Golden Eagle Facts

This article validates critical golden eagle facts. The Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) is a large sized bird of prey that largely inhabits in the Northern Hemisphere. Golden eagles breed all throughout North America, Africa and Eurasia. They are extensively found in the Alameda County, California. Like other raptors, these eagles are also aggressive especially toward the one who attempts to approach their nests.

Golden eagle is the national bird of Kazakhstan, Germany Austria, Mexico, and Albania. Few of these countries have golden eagle coins in which the golden eagle pictures are embedded. These eagles do have some cultural significance in that most of the Native Americans give a high value to the golden eagle feathers because of their own spiritual association with these species.

Golden eagle occupies a range of about 155 sq. km (60 sq. miles).
These types of eagles build their nests on lofty trees, high cliffs, or sometimes on human structure such as electricity poles.
These species are accustomed to leave their huge nests and come back after quite a lot of years of breeding.
These golden eagles exhibit dark brown plumage. The length of these birds of prey is around 66 – 100 cm (26 – 39 inches).
They have a wingspan of 1.8 – 2.34 cm (5.9 – 7.7 feet).
As in other raptors, females are greater in size as compared to males. The females weigh around 6.35 kg (14.0 lb), while males are 4.05 kg (8.9 lb) heavier. The maximum weight of females was recorded to be at 6.8 kg (15 lb), and the minimum weight observed at 2.5 kg (5.5 lb) in males and 3.25 kg (7.2 lb) in females.
Under captivity, these golden eagles have a wingspan of about 2.81 metres (9.2 feet), coupled with a weight of 12.1 kg (27 lb).

Golden Eagle Habitat

Most people aren’t actually aware of where do golden eagles live. These birds of prey primarily reside in North America, North Asia, Japan, Africa and Europe. Golden eagle facts about its habitat show that they usually breed in the lowland forests of Denmark and Sweden. In Carpathian Mountains and Alps, the population of these species has been considerably reduced due to various reasons. Excessive hunting is one of them. However, they have not been as negatively affected in North America as in Europe. Deforestation and habitat destruction are few of the major threats that these birds face.

What Do Golden Eagles Eat?

Golden eagle is by far one of the most commanding birds of prey; its powerful talons coupled with its exceptional vision make him stand out in the avian classification. The prey when caught by these birds cannot even think about getting rid of those strong talons. A rough estimate is that golden eagles hunt down more than 200 different types of mammals. The regular preys weigh around 0.5 – 4 kg (1.1 – 8.8 lb), and it rarely grasps prey of 5 – 7 kg (8.8 – 15 lb).

These dominating birds hunt down preys like rabbits, hares, rats, ground squirrels, foxes, deer, mountain goats, ibex, reptiles, ducks, swans, gulls, western capercaillie, rock ptarmigan, loporids, sciurids, praire dogs, marmots, mountain hare, rodents, mice, antelope goats, grouse sheep, snakes, and brown bear cubs. They are also known to kill birds such as gallinaceous birds, phasianids, and Eurasian jays. These species often hunt large preys including Buteo Hawks, Falcons, Skuas, and Northern Goashawks.

Golden Eagle Facts about its Reproduction

They are the monogamous birds in that they have mates for lifetime. Golden eagles are aggressive and strong territorial birds.
The females lay 2 – 4 brown spotted eggs and both parents incubate (keeping warm) those eggs.
The chicks fledge out after 60 – 90 days.
The breeding period lasts for two months that is January and September.
The hatching period lasts for 40 – 45 days.