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Age- and season-specific variation in local and long-distance movement behavior of golden eagles

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Abstract

Animal movements can determine the population dynamics of wildlife. We used telemetry data to provide insight into the causes and consequences of local and long-distance movements of multiple age classes of conservation-reliant golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) in the foothills and mountains near Tehachapi, California. We estimated size and habitat-related correlates of 324 monthly 95 % home ranges and 317 monthly 50 % core areas for 25 birds moving locally over 2.5 years. We also calculated daily, hourly, and total distances traveled for the five of these birds that engaged in long-distance movements. Mean (±SD) monthly home-range size was 253.6 ± 429.4 km2 and core-area size was 26.4 ± 49.7 km2. Consistent with expectations, space used by pre-adults increased with age and was season-dependent but, unexpectedly, was not sex-dependent. For all ages and sexes, home ranges and core areas were dominated by both forest & woodland and shrubland & grassland habitat types. When moving long distances, eagles traveled up to 1588.4 km (1-way) in a season at highly variable speeds (63.7 ± 69.0 km/day and 5.2 ± 10.4 km/h) that were dependent on time of day. Patterns of long-distance movements by eagles were determined by age, yet these movements had characteristics of more than one previously described movement category (migration, dispersal, etc.). Our results provide a context for differentiating among types of movement behaviors and their population-level consequences and, thus, have implications for management and conservation of golden eagle populations.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Cellular Tracking Technologies that manufactured the GPS-GSM transmitters used in this project. Elliot Chasin (CDFW), Carie Battistone (CDFW), Amy Fesnock (US BLM), J. Andrew DeWoody (Purdue), and Leah Dunn provided key insights and support throughout this project. Chris Niemela, Scott Thomas, Cheryl Thomas, Mike Kuehn, and Robert Chapman assisted with the field effort. We thank E.J. Remson and Zachary Principe of The Nature Conservancy for access to local ranch lands under their management. This work was supported by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW agreements P1182024 and P148006) and the Bureau of Land Management (US BLM contract L11PX02237) as well as the authors’ institutions. TEK designed the study, PHB trapped and telemetered eagles, SAP and MB analyzed the data, SAP and TEK led the writing, and all authors contributed to revising and improving the manuscript. Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. U.S. Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, 970 S. Lusk St., Boise, ID, 83706, USA

    Sharon A. Poessel & Todd E. Katzner

  2. Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology, 439 Calle San Pablo, Camarillo, CA, 93012, USA

    Peter H. Bloom

  3. Division of Forestry and Natural Resources, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, 26506, USA

    Melissa A. Braham

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  1. Sharon A. Poessel
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Correspondence to Sharon A. Poessel.

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All applicable international, national, and/or institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed. Animal handling was approved by the West Virginia University Animal Care and Use Committee protocol #14-0303.

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Poessel, S.A., Bloom, P.H., Braham, M.A. et al. Age- and season-specific variation in local and long-distance movement behavior of golden eagles. Eur J Wildl Res 62, 377–393 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-016-1010-4

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