Approximately 300,000 indviduals, worldwide (BirdLife International 2016)
About 200,000 mature individuals
Very large
European population: 9,000-12,000 pairs
Not many baseline studies of golden eagle populations in western U.S. (Good et al. 2007)
Population in southern California showed declines after significant urbanization (Bittner and Oakley 1998)
Estimates of U.S. populations in prime golden eagle habitat in eastern Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, Colorado, northern New Mexico and Arizona, western North and South Dakota (but not Alaska or California) (Good et al. 2007):
Transects flown in low-elevation sagebrush to grassland basins to high elevation coniferous forests and meadows
27,392 individuals recorded over 1,959,548 sq km (756,586 sq mi) area
Military - owned lands, urban areas, Department of Energy lands, large water bodies all excluded
Total North American population estimated:
50,000 (Snow 1973)
70,000 (Palmer 1988)
Great Britain (2003): 442 pairs recorded (Eaton et al. 2007)
Conservation Status
IUCN Status
Least Concern (2016 assessment) (BirdLife International 2016)
Large Asian and North American populations justify this status; populations in European countries have seen great declines
1970s: Utility companies learn to modify powerlines to prevent eagle electrocution; some new lines built to these standards. (Kochert et al. 2002)
1972: Use of poisons prohibited on public lands in U.S.
1972. Migratory Bird Treat originally passed in U.S. in 1918 amended to include eagles, hawk, owls, and corvids. (Millar 2002)
Prohibits taking, killing, possession, transportation, and importation of migratory birds, their eggs, parts, and nests except as authorized with a valid permit.
1980s: In the U.S. (Tesky 1994)
Pronounced declines in coastal southern California populations
Species of special concern in Washington and Montana
Population presumably stable in other western states
Recognized as endangered in Maine, New Hampshire, New York
1991: U.S. federal ban on lead shot in wetlands or for waterfowl; 26 states have additional regulations (Avery & Watson 2009)
Several Scandinavian countries have the complete bans for lead shot for all hunting
