Connor T. Panter Connor T. Panter Carina Nebel Carina Nebel Maximilian Raab Maximilian Raab Verena Strauss Verena Strauss Clara Freytag Clara Freytag Manuel Wojta Manuel Wojta Hannah Böing Hannah Böing Patrick Hacker Patrick Hacker Rainhard Raab Rainhard Raab Jendrik Windt Jendrik Windt Annika Posautz Annika Posautz Anna Kuebber-Heiss Anna Kuebber-Heiss Patrick Scherler Patrick Scherler Martin U. Grüebler Martin U. Grüebler Urs G Kormann Urs G Kormann Martin Kolbe Martin Kolbe Alexandre Millon Alexandre Millon Javier de la Puente Javier de la Puente Javier Viñuela Javier Viñuela Duncan Orr-Ewing Duncan Orr-Ewing Oliver Krone Oliver Krone Torsten Langgemach Torsten Langgemach Susanne Åkesson Susanne Åkesson Brady Mattsson Brady Mattsson Petra Sumasgutner Petra Sumasgutner Manuel Alcántara de la Fuente Manuel Alcántara de la Fuente Ernesto Alvarez Ernesto Alvarez Juan Arizaga Juan Arizaga Albert Bach Pagès Albert Bach Pagès Ana Bermejo Ana Bermejo Guido Ceccolini Guido Ceccolini Nayden Chakarov Nayden Chakarov Peter Derpmann-Hagenström Peter Derpmann-Hagenström Marek Dostál Marek Dostál Gerd Fabian Gerd Fabian Wolfgang Fiedler Wolfgang Fiedler Manuel Galán Manuel Galán Clément Ganier Clément Ganier Andreas Gärtner Andreas Gärtner Liza Glesener Liza Glesener Alfonso Godino Alfonso Godino Zuzana Guziová Zuzana Guziová László; Haraszthy László; Haraszthy Caka Karlsson Caka Karlsson Katharina Klein Katharina Klein Ivan Literák Ivan Literák Nicolas Lorenzini Nicolas Lorenzini Manuela Löwold Manuela Löwold Christopher Lüning Christopher Lüning Boris Maderič Boris Maderič Karel Makoň Karel Makoň Kerstin Mammen Kerstin Mammen Ubbo Mammen Ubbo Mammen Torsten Marczak Torsten Marczak Hynek Matušík Hynek Matušík Aymeric Mionnet Aymeric Mionnet Sara Morollón Sara Morollón Jakub Mráz Jakub Mráz Winfried Nachtigall Winfried Nachtigall Bernd Nicolai Bernd Nicolai Marta Olalde Fernández Marta Olalde Fernández Meinolf Ottensmann Meinolf Ottensmann María Jesús Palacios González María Jesús Palacios González Jean-Yves Paquet Jean-Yves Paquet Vladimír Pečeňák Vladimír Pečeňák Lubomír Peške Lubomír Peške Thomas Pfeiffer Thomas Pfeiffer Robert Pudwill Robert Pudwill Dušan Rak Dušan Rak Tim Maximilian Rapp Tim Maximilian Rapp Alexander Resetaritz Alexander Resetaritz Stef van Rijn Stef van Rijn Romain Riols Romain Riols Arturo Rodríguez Arturo Rodríguez Luisa Scholze Luisa Scholze Laura Schulte Laura Schulte Aurélie de Seynes Aurélie de Seynes Jan Škrábal Jan Škrábal Péter Spakovszky Péter Spakovszky Eike Steinborn Eike Steinborn Ján Svetlík Ján Svetlík Samuel Talhoet Samuel Talhoet Miklós Vaczi Miklós Vaczi Anne-Gaelle Verdier Anne-Gaelle Verdier Zdenĕk Vermouzek Zdenĕk Vermouzek Inglada, Diego Villanúa Inglada Inglada, Diego Villanúa Inglada Jörg Westphal Jörg Westphal Rainer Raab Rainer Raab Wiley 2025 Anthropogenic activities threaten many wildlife populations by increasing mortality rates, making it crucial to identify the locations and causes of mortality to inform conservation actions. Technological advancements, such as GPS satellite tracking, enable precise recording of wildlife movements. High-resolution data from such devices can facilitate rapid carcass recovery and provide insights into the mortality causes of tagged individuals. Obtaining required information to determine these causes is complex, and standardized approaches can overcome these limitations. In this study, we introduce the LIFE EUROKITE Assessment Protocol (LEAP), a framework for determining the timing, locations, and causes of mortality in GPS-tagged birds. LEAP is a multifaceted approach that integrates: (1) GPS tracking data, (2) evidence from the mortality location (site investigation), and (3) necropsy results to derive the mortality cause and a corresponding certainty score. We supplement the detailed description of LEAP with case studies assessing its effectiveness. Using 329 deceased GPS-tagged red kites (Milvus milvus) we compared conditions of the carcasses processed using LEAP with 145 opportunistically collected raptor carcasses. We also show that LEAP improves carcass condition and therefore allows for higher quality necropsy results. Additionally, we assessed how availability among sources of information (tracking, site investigation and necropsy) influences the quality of mortality assessments. Applying LEAP with all data sources provided the highest quality assessments in 64% of cases. Some 35% of cases were of high quality without necropsy, instead drawing evidence only from tracking data and site investigations. Predation related mortality was less prevalent (11%) when relying on necropsy compared to cases without necropsy (36%), while poisoning showed the opposite trend. Furthermore, we provide guidelines and empirical examples of mortality assessments. Our standardized LEAP approach ensures the best use of all available information regarding mortality events in GPS-tagged birds and advances wildlife mortality research as a valuable tool for conservationists and wildlife managers. PDFDocument eng 2025-10-29T10:44:08.663739Z 2025 Bird Crime Cause of Death GPS Tracking Human-Wildlife Conflict Population Monitoring Survival Analysis Wildlife Conservation 18841011 b application/pdf http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/