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Platte River Status: A rare nesting species and winter resident in the western half of the study area. Tout (1947) considered golden eagle a rare migrant and winter resident in Lincoln County. Rosche (1979) considered this species a winter resident in the lower North Platte River Valley, present 3 October to 3 June.

Breeding Range: Restricted during the nesting season to the Sandhills and adjacent reaches of the Platte River Valley in Cherry, Deuel, Keith and Lincoln Counties.

Breeding Population: We failed to record golden eagle on our random census plots in 1979-1980. We believe that the breeding population is made up of about 25 pairs annually.

Habitat: Nests are typically located on cliffs or on buttes overlooking native grasslands. Both of the nests we located were placed in lone cottonwood trees in a vast expanse of Sandhills prairie. Stewart (1975) described golden eagle as a wide-ranging edge species occurring in rugged portions of the North Dakota badlands and on adjoining expanses of native prairie.

Effect of Habitat Alteration: Destruction of native grasslands has produced a negative impact on this species through reducing the availability of nest sites and lowering the suitability of areas to support a prey population.

Nesting Data: Our nest records include a female incubating 2 eggs in Sec. 2, T. 16 N. - R. 34 W., Lincoln County on 27 March 1979, and a nest in Sec. 10, T. 17 N. - R. 41 W., Garden County on 16 June 1979. The Nebraska Museum of Natural History has a specimen (ZM 10877) of a nestling golden eagle found in a fallen nest beneath the nest tree near Oshkosh, Garden County, 8 June 1965. Stewart (1975) stated that egg dates in North Dakota extend from 29 April to 14 May.