Germany's Lesser Spotted Eagle population edges upwards
After years of stagnation, Germany's tiny Lesser Spotted Eagle population is showing a modest increase as conservation work improves breeding and feeding habitat.
Germany's breeding population of Lesser Spotted Eagles is showing signs of a modest recovery after many years in which numbers remained largely unchanged.
French birding website Ornithomedia reports that the population is once again increasing slightly, with conservation measures aimed at protecting nesting areas and improving nearby feeding habitat beginning to show results.
The Deutsche Wildtier Stiftung currently estimates the German population at around 140 breeding pairs. Numbers had stagnated at roughly 130 pairs for about 15 years, but a slight increase has been recorded during the past two years.
Lesser Spotted Eagle is one of Germany's most threatened birds of prey and its remaining breeding population is concentrated in the north-east of the country, principally in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Brandenburg. Germany lies at the western edge of the species' main European breeding range.
The birds require a combination of quiet, near-natural woodland for nesting and open, prey-rich ground close to the nest. Wet grassland, marshy hollows, small wetlands and extensively managed meadows can provide important feeding areas containing mice, frogs, reptiles and other prey.
A major conservation programme launched in 2024 brings together the Deutsche Wildtier Stiftung, NABU-Stiftung Nationales Naturerbe and Stiftung Umwelt- und Naturschutz Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Running until 2028, the project is supported through Germany's National Species Assistance Programme and has funding of more than €9 million.
Work includes restoring and managing feeding areas close to breeding woods so adults can find food without making long journeys away from their nests. Conservationists are working with farmers on wildlife-friendly grassland management, including staggered mowing which maintains both short vegetation where eagles can hunt and taller areas where prey can shelter.
Other measures include protecting nest sites from disturbance, monitoring breeding success, restoring wetlands and woodland habitats, raising water levels in suitable areas and planting hedges and scrub close to breeding territories.
Recent breeding figures underline both the progress being made and the vulnerability of the population. Around 130 breeding pairs in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Brandenburg produced 65 fledged young in 2025. Of these, 53 were recorded in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, 22 more than in 2024, while Brandenburg produced 12 young compared with 17 the previous year.
Conservationists are also using juvenile management in Brandenburg to increase productivity. Lesser Spotted Eagles usually lay two eggs, but under natural conditions it is rare for both chicks to survive. Surplus eggs can therefore be removed from selected nests and artificially incubated, allowing additional young birds to be reared for release.
Despite the recent improvement, the species remains highly vulnerable in Germany. Intensive agriculture and forestry have reduced suitable feeding and nesting habitat, while wind-energy development can create additional disturbance and collision risks. Birds also face illegal persecution during their long migrations between Europe and their African wintering grounds.
The increase remains small, but after a long period of stagnation the latest figures suggest that sustained habitat management and targeted breeding measures may be helping to improve the prospects of Lesser Spotted Eagle at the western edge of its range.
7 Aug 2026
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