Golden Eagle

The Golden Eagle is one of the best known birds of victim in the Northern Hemisphere. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. Once general across the Holarctic, it has disappeared from many of the more greatly populated areas. It has a wingspan averaging over 2 m (7 ft) and up to 1 m (3 ft) in body length.

Adult Golden Eagles range generally in size across their range. The largest subspecies are among the largest eagles of the type 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 with many Falconiformes, females are noticeably larger than males, in the case of the Golden Eagle they weigh one-fourth to one-third again as much as male birds.

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 upper wings also have an uneven lighter area. Adolescent birds resemble adults, but have a duller more mottled exterior. Also they have a white-banded tail and a white scrap at the carpal joint, that regularly disappear with every moult until full adult plumage is reached in the fifth year.