© Thomas Thusholt
LifeTrack Golden Eagles
The Golden Eagle Project links individual movement decisions to dynamic environmental conditions, revealing the energetic and behavioural challenges faced by these wide-ranging apex predators.
The project is a collaboration between Vogelwarte Sempach and the Max Planck Institute, using high-resolution GPS tracking combined with tri-axial accelerometers (ACC) to study flight behaviour, route selection, and energy expenditure. Working with falconry birds at Adler Arena Burg Landskron allowed precise calibration of accelerometer signals under controlled conditions, directly linking movement patterns to energetic costs and enabling the construction of detailed energy landscapes across different habitats and topographies.
By following golden eagles across mountain ranges, valley and political borders, the project highlights the mismatch between ecological connectivity and administrative boundaries. The results provide critical insights for transboundary conservation, demonstrating how movement ecology and bio-logging can inform more effective, landscape-scale protection strategies for large raptors.
Team Members
A/Prof Dr Petra Sumasgutner
Principal investigator
Shane Sumasgutner, PhD
co-I & Research technician
Elisa Perinot, PhD
Postdoctoral researcher
Varalika Jain
PhD candidate
Lucas Landolfi
Field assistant
Collaboration Partners
Project Gallery
Project Gallery
Hatzl JS, Tschumi M, Bassi E, Cruickshank SS, Jenny D, Pellissier L, Safi K, Scharf AK, Sumasgutner P, Grüebler MU (2026): The consequences of food and flight efficiency for the timing of natal dispersal in golden eagles. Animal Behaviour 123712. Doi: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2026.123712
Brønnvik H, Scacco M, Chimento M, Bassi E, Fiedler W, Hatzl JS, Sumasgutner P, Tschumi M, Wikelski M, Zimmermann S-S, Safi K, Nourani E (2026). Decoupling of emigration timing and skill acquisition in a saturated population of golden eagles. Royal Society Open Science 13. Doi: 10.1098/rsos.251574
Carrard T, Nourani E, Jansing L, Zimmermann T, Sumasgutner P, Tschumi M, Jenny D, Wikelski M, Safi K, Sprenger M, Scacco M (2025): Golden eagles regularly use gravity waves to soar in the Alps: new insights from high-resolution weather data. Journal of the Royal Society Interface 22: 20240891. Doi: 10.1098/rsif.2024.0891
Nourani E, Faure L, Bronnvik H, Scacco M, Bassi E, Fiedler W, Gruebler MU, Hatzl J, Jenny D, Roverselli A, Sumasgutner P, Tschumi M, Wikelski M, Safi K (2024): Developmental stage shapes the realized energy landscape for a flight specialist. eLife Doi: 10.7554/eLife.98818.3