Eagle Recovery: Plans in the Southwestern States

Each region of the United States has unique oportunities to plan for the recovery of the Bald Eagle. These Regions are:
Chesapeake Bay Region, Northern States Region, Pacific States Region, Southeastern States Region, and the Southwestern States Region. Click on any region to find out more information. The Southwestern States plans are given on this page.

Introduction:
The bald eagle is our national emblem. Scientists have given this mighty bird the name, Haliaeetus leucocephalus. Haliaeetus means "sea eagle"; bald eagles are found near large bodies of water. They live near the sea, lakes, and rivers. Leucocephalus, which is the second part of the bald eagle's scientific name, means "white head". Adult bald eagles have white heads.

The bald eagle lives in North America from the Gulf of Mexico to the Arctic. Many bald eagles are found in southern Alaska, along the western coast of Canada and Washington, around the Great Lakes, and in Florida. Bald eagles are common along the Atlantic coast, especially around the Chesapeake Bay. But in the Southwest there are not many eagles. This plan was made to help bald eagles in the Southwest. This includes Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, and parts of Texas and California.

Scientists began to study the southwestern bald eagle in the mid-1970s. They noticed that the bald eagles in this region lived in forests along rivers. Forests like these are called riparian forests. Scientists figured out that there were a lot fewer riparian forests than there were 300 years ago. In fact, they believe that only one fifth of this area is still around. This recovery plan tries to find ways to protect both the eagle and the forests from further harm. It also tries to find new ways to help bring the bald eagle back to this area.

Most of the bald eagles in the southwestern region live along the Salt and Verde River systems in central Arizona. In fact, twelve out of thirteen known nesting areas are along these two rivers. The recovery team thinks that there is room for many more nests along these and other rivers.

The bald eagle is now listed as an endangered species in the southwest. The researchers in this area think that the bald eagle's listing could be changed from endangered to threatened when the number of bald eagles has doubled. Also, bald eagles must build nests along other rivers besides the Verde and Salt.

There are five basic points to this recovery plan. These points are:

1. Take care of the nest areas that are now being used.
2. Try to improve these areas so that more baby eagles become adults.
3. Keep track of bald eagles so the recovery team knows how many eagles there are and where they live.
4. Try to improve the places where eagles spend the winter.
5. Do more research that will help the eagles recover.

History of the Southwestern Bald Eagle
Records from as far back as 1866 show that bald eagles had been seen in New Mexico, Arizona, California, and Texas. But there has never been a scientific study on eagles in this area. So during the years 1972 to 1975, the Division of Wildlife Services set out to find out how the bald eagles in this area were doing. This is what they found:

Arizona: Forty-two historic nesting areas have been reported. Of these, only thirteen were found to be occupied by pairs of eagles that were producing eaglets. Twelve of these were located along the Verde and Salt Rivers, and one more nest was found near the Colorado River.

New Mexico: No nests were found at this time.

Texas: No nests were found at this time west of the 100th meridian.

Oklahoma: No nests were found at this time west of the 100th meridian.

California: No nests were found at this time along the lower Colorado River in southeastern California.

Breeding
The only known breeding bald eagles in the Southwestern region are in Arizona. The eagles in Arizona begin nesting in November and December. Most nest-building and nest repairs happen in late December and early January. Eggs are laid from January to March and hatch from February to April. Eaglets spend ten to twelve weeks in the nest before they start flying and may spend another four to six weeks with their parents before they go off on their own.

Nest Sites
Most of the time nests are high up where eagles can look out over the area around them. Eagles build nests in trees and on cliffs. Cliff nests are usually about 600 feet from the river bank and about 300 feet above the water.

What Bald Eagles Eat
Scientists found that bald eagles along the Salt and Verde Rivers in Arizona eat mostly fish. They eat channel catfish, carp, the Sonora sucker, and the desert sucker. These fish make up about two thirds of the eagle's diet. The eagles also eat rabbits and other small mammals and birds.

Below is a list of things people must do in order to help the bald eagle recover. The list has three main parts. Each part has a list under it which describes what must be done to help the eagle recover. There are also questions that eagle management experts need to ask.

Basic Plan
The purpose of our recovery efforts is to have the bald eagle's listing changed from endangered to threatened. The listing will be changed when ten to twelve baby eagles are born every year for at least five years, and the eagles are nesting in one or more rivers in addition to the Salt and Verde Rivers. The recovery team also needs to find out where the eagles spend their winter and to make sure that those areas are safe for eagles.

1. Find out where bald eagles breed and spend the winter in the Southwest. Get as many facts about the eagles as possible. This will help to make a plan to help the eagles.
   1. Is there any history of bald eagles in the area? Were any papers written about bald eagles in the area? Are there any bird watchers who know about the eagles? Can we check the eagles and their nests from a plane or helicopter? Can we check them from the ground? How many eagles are there? How many baby eagles are there? Where are they located? Are more eagles moving into the area? Or are there fewer than there used to be? How are the babies doing? How are the adults doing?
   2. What are the bald eagles eating? Is there enough food?
   3. Are insect sprays being used in the area? Are these sprays getting into the food chain? In other words, are plants that are sprayed with these poisons being eaten by animals that eagles are eating? Are the shells of bald eagle eggs thin because of these insect sprays?
   4. Is anyone bothering the bald eagles? Are hunters or farmers shooting the eagles? Are people building too close to where eagles live? Are roads too close to where the eagles are nesting?
   
   
2. Find ways to make the areas where bald eagles live, breed, and winter better for the eagles. Find new places where the eagles can go.
   1. Find out about the kinds of places where eagles live.
      1. Nesting areas: What do all breeding areas have in common? Are there certain kinds of trees that the eagles prefer to nest in? Are cliffs used for nests? How far are the nests from water? What is the land around the nests like? There is some evidence that southwestern birds do not go south in the winter but stay near the nest. Is this true?
      2. Non-nesting areas: Are there areas used by eagles who do not build nests there, like birds from the north that winter in the south?
      3. Are there any problems with people in the area? Are they bothering the eagles?
   2. Make sure that the land that has been used by eagles in the past is safe. Are there new areas that could be used? How can these areas be made safe for eagles? Do existing laws help the eagles? What new laws might help?
      1. Find out how land is being used. Is the land used for farming, logging, or hunting? Who owns the land? Is the land public or private? Are there laws to help the bald eagle in this area? What new laws need to be passed?
      2. Make the land better for bald eagles.
         1. Keep people from building houses or other buildings near eagles.
         2. Keep people away from eagle nesting areas.
         3. Keep people from using pesticides or other poisons in areas where eagles live.
      3. Protect the land where eagles live.
         1. Buy the land if possible.
         2. Get government agencies to work together to protect the bald eagle on public land.
         3. Improve the land:
            1. Remove any garbage from the area.
            2. Build nests or provide shady spots in which eagles can rest.
            3. Plant trees that may be used as nest sites in the future.
            4. Make sure that the eagles have plenty of food in the area. Is there enough fish for the eagles to eat?
            
            
3. Conduct information programs about bald eagles.
   1. Pass laws to help the eagles.
   2. Teach people about eagles. Let them know how they can help.

If all the things in the recovery outline are done, bald eagles will have a much better chance of recovering.