The golden eagle, also called (Aquila Chrysaetos) is a large bird most active during the day.
Its range extends across the Holarctic region (a region that covers the Arctic and areas within the Northern Hemisphere like Europe, North America, Northern Africa, and Northern Asia).
The golden eagle is one of the largest birds in North America. When it comes to national emblems, the world.
The Golden eagle is the most popular (they are used as the national bird of Austria, Germany, Albania, Mexico, and Kazakhstan).
- Wingspan: 1.8 – 2.3 m
- Name: Golden Eagle
- Common Name(s): Golden eagle
- Scientific Name: Aquila chrysaetos
- Basic Animal Group: Bird
- Diet: Carnivore
- Lifespan: 30 years
- Weight: 7.9 to 14.5 pounds
- Size: 2.5 to 3 feet tall, with a wingspan of between 6.2 to 7.4 feet
- Habitat: Mexico via western North America down to Alaska, with rare appearances in the east, Asia, Europe, and northern Africa.
- Population: The global breeding population is 300,000
Description
Golden eagles are born with powerful talons and a strong hooked bill, mostly dark brown plumage.
Adult Golden Eagles have a shiny, golden gathering of feathers on their crown, sides of their face, and nape.
They feature dark brown eyes and long, wide wings; their tail is lighter, with a greyish-brown feather color on the bottom of their wings.
The Young golden eagles feature white patches at the base of their tail and wings.
Looking at the profile of golden eagles, you would discover that the head appears relatively small while the tail looks quite long and broad.
Their legs are covered in full length with feathers, all the way to their toes.
Golden eagles tend to be solitary birds but have often been found to move in pairs.
Habitat and Distribution
Golden eagles are found in a wide range of habitats across the Northern Hemisphere, North America, Europe, Northern Asia, and the Northern parts of Africa.
The golden eagle is more common in the western parts of the United States, but they are rarely spotted on the eastern side.
Their preference is usually that of opened or partially open habitats such as grasslands, tundra, woodlands, sparse scrublands, and coniferous forests.
Generally, Golden eagles inhabit mountainous regions up to twelve thousand feet in elevation.
They also inhabit canyonlands, cliffs, and bluffs. These giant birds nest on cliffs and rocky outcrops in grasslands, scrublands, and other similar habitats.
Some of the places that the golden eagle avoids are urban and suburban places, and they hate dense forests.
Golden eagles migrate short to medium distances. Those that breed in the far northern regions of their range migrate further southward when it is winter than those that live in lower latitudes.
When the climates are milder by winter, golden eagles are residents year-round.
Diet and Behavior
Golden eagles usually feed on mammal prey such as rabbits, hares, ground squirrels, marmots, pronghorn, coyotes, foxes, deer, mountain goats, and ibex.
The golden eagle can kill large animal prey but usually feeds on relatively small animals.
When other prey is scarce, they eat reptiles, fish, birds, or carrion.
During the breeding season, pairs of golden eagles hunt cooperatively when pursuing agile prey, such as jackrabbits.
Golden eagles are one of the most agile avian predators that can dive at impressive speeds (as much as 200 miles per hour).
Their diving is not only during prey hunting but also in territorial and courtship displays and regular flight patterns.
A golden eagle pair can maintain a territory as large as sixty square miles.
They practice a monogamous lifestyle and usually maintain their patterns for several years in most cases.
Reproduction and Offspring
Golden eagles usually construct nests from sticks, vegetation, and other materials such as bones and antlers. They line their nests with softer materials like grasses, mosses, bark, or leaves.
The Golden eagles often maintain and can reuse their nests over numerous years.
Their nests are mostly positioned on cliffs but can sometimes be built in trees, on high man-made structures, or on the ground.
The nests are large and deep; sometimes, they are as deep as 6 feet wide and 2 feet high.
The golden eagle usually lays between 1 and 3 eggs per clutch, and eggs incubate for 45 days. After they hatch, the young stay for the next 81 days.
Conservation Status of the Bald Eagle
There are massive and stable groups of golden eagles in numerous locations around the globe; thus, the species earned the status of “Least Concern.”
A bulk of the reason why they thrive is the result of conservation projects geared towards protecting both the birds and where they live.
The golden eagle has been a federally protected species since 1962, and several international groups dedicate themselves to the welfare of golden eagles and eagles in general.
Bald Eagle or Golden Eagle
Young bald eagles look very similar to golden eagles. They have a similar size with almost the same wingspan.
Also, until bald eagles are about one year of age, they maintain the same brown feathers that cover their whole bodies.
Baby bald eagles also have a mottled underbelly but do not shine like golden eagles do. However, spotting these variations in a bird in flight is hard.
A bald eagle starts to show its distinctive appearance in its area of white plumage after its first year of life.
Because of this similarity, it’s common for people who love birds to assume they’ve sighted a golden eagle when what they’ve seen is a juvenile bald eagle.
Golden Eagle Predator
Normally, healthy adult golden eagles do not have any predators; this is due to their efficient size and effective hunting skills.
On the other hand, eggs, immature eagles or chicks, and injured golden eagles are susceptible to many predators, including other birds, bears, wolves, and cougars.
