Golden Eagle

-


Introduction

For the second part of the eagle double feature I am going to write about a very rare visitor to Pennsylvania the golden eagle.

 

                                                                                               Photo Credit Tony Hisgett




Golden Eagles in my Backyard

Ok, I’m going to cheat a little bit, because this sighting took place at my job not my backyard. However, since the golden eagle is so rare, and I could not believe I actually saw one I’m going to tell the tale anyway.
      I was at work walking a dog when I noticed a large bird flying towards me. At first it was too far away to tell what it was, and I thought it was a turkey or black vulture. Both of which are very common to the area. As it got closer I realized it was bigger than a turkey vulture. My next thought was it was a young bald eagle, but a noticed it was a darker brown and had no white markings. The tail on this bird was larger than the head, and it was soaring with its wings in a V shape. Soon the realization set in that I was looking at a golden eagle. The sighting was very brief. The bird flew over my head and quickly flew off into the distance. I’m estimating it was about 100 to 150 feet above me. This has got to go down as one of my favorite wildlife sighting of my life. 



Golden Eagle Fast Facts   
  • Golden eagles normally mate for life.

  • Golden eagle territories can be as large as 60 square miles.

  • The Golden eagle is protected by “The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act”

  • The average golden eagles lifespan is between 15 and 20 years.

  • The oldest golden eagle on record was at least 31 years old. This golden eagle was banded in 1980 and was found alive again in 2012. 

  • The largest golden eagle nest ever found was eight feet wide and 20 feet tall.

  • A pair of golden eagles will hunt together to capture prey. 

  • Throughout the world there are six subspecies of golden eagles.

  • The Golden eagle is the national animal of Kazakhstan, Mexico, Albania, Germany, and Austria. Making it the most common national animal in the world.

  • Many people believe the golden and bald eagle are close relatives, however this is not true. The bald eagle is a species of fish eagle, while the golden eagle is more closely related to species of hawks known as Buteos. 

Golden Eagles in Pennsylvania

The golden eagle is rare to Pennsylvania and the northeast, with only a small population living in Eastern North America. The main breeding range for these golden eagles are Northeastern Canada. Golden eagles do not breed in Pennsylvania, they only visit during winter migration. However, some golden eagles do spend the winter in Pennsylvania, mostly in the Kittatinny Ridge and Allegheny Front areas of the state. Most of the time these wintering eagles also remain out of sight. “I was just lucky enough to see one do a fly by!”

Size and Wingspan

The average size of a golden eagle is 3 feet, with a wing span of 7 feet. Female golden eagles weigh more than males at 11lbs. The male golden eagles weighs an average of 7.9 lbs.

 

                                                                                                    Photo Credit Michel Royon


Nesting


Golden eagles mainly build their nests on cliffs. Nests can also be found on the ground, in trees, or in manmade structures like nesting platforms, observation towers, and windmills.
A golden eagle nest is mainly created from vegetation and sticks. Some nests may include less common material like antlers, bones, fence posts, and wires. The nest is lined with soft material like moss, leaves, bark, lichen, and grass. Materials are added to the nest year round. The average nest is five to six feet wide, and two feet high. The golden eagle pair will build several different nests in their territory. These nests are used alternately for several years at a time.
Golden eagles normally lay two eggs, however on some occasions one or three eggs are laid. A golden eagle egg is white with brown spots. Egg incubation is done by both parent eagles.  The eggs will hatch between 41and 45 days, and the young eaglets will begin to fly 60 to 70 days after hatching. 

Diet

A golden eagle hunts by soaring high above the ground or flying low over mountain slopes. The golden eagle will also watch for prey from high branches.
The main prey species for golden eagles are rabbits, marmots, prairie dogs, and squirrels. Golden eagles are also able to kill larger prey like deer, cranes, swans, and domestic livestock. There are ever observations of golden eagles killing bobcats, coyotes, bighorn sheep, and seals.
Golden eagles will also eat carrion, and steal food from other birds. A golden eagle will even follow species of scavenger birds to locate carrion.

 


                                                                                             Photo Credit J. Glover
  Habitat


Golden eagles can mainly be found in high mountain areas. Other golden eagle habitats include prairies, deserts, foothills, and open countries. During the golden eagles winter migrations to Pennsylvania they often stay in rugged remote Appalachians forest terrain. 

DDT Effect on Golden Eagles

Unlike the bald eagle the golden eagle was able to escape the DDT epidemic. The main reason for the golden eagles success during this time was due to its main prey species being small grass eating mammals. DDT mainly effect species of birds whose main diet was fish.

How to Tell the Different Between the Bald and Golden Eagle?

Telling the different between adult golden and bald eagles is easy, however telling the differences between juveniles of the species can be difficult. One differences between the two is the juvenile bald eagle has speckled white patterns across the wings. The head of the bald eagle is also the same size as the tail. When soaring the bald eagle keeps its wings straight.
The immature golden eagle has white patches at the middle of their wings. The head of a golden eagle is also smaller than the tail. When soaring the gold eagle will hold its wings in a slight V shape.

 

   Photo Credit Juan Lacruz  

                                                 Conclusion


The golden eagle is one of the most power and amazing bird’s native to the United States. I feel very lucky to have seen on in person. Join me next time as we explore wildlife in my backyard and other nature topics.

References and Additional Resources  

Cornell University. (2015). Golden Eagle. Retrieved from https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Golden_Eagle/lifehistory
Hay, A. (2018). How Golden and Bald Eagles are Different. Retrieved from https://centerofthewest.org/2016/06/20/golden-bald-eagles-different/
National Audubon Society. (N.D.). Golden Eagle. Retrieved from
http://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/golden-eagle
National Geographic Society. (20015). Golden Eagle. Retrieved from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/g/golden-eagle/
PA game commission. (2018). Eagles & Osprey Wildlife Note. Retrieved from http://www.pgc.pa.gov/Education/WildlifeNotesIndex/Pages/EaglesOsprey.aspx

 Photo Credit


Juan Lacruz - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18145560

J. Glover (AUTiger). Foundation Projects. - en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=81854

Martin Mecnarowski (http://www.photomecan.eu/) - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12686118

Michel Royon / Wikimedia Commons
CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3093184

Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18249270



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

April Fools Post Cookie Monster’s Path of Destruction.

-
Image
  Introduction This week’s post is an April fools post. The subject matter has no relevance to nature or animals. This week I am going to write about a question that has haunted me for years and years. The question is how much damage did Cookie Monster do in the episode Big Bird’s Birthday? Like most children when I was a child I watched Sesame Street. The episode Big Bird’s Birthday aired on March 15, 1991 and became a favorite of mine as a child. The main reason I enjoyed it was because Cookie Monster wants to eat Big Birds cake, while mostly everyone else on Sesame street is ice skating. However, he knows he cannot eat Big Birds cake, so he eats many other items on Sesame Street instead. So, today I am finally going to answer the question that has bothered me for years, how much damage did Cookie Monster do?                                             ...
Read more

Corn Snake

-
Image
Introduction This week I wanted to write about one of my favorite animals to work with at the nature center the corn snake.                                                                                                  Houdini  Photo Credit Matt Bell Corn Snakes in my Backyard Unfortunately, I have had very little sighting of corn snakes in my backyard. The reason for this is they are not native to PA. However, I did have one sighting in the early 2000s! Sometimes on warm spring and summer nights I will take a night walk around the creek in my front yard, just to see what I can find. One night I saw a small corn snake at the edge of the small forest in my front yard. The snake retreated...
Read more

Wildlife in My Backyard Introductory Blog

-
Image
                                                     Introduction. Hello my name is Matthew Bell. Welcome to my blog! I write about the different plant and animal life I have encountered around my home and during my travels. I will also write about different topics which includes: pets, ecosystems, creation science, and strange natural phenomenon. I currently hold a B.S. in Environmental Science, and have focused studied in Biology. Why I Started This Blog? I decided to start this blog because I love writing, and learning about the different animal and plant life in our world. So, I thought it would be fun to start documenting the animal and plant life that lives around my home. I hoped this will increase my knowledge of the wildlife in my area, and anyone who reads this blog. My Life Story. I was born in Fort Wayne Indiana on N...
Read more