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Photo by Lynn Chamberlain
Photo Copyright Lynn Chamberlain
Golden Eagle
Aquila chrysaetos
NatureServe conservation status
Global (G-rank): G5
State (S-rank): S3
External links
Species range
Golden eagles inhabit the northern hemisphere globally, including North America, Europe, northern Africa, and central Asia. They are more prevalent in western North America, breeding as far north as Alaska and residing year-round from southwestern Canada to central Mexico. They are found statewide in Utah, as both wintering and resident populations.
Ecology
Golden eagles are adaptable, utilizing open to semi-open habitats like tundra, shrublands, grasslands, and forests, from sea level to 12,000 ft. In Utah, they breed in diverse vegetation types such as desert lowland, grassland, shrubland, pinyon-juniper, and aspen-conifer. They prefer to forage in open areas. Nests are typically on cliffs, but can also be found in trees, on the ground, or on human-made structures.
Their primary food sources are rabbits and squirrels. In Utah's central Great Basin, black-tailed jackrabbits (61.5%), cottontails (8.3%), and rock squirrels (6.1%) were the most common food items in nests from 1970 to 2018 (Keller 2018). Other prey, including mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, and carrion, are consumed in smaller amounts.
Threats or limiting factors
Since the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act (BGEPA) in 1962, unpermitted human-caused mortality is the leading cause of golden eagle deaths in the U.S., potentially leading to population declines. Anthropogenic factors accounted for approximately 56% of satellite-tagged eagle mortalities (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 2016a,b). Leading causes of death include accidental trauma (collisions with vehicles, fences, wires, wind turbines), electrocutions, poisoning (lead and rodenticide), and shooting (Kochert and Steenhof 2002).
Loss of breeding adults due to human factors significantly threatens populations, as breeding adult survival has the greatest impact on population growth. Even minor reductions (<4.5%) in breeding adult survival can cause otherwise stable populations to decline (Tack et al. 2017).
Urban, agricultural, and energy development, accelerated fire regimes due to invasive grasses in shrublands and woodlands, and drought are drivers of habitat loss and degradation, another set of threats to golden eagles (Kochert et al. 2002). This species depends on rabbits and squirrels as its main food source, and these prey species are not as abundant in areas degraded by cheatgrass, fire, or prolonged drought (Steenhof et al 1997, Kochert et al. 1999, Kochert et al. 2002). While adults can forage widely for prey, their ability to provide for dependent nestlings is reduced when prey are limited.
Beyond direct mortality, human disturbance from recreational use (OHV and pedestrians) reduces territory occupancy, egg laying probability, and nest survival (Steenhof et al. 2014, Spaul and Heath 2016).
