Golden eagle
Scientific name: Aquila chrysaetos (Linnaeus, 1758)
Overview
The golden eagle is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known birds of prey in the Northern Hemisphere. These birds are dark brown, with lighter golden-brown plumage on their napes. Immature eagles of this species typically have white on the tail and often have white markings on the wings. Golden eagles use their agility and speed combined with powerful feet and large, sharp talons to hunt a variety of prey, mainly hares, rabbits, marmots, and other ground squirrels.
From the Wikipedia article “Golden eagle”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Conservation status
Least concern on the IUCN Red List, as recorded on Wikidata, citing The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021.3.
Size and lifespan
| Measurement | Value |
|---|---|
| Adult weight (male) | 3.57 kg |
| Adult weight (female) | 5.19 kg |
Source: Wikidata, citing “AVIAN BODY SIZES IN RELATION TO FECUNDITY, MATING SYSTEM, DISPLAY BEHAVIOR, AND RESOURCE SHARING”, article by Terje Lislevand et al published June 2007 in Ecology.
Where it lives
The Catalogue of Life records it in: Africa; Europe & Northern Asia (excluding China); Middle America; North America; Oceania; Southern Asia.
Common names
Names in other languages (13)
- Arabic
- عقاب ذهبية
- Bengali
- সোনালী ঈগল
- Chinese
- 金雕
- French
- Aigle royal
- German
- Steinadler
- Indonesian
- Elang Emas
- Japanese
- イヌワシ
- Persian
- عقاب طلایی
- Portuguese
- águia-real
- Russian
- беркут
- Spanish
- Águila real
- Turkish
- kaya kartalı
- Urdu
- سنہری عقاب
Related animals
Sources
-
Catalogue of Life — scientific name, classification, common names and range.
Version 2026-09-11, CC BY 4.0.
This species in the Catalogue of Life.
Citation
Bánki, O., Roskov, Y., Döring, M., Ower, G., Hernández Robles, D. R., Plata Corredor, C. A., Stjernegaard Jeppesen, T., Örn, A., Pape, T., Hobern, D., Garnett, S., Little, H., DeWalt, R. E., Miller, J., Orrell, T., Aalbu, R., Abbott, J., Aedo, C., Aescht, E., et al. (2026). Catalogue of Life (Version 2026-09-11). Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgz5n Source database: The Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
- GBIF — species page and recorded occurrences.
- Wikidata — conservation status, measurements, names in other languages. Q41181, CC0 1.0.
- Wikipedia — overview, from the article “Golden eagle”, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Photo — Jarkko Järvinen, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
- Range map — CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
Last updated: 4 October 2026