August 25, 2020
The Golden Eagle is one of the largest, fastest, and most agile raptors in North America. They have also been spotted on our Page and Palmer Reserve!
Conservation status: Endangered
Identifying features:
- Dark brown, with lighter golden-brown plumage on their heads and necks.
- 33 to 38 inches in length and wingspan is 6 to 7.5 feet
Behaviour:
- Usually mate monogamously for life
- They can maintain territories up to 60 square miles
- They nest in high places such as cliffs, trees, or human made structures like telephone poles. Females can lay between one and four eggs, which are incubated by both parents for up to 45 days. In most cases just one to two of those chicks survive to fledge which takes approximately three months.
Interesting facts:
- They can dive at speeds of more than 150 miles per hour!
- Some golden eagles migrate while others do not. This depends on the conditions of their geographic location. Canadian and Alaskan golden eagles generally fly south in the fall, while the eagles that live in the western continental U.S. tend to stay in their ranges year-round.
