Breeding bald eagles in captivity
The Wilson Bulletin
By: J.R. Maestrelli and Stanley N. Wiemeyer
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Abstract
A 7-year-old female Bald Eagle from Alabama was paired with a 4-year-old Alaskan male in a large flight pen during December 1969. Both birds were free of physical defects when originally placed in the pen but the female was blind in one eye prior to the 1973 breeding season.....Nesting first occurred during 1971 when at least two eggs were laid; all but one, which showed no sign of embryonic development after being incubated for 56 days, were broken by the adult birds. Two of three eggs laid in 1972 hatched. Both young died a few days after hatching following a period of inclement weather. Three eggs were laid and hatched during 1973. Antagonism between the nestlings was observed soon after hatching and may have been responsible for the unobserved death of one nestling, two days after the third young hatched. The two remaining young were raised by the adult birds and eventually left the nest 85 days after the first egg hatched. Incubation periods for the 1972-73 clutches averaged 35 days. No renesting attempts were made by the eagles during the 3.year period.
Suggested Citation
Maestrelli, J., Wiemeyer, S.N., 1975, Breeding bald eagles in captivity: The Wilson Bulletin, v. 87, no. 1, p. 45-53.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Breeding bald eagles in captivity |
| Series title | The Wilson Bulletin |
| Volume | 87 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Year Published | 1975 |
| Language | English |
| Contributing office(s) | Patuxent Wildlife Research Center |
| Description | 45-53 |
| Larger Work Type | Article |
| Larger Work Subtype | Journal Article |
| Larger Work Title | Wilson Bulletin |
| First page | 45 |
| Last page | 53 |