Golden Eagle
Order: Falconiformes
Family: Accipitridae
Genus: Aquila
Species: chrysaetos
**Golden Eagle Audio Coming Soon**
Description
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Length: 30"
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Wing span: 79"
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Weight: 10.5 lb (4,575 grams)
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Adults are brown all over with a golden shine on the head
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Large hooked bill and lesg are feathered to the feet
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Wings are held at a slight dihedral when soaring
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Sexes are silimar in plumage with females being larger
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Juveniles resemble the adult form with the exception of a white patch on the underside of each wing and a white patch on the base of the tail. The white wing patches vary among individuals with some lacking the white patches alltogether
Factoids:
- Although capable of killing large prey such as cranes, wild ungulates, and domestic livestock, the Golden Eagle subsists primarily on rabbits, hares, ground squirrels, and prairie dogs
- Found throughout the Northern Hemisphere, the Golden Eagle is common in western North America, but rare in the East
- The Golden Eagle is the national emblem of Mexico
- The Rough-legged Hawk, the Ferruginous Hawk, and the Golden Eagle are the only American hawks to have legs feathered all the way to the feet
About the Photos: (click on link to see this information)
All photographs and audio clips are ©Jamie Mullin 2006
Sources: Cornell Lab of Ornithology & The Sibley Guide to Birds.
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