THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - On Tuesday the National Park Service announced the first discovery of a nest of golden eagle chicks in the Santa Monica Mountains in three decades.

Found in a remote area in the western Santa Monica Mountains, the discovery was the first confirmed nest in the region since the late 1980s.

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According to a statement from the NPS, the two chicks -- a 12-week-old male and a female of the same age -- were located a few weeks ago by a consultant conducting bird surveys on private property. The consultant notified park biologists and NPS biologists working with biologists from the U.S. Geological Survey and Bloom Biological Inc., confirmed the location of the next and banded the birds back in early May.

Biologists also drew blood from the birds for the purposes of genetic testing.

Golden eagles -- a cousin of the bald eagle -- are a protected species under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.

Park officials say sightings of the birds have become rare as a result of loss of habitat and hunting activity.

"Humans are the greatest threat to golden eagles," said Katy Delaney, an ecologist with Santa Monica Mountains Recreation Area, a unit of the National Park Service. "In the past they were trapped and shot throughout their range and today, they are vulnerable to habitat loss."

Like mountain lions, golden eagles are also susceptible to eating smaller animals that have ingested rat poison.

Although the young eagles have already left the nest, they will continue to rely on more experienced birds until they learn to hunt on their own -- which could be some time around the end of fall.

According to park officials, golden eagles are among 11 species of raptors -- birds that hunt and feed on other animals -- that breed in the Santa Monica Mountains. 

"This is a good thing for our mountains," said Delaney. "We not only have mountain lions here, but we have golden eagles too."

Golden eagles have historically nested throughout the Santa Monica Mountains.

City News Service contributed to this report.