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Project Noah Nature School
Aquila chrysaetos
An extremely large (30-40 inches) raptor, the Golden Eagle is much larger than the largest North American hawk and is only marginally smaller than the Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). With its dark brown body, dull yellow legs, and yellow bill, the Golden Eagle may be difficult to separate at a distance from an immature Bald Eagle, which has these same field marks and lacks the white head and tail of adults. With a good view, however, it is possible to identify a Golden Eagle by looking for a golden wash to the back of its neck.
The Golden Eagle may be found across the northern hemisphere. In North America, this species breeds primarily in the mountain west from Alaska to central Mexico. In winter, Golden Eagles breeding in Canada and Alaska move south, while those in the Rocky Mountains move to lower altitudes. Golden Eagles were formerly more numerous in eastern North America, but have retracted their range westward in response to increasing pressure from humans
Up hiking this morning back in the hills above Lake Piru, Ca, we made a turn on one of the mountain sides and saw a very dark figure on the old tree - spotted this beauty and gave us quite a show as it took off.
Spotted on Dec 27, 2012
Submitted on Dec 27, 2012
1 Comment
love it!