The golden eagle's scientific name is Aquila chrysaetos. An adult golden eagle is brown, with golden feathers on the back of its head and neck. A golden eagle's wings spread about two meters (6.5 feet) from tip to tip. A female golden eagle weighs roughly 4 to 6 kilograms (about 9 to 13 pounds), and a male weighs less.

Golden eagles live across North America, Europe, Asia and northern Africa. Golden eagles live in open country such as mountains, plains and foothills. Golden eagles live throughout most of Alaska as far north as the Brooks Range.

Golden eagles have sharp eyesight, and they can see much better than a person can. Golden eagles see in color and can spot movement from a long distance. They see extremely well in daylight but no better than people at night.

A golden eagle hunts by soaring high, by flying low over slopes, or by watching from a high perch. When a golden eagle spots food, it makes a sharp, fast dive. Golden eagles use sharp talons to snatch up their food. Golden eagles often hunt in pairs, with one bird driving the food toward its partner.

Golden eagles eat mostly small mammals such as rabbits, hares and marmots, and they eat birds, reptiles and fish less often. If live food is scarce, golden eagles also eat carrion, which is an animal already dead.

Golden eagles fly with slow, powerful wingbeats alternated with gliding and soaring. A golden eagle soars with its long, broad wings held flat. They use mountain ridges to ride thermal updrafts that sweep up from the valleys and deserts below.

Scientists track golden eagles with GPS transmitters: one migration study used locations the tags recorded every 15 minutes. In a GPS study, spring migrant golden eagles traveled on average 139.75 km a day and 25.59 km an hour. Autumn migrants traveled 99.14 km a day and 22.18 km an hour. Northern golden eagles move south late in fall and return north early in spring. Golden eagles tend to migrate at midday, along north-south cliff lines, ridges and escarpments, and in the East they funnel south along narrow Appalachian ridges.

A golden eagle pair stays together, often for life. Golden eagles usually build their nests on cliff ledges, and sometimes in large trees. Each year golden eagles add more sticks to their nest, so it gets bigger and bigger. Golden eagle nests can be built from ground level up to about 107 meters off the ground.

Golden eagles breed once a year. A golden eagle pair usually has two eggs in a nest. The eggs take about 40 to 45 days to hatch. A golden eagle sits over its newly hatched chicks, which is called brooding. It keeps them warm when it is cool and shades them when it is hot. Baby golden eagles are called eaglets. Young golden eagles leave the nest at about 10 weeks to three months old.

Park biologists in Denali National Park monitor golden eagle nesting success with two annual aerial surveys from a small helicopter. Golden eagles are likely to abandon nests during incubation if they are disturbed.

In 1962 golden eagles became protected by United States federal law. Alongside bald eagles, golden eagles are protected by three federal laws. As of November 2026, golden eagles are listed as Least Concern overall, but they are declining in some places, including parts of the United States. As of November 2026, in other areas golden eagles are common and populations are presumably stable.

A golden eagle gets its full adult feathers at about age five and does not breed until it is four to seven years old. As of November 2026, golden eagles in the wild live about 30 years on average, and San Diego Zoo says up to 38 years. As of November 2026, golden eagles in human care have lived 46 years or more: Animal Diversity Web names 46 years as the oldest known, and San Diego Zoo says up to 50.

Words to know

• transmitters: signal tags
• thermal: rising warm air
• brooding: sitting over
• escarpments: steep slopes
• incubation: warming eggs