Crowned eagles rarely prey on livestock in central Argentina: persecution is not justified

SARASOLA, J.H.; SANTILLAN, M.A.; GALMES, M.A.

Endangered Species Research

Inter-Research

Lugar: Oldendorf/Luhe, Germany; Año: 2010 vol. 11 p. 207 - 213

1863-5407

Raptors have been reported to prey on livestock causing considerable conflicts between birds of prey and local human communities. Previous studies have documented that human persecution is the most important threat to the endangered Crowned Eagle (Harpyhaliaetus coronatus) in central Argentina, due to a local belief that Crowned Eagles heavily and consistently prey on livestock. However, there are no empirical data supporting this assertion. Such information is crucial to evaluating possible measures to mitigate this human-wildlife conflict. We evaluated the feeding ecology of the Crowned Eagle in semiarid habitats of central Argentina during the breeding seasons of 2002 to 2009. We aim to evaluate whether eagles are responsible for livestock predation and to examine spatial-temporal variation in Crowned Eagles food habits. We identified 598 prey items consisting almost entirely of native prey: mammals 67.7%, reptiles 16.2%, birds 3.3 % , fish 2.5%, and invertebrates 16.9%. We only recorded one (0.17%) livestock prey remain belonging to a domestic goat (Capra hircus). Occurrences of the four main prey groups were not affected by habitat type or season. However, reptiles were recorded in higher numbers in sites were the diet of eagles was addressed by direct observation and video recording. Contrary to other human-predator conflicts worldwide, and assuming that the single livestock prey was not scavenged, our results show that Crowned Eagles rarely predate on livestock. We advocate reducing human-wildlife conflicts by implementing management and conservation measures and by educating  local communities about the ecological role of the Crowned Eagle and other predators.