BIRDS OF NORTH AND MIDDLE AMERICA 455 



feathers of breast, etc., white beneath surface, and feathers of tarsi 

 paler (sometimes whitish). NestHng entu-ely white. 



Nidification. — Nest usually on cliffs, sometimes on trees, very 

 bulky, composed of sticks, Hned with softer material. Eggs (2-3) 

 oval or round ovate, whitish, more or less speckled, spotted or clouded 

 with brown and purplish gray (rarely immaculate). 



Range. — Northern Hemisphere, breeding in boreal and mountainous 

 regions. (Several species ; only one in North America, none in tropical 

 America.) 



Type. — Aquila chrysaetos (Linnaeus). 



AQUILA CHRYSAETOS CANADENSIS (Linnaeus) 



American Golden Eagle 



Adult (sexes alike). — General plumage dark brownish, dark bister 

 to clove brown to deep fuscous, generally darkest on the lower surface, 

 under wing coverts, interscapulars, scapulars, primaries, back, and 

 rump; lesser and median upper wing coverts, upper and under tail 

 coverts, tarsi (feathered to the toes) and tibiae usually paler, sepia 

 to Saccardo's umber; the lanceolate feathers of the hind crown, 

 occiput, and nape pale fulvous at tip, subterminally much v/ashed 

 with russet to hazel, with black shafts, and basally broadly dark 

 fuscous; secondaries, especially the inner ones, olive-brown to sepia 

 to Saccardo's umber, basally whitish, more or less mottled with olive- 

 brownish; fourth or fifth primary the longest, third and fourth inter- 

 mediate between fifth and skth, second intermediate between sixth 

 and seventh, first intermediate between eighth and ninth; tail dark 

 fuscous to fuscous-blackish, paling basally to olive-brown or sepia 

 and with two to four irregular, obsolete zigzag narrow bands of ashy 

 pale umber, these bands usually most ashy on the lateral rectrices 

 and most brownish on the median ones; some of the feathers of the 

 upper surface of the body white basally, the white bases sometimes 

 showing on the upper back; iris clear light hazel to dark brown; 

 cere and gape pale grayish yellow to wax yellow; bill blackish to bluish 

 slate-black color, toes grayish yellow to deep chi'ome yellow; claw 

 black. 



Immature (sexes alike). — Similar to the adult, but with the feathers 

 of the underparts, as well as those of the upperparts, basally white, 

 which color shows through occasionally; the feathers of the breast 

 more or less edged with tawny; the tail with much white basally; the 

 remiges also with whitish mixed with brown basally, this chiefly 

 confined to the secondaries. 



There seem to be at least two successive immature plumages, the 

 later one (that is, subadult) with less white on the tail, wings, and 

 bases of the body feathers, than the earher one. The immature 



