Nests in trees are as good as or better than cliffs for two formerly persecuted, primarily cliff nesting eagles in Spain: a cautionary tale in defining the habitat of range-restricted or threatened species

This dataset contains long-term monitoring data of breeding territories of Bonelli’s Eagle (Aquila fasciata) and Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) in the Betic mountain ranges (southern Spain) collected between 1980 and 2020.Data include territory identity, annual occupancy, nesting substrate, reproductive performance, and spatial coordinates. Monitoring was conducted using standardized field protocols across decades, providing one of the longest continuous datasets available for large raptors in Europe.The dataset supports analyses presented in: Nests in trees are as good as or better than cliffs for two formerly persecuted, primarily cliff nesting eagles in Spain: a cautionary tale in defining the habitat of range-restricted or threatened speciesCoordinates may be spatially adjusted to prevent disturbance of sensitive breeding sites.Users are encouraged to contact the authors prior to reuse to ensure correct interpretation of long-term monitoring protocols.