The Golden Eagle (Aquila
chrysaetos) is one of the world’s most successful birds of
prey and is found almost everywhere in the northern hemisphere.
Probably because they can
catch and eat so many kinds of animals, they can occupy many types of habitat. The Golden Eagle primarily feeds on
small mammals, but is known for its ability to take much larger prey, such as
newborn goats, deer, and livestock.
With over 200 different species of prey known, the Golden Eagle is a
formidable and opportunistic hunter.
Ordinarily the Golden
Eagle is found on or near the slopes of mountains. They have a few different ways of capturing food. Most often they can be seen gliding on
the thermals and updrafts created by the mountain slopes as they scan for
prey. However they have also been
documented pouncing on unexpected prey from a high vantage point, catching
birds in mid flight like an accipiter, flying to great heights and tucking
their wings and going into a stoop to gain speed and catch prey like a Falcon,
and finally Golden Eagles will steal and feed on prey from other predators.
Regionally the Golden
Eagle will hunt a wide variety of prey.
In North America the primary food source consists of rabbits and ground
squirrels, but are not limited to just small prey. During the nesting season the adult eagles must feed their
young and are forced to hunt much more frequently to feed the nestlings. Another alternative is to take larger
prey, and this drives the Golden Eagle to hunt prey items such as deer, goats,
and small or young livestock (sheep/cows). The majority of the time the Eagle will dispatch the
larger prey items with their incredibly strong and large feet and very long
talons, and frequently will return to visit the carcass,
taking manageable portions to their young.
In Europe the Golden Eagle
has shown its true adaptability when picking out its prey. In the Southeast of Europe Golden
Eagles have taken advantage of the abundance of tortoises. Similar to the Lammergeier, the Golden
Eagle will pick up the tortoise, gain altitude, and then drop the tortoise and
let gravity take care of the rest.
In the breeding grounds of
a Caribou herd in the arctic tundra the Golden Eagle is one of the most
frequent predators of newborn calves.
On the island of Gotland
in Sweden, the Golden Eagle has become a specialist. Their primary food source in this area is Hedgehog’s, and they
have developed the ability to peal the spiny backs off to avoid injury.
The most famous Golden
Eagle prey items in my opinion are the mountain goats of Kazakhstan. There, Golden Eagles have been filmed
swooping from the sky and picking up young goats to toss off the side of a
cliff.
The Golden Eagle is
foremost an opportunistic hunter that will prey on animals that it can
overpower, but is not limited to only small prey due to the size of the Golden
Eagle. This large eagle is for the most part the apex predator of the sky in
its home range. The only place where they are not the apex avian predator is in
Russia where the Stellar Sea Eagle claims that title.
The Golden Eagle is such a
successful predator in part due to their opportunistic behavior, large size, and adaptability to different environments.
To get a close-up view of this
apex predator, visit the World Bird Sanctuary where there are several of these
magnificent birds on display every day.
Submitted by Adam Triska, World Bird Sanctuary Field Studies Coordinator
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