Protecting Scavenging Eagles from Vehicle Strikes

Habitat change and growing road networks have altered food webs, making prey scarce in many areas. This is especially true each winter when Golden and Bald Eagles, mountain lions, and others scavenge on the carcasses of road-killed deer, jackrabbits, and other animals. But these easy meals are not without a price. HWI’s transmitter studies alerted us that many scavenging animals, such as eagles, are themselves struck by moving cars while feasting.

Focusing on “hot spots” with high eagle density and areas where many strikes have been reported, we have studied this threat for 5 years by measuring how many animals are killed on the road and placing cameras on carcasses to document the presence of eagles and other scavengers. Join us as we share more about what we’ve learned and how we think this threat can be reduced to better protect eagles and other animals that depend on roadkill for survival.