Golden Eagle

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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. Once distributed across North America, Europe and Asia, it has disappeared from many of the more heavily populated areas. It has a wingspan averaging over 2 m (7 ft) and up to 1m (3 ft) in body length.

[edit] Taxonomy

The Golden Eagle is one of twelve species of large eagles in the genus Aquila found worldwide. The latest research indicates it forms a worldwide superspecies with Verreaux's Eagle, Gurney's Eagle and the Wedge-tailed Eagle.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Subspecies

There are six living subspecies of Golden Eagle that differ slightly in size and plumage. They can be found in different parts of the world:

• A. c. chrysaetos: Eurasia except Iberian peninsula, east to western Siberia.
• A. c. canadensis: North America.
• A. c. daphanea: From southern Kazakhstan east to Manchuria and south-west China including northern India and Pakistan.
• A. c. homeryi: Iberian peninsula and North Africa, east to Turkey and Iran.
• A. c. japonica: Japan and Korea.
• A. c. kamtschatica: Eastern Siberia, from the Altay to the Kamchatka Peninsula.

The Middle Pleistocene Golden Eagles of France have been described as a paleosubspecies Aquila chrysaetos bonifacti, and those of the Late Pleistocene of Liko Cave (Crete) as Aquila chrysaetos simurgh.

[edit] Description

Adult Golden Eagles range widely in size across their range. The largest races comprise the largest eagles of the genus Aquila. Length may vary from 66 to 100 cm (26-40 in), wingspan can range from 150 to 240 cm (59-95 in), and weight is from 2.5 to 7 kg (5.5-15.4 lb).

The plumage colours range from black-brown to dark brown, with a striking golden-buff crown and nape, which give the bird its name. The juveniles resemble the adults, but have a duller more mottled appearance. Also they have a white-banded tail and a white patch at the carpal joint, that gradually disappear with every moult until full adult plumage is reached in the fifth year.

[edit] 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. In recent years it has started to breed in lowland areas again (Sweden, Denmark).

There was a great decline in Central Europe, and the Golden Eagle is now restricted to the Appennine regions of Italy and the Alps. In Britain, there are about 420 pairs left in the Scottish highlands, and between 1969 and 2004 they bred in the English Lake District. In North America the situation is not as dramatic, but there has still been a noticeable decline. Golden Eagles can often be seen soaring above mountains in Scotland.

In Ireland, where it had been extinct due to hunting since 1912, efforts are being made to re-introduce the species. Forty-six birds were released into the wild in Glenveagh National Park, County Donegal, from 2001 to 2006, with at least three known female fatalities since then. It is intended to release a total of sixty birds, to ensure a viable population. [1]

In April 2007, a pair of Golden Eagles produced the first chick to be hatched in the Republic of Ireland in nearly a century. The previous attempt to help the birds breed, at the Glenveagh National Park, failed. [2]

[edit] Behaviour

[edit] 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 (6.6 ft) in diameter and 1 metre (3.3 ft) 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 without leaving the eyrie.

[edit] Hunting

Golden Eagles often have a division of labour while hunting: one partner drives the prey to its waiting partner. They have very good eyesight and can spot prey from a long distance. The talons are used for killing and carrying the prey, the beak is used only for eating.Their prey includes marmots, hares and mice, and sometimes birds, martens, foxes, young deer, and livestock including lambs and young goats. During winter months when prey is scarce, Golden Eagles scavenge on carrion to supplement their diet.

[edit] Falconry

Golden Eagles can be trained for falconry.^[1] In Kyrgyzstan Golden Eagles are still used to hunt foxes and wolves.^[2] Foxes are killed outright by the eagles, but due to their size and strength wolves are usually held down so the falconer himself can finish the kill.^[3]

[edit] Heraldry

Main article: Eagle (heraldry)

The Golden Eagle is featured in the national coat of arms of, Egypt, Mexico and many other countries

[edit] Religion

The eagle is a sacred bird in some cultures and the feathers of the eagle are central to many religious and spiritual customs, especially amongst Native Americans in the United States and First Nations in Canada, as well as among many of the peoples of Meso-America. Some Native American peoples revere eagles as sacred religious objects and the feathers and parts of Bald and Golden Eagles feathers are often worn on Native American headdresses and have been compared to the Bible and crucifix. Eagle feathers are often used in various ceremonies and are used to honor noteworthy achievements and qualities such as exceptional leadership and bravery. Current United States eagle feather law, 50 CFR 22, stipulates that only individuals of certifiable Native American ancestry enrolled in a federally recognized tribe are legally authorized to obtain eagle feathers for religious or spiritual use. ^[4,5,6,7,8]

[edit] References

1. Eagle Falconer [3]

2. Kyrgyzstan [4]

3. Gordon, Seton (1955). The Golden Eagle: King of Birds. New York: Citadel Press, 33. [5]

4. Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act 16 U.S.C. 668a-d (1962) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seton_Gordon

5. Office of Law Enforcement. National Eagle Repository. Mountain-Prairie Region. United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Retrieved on 2007-11-20.

6. Title 50 Part 22 Code of Federal Regulations

7. US Fish and Wildlife Service. 2001. Native American Activities: Migratory Bird Feathers. Retrieved November 21, 2007 from: http://library.fws.gov/Pubs2/nativeamerican01.pdf

8. U.S. v. Thirty Eight Golden Eagles (1986)

[edit] Further reading

• BirdLife International (2004). Aquila chrysaetos. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 2006-05-12. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
• Cramp, S. and Simmons, KEL(eds) (1980) The Birds of the Western Palearctic Vol. II, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-854099-X

[edit] External links

• Pictures of Golden Eagles
• Cornell Lab of Ornithology - Species Account
• Golden Eagle Information and Photos
• Nature Conservancy's Birds of Prey: Golden Eagle
• Golden Eagle InfoCenter
• ARKive - images and movies of the golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos)
• Access to Eagles and Eagle Parts: Environmental Protection v. Native American Free Exercise of Religion
• Photos Hunting with Golden Eagles
• RSPB A to Z of UK Birds
• AQUILALP.NET - Monitoring Golden Eagles in the Eastern Alps
• Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) at www.pauldfrost.co.uk/
• Current Research on Golden Eagles
• Picture of Golden Eagle chick in nest
• Picture sequences of Golden Eagles
• Stamps
• Golden Eagle videos on the Internet Bird Collection
• Golden Eagle information

[edit] Gallery

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