The bald eagle breeding population in Arizona continues to grow, as breeding pairs expand into new habitats and utilizing new nesting substrates. In 1978, there were only 11 known bald eagle territories in Arizona. After decades of conservation efforts, the state’s breeding population grew to 48 breeding pairs by 2007, when the bald eagle was delisted from the Endangered Species Act.
Conservation efforts to maintain a stable or increasing bald eagle population in Arizona have continued. By 2019 the bald eagle population reached 74 breeding pairs, with many eagles expanding into new areas, including the Colorado River, high elevation lakes, and even urban environments in the greater Phoenix area. With increased density of breeding territories and limited nesting substrate, a pair of bald eagles was finally documented to be nesting on a saguaro cactus during the 2020 breeding season. The pair successfully raised one nestling. This success is a testament to bald eagle recovery efforts in Arizona as the species has not been documented using a saguaro for nesting since 1937.
By the Numbers:
A record 70 nestlings fledged in 2018, compared to the 42 nestlings that fledged at the time of delisting in 2007.
The bald eagle productivity rates have increased to 0.95 fledglings per occupied breeding area in 2010; this productivity rate is up from 0.89 in the 2000s and 0.72 in the 1990s.