Arizonaβs bald eagle population is thriving beyond biologistsβ expectations β setting several breeding-season productivity records this year, state wildlife officials said.
Productivity records broken in 2015 include the number of breeding areas, eggs laid, successful breeding attempts, young hatched and nestlings fledged.
βBald eagles in Arizona continue to surprise us and surpass all expectations for the population,β said Kenneth Jacobson, bald eagle management coordinator with the Arizona Game & Fish Department. βGiven that these birds depend on waterways to live, itβs amazing that they have flourished and grown in Arizonaβs limited habitat from only 11 pairs in 1978 when the species was listed as endangered to 59 adult breeding pairs this year.β
Bald eagles in Arizona were removed from the federal endangered species list in 2011.
At least 89 bald eagle eggs were laid this year, an increase of 16, and a record 76 breeding areas were identified, including eight new areas, department officials said. For the first time, the number of nestlings that fledged exceeded 60, with 66 young birds making it to the milestone of their first flight. The previous fledging record was 58.
βIt has been an upward trajectory for bald eagles since the species was on the endangered species list β and since taking it off the list, it has continued that trajectory,β said Lynda Lambert, a spokeswoman for the Game & Fish Department.
She said the success is a result of efforts by the Southwestern Bald Eagle Management Committee, a coalition including the department and 25 other government agencies, private organizations and Indian tribes.
In Arizona, most bald eagles nest in trees and on cliffs within a mile of water.
They can be found along the Agua Fria, Bill Williams, Gila, Salt and Verde rivers and in the White Mountains, Mogollon Rim and northeastern Arizona β but not usually in the Tucson area, according to Game & Fish officials.
