Behavioral Development of Young Golden Eagles at a Hack Site: A Comparison to Wild Eaglets
THESIS ABSTRACTS
BEHAVIORAL DEVELOPMENT OF YOUNG GOLDEN EAGLES AT A HACK SITE: A COMPARISON TO WILD EAGLETS
A project was begun in 1981 to establish a breeding population of Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) inthe southern Appalachians by hacking captive produced young near the Shining Rock Wilderness Area in Haywood County, North Carolina. The study attempted to determine behavioral differences between wild and hacked eaglets. Performance levels of 35 "key" behaviors were quantified and entered into an electronic data recorder, allowing data to be analyzed by computer. Behavioral performance levels of hacked eaglets were statistically compared to wild eaglets (Ellis 1973) by t-Tests. Some behavioral differences seem to be due to the effect of hacking (e.g., lower bout numbers for postures and higher Flap and Spread-hold performances), while other differenceseem to be caused by abnormal physica! development (e.g., slow transition from Lie to Stand and higher performance levels of Preening). Alternate hacking methods and uses of behaviors as indicators of proper development are discussed.
Roberts, Dan Allan, 1985. M.Sc. Thesis (under the direction of Dr. Richard D. Brown), Department of Biology, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 28216.
