M.D. Giovanni
B.N. Beall
G.W. Boal
2006
<p><span>We observed a breeding Bald Eagle (</span><span class="genus-species">Haliaeetus leucocephalus</span><span>) pair nesting in a short-grass prairie and agricultural community on the southern Great Plains of the Texas Panhandle in 2004 and 2005. The nesting eagles produced 1 fledgling in 2004 and 2 fledglings in 2005. Our assessment of landcover types within a 5-km radius of the nest indicated that grasslands accounted for most of the area (90%), followed by agricultural lands (8%). Black-tailed prairie dog (</span><span class="genus-species">Cynomys ludovicianus</span><span>) colonies occupied 2.5% of the area, and single human residences with associated structures (i.e., barns) occupied <1%. The nearest source of permanent surface water >2.5 ha in surface area was 51 km from the nest. An analysis of regurgitated castings collected near the nest revealed a mammalian-dominated, breeding-season diet with black-tailed prairie dogs occurring in 80.9% of the castings. Other identified prey included cottontails (</span><span class="genus-species">Sylvilagus</span><span> spp., 15.9%), black-tailed jackrabbits (</span><span class="genus-species">Lepus californicus</span><span>, 3.2%), pronghorn (</span><span class="genus-species">Antilocapra americana</span><span>, 3.2%), and plains pocket gopher (</span><span class="genus-species">Geomys bursarius</span><span>, 1.6%). Bird remains were also present in 34.9% of the castings. This is the first reported successful nesting of Bald Eagles in the panhandle region of Texas since 1916; the nest is particularly unique because of its distance from any substantial body of water.</span></p>
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10.3398/1527-0904(2006)66[246:SNBABE]2.0.CO;2
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BioOne
Successful nesting by a Bald Eagle pair in prairie grasslands of the Texas Panhandle
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