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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



GOLDEN EAGLE 



(Aquila chrysaetos canadensis) 



The golden eagle, one of the most pow- 

 erful of American birds of prey and a keen 

 and courageous huntsman, is principally an 

 inhabitant of wild and unfrequented areas. 

 From its great expanse of wing it is read- 

 ily identified. The bald eagle in immature 

 dress is the only bird with which it might 

 be confused, but as these two ordinarily 

 range in different types of country, there 

 is little opportunity to mistake them. 



The golden eagle has feathers extend- 

 ing clear to the toes, but in the bald eagle 

 the lower part of the leg is covered with 

 hard scales. This difiference serves to dis- 

 tinguish the two in any plumage. 



Where prairie dogs are present in large 

 numbers, these are favored food ; a pair 

 of eagles will destroy several hundred in 

 the course of a season. At times they turn 

 to sharp-tailed grouse when these are 

 abundant, proving a scourge to the flocks. 

 Jack rabbits, cottontails, marmots, and 

 ground squirrels are killed in large num- 

 bers. In winter, when other food is 

 scarce, they may come to dead carcasses, 

 being sometimes hard put in severe 

 weather when the meat is frozen, even 

 with the great strength that they possess 

 in bill and feet. 



They also attack lambs and fawns on 

 occasion, and E. S. Cameron records that 

 three golden eagles working together pulled 

 down and killed a pronghorn antelope dur- 

 ing severe winter weather when other food 

 was scarce. They will kill and eat coyotes 

 caught in traps, and will also steal the bait 

 when wolf traps are baited with meat. 

 Snakes and wild ducks, and an occasional 

 goose, also may figure in their diet. 



Birds and jack rabbits usually are partly 

 plucked before being eaten, but most small 

 mammals are swallowed — skin, hair, and 

 all. These eagles kill many rattlesnakes, 

 being said to feint at them until they 

 uncoil, when the reptiles may be seized 

 without danger. 



The lifting powers of this bird have been 

 exaggerated, since it has been claimed that 

 the golden eagle was capable of carrying 

 prey weighing 15 or 20 pounds. Reports 

 from reliable observers, however, indicate 

 a weight of eight pounds as about the 

 maximum which they can carry. When 

 larger prey is killed, it is necessary to eat 

 it on the ground. In the case of geese 

 when they fall in water, the eagle is said to 



tow them to land. Frequent reports that 

 these birds have attempted to carry off 

 children are, so far as the experience of 

 naturalists goes, without basis. However, 

 it is interesting to note that these stories 

 are prevalent through the extensive range 

 occupied by golden eagles in both Old and 

 New Worlds. 



During most of the year golden eagles 

 are undemonstrative, but in the nesting 

 season they call in shrill, high-pitched 

 tones, and the male often tumbles in the 

 air somewhat like the male marsh hawk. 

 This is accomplished from a high eleva- 

 tion by suddenly closing the wings and 

 dropping headfirst toward the earth, 

 checking the fall just before reaching the 

 ground ; then rising again to repeat the 

 performance. 



The nest is placed on the ledge of a cliff 

 or is built in a tree. Often it is a large 

 structure, as the birds may use the same 

 site year after year and add to the nest 

 each season. It is built of sticks and limbs, 

 usually with a lining of some softer mate- 

 rial, and often is decorated with twigs of 

 green pine. Bendire describes one, from 

 notes made by Denis Gale in Colorado, 

 which was 7 feet high by 6 feet wide, and 

 was said to contain at least two cartloads 

 of material. 



Two, or rarely three, eggs are laid, these 

 varying from dull white to pale cream 

 color, with blotches and spots of brown, 

 pearl gray, and lavender. Where there 

 are two eggs in the set, one is usually a 

 little larger than the other. Some believe 

 that the two young constitute a pair, 

 though I know of no certain proof that 

 this holds true. 



A TRUE AVIAN ARISTOCRAT 



Either from its size or demeanor, the 

 golden eagle gives an impression of intelli- 

 gence distinctly above that of other birds 

 of prey. As one of our finest forms of 

 wild life, it is to be hoped that the huge 

 bird may hold a place in our fauna for 

 many years. 



The golden eagle breeds from northern 

 Alaska and Mackenzie to northern Baja 

 California and central Mexico, and in 

 winter is found south to northern Florida 

 and southern Texas. It formerly nested 

 east of the Mississippi River, and possibly 

 may still do so in North Carolina and Ten- 

 nessee. Closely allied forms occur in the 

 Eastern Hemisphere. 



