Golden Eagles
One of the only two Eagle to breed in North America, the majestic golden eagle once provided the feathers for the warbonnets of the Plian Indians.
Size
Length of about 3 feet . Weighing up to 15 pounds , with a wing span of up to 7 feet.
Eating habits
Groundhogs, marmots, foxes, skunks, cats, rabbits, grouse, ground squirrels, crows, pheasants, meadowlarks, tortoises, and snakes.
Breeding
Nests are constructed of large twigs or roots and can be lined with moss, bark, fur or other soft material. The nest may become huge, as much as 8 to 10 feet across and 3 to 4 feet deep.
Eggs are laid between February and May (or May to June in the Arctic) commonly two per nest, although up to four eggs could be laid in one clutch. Incubation time is 43 to 45 days. Usually, the female does most of the incubating. Occasionally, depending upon food resources, the older, stronger eaglet may kill its smaller nest mate (siblicide).
The young will fledge when 72 to 84 days old, and depend upon their parents for another 3 months. Then the young will either migrate or move out of the parents' territory but overwinter in their natal area.In winter, large groups of Golden Eagles may be observed together.
Migration
Some golden eagles live in their nesting territory all year. Others may migrate due to lack of food during the winter. They do not have to migrate large distances, because of their excellent hunting abilities.
Golden eagles escaped the plague of DDT contamination, because their diet consists of small grass-eating mammals. However, deliberate poisoning, shooting, and trapping of golden eagles continues today, despite laws protecting them. The motivations behind this may be a misguided attempt to protect livestock or an intentional effort to obtain feathers for sale on the black market.
