Golden eagle is considered the largest representative of the hawk family. In the northern regions of America, Africa, Asia and Europe, this largest eagle is often found. In Russia, these birds live almost everywhere. But you can not see them often, because they try to avoid contact with people.
Habitat
Golden eagle is widespread in America, Africa and Eurasia. Despite this, the largest eagle leads a predominantly settled life. Sometimes it migrates to the southern regions. This is especially true for individuals living in North America, where the game they hunt falls into hibernation. Often golden eagles settle in open and half-open landscapes, away from human habitation. Sometimes their nests can be seen in the tundra, semi-desert canyons, steppes, coniferous and mixed forests.
Description of Golden Eagle
This is a very large and strong bird. The largest eagle in the world, whose wingspan varies from 180 to 240 centimeters, can weigh from 3.8 to 6.7 kilograms. Moreover, females are much larger than males. The body of adults is covered with dark brown plumage. The back of the neck and the back of the head are painted in a reddish tint, and the underbone, lower legs and ventral side are golden in color. The feathers of young golden eagles are painted in a plain black palette with small white spots. At the tips of large powerful paws there are long seven-centimeter claws. It is their largest eagle in the world that uses it as the main tool for catching prey.
What does the golden eagle eat?
The basis of the diet of this large bird are rabbits, hares, marmots, ducks, chickens and geese. However, the largest eagle is able to eat a crane or heron. Often snakes, foxes, young roe deer and deer become its prey. Typically, these powerful predators prey on animals whose dimensions are several times greater than their own dimensions. Golden eagle chooses his victim, sitting on boulders or tall trees. He rarely ambushes. As a rule, before an attack, he rises high into the sky and from there suddenly attacks the prey.
Despite the fact that mammals are the victims of this aggressive eagle, it can prey on ungulates and reptiles. If he failed to catch the prey, he will not try again, but will go in search of a new one. With the onset of winter colds, the golden eagle passes to carrion. If he does not have enough food, he can take food from other birds.
Behavioral Features
Golden Eagles are able to make various sounds. For example, during the flight they whistle barely audibly, and during the mating season they talk. In addition, by analogy with other eagles, they can reproduce a characteristic scream that vaguely resembles a dog barking. Despite the fact that golden eagles have excellent eyesight, they see almost nothing in the dark. In daylight, the largest eagle, located at a height of two kilometers, is able to see a hare running on the ground. Due to the special structure of the eye, the gaze of this bird of prey can focus on rapidly moving prey.
Propagation Features
It should be noted that the largest eagle is a monogame. He creates a couple once and for life. Nests of these birds can reach from one and a half to three meters in diameter. As a rule, they are located on the tops of tall conifers, rocks, cliffs or topographic towers. Each pair has several nests that have been used for many years. Egg laying time varies depending on the area where the birds live. So, in Siberia and northern Alaska, this happens in mid-June, and in Oman in the first half of December.
Females lay one to three eggs at three-day intervals. The duration of incubation is about 45 days. The main part of the time in the nest is spent by the female, but sometimes the male replaces her. After this period, grayish chicks hatch from dirty white eggs covered with red or brown specks. In the first weeks, the babies are so helpless that the male has to get food and bring it to the nest, while the female is engaged in warming and feeding the brood. As soon as the offspring grows up and begins to peck on their own, the mother also flies out to hunt. After the kids turn 65-80 days old, they begin to fly not far from the nest.
Hunting with Golden Eagle
A photo of the largest eagle is presented in this article. This bird is widely used for hunting gazelles, saigas, hares and foxes. This tradition has a very long history, as indicated by the numerous cave paintings that were found on the territory of Mongolia. And all the images belong to the Bronze Age. Hereditary hunters living in Central Asia learn this art from an early age and pass on the secrets of skill to succeeding generations. First, an inexperienced hunter must learn to control the sparrowhawk and the cheglock. Then he is charged with taming the saker, goshawk, gyrfalcon or peregrine falcon. And only then, under the supervision of an experienced teacher, he can try to train a large and powerful golden eagle.
Training such an eagle can take several months or even years. Usually young birds who know how to fly begin to accustom to hunting. It takes a couple of days to catch a wild golden eagle. In the process of training, it is important to ensure that the feathered predator returns to the owner’s hand. After long classes, the golden eagle is so used to its owner that it does not even try to fly away from it.