A large eagle that soars on broad wings. In Britain it occurs in places such as the Scottish Highlands and islands.
Adults are mainly brown, with lighter head and neck feathers that look golden in sunlight. Young birds have white at the tail base and on the underwings.
Golden eagles can gain height in waves formed as wind crosses mountains. One tracked eagle in the Alps entered the same rising-air region twice, climbing about 500 metres and 300 metres. Weather analysis indicated that it was using the upward part of a mountain wave.
The flight occurred in Austria’s Tyrol region in October 2020. A study published in 2025 also examined 150 large-ascent segments from 11 eagles tracked in 2023. About 19% involved wave updraughts, including mixed cases. Alongside thermals, flows generated by mountain terrain and wind helped support these soaring flights.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
For Japan’s golden eagles, the Ministry of the Environment identifies loss of suitable hunting grounds and prey habitat through insufficient woodland and grassland management, major development, and careless human approach as threats. Disturbance early in breeding can lead to nest abandonment. A conservation programme is under way; overall habitat expansion and improvement goals were published in 2021, and the programme plan was revised in 2025.