Species

Golden eagle

Aquila chrysaetos

A huge, dark eagle that winters in small numbers in the north Georgia mountains.

Photo Madeleine Claire (opens in a new tab) / iNaturalist, CC BY 4.0 (opens in a new tab)

Predation

At a glance

Size: About 70 to 84 cm long; wingspan about 1.9 to 2.3 m
Weight: About 3 to 6 kg
Habitat: Mountain forests and open ridges in winter
Diet: Rabbits, squirrels, groundhogs, deer carrion and birds
In Georgia: A rare but regular winter visitor in the mountains
Voice: Mostly silent
Rabies vector: No

Identification

Key marks: Very large; dark brown with a golden sheen on the back of the head and neck; young birds with white patches in the wings and at the base of the tail
Told apart from: Young bald eagle, which has a larger head and bill and blotchy white underneath
Told apart from: Turkey vulture, which has a small red head
Where to look: Rarely seen; over mountain ridges in winter

Behaviour

Golden eagles in the East breed in northern Canada and winter in the Appalachians, often in remote forests. Camera traps set at deer carcasses have shown they are more widespread in winter than once thought.

Why they matter

The small eastern population of golden eagles was little known until recent tracking and camera studies. They are top predators of mountain forests and a sign of large, wild landscapes.

Reproduction and lifecycle

Nest — A huge platform of sticks on cliffs, in the far north for eastern birds
Eggs — Usually two
Incubation — About 41 to 45 days
Chicks — Fed by both parents
Flight — At about ten to eleven weeks
Lifespan — Wild birds over thirty years are recorded

Living around people

Lead fragments in deer carcasses poison golden eagles that feed on them in winter.

Misconceptions

Golden eagles live only in the West. A small population winters in the eastern mountains, including Georgia.

Related species

Seasonal activity

When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.

Breeding and active nests by month for this species
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Breeding	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Active nests	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Notes	Wintering in the mountains	Wintering	Leaving	Migrating north	Nesting in Canada	Nesting	Chicks	Young flying	Migration begins	Moving south	Arriving	Wintering

Where it lives

Recorded in 42 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.

Canada

Mexico

If you found one

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