The diet of young Golden Eagles Aquila chrysaetos in Corsica:: Foraging in a manmade mammal fauna

The diet of young Golden Eagles Aquila chrysaetos in Corsica (Western Mediterranean) has been studied by identifying remains and pellets collected at nests after fledging from 1991 to 1996. Ten mammalian species, 17 birds and two reptiles have been identified, of which snakes, Bovidae (mostly Feral Goat Capra hircus), Wild Boar Sus scrofa and Corvidae made up to 61%. The Golden Eagles diet was 'generalist', which was reflected both by a high coefficient of standardised diet breadth and by the coefficient of similarity being higher than in other areas in the Mediterranean where its diet has been studied. It appears an adaptation to a local prey spectrum which does not include at least one abundant prey species.