Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

An eagle traveller from Bulgaria's Dobrudzha is flying over Africa

Photo: sidp.bg

From September 2023, Iliya the Eagle has been flying above Africa and for the second year in a row has been circling above Congo, Zambia and Botswana, where summer is in full swing. The bird, which acquired a transmitter under the "Eagle's Lands and Forests" project, turned out to be the biggest travelлer among all the lesser spotted eagles that ornithologists from the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds have been monitoring for several years. 


Iliya hatched in 2022 in a nest near the village of Alexandria in the Dobrich region. The bird was discovered by the ornithologist Mikhail Iliev, who is also the godfather of the eagle. Last year they expected Iliya to return to Bulgaria, but all summer the bird wandered around Turkey, crossing thousands of kilometers along the Black Sea coast, around the city of Eskisehir and Ankara. 

The little eagle from Bulgaria is the only one with a transmitter under the project which did not return to its homeland.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Balkan developments

EU Ambassador to Skopje launches construction of new border crossing The construction of the EU-funded border crossing Markova Noga – Lemos between North Macedonia and Greece has begun. The project was presented in the Greek municipality of..

published on 6/6/25 11:33 AM

Euro is coming: effects and drawbacks

The most significant step towards Bulgaria's membership in the eurozone has been made – this country has received official confirmation that it has fulfilled all the necessary criteria in the convergence reports of the European..

published on 6/5/25 4:57 PM

Over 100 string instruments to be showcased at international lutherie competition in Kazanlak

The 19th International Competition for Contemporary Lutherie begins in Kazanlak today. Running until 7 June, the forum aims to promote the traditions and crafts of musical instrument making, according to the Bulgarian News Agency BTA. Participants..

published on 6/5/25 7:50 AM