Press release – Four years after a satellite transmitter was placed on a female Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), the specimen was seen again in Sierra de Cucurpe three miles from Ceritto Blanco, Sonora. Experts identified that the bird had established its nesting grounds in the area and that it is currently of reproductive age.

The biologist, Luis Felipe Lozano Roman, a Representative of the Program of Action for the conservation of the Golden Eagle and the National Commission for Natural Protected Areas (CONANP), said that little information about the species in Mexico exists. The joint work of CONANP, the State of Sonora’s Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Hydraulic Resources, Fisheries and Aquaculture, BirdLife International, CEMEX, Arizona Fish and Game Department, and Pronatura Noroeste has increased knowledge about the biology and distribution of this species in the northwest of our country.

Lozano Román pointed out that thanks to the information the radar has provided for the past four years, the specimen’s movements have been studied and documented. “We saw them disperse a lot, explore their surroundings, but the most remarkable thing was that after four years of movement in the region, this specimen returned to its birth territory close to its parents.”

The experts were able to observe that the tagged Eagle found a partner and set to nesting. “Knowing that the eagle we tagged is nesting is a marvelous thing, because it indicates that the territory has been kept in good condition. The awareness and sensitivity of our inhabitants has allowed the conservation of this ecosystem,” said Flor Torres Gonzalez, Project Manager for Pronatura Noroeste.

Torres González reported that while the team was in the area, they saw the tagged female and identified a male conducting territorial flights, a behavior characteristic of the breeding period. In addition, they could hear a chick presumed to be the result of the breeding of this pair of golden eagles. As a result, the person responsible for this project said that a community technician is permanently available to continue the program and monitoring of the eagles. 

For his part, the ecologist Cesar de Leon Nuñez from the Wildlife Directorate of SAGARHPA in Sonora said it is a source of pride and has been a great experience for the state to know there is a species so representative of Mexico in the site. In addition, he highlighted that the collaboration of the secretariat in conservation programs with various partner institutions allows for the sharing of this knowledge with the community and ranchers in the state as a way to eradicate certain myths about eagles that have led to them being attacked by ranchers. 

Since 2012, there has a Program of Action for biodiversity conservation in the area, thanks to collaboration between CEMEX, BirdLife, and Pronatura Noroeste. Andrea Cuellar Brito, Coordinator of the Bird Conservation Program for this organization, said that the territory in which this specimen established itself will be included in the conservation strategy and that the actions to protect the eagle and it prey, for which the community and different sectors will be included, will continue.

Jesus Lamberto Barredez Esquer, Director of Operations for the Yaqui Plant of CEMEX México, affirmed that contributing to increasing knowledge for the conservation of priority species, like the golden eagle, is a fundamental part of the Biodiversity Plans of Action developed by CEMEX, as is promoting synergy and alliances between businesses, conservation organizations, and government to create a better future for our planet.

“This is a satisfying and important achievement,” said Lozano Roman. “An incentive to continue working together with the allies and increase efforts. Using this type of technology will allow us to know how the eagles move, to detect where the nesting sites are and how they do or do not affect some projects in the area, to care for and preserve this species.”