Habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation

The impact of habitat change on migratory birds of prey populations is complex although it is often cited as a contributing factor to their declines. This may concern large scale modification affecting food supply or other ecological factors. All species have specific breeding site requirements, which are easily affected by human activities such as: Quarrying; construction of tourist or leisure facilities near breeding cliffs; widening of roads and highways; logging, other forms of deforestation; clearance of large trees in agricultural areas and rapid increase in the human population in certain areas resulting in loss of suitable habitat due to settlement expansion.

Thiollay (2006) highlights the complexity of habitat degradation with dramatic changes in natural resource management changing large tracts of woodland to shrub land,
increased desertification and the decline in large game outside of protected areas.