January 24, 2018, Wiley
Despite efforts to retrofit power
poles and to build new poles to avian-friendly standards, electrocution remains
a substantial cause of death for the golden eagle. The global conservation
problem results in an estimated 504 eagles electrocuted annually in North
America alone. A new Journal of Wildlife Management article examines
the risk factors and mitigation techniques from literature published from
1940-2016 and provides new strategies by region to target high-risk poles that
could substantially reduce the mortalities.
The authors note eight
electrocution risk factors,
with pole configuration as the most frequently identified. Age was the second
most frequently identified risk factor, with juvenile eagles electrocuted at
approximately twice the rate of subadults or adults.
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