Long-distance Movement of a Rescued Juvenile Golden Eagle after Release into the Wild

Abstract

A radio-tagged Japanese Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos japonica) released in northern Honshu (Japan) after rescue and rehabilitation by humans was tracked. This individual was a female fledgling rescued due to emaciation in Ohno Village, Iwate Prefecture on 30 June 2002, and was released in its natal site on 8 August after rehabilitation in a nursing facility. Tracking was made almost everyday. The location of the individual was estimated by triangulation from two or more points, and confirmed visually when possible. After the release, the eagle stayed near the release point until 15 August, and moved to a mountainous area 8.1km west of the release point. On 21 August, it moved north for 2.1km, and the next day it disappeared with the departure in a northerly direction. The individual was recaptured at Fukaura Town, Aomori Prefecture, 152km from the release point on 8 October 2002. It flushed by itself when it was released soon after the recapture, but was found in a carcass near the second release point on 11 November. These tracks show the first case of long-distance movement of the Japanese Golden Eagle, suggesting that juvenile eagles are distant dispersers.