Golden eagle: Difference between revisions

Golden Eagle
	File:GoldenEagle1.jpg
Conservation status
	Least Concern
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Falconiformes
Family:	Accipitridae
Genus:	Aquila
Species:	A. chrysaetos
Binomial name
	Aquila chrysaetos; Linnaeus, 1758
	File:Aquila chrysaetos dis(Aiger).PNG
	World distribution of the golden eagle; Light green = Nesting area ; Blue = Wintering area ; Dark green = All year distribution

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Revision as of 12:14, 1 June 2007

The Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) is one of the best known birds of prey in the Northern Hemisphere. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. Golden Eagles are renowned for their striking appearance and combination of power with agility in flight.

Subspecies

There are six subspecies of Golden Eagle that differ slightly in size and plumage. They can be found in different parts of the world:

A. c. chrysaetos: Eurasia except Iberian peninsula, east to western Siberia.
A. c. canadensis: North America.
A. c. homeryi: Iberian peninsula and North Africa, east to Turkey and Iran.
A. c. japonica: Japan and Korea.
A. c. daphanea: From southern Kazakhstan east to Manchuria and south-west China including northern India and Pakistan.
A. c. kamtschatica: Eastern Siberia, from the Altay to the Kamchatka Peninsula.

Distribution

File:GoldenEagle2.jpg

Adult in flight

At one time, the Golden Eagle lived in temperate Europe, North Asia, North America, North Africa and Japan. In most areas this bird is now a mountain-dweller, but in former centuries it also bred in the plains and the forests. In recent years it has started to breed in lowland areas again (Sweden, Denmark).

There was a great decline in Central Europe, and the Golden Eagle is now restricted to the higher central Appennine regions of Italy (the regional capital of Abruzzo is named after the Latin/Italian word for eagle, L'Aquila), and the Alps. In Britain, there are about 420 pairs left in the Scottish highlands, and between 1969 and 2004 they bred in the English Lake District. In North America the situation is not as dramatic, but there has still been a noticeable decline. Golden Eagles can often be seen soaring above mountains in Scotland.

In Ireland, where it had been extinct since 1912, efforts are being made to re-introduce the species. Forty-six birds have been released into the wild in Glenveagh National Park, County Donegal, from 2001 to 2006, with at least three known female fatalities since then. It is intended to release a total of sixty birds, to ensure a viable population. [1]

In April 2007 a pair of golden eagles have produced the first chick to be hatched in the Republic of Ireland in nearly a century after the species was hunted to extinction in the country. The project's previous attempts to help the birds breed, at the Glenveagh National Park in the wilds of County Donegal, have failed.[2]

Reproduction

File:GoldenEagle3.jpg

Swooping down to land

A pair of Golden Eagles remains together for life. They build several eyries within their territory and use them alternately for several years. The nest consists of heavy tree branches, upholstered with grass.

Old eyries may be 2 metres (6.6 ft) in diameter and 1 metre (3.3 ft) in height, as the eagles enlarge their nests every year. If the eyrie is situated on a tree, supporting tree branches may break because of the weight of the nest.

The female lays two eggs between January and May (depending on the area). After 45 days the young hatch. They are entirely white and are fed for fifty days before they are able to make their first flight attempts and eat on their own. In most cases only the older chick, which takes most of the food, survives, while the younger one dies without leaving the eyrie.

Physical characteristics

Adult Golden Eagles range widely in size across their range. The largest races comprise the largest eagles of the genus Aquila. Length may vary from 66 to 100 cm (26-40 in), wingspan can range from 150 to 240 cm (59-95 in), and weight is from 2.5 to 7 kg (5.5-15.4 lb). As in all birds of prey, the females are generally slightly larger than the males. The largest golden eagle on record was a female caught in Spain, which measured 103 cm (41 in) in length and weighed in an excess of 9 kg (20 lb). She also held the record for the tallest Golden eagle, standing 66 cm (26 inches)^{[citation needed]}. The largest North American Golden Eagle was captured for research in Grand Teton National Park in 2006, with a weight of 8.4 kg (18.5lb). She was caught by researchers Bryan Bedrosian and Tom Rogers working for Beringia South in Kelly, WY. She was determined to be healthy and released.

The plumage colours range from black-brown to dark brown, with a striking golden-buff crown and nape, which give the bird its name. The juveniles resemble the adults, but have a duller more mottled appearance. Also they have a white-banded tail and a white patch at the carpal joint, that gradually disappear with every moult until full adult plumage is reached in the fifth year.

Hunting

Golden Eagles often have a division of labour while hunting: one partner drives the prey to its waiting partner. They have very good eyesight and can spot prey from a long distance. The talons are used for killing and carrying the prey, the beak is used only for eating. The talons of a Golden Eagle are thought to be more powerful than the hand and arm strength of any human being. Their prey includes marmots, hares and mice, and sometimes birds, martens, foxes, young deer livestock including lambs and kids. During winter months when prey is scarce, Golden Eagles scavenge on carrion to supplement their diet.

Falconry

Golden Eagles can be trained for falconry.^[1] In Kyrgyzstan Golden Eagles are still used to hunt.^[2]

Heraldry

The Golden Eagle is featured in the national coat of arms of Mexico, Germany, Egypt and many other countries

Citations

External links

Gallery

American subspecies
Illustration of a Burkut of Eastern Turkestan (1870s)
Golden eagle in a zoo, Germany
Audubon's illustration

[1] Eagle Falconer

[2] Kyrgyzstan

[1]

[2]

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 There was a great decline in [[Central Europe]], and the Golden Eagle is now restricted to the higher central Appennine regions of Italy (the regional capital of [[Abruzzo]] is named after the Latin/Italian word for eagle, [[L'Aquila]]), and the [[Alps]]. In [[UK|Britain]], there are about 420 pairs left in the [[Scottish highlands]], and between [[1969]] and [[2004]] they bred in the English [[Lake District]]. In [[North America]] the situation is not as dramatic, but there has still been a noticeable decline. Golden Eagles can often be seen soaring above mountains in Scotland.
-In [[Ireland]], where it had been extinct since 1912, efforts are being made to re-introduce the species. Forty-six birds have been released into the wild in [[Glenveagh National Park]], [[County Donegal]], from 2001 to 2006, with at least three known female fatalities since then. It is intended to release a total of sixty birds, to ensure a viable population. In May 2007 the first wild Golden Eagle chick hatched - the first one do to so in Ireland in almost a century. [http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0530/eagles.html?rss]
+In [[Ireland]], where it had been extinct since 1912, efforts are being made to re-introduce the species. Forty-six birds have been released into the wild in [[Glenveagh National Park]], [[County Donegal]], from 2001 to 2006, with at least three known female fatalities since then. It is intended to release a total of sixty birds, to ensure a viable population. [http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0530/eagles.html?rss]
 In April [[2007]] a pair of golden eagles have produced the first chick to be hatched in the Republic of Ireland in nearly a century after the species was hunted to extinction in the country. The project's previous attempts to help the birds breed, at the [[Glenveagh National Park]] in the wilds of [[County Donegal]], have failed.[http://uk.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUKL3064643920070530?src=053107_1245_DOUBLEFEATURE_snapshots&pageNumber=1]