Table 3. — Food items found near 9 golden-eagle nests in Colorado and Wyoming, I94S 



give the ultimate answer to the eco- 

 nomic considerations involved. The 

 simple fact that rabbits and/or 

 squirrels are considered desirable 

 game species in some areas and in 

 other localities pests, pointedly sets 

 forth the complexity of the prob- 

 lem. In the West, where the golden 

 eagle is resident, rabbits and ro- 

 dents often are considered economic 

 liabilities; consequently, the pres- 

 sure exerted on their populations by 

 the golden eagle is favorable to live- 

 stock, game, and forest manage- 

 ment. 



Rabbits were not abundant on 

 the two study areas established in 

 northern Colorado during the 

 spring and summer of 1947. On 

 September 3 and 4, 1947, during 

 a 60-mile automobile census on botli 

 areas, one cottontail but no live 

 jackrabbits were observed. The 

 fact that the only jackrabbit seen 

 was being eaten by two eagles may 

 be indicative of food preference de- 

 spite the relative scarcity of rabbits 

 at the time. 



Corroborating this apparent 

 preference of the golden eagle for 

 rabbits was the fiiuliiiir at a nest on 



one of the study areas of the re- 

 mains of 60 rabbits as compared 

 with 28 prairie dogs, even though 

 there was a colony of prairie dogs 

 within 500 yards of the nest site. 

 The fact that during the first part 

 of the period, when young were 

 present in another nest, cottontail 

 rabbits predominated as food and 

 later more jackrabbit remains were 

 found there, may be indicative of 

 varying food selectivity^ as the 

 young eagles m a t u r e. Couey 

 (1944) in Montana and others else- 

 where have made similar observa- 

 tions. 



Since manimalian predators had 

 been drastically controlled in the 

 Colorado study areas, tlie influence 

 of eagles on the rabbit population 

 ma}' have been substantial. Evi- 

 dence indicated that the eagles had 

 to hunt the rabbits they captured, 

 and that the rabbits taken were 

 "seed stock" and not part of a sur- 

 plus population crowded out into a 

 precarious, marginal existence. 



DesjDite the frequency with which 

 the golden eagle preys on rabbits 

 and rodents there are few refer- 

 ences in the literature describing 



14 



