Ice fishing by wintering Bald Eagles in Arizona

Abstract

Northern Arizona winters vary within and between years with occasional heavy snows (up to 0.6 m) and extreme cold (overnight lows -18 to -29°C) interspersed with dry periods, mild temperatures (daytime highs reaching 10°C), and general loss of snow cover at all but highest elevations. Lakes in the area may freeze and thaw partially or totally several times during a winter. The freezing and thawing of 1000-ha, 2-m deep Mormon Lake, 34 km south of Flagstaff, Arizona, during the winter of 1994-95 set the stage for the unusual Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) ice fishing behaviors we describe.

Citation

Grubb, Teryl G.; Lopez, Roy G. 1997. Ice fishing by wintering Bald Eagles in Arizona. Wilson Bulletin 109 (3) 546-548