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Golden Eagle
(Aquila chrysaetos)
: "European Golden Eagle" (race "chrysaetos");
"Asian Golden Eagle", Himalayan Golden Eagle", "Berkut" (race "daphanea");
"Japanese Golden Eagle" (race "japonica");
"American Golden Eagle" (race "canadensis");
"Siberian Golden Eagle", "Kamchatka Golden Eagle" (race "kamtschatica")
 German name(s): "Steinadler"
Size: 80-93 cm; wing span 1.9-2.25 m (European races)
Weight: 2.8-4.6 kg (male); 3.8-6.7 kg (female)
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Physical description |
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 Click here for a physical description
Golden Eagles are large eagles.
The sexes are alike, although females are both larger and heavier
than males.
In adults
the entire front is dark-brown, except the undertail coverts,
which are grey. The legs are covered with dark-brown feathers.
Golden Eagles have a pale supercilium and the sides of
the head have reddish-brown streaking, which becomes denser
towards the hindneck and cap. The rest of the back is dark-brown,
with greyish edge-lining on the upperwing coverts, giving the
upperwings a scalloped appearance. The tail is sparsely barred
grey and dark-grey.
The underwings have reddish-brown to dark-brown coverts and
grey flight feathers, with dark-grey tips.
The irises are yellow, while the bill has a yellow base, a
grey middle and a dark-grey hooked tip.
The feet are yellow with black talons.
Juveniles
have a white inner tail with a broad black terminal band and
white panels on both underwing and upperwing. These panels
become smaller over the course of 5 years until they disappear
in adult
plumage.
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Taxonomy, classification |
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See Golden
Eagle at Wikipedia  .
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Range, habitat, finding this species |
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Click here for information on habitat
and range
The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and
specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found,
based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to
ebird.org
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The global distribution of the Golden Eagle is available
HERE
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The Golden Eagle is a partly sedentary, partly migratory
species.
There are 6 extant races (for details see a field guide).
Their overall range extends across all continents of the
northern hemisphere.
They are present in most of North America, except in a
wide swathe around the Gulf of Mexico and not above the
latitude of the Arctic circle. The North American population
is partly sedentary, partly migratory.
Apart from small areas in northern Africa, the Middle East
and Arabia, Golden Eagles are found in parts of Europe and
through most of Asia. With some exceptions (mostly arid
zones and the near-coastal fringe of China) they are present
anywhere northward of the latitude of the Himalaysas to the
polar circle. Even at the highest geographic latitudes,
Eurasian Golden Eagles are resident.
In Europe two races of Golden Eagles are present.
Nominate race "chrysaetos" is found in Scotland (and small
areas in north-western England), most of Scandinavia, the
South of France, the Alps, the Apeninne mountains in Italy,
large parts of south-eastern Europe (in particular the
Balkans and the High Tatras) and in large parts of eastern
Europe, basically eastward of the eastern border of Poland,
into European Russia. In some areas (parts of Sweden,
Bielorussia and Latvia) they overwinter, whereas everywhere
else they are resident.
Race
"homeyeri" populates the Iberian peninsula and Crete,
but is not found elsewhere in Europe.
Golden Eagles have a preference for rugged, mountainous terrain,
large contiguous areas of forest or a combination of both.
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Sightings |
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Click here for sighting information
Race "homeyeri"
J. Pires reports finding a
Golden Eagle, race "homeyeri",
near Mora, Evora, Portugal, in August 2013.
All sighting and photographic information presented on this
page has kindly been contributed by J. Pires.
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Photos |
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Race "homeyeri"
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IMMATURE/JUVENILE |
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Near-lateral/ventral view of a soaring young
(first-immature?) Golden Eagle in flight
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Near Mora, Evora, Portugal, August 2013]
Ventral view of a young
(first-immature?) Golden Eagle in flight
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Near Mora, Evora, Portugal, August 2013]
Near-dorsal/ventral view of a young
(first-immature?) Golden Eagle in flight
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Near Mora, Evora, Portugal, August 2013]
Dorsal/ventral view of a young
(first-immature?) Golden Eagle in flight
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Near Mora, Evora, Portugal, August 2013]
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Food, Diet |
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Carcass of a sheep left behind by the Golden Eagle shown
above and a mob of
Griffon Vultures and
Eurasian Black Vultures
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Near Mora, Evora, Portugal, August 2013]
These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our
contributors.
The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species
please refer to a field guide.
Breeding
Nest
Eggs
Behaviour
Call/s
