In the twenty-first century, humans will determine the fate of this species and its habitat. The Golden Eagle has astonishing speed and maneuverability for its size and uses a wide variety of hunting techniques to capture prey, including soaring, still-hunting from a perch, and low contouring flight. Although capable of killing large prey such as cranes, wild ungulates, and domestic livestock, this species subsists primarily on rabbits, hares, ground squirrels, and prairie dogs. Most do not acquire a nesting territory until they are at least 4 years old, after they have molted into Definitive plumage.
Once an individual establishes a territory, it tends to stay there, defending an area of approximately 20—30 square kilometers from conspecifics. A territory may contain up to 14 nests, which a pair maintains and repairs as part of their courtship. The nesting season is prolonged, extending more than 6 months from the time eggs are laid until young reach independence. A typical Golden Eagle raises an average of only 1 young per year and up to 15 young over its lifetime.
Pairs commonly refrain from laying eggs in some years, particularly when prey is scarce. The number of young that Golden Eagles produce each year depends on a combination of weather and prey conditions. The black-tailed jackrabbit Lepus californicus is a key prey species throughout much of the range, and eagle reproductive rates fluctuate with jackrabbit population cycles. Close Watson , important North American research has provided insights about developmental behavior Ellis, D.
Development of behavior in the Golden Eagle. Close Ellis , survival rates Hunt, W. Golden Eagles in a perilous landscape: Report to the California Energy Comm. Close Hunt , Harmata, A. Close Harmata , and migration Brodeur, S. Complete migration cycle of Golden Eagles breeding in northern Quebec. Close Brodeur et al. Lead and mercury levels in Golden and Bald eagles and annual movements of Golden Eagles wintering in east central Idaho Idaho State Office, Boise: The ecology and breeding biology of the Golden Eagle in southwestern Idaho and southeastern Oregon.
NCA studies have focused on diet Beecham, Jr. Nesting ecology of the Golden Eagle in southwestern Idaho. Close Beecham , Kochert, M. Population status and chemical contamination in Golden Eagles in southwestern Idaho. Close Kochert , Steenhof, K. Dietary responses of three raptor species to changing prey densities in a natural environment. Food consumption and growth energetics of nestling Golden Eagles. Close Collopy , Collopy, M. A comparison of direct observations and collections of prey remains in determining the diet of Golden Eagles.
Close Collopy a , Collopy, M. Foraging behavior and success of Golden Eagles. Close Collopy b , parental care and feeding ecology Collopy, M. In Ethiopia's Bale Mountains , where the vegetation is more lush and the climate is clearly less arid than in Northeastern Africa, the golden eagle occupies verdant mountains. The ecozones occupied by golden eagles are roughly concurrent with those of Eurasia. In western and northern Alaska and northern Canada to the Ungava Peninsula in Quebec , the eagles occupy the Arctic fringe of North America the species does not range into the true high Arctic tundra , where open canopy gives way to dwarf-shrub heathland with cottongrass and tussock tundra.
In land-locked areas of the sub-Arctic, golden eagles are by far the largest raptor. From the Alaska Range to Washington and Oregon , it is often found in high mountains above the tree line or on bluffs and cliffs along river valleys below the tree line. In the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in the United States are plains and prairies where golden eagles are widespread, especially where there's a low human presence. Here, grassland on low rolling hills and flat plains are typical, interrupted only by cottonwood stands around river valleys and wetlands where the eagles may build their nests.
In this habitat, trees are generally absent other than junipers with vegetation being dominated by sagebrush Artemisia and other low shrub species. Although the vegetation varies a bit more, similar habitat is occupied by golden eagles in Mexico. The golden eagles here often nest in chaparral and oak woodland, oak savanna and grassland amongst low rolling hill typified by diverse vegetation.
Until , a pair of golden eagles were still known to nest in Maine but they are now believed to be absent as a breeding bird from the Eastern United States. Though they do regularly nest in the marsh-like peatland of the boreal forest, golden eagles are not generally associated with wetlands and, in fact, they can be found near some of the most arid spots on earth.
In the wintering population of Eastern United States, however, they are often associated with steep river valleys, reservoirs, and marshes in inland areas as well as estuarine marshlands, barrier islands, managed wetlands, sounds, and mouths of major river systems in coastal areas. These wetlands are attractive due to a dominance of open vegetation, large concentrations of prey, and the general absence of human disturbance.
Golden eagles usually hunt during daylight hours, but were recorded hunting from one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset during the breeding season in southwestern Idaho. Despite the dramatic ways in which they attain food and interact with raptors of their own and other species, the daily life of golden eagles is often rather uneventful. Although usually highly solitary outside of the bond between breeding pairs, exceptionally cold weather in winter may cause eagles to put their usual guard down and perch together. Most populations of golden eagles are sedentary, but the species is actually a partial migrant.
Golden eagles are very hardy species, being well adapted to cold climates, however they cannot abide declining available food sources in the northern stretches of their range. Further east, conditions are too harsh for even wintering territorial adults. The flat, relatively open landscapes in these regions hold relatively few resident breeding golden eagles. At Mount Lorette in Alberta , approximately 4, golden eagles may pass during the fall, the largest recorded migration of golden eagles on earth. Adults who bred in northeastern Hudson Bay area of Canada reached their wintering grounds, which range from central Michigan to southern Pennsylvania to northeastern Alabama , in 26 to 40 days, with arrival dates from November to early December.
In southwestern Canada, they leave their wintering grounds by 6 April to 8 May the mean being 21 April ; in southwestern Idaho, wintering birds leave from 20 March to 13 April mean of 29 March ; and in the Southwestern United States , wintering birds may depart by early March. Territoriality is believed to be the primary cause of interactions and confrontations between non-paired golden eagles.
Golden eagles maintain some of the largest known home ranges or territories of any bird species but there is much variation of home range size across the range, possibly dictated by food abundance and habitat preference.
The invader often responds by rolling over and presenting talons to the aggressor. Rarely, the two eagles will lock talons and tumble through the air; sometimes fall several revolutions and in some cases even tumble to the ground before releasing their grip. They then often engage in a similar posture with wings spread wide and oriented toward the threat; sometimes rocking back on tail and even flopping over onto the back with talons extended upward as defense.
Such behavior may be accompanied by wing slap against the threatening intruder. Golden eagles usually mate for life. A breeding pair is formed in a courtship display. This courtship includes undulating displays by both in the pair, with the male bird picking up a piece of rock or a small stick, and dropping it only to enter into a steep dive and catch it in mid-air, repeating the maneuver 3 or more times.
The female takes a clump of earth and drops and catches it in the same fashion.
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Their nesting areas are characterized by the extreme regularity of the nest spacing. Copulation normally lasts 10—20 seconds. Mating seems to occur around 40—46 days before the initial egg-laying. After the first chip is broken off of the egg, there is no activity for around 27 hours. After this period, the hatching activity accelerates and the shell is broken apart in 35 hours. The chick is completely free in 37 hours. Fledging occurs at 66 to 75 days of age in Idaho and 70 to 81 days in Scotland. The first attempted flight departure after fledging can be abrupt, with the young jumping off and using a series of short, stiff wing-beats to glide downward or being blown out of nest while wing-flapping.
In Cumbria , young golden eagles were first seen hunting large prey 59 days after fledging. Generally, breeding success seems to be greatest where prey is available in abundance. Golden eagles are fairly long-living birds in natural conditions.
♫ Golden eagle - song / call / voice / sound.
The oldest known wild golden eagle was a bird banded in Sweden which was recovered 32 years later. Natural sources of mortality are largely reported in anecdotes. On rare occasions, golden eagles have been killed by competing predators or by hunting mammalian carnivores, including the aforementioned wolverine, snow leopard, cougar, brown bear and white-tailed eagle attacks. Most competitive attacks resulting in death probably occur at the talons of other golden eagles.
Nestlings and fledglings are more likely to be killed by another predator than free-flying juveniles and adults. It has been suspected that golden eagle nests may be predated more frequently by other predators especially birds, which are often the only other large animals that can access a golden eagle nest without the assistance of man-made climbing equipment in areas where golden eagles are regularly disturbed at the nest by humans. Jeff Watson believed that common raven occasionally eats golden eagle eggs but only in situations where the parent eagles have abandoned their nesting attempt.
There is an account of a golden eagle dying from the quills of a North American porcupine Erethizon dorsatum it had attempted to hunt.
Other hawks, vultures and eagles
An attempted capture of a great blue heron by a golden eagle resulted in the death of both birds from wounds sustained in the ensuing fight. The protozoan Trichomonas sp. In December , the U. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed allowing wind-turbine electric generation companies to kill golden eagles without penalty, so long as "companies take steps to minimize the losses". If issued, the permits would last 30 years, six times the current 5-year permits. Mankind has been fascinated by the golden eagle as early as the beginning of recorded history.
Most early-recorded cultures regarded the golden eagle with reverence. It was only after the Industrial Revolution , when sport-hunting became widespread and commercial stock farming became internationally common, that humans started to widely regard golden eagles as a threat to their livelihoods. This period also brought about the firearm and industrialized poisons, which made it easy for humans to kill the evasive and powerful birds.
Although widespread and quite secure in some areas, in many parts of the range golden eagles have experienced sharp population declines and have even been extirpated from some areas. The total number of individual golden eagles from around the range is estimated to range somewhere between , and , while the estimated total number of breeding pairs ranges from 60, to , From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other uses, see Golden Eagle disambiguation.
Golden Eagle
Dietary biology of the golden eagle. Reproduction and life cycle of the golden eagle. Golden eagles in human culture. Status and conservation of the golden eagle. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Eagles, Hawks and Falcons of the World. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Raptors of the World. A Field Guide to Western Birds: Handbook of the Birds of the World. Journal of Field Ornithology. A field guide to hawks of North America.
Archived from the original PDF on 6 March Retrieved 27 December Journal of Raptor Research. Eagles of the World. Development of behaviour in the Golden Eagle. Handbook of North American birds. Accipitriformes reveals extensive paraphyly at the genus level" PDF. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. Archived from the original PDF on Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos chrysaetos ". Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos homeyeri ".
Birds of South Asia.
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Himalayan Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos daphanea ". Foundation for Ecological Security- Indian Biodiversity. Archived from the original on Embassy of Mexico in South Africa. The national seal is an image of the left profile of a Mexican eagle ; "Symbols of Mexico". Retrieved 16 September Mexico's Coat of Arms depicts a golden eagle perched on a prickly pear cactus, with a rattlesnake in its beak.
Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos kamtschatica ". Raptor monitoring program , report. Kluane National Park, YT. A guide to the birds of Nepal 2nd ed. The Birds of Israel: Distributional status of Falconiformes in west central Arizona-with notes on ecology, reproductive success and management. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management. University of Chicago Press. Proceedings of the Midwest raptor management symposium and workshop. Western Illinois University, Macomb.
Birds of the Soviet Union, Vol. Israel Programme of Scientific Translations, Jerusalem. Conservation studies on raptors. International Council for Bird Preservation. Aspects in the ecology and biodynamics of the Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos homeyeri in the arid regions of Israel. The Golden Eagle in the Grisons: