Golden Eagle
(Aquila chrysaetos)
Quick Facts
- Life Span: 30 years in the wild; one Golden Eagle lived to be 50 years in captivity
- Weight: Females can be 7 – 14 pounds; males 6 – 9 pounds.
- Wingspan: 6 – 7 feet
- Activity: Diurnal
- Native Geographic Region: Occurs throughout North America, but more common in the west. Also distributed throughout northern Eurasia and is patchily distributed in North Africa.
- Habitat: Open mountains, foothills, plains, open country. Requires open terrain. In the north and west, found over tundra, prairie, rangeland, or desert. Very wide-ranging in winter but more restricted to areas with good nest sites in summer. In forested eastern North America, often hunts over marshes or along rivers.
- Relatives: Hawks and Eagles
- Conservation Status: Least concern, but is a part of the SSP (Species Survival Plan)