Wyoming golden eagle study considers diet, reproduction in relation to land use

CODY — Golden eagle breeding numbers and nest success rates declined across the eastern edge of the Yellowstone ecosystem in 2011, a trend that researchers believe may be linked to a drop in the rabbit population.

The latest findings mark the third year of an ongoing study looking at habitat quality across a swath of the greater Yellowstone ecosystem and how golden eagles are responding to changes in land use.

Chuck Preston, a research biologist specializing in raptor ecology, said his team has monitored golden eagles during the nesting season, focusing on nesting ecology and how it relates to landscape.

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