Elicited Territorial Responses of Northern Bald Eagles Near Active Nests

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Abstract
Territorial behavior of nesting northern bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus alascanus) to eagle decoys was studied on the Chippewa National Forest in northcentral Minnesota [USA] in 1979 and 1980. Mounted, live, and papier-mache adult bald eagle decoys were used to elicit responses near 16 active bald eagle nests. Similar reactions of circling and calling by both sexes were elicited by all decoy types. Response distances from nests averaged 0.56 .+-. 0.18 (N = 4), 0.55 .+-. 0.17 (N = 4), and 0.72 .+-. 0.21 km (N = 2) for incubation, early brooding, and late brooding, respectively. There was no significant difference (P > 0.1) between periods. The average response distance was 0.59 .+-. 0.26 km for all periods. Territory boundaries appeared relatively stable from year to year. Eagles responded to decoys at a greater distance (0.67 .+-. 0.18 km, N = 7) when water was between the decoy and the nest than when land intervened (0.40 .+-. 0.03 km, N = 3) (P < 0.01).

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