Abstract
Golden Eagles are one of eastern North America’s apex predators and are of conservation concern range-wide. Nevertheless, the eastern population of this species has only recently been given recognition and study typical of such ecologically important taxa. Because of recent work, there now is a sufficient body of knowledge for the conservation planning outlined here. This document is a product of the Eastern Golden Eagle Working Group, an international collaborative effort among scientists and managers from across eastern North America and beyond who strive to ensure the long-term sustainability of the Eastern Golden Eagle population. Beyond providing background, this plan’s purpose is to identify research and management needs and provide a foundation for future conservation planning and action to benefit the Eastern Golden Eagle population.
In eastern North America, Golden Eagles breed across every Canadian province except the island of Newfoundland; it is thought that the species no longer nests in the eastern U.S.A. Migration of these eagles follows leading lines (the Appalachian Mountains, shorelines of the Great Lakes, river systems, and the Atlantic coastline). Eastern Golden Eagles overwinter in nearly every eastern state, although numbers are thought to be greatest in the central Appalachian Mountains from North Carolina to Pennsylvania. During summer, these birds feed on a wide variety of prey; during winter their diet is tied to locally abundant species — carrion from deer, Wild Turkeys, and opportunistically other vertebrates.
Eastern Golden Eagles, although once overlooked in regional management plans, now have special conservation status in most states and provinces where they are found. Best estimates suggest that there are > 5,000 birds in this apparently stable population. That said, population size has only been robustly estimated for breeders in Québec and migratory birds in Pennsylvania; numbers of birds that migrate through the Great Lakes are not well estimated.
There is substantial cultural significance assigned to Golden Eagles, both globally and in eastern North America. For example, the Anishinabek, Native Americans of the Great Lakes region, have Golden Eagle (“Ginew Dodem”) clan members. From the perspective of these groups, conserving eagles is important to honor their place in Native American culture.
In eastern North America, Golden Eagles are managed under laws and regulations promulgated by the U.S. Government, by individual U.S. states, and by Canadian provinces. Despite these protections, Eastern Golden Eagles face a number of anthropogenic threats including illegal shooting, collision with vehicles and infrastructure, poisoning, inadvertent trapping, effects from energy development, electrocution, disturbance, habitat alteration, and climate change. They also encounter natural threats tied to prey abundance, carrying capacity, weather, and disease. Finally, there are knowledge gaps concerning these threats and their impacts to Eastern Golden Eagles; this plan identifies research priorities to close those gaps.
This conservation plan identifies four key conservation objectives:
- maintain or increase breeding population size;
- protect habitat in breeding, migration, and wintering areas;
- maintain or develop long-term monitoring programs for the population; and
- reduce threats and anthropogenic causes of mortality.
The Eastern Golden Eagle Working Group seeks to work with other stakeholders to implement the actions outlined here to promote the conservation of this iconic species.