Review and synthesis of research investigating golden eagle electrocutions
2018
Mojica, Elizabeth K. | Dwyer, James F. | Harness, Richard E. | Williams, Gary E. | Woodbridge, Brian
Golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) electrocution on power poles is a global conservation problem with an estimated 504 eagles electrocuted annually in North America alone. Despite widespread use of mitigation techniques to retrofit existing poles and to build new poles to avian‐friendly standards, electrocution remains a leading anthropogenic cause of death for the golden eagle. To assist electric utilities, wildlife managers, and the public in understanding eagle electrocution risk, we reviewed and synthesized risk factors and mitigation techniques from published literature from 1940 to 2016. Eagles have 8 electrocution risk factors: pole design, eagle age, morphology, land cover and topography, prey availability, season, weather, and behavior. Pole configuration was the most frequently identified electrocution risk factor and electrocution incidents were most often associated with distribution level (<69 kV) equipment poles. Age was the second most frequently identified risk factor, with juvenile eagles electrocuted at approximately twice the rate of subadults or adults. Risk was also associated with large body size, high‐quality habitat, high prey density, winter dispersal, inclement weather, and intraspecific interactions. Risk modeling based on these factors may assist electric utilities and other stakeholders in identification of high‐risk poles at the regional scale. High‐risk poles need prioritization for retrofitting by electric utilities. Compensatory mitigation funding becoming available through eagle take permitting may be useful in offsetting costs to utilities. Electrocution mitigation efforts strategized by region to target high‐risk poles could result in substantial reductions of golden eagle annual mortalities. © 2018 The Wildlife Society.
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