
“West Africa is a critical yet understudied wintering region for Palearctic raptors.”
Nico Arcilla and Irene Di Lecce, study authors
The pattern shows why successful nest protection and population recovery in Europe cannot be considered in isolation. Birds that survive to fledge may spend much of every year in landscapes experiencing rapid land-use change, habitat loss and other pressures thousands of kilometres away.
Current reporting has also highlighted hunting and the belief-based wildlife trade as threats to raptors in the region. Enforcement, education and locally led monitoring must consequently accompany habitat protection if migration routes are to remain viable.
Ringing recoveries have important limitations. They are produced by uneven effort, by the number of birds ringed in each country and by the likelihood that a found ring is reported. The study lacked a measure of survey effort and could not supply a cause of death for the recovered birds, so the records cannot be used to compare population size or mortality directly between countries.
The dataset also ends at different dates for the three West African countries, extending to 2012 for Ghana and 2016 for Togo and Benin. Its value lies in demonstrating connectivity rather than presenting a current census.
The authors recommend greater use of the Eurasian African Bird Migration Atlas, expanded bird monitoring, conservation education and stronger wildlife-law enforcement. For European raptor programmes, the message is clear: national gains will remain vulnerable unless protection follows the birds throughout their annual cycle.
11 Sep 2026
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