The ranging behaviour of raptors in human-altered environments, such as agricultural and suburban landscapes, is becoming increasingly important for conservationists in the context of unprecedented high rates of anthropogenic land use change. We studied the movement ecology of adult Long-crested Eagles Lophaetus occipitalis fitted with geographic positioning system transmitters in an agricultural landscape in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. Mean home ranges (± SD) of males and females estimated using the autocorrelated kernel density estimator (AKDE) method were 608 ± 552 ha (n = 5) and 664 ± 844 ha (n = 4), respectively. Core areas (KDE_href 50%) were estimated as 80 ± 38 ha and 39 ± 20 ha for males and females, respectively. We also recorded exploratory behaviour (in the form of long excursions) in two of the birds, of up to 49 km from the centre of their home range. The relatively small home ranges reported in this study are suggestive of productive foraging habitats whereby Long-crested Eagles can meet their energy requirements without having to travel long distances to obtain resources. Consistent with predictions, non-breeding male and female Long-crested Eagles showed similar ranging behaviour, which includes occasional exploratory behaviour.

在人为改变的人为土地使用率空前高涨的背景下，猛禽在人类改变的环境中（如农业和郊区景观）的活动范围对于保护主义者而言变得越来越重要。我们在南非夸祖鲁-纳塔尔省的农业景观中研究了装有地理定位系统发射器的成年长嘴鹰cip（Ophas occipitalis）的运动生态。使用自相关核密度估计器（AKDE）方法估计的男性和女性的平均居所范围（±SD）分别为608±552公顷（n = 5）和664±844公顷（n = 4）。核心领域（KDE _href50％）估计为雄性和雌性分别为80±38公顷和39±20公顷。我们还记录了两只离家乡中心不超过49公里的鸟类的探索行为（以长途旅行的形式）。这项研究报告的相对较小的家畜范围暗示了高产觅食的栖息地，长Long鹰可以满足其能源需求，而不必长途跋涉来获取资源。与预测一致，雄性和雌性长毛鹰的非繁殖性表现出相似的射程行为，其中包括偶然的探索行为。