Golden Eagle

Description:

Juvenile golden eagles have a darker brown color than the adults, with a large band of white on the tail ending in a black strip. The upper wing feathers can also be white sometimes. The amount of white on the juveniles will decrease as the bird ages, by the time it reaches five years old it will have the adult plumage. Adults are brown with a golden colored head and neck. An adult will have a body length from 26-39 inches and a wingspan from 5.9-7.7 feet. Males weigh in at about 9 pounds while females weigh about 14 pounds. The golden eagle is fast, agile, and very powerful. This is obvious by their selection of prey. They can capture ground squirrels, rabbits, foxes, cats, mountain goats and young deer. It has been recorded that they can kill a fully grown roe deer. The European and Asian subspecies are used to hunt and kill wolves.

Habitat:

Golden eagles haves territories up to 60 square miles. A pair will stay together for many years or for life. They nest in trees, cliffs and sometimes telephone poles, which they will return to for many years. One to four eggs are laid at once, usually one or two will survive to leave the nest in three months.

Notes:

This particular bird was found as a juvenile and was thought to be injured. It was taken to FACT at CSUB to be cared for and rereleased at a later date. She has been a resident for 10? years and has been released several times without success. Her name is Holly and remains a permanent resident.