Golden Eagle: How Big, How Fast, and Scotland's Record Comeback

Golden Eagle: How Big, How Fast, and Scotland's Record Comeback

Species deep dive · golden eagle

How big and how fast is a golden eagle? Big: a golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) is about 70–84 cm long with a wingspan of 185–220 cm — up to roughly 7 feet. Females are clearly larger than males, at about 3.9–6.1 kg against 3.0–4.5 kg. Fast, too: Animal Diversity Web puts everyday cruising at 28–32 mph, level flight at up to 80 mph, and says dives may reach up to 200 mph. Treat that top figure as a rough estimate rather than a measured record. For the bird best known for high-speed stoops, see our peregrine falcon piece.

Why are golden eagles in the news? In September 2026 the charity Restoring Upland Nature said southern Scotland now has more than 50 golden eagles, the most in the region for about three centuries. Five chicks fledged there this summer, and four of them came from nests of eagles moved south by the South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project. One fledgling's grandfather hatched in Galloway in 1990. At 36, he is thought to be the oldest known living wild golden eagle in Europe. Across the Atlantic, three rehabilitated golden eagles named Lazarus, Clay and Ditch were released into South Dakota's Fort Pierre National Grasslands on 3 October 2026, near a prairie dog colony so they would have plenty to eat.

A comeback after persecution

Golden eagles used to nest across much of the UK, as far south as Derbyshire, along with north Wales and Ireland. Persecution pushed them back to the Scottish Highlands and islands, plus parts of Northern Ireland, according to the RSPB. Illegal killing hasn't stopped. Between 2007 and 2022 there were 22 confirmed persecution incidents, including 14 golden eagles that were poisoned.

When the southern Scotland project began, the region had just three nesting pairs. It now has 18 active ranges, and about 80% of the translocated eagles are still alive, according to Restoring Upland Nature. Satellite tags show that more than 25 of the translocated birds crossed into England at least once between 2020 and 2026, which hints at where the next recovery could happen.

Golden eagle or bald eagle?

In North America the two big eagles are about the same size, so size alone won't tell them apart. Audubon describes the golden eagle as "less of a scavenger and more of a predator". Adults are dark brown with golden feathers on the back of the head and neck, and their legs are feathered right down to the toes. Young birds cause the most confusion. A juvenile golden eagle has white patches in the wings and a white tail base with a dark tip, the "ringtail" look. Next to a young bald eagle, a golden looks longer-tailed, with a smaller head and a slightly smaller bill. Young bald eagles also show at least some white mottling on the body or under the wings, in places where goldens have none. For the white-headed side of the comparison, see our bald eagle piece.

What golden eagles hunt

Most of their prey is small to mid-sized mammals: rabbits, hares, ground squirrels, prairie dogs and marmots. Birds, reptiles and fish turn up less often, and golden eagles will eat carrion. They hunt by soaring high, by flying low along slopes, or by watching from a high perch, then dropping onto prey talons first. Pairs sometimes hunt together, with one bird driving the prey and the other making the kill.

Their reputation once cost them dearly. Before golden eagles were federally protected in the US in 1962, some 20,000 of them were killed, mostly from aircraft, because people thought they preyed on lambs and young goats. Diet studies in sheep country found nearly 70% of their food was rabbits.

Huge nests and fighting chicks

Pairs are monogamous and often reuse traditional nests, usually on cliffs, sometimes in trees or on towers. They add material every year, and the largest golden eagle nest on record was 6.1 m tall and 2.59 m wide. The female lays 1–4 eggs, usually 2, and incubation takes about 42 days on average. The chicks hatch several days apart, and the older one often kills its younger sibling. Young eagles start flying at around 10 weeks but don't breed until they're 4–7 years old.

On the Wilder card

*Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) is a Cost 3 Aves Air Common with Ambush (ATK 4 / HP 2). It hits hard and early but can't take much damage, which suits a hunter that wins with a surprise stoop rather than a long fight. Its flavor text reads: "Wings like bronze, eyes like fire—nothing escapes its dive." If you want a sturdier eagle, the Bald Eagle costs 5, comes in at 5/6 and has a Swoop ability. The golden eagle's usual prey is in the game too: the Eastern Cottontail and the Red Fox*. Audubon lists foxes among the larger animals golden eagles occasionally take.

Photo credit

Hero photograph: Giles Laurent (gileslaurent.com), "Wild Golden Eagle in flight at Pfyn-Finges (Switzerland)" (Wikimedia Commons), CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped for the Field Journal hero.

Questions people ask

Can a golden eagle kill a deer?

Rarely, yes. A camera trap in Russia's Lazovskii reserve photographed an adult golden eagle killing a young sika deer, the first documented case of that in the Russian Far East. The researchers stress it was a rare, opportunistic event. Rabbits and ground squirrels are the normal menu (WCS/ZSL via EurekAlert!; Audubon).

Are golden eagles endangered?

No. The IUCN lists Aquila chrysaetos as Least Concern, and Audubon describes current populations as thought to be stable. Locally it's another story. In the UK they are still illegally persecuted, including by poisoning, and several US states have listed them as endangered or of special concern (Audubon; RSPB; ADW).

How long do golden eagles live?

Wild golden eagles can live more than 30 years. Animal Diversity Web cites a wild record of 32 years and a captive bird that reached 46. A Galloway male hatched in 1990 is, at 36, believed to be Europe's oldest known living wild golden eagle (ADW; The Herald).

Where do golden eagles live?

Across the Northern Hemisphere: Eurasia, northern Africa and North America, mostly in the western half of the continent. They need open or semi-open country such as tundra, grassland, shrubland and mountains, from sea level up to about 3,600 m (ADW).

How much weight can a golden eagle carry?

About 8 pounds (3.6 kg) in flight, according to Animal Diversity Web (ADW).

Sources