Characteristics of Bald Eagle Communal Roosts in the Klamath Basin, Oregon and California
Keister GP and Anthony RG. 1983. Characteristics of Bald Eagle Communal Roosts in the Klamath Basin, Oregon and California. The Journal of Wildlife Management. 47(4):1072-1079
The relationship between bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) and their winter habitat was examined at 5 communal roosts in the Klamath Basin of southern Oregon and northern California. Bald eagle communal roosts were in forest stands with old (mean age of roost trees = 236 years), open-structured trees closest to the feeding areas. Mean characteristics of forest stands at the 5 roosts were: density, 53.1 trees/ha; dbh, 54.3 cm; height, 26.4 m; percent spikes and snags, 7.2. Roost trees were generally larger and more open in structure than surrounding stand characteristics (dbh, 69.6 cm; height, 28.2 m; percent spikes and snags used, 15.6). Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) occurred in only 1 roost and was used for roosting in a much greater proportion than it occurred. The remaining 4 roosts were nearly single species stands of ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa). Management guidelines are suggested to maintain suitable wintering roost habitat for bald eagles.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Keister, George; Anthony, Robert
- Units
- KLMN , LABE
- Keywords
- Abundance (Biodiversity), Animal Studies, Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), Distribution (Biodiversity), forest demography, forest stand, Klamath Basin OR CA, Presence (Biodiversity), Roosts, Taxa Links To References, Winter