About the Program
Habitat change and growing road networks have altered food webs, making prey scarce in many areas. This is especially true each winter when Golden and Bald Eagles scavenge on the carcasses of road-killed deer, jackrabbits, and other animals. But these easy meals are not without a price. HWI’s transmitter studies alerted us that many scavenging eagles are struck by moving cars while feasting. Focusing on “hot spots” with high eagle density and areas where many strikes have been reported, we have studied this threat by measuring how many animals are killed on the road and placing cameras on carcasses to document the presence of eagles and other scavengers. We are also moving carcasses farther away from the road to increase eagle use while decreasing flushing from vehicles: a win-win for eagles!
