Field Guide/Birds/Aquila chrysaetos

The Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) is one of the best known birds of prey in the Northern Hemisphere. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae.

There are five subspecies of the Golden Eagle:

• Eurasian Golden Eagle (A. c. chrysaetos)
• American Golden Eagle (A. c. canadensis)
• Spanish Golden Eagle (A. c. homeryi)
• Japanese Golden Eagle (A. c. japonica)
• Russian Berkut (A. c. daphanea)

Distribution

At one time the Golden Eagle lived in temperate Europe, North Asia, North America, North Africa and Japan. In most areas this bird is now a mountain-dweller, but in former centuries it also bred in the plains and the forests.

There was a great decline in Central Europe, and the Golden Eagle is now restricted to the Alps. In Britain, there are about 500 birds left in the Scottish highlands. In North America the situation is not as dramatic, but there has been a noticeable decline as well.

In Central Asia, Golden Eagles sometimes are trained for falconry, and in Kazakhstan there are still hunters using these eagles in order to catch deer and antelopes.

Efforts are being made to re-introduce the species in Ireland, where they had been extinct since the early 20th Century. 35 birds have been released into the wild since 2001.

Reproduction

A pair of Golden Eagles remains together for life. They build several eyries within their territory and use them alternately for several years. The nest consists of heavy tree branches, upholstered with grass.

Old eyries may be 2 metres in diameter and 1 metre in height, as the eagles enlarge their nests every year. If the eyrie is situated on a tree, supporting tree branches may break because of the weight of the nest.

The female lays two eggs between January and May (depending on the area). After 45 days the young hatch. They are entirely white and are fed for fifty days before they are able to make their first flight attempts and eat on their own. In most cases only the older chick, which takes most of the food, survives, while the younger one dies before leaving the eyrie.

Physical Characteristics

Adult Golden Eagles have an average length of 75-85 cm (30-34"), a wingspan of 175-200 cm (70-80"), and a weight of 3 to 5 kg. As in all birds of prey, the females are generally slightly larger than the males.

Food

Golden Eagles often have a division of labour while hunting: one partner drives the prey to its waiting partner. Their prey includes marmots, hares and mice, and sometimes birds, martens, foxes and young deer. Large mammals like chamois or adult deer can only be taken if they are wounded or sick. In the US, Golden Eagles often take lambs as prey, providing a significant source of mortality and earning the enmity of sheep ranchers.

Gallery

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  The hunting Burgut - Golden Eagle - of Eastern Turkestan (1870s)

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  Illustration of Golden Eagle, by Louis Agassiz Fuertes, 1897

• Goldie.JPG

External links

• Live Eagle camera
• Photo Hunting with Golden Eagles