Golden eagles are continuing their steady recovery in a Guanajuato reserve, which is proving to offer ample conditions for feathered romance.
In 2022, the handful of golden eagles in the Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve recorded a 75% reproduction rate, according to the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (Conanp).
That marks an improvement on the 50% reproduction rate recorded from 2019 through 2020. For each of those years, only two pairings of golden eagles were observed in the reserve, while one eaglet was seen leaving a nest each year.
More encouraging signs came in 2021, when a further two pairings were sighted. This year, at the beginning of the mating season, four municipalities in Guanajuato were visited by researchers. They observed courting, nest rebuilding and nesting in three of the municipalities.
In two areas there were two eaglets recorded per nest, and one eaglet per nest recorded in another area.
The bird species were first registered in the reserve in 2016 and have been monitored since 2018. Since monitoring began, nine eaglets have been born in the reserve.
The reserve is the center of biodiversity in Guanajuato, with 1,451 plant species, 498 invertebrate species, nine fish species, 56 reptile species, 226 bird species and 66 mammal species. 95 of the species in the reserve are included on the Environment Ministry endangered list, the news site AF Medios reported.
The Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve spans parts of Guanajuato, Hidalgo, San Luis Potosí and Querétaro.
With reports from AF Medios
