Bird Least Concern

Golden Eagle

Aquila chrysaetos

Bird

Type

Parks

Least Concern

Status

About the species

The raptor par excellence of the Cantabrian mountains. With a wingspan of up to 2.2 metres, the golden eagle is the largest diurnal bird of prey in the Asturian parks. Its circling flight over rocky cliffs is one of the most powerful images of Asturian nature.

Habitat

Open mountainous areas with rocky outcrops for nesting and wide hunting territories. Combines rocky cliffs for eyries with grasslands and scrubland for hunting.

The sovereign of the Cantabrian skies

The golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) is undoubtedly the most imposing and charismatic raptor of the Asturian mountains. Present across all continents of the Northern Hemisphere, this species finds optimal breeding habitat in Asturias’s natural parks.

Description

Adults show dark brown plumage with a golden nape — hence chrysaetos, “golden eagle”. Juveniles display white patches on wings and tail that gradually disappear with age. Wingspan can exceed 2.2 metres and weight ranges from 2.8 to 6.7 kg, with females considerably larger than males.

Nesting

The golden eagle is faithful to its nesting territory for decades. It builds nests — called eyries — on inaccessible rocky cliffs, enlarging and reinforcing them year after year until they can weigh several hundred kilograms. It lays 1–2 eggs between February and March; usually only one chick survives.

Hunting and diet

It is an opportunistic and generalist hunter: hares, rabbits, partridge, young foxes, and carrion from ungulates form the basis of its diet. Its most common hunting technique is low-level flight along hillsides, surprising unsuspecting prey.