Recovery of a Historically Persecuted Population of Nesting Golden Eagles in the Trans-Pecos Region of West Texas, USA

Map of Golden Eagle nests in the Trans-Pecos region of Texas, USA, occupied in 1980 (n = 13; large gray points) and 2016 (n = 63; small black points). Background map shows topography, state and country borders (dark gray lines), rivers (light gray lines), cities (small gray points), and state and national parks (gray shading). Inset shows the location of the study area (black box) in the contiguous USA.

Total number of desert cottontail rabbits (Sylvilagus audubonii) and black-tailed jack rabbits (Lepus californicus) per route per year from roadside surveys in the Trans-Pecos region of Texas, USA, 1977–2019. Plot shows the rolling mean of the year and previous year (solid black line), annual counts (light gray line), and the years of aerial Golden Eagle surveys in 1980 and 2016 (vertical dashed lines).