Do you know what makes a Golden Eagle? A Golden Eagle is the king of all birds, the most powerful and majestic creature on this planet. It has unmatched speed, endurance and eyesight that can dominate any other bird. The Golden Eagle is also known for its stunning beauty and power. Are there golden eagles in illinois?
An amazing fact about this bird is that it can fly at speeds up to 250 miles per hour! That’s twice as fast as a race car! Another interesting thing about the Golden Eagles is that they are able to travel for thousands of miles without stopping to refuel.
1. Golden Eagles require very little sleep.
Golden Eagles may sleep for up to 20 hours a day and usually use the same nest year after year. They are in the sky most of the time, circling high above looking for prey and hunting. Their only time off is when they are in their nest incubating eggs or raising young, or when they are sleeping.
2. Golden Eagles have longer legs than other eagles
Their legs are double the length of their body which allows them to catch running prey in mid-stride instead of having to dive on them like other birds of prey, like for example a Red-tailed Hawk or a Ferruginous Hawk would do.
3. Golden Eagles don’t build their own nests.
When it’s time to make a new nest, the parents search for a good spot in the tree, preferably one that is tall and strong. They will then line up the sticks and branches and an incredible job of carpentry comes into play. They will even add sticks to keep prey out of the nest so their young can grow up safely and in turn grow into a healthy adult Golden Eagle.
4. Golden Eagles hunt by stealth and strategy, not by running at top speed like other birds of prey would do.
The Golden Eagle is the fastest of all birds of prey, but it doesn’t run at top speed. It prefers to use speed and stealth in order to catch its prey because it is much more powerful than its prey. Instead of running at a full out sprint, like a cheetah would for example, the Golden Eagle simply flies upwards and circles above its victim. This lets them wait for their prey to run by themselves by surprise.
5. The Golden Eagle doesn’t make a mess when it lands to eat.
Golden Eagles are expertly equipped with aerodynamic feathers and a dense, strong skeleton that lets the bird glide silently through the air and makes it very difficult to detect from the ground or even from the air. This allows it to land on its prey without making a mess.
6. The Golden Eagle has an excellent sense of hearing
The Golden Eagle can hear like no other bird, which is also why it does not need to make a loud noise out in order for its prey to hear them coming. This means that the prey is likely to hear the Eagle coming and will run or hide, which may make them easier to catch.
7. The Golden Eagles can see like no other bird.
Like we already mentioned, the Golden Eagle has incredible eyesight and can see up to 8 times further than we can! This makes it possible for them to spot prey from far away, even when they are flying.
8. Goldeneye is a large bird and doesn’t eat much at meals.
This means that it has a very good metabolism rate and is able to save energy by spending less time hunting for food and more time just relaxing and basking in the sun while on its nest or perch.
9. Golden Eagle chicks are almost always fledglings.
Golden eagles have a gestation period of 9-10 months and last year, researchers found that most of the nests have 2 eggs. The Golden Eagle has a slower reproduction rate than other birds, as they may wait for up to 6 years before having young again which is why the population of Golden Eagles is relatively stable in their natural habitat.
10. The Golden Eagles’ main prey is vultures and other large birds.
They will often attack large ducks and other waterfowl because these are easier to catch than mammals or fish would be. They are not intimidated by any size or number of their prey and will often kill in packs to catch their food.
11. Golden Eagles have amazing eyesight all around.
This, combined with the fact that they can see up to 8 times further than we can, is why they are able to spot prey even while they are flying. Even when diving, they are able to spot any small changes in the environment and can adjust their path accordingly before coming out of the dive at a perfect angle that will allow them to make a clean kill.
