Golden Eagle

About the golden eagle

The golden eagle is a bird of prey found across the Northern Hemisphere and is the most widely distributed species of eagle in the world. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae, and it ranks among the best-known birds of prey anywhere in its range. Adults are dark brown overall, with lighter golden-brown plumage on the nape that gives the species its name; immature birds typically carry white patches on the tail and often on the wings as well. The golden eagle is part of a broader group known as "booted eagles," defined by feathering that extends down over the tarsus, unlike the bare legs seen in many other accipitrids.

Golden eagles hunt using a combination of agility, speed, and powerful feet tipped with large, sharp talons, taking prey that is mainly hares, rabbits, marmots, and other ground squirrels. They maintain home ranges or territories that can span as much as 200 km² (77 sq mi), and they build large nests on cliffs and other elevated sites, often returning to the same nest across multiple breeding years. Six extant subspecies are recognized, differing modestly in size and plumage along a broadly clinal pattern rather than sharp regional boundaries; some recent genetic work has proposed collapsing these into just two lineages, Aquila chrysaetos chrysaetos and A. c. canadensis. The nominate European subspecies is the palest and a medium size, with males weighing 2.8 to 4.6 kg (6.2 to 10.1 lb) on average and females 3.8 to 6.7 kg (8.4 to 14.8 lb), while the North American subspecies, A. c. canadensis, occupies the species' entire range across Alaska, western Canada, the western United States, and Mexico, with males averaging 3.48 kg (7.7 lb) and females 4.91 kg (10.8 lb). The largest subspecies on average, the Asian or Himalayan golden eagle, ranges from central Kazakhstan and eastern Iran across to Manchuria, central China, and the Himalayas.

Once widespread across the Holarctic, the golden eagle has disappeared from many places now heavily settled by humans, yet it remains present across sizeable stretches of Eurasia, North America, and parts of North Africa. It is the largest and least numerous of the five true accipitrid species that breed in both the Palearctic and the Nearctic. For centuries the species has held a prized place in falconry, and it carries deep mystic significance in a number of ancient and tribal cultures because of its hunting prowess. It is also among the most extensively studied raptors in the world in certain parts of its range, particularly the western United States and the western Palearctic.

Behavior and diet

Most breeding activity in golden eagles takes place in spring. The species is monogamous, and pairs may stay together for several years or, in some cases, for life, returning to nests built on cliffs and other high places across multiple seasons. Females lay up to four eggs and incubate them for about six weeks. Typically only one or two chicks survive to fledge, which happens at around three months of age. Juveniles reach full independence in the fall, after which they wander widely before settling into a territory of their own, a process that generally takes four to five years.

Golden eagles hunt with a mix of speed, agility, and strong feet armed with large, sharp talons, and their diet centers on hares, rabbits, marmots, and other ground squirrels. Their home ranges can reach roughly 200 km² (77 sq mi). For centuries the species has held a prized place in falconry, and it is among the most extensively studied raptors in the world in certain parts of its range, particularly the western United States and the western Palearctic.

Range and habitat

The golden eagle is the most widely distributed eagle species on Earth, present across large portions of the Northern Hemisphere. Its six subspecies collectively span nearly all of Europe, including the British Isles and Scandinavia; Eastern Europe from Estonia to Romania and the Balkans; European Russia east to around the Yenisei River; the Iberian Peninsula, Crete, and a narrow strip of North Africa from Morocco to Tunisia; an isolated population in Ethiopia's Bale Mountains; much of Asia Minor, the Middle East, the Arabian Peninsula, the Caucasus, and Iran; a broad swath of Central and East Asia from Kazakhstan to Manchuria and along the Himalayas; northern Japan and parts of Korea; and, in North America, most of Alaska, western Canada, the western United States, and south to central Mexico. It is absent as a breeding species from the eastern United States, east of a line running roughly from North Dakota through westernmost Nebraska and Oklahoma to West Texas.

Despite this broad range, the golden eagle has disappeared from many areas now densely populated by humans. It nonetheless remains present across sizeable stretches of Eurasia, North America, and parts of North Africa.

Conservation status

The golden eagle is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. While the species has been extirpated from or become uncommon in parts of its historical range — particularly regions with dense human populations — it remains widespread overall, occupying large stretches of Eurasia, North America, and parts of North Africa, and it is not currently considered at elevated risk of extinction across its range as a whole.