Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program: Arizona
Education, Research and Technical Assistance for Managing Our Natural Resources

Goal: To investigate genetic isolation of the Sonoran Desert Bald Eagle (BAEA) population in Arizona. This research will provide genetic information to an ongoing debate over whether or not the Sonoran Desert BAEA should be managed as a distinct population, separately from all other BAEA populations in North America. In the first phase of the study, we will use established genetic markers to investigate genetic diversity within the Sonoran Desert BAEA population. In the second phase, we will investigate gene flow between the Sonoran Desert BAEA population and surrounding populations of BAEA.