Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos)

'Copper' is a female Golden Eagle and arrived at the centre in May 2006, shortly after the male Golden Eagle, 'Bronze'. In March 2010 another male Golden Eagle was added to our collection.

'Copper' was hatched in captivity at a bird of prey centre in Germany in 2001. 'Bronze' was hatched in captivity in Slovakia in 2004, and the new male was also bred in Germany. These birds are being used for display work at the centre and the males are used at outside displays and other events. The males are one of the eagles we can use on our one day bird handling experience. We hope to have paired up two of our Golden Eagles by 2011 and hopefully will produce young in the future.

IN THE WILD

SPECIES FACTFILE LENGTH: 66-90cm WINGSPAN: 180-234cm WEIGHT: 3.0 - 6.5 kg EGGS IN CLUTCH: 1-3

Origin: Golden Eagles come from throughout the Northern Hemisphere (North America, Europe and Asia). They are native to Scotland where there are over 400 pairs. 

Diet: Mainly medium-sized mammals (ranging in size from voles to rabbits, hares, to occasionally small deer and fox cubs), birds (Grouse (Ptarmigan), seabirds, waterfowl and corvids (crow family)), sometimes reptiles and occasionally amphibians, fish and even insects. Carrion is also a large part of the diet, especially in the winter.

Habitat: Wide range of essentially open habitats, typically mountainous but also flat, always more or less undisturbed and ranging from cold north to hot south.

The Golden Eagle is probably the most well known species of eagle in the world. They are often regarded as the largest raptor in the UK, but in fact are the second largest. The slightly larger White-tailed Sea Eagle has been reintroduced to the western isles of Scotland since 1975.

Golden Eagles have suffered from persecution in the past that led to widespread declines in the 19th century. The populations have now more or less recovered in most areas across their vast range.