Golden Eagle Spotted at San Angelo State Park

SAN ANGELO, TX – A Golden Eagle was spotted recently at the Isabel Hart area of the San Angelo State Park.

According to the San Angelo State Park's Facebook page  www.allaboutbirds.org, the Golden Eagle is one of the largest, fastest, and nimblest raptors in North America. It has gold feathers on the back of its head and neck, and a powerful beak and talons advertise its hunting prowess. It is one of the largest birds in North America. For their first several years of life, young birds have neatly defined white patches at the base of the tail and in the wings. The amount of white in the wings of a young Golden Eagle varies among individuals, and a few lack white in the wings entirely.

Golden Eagles favor partially or completely open country. You're most likely to see this eagle in western North America, soaring on steady wings or diving in pursuit of the jackrabbits and other small mammals like ground squirrels and prairie dogs that are its main prey. Sometimes seen attacking large mammals or fighting off coyotes or bears in defense of its prey and young, the Golden Eagle has long inspired both reverence and fear.

The Rough-legged Hawk, the Ferruginous Hawk, and the Golden Eagle are the only American raptors to have legs feathered all the way to the toes.

The oldest recorded Golden Eagle was at least 31 years and 8 months old when it was found in 2012 in Utah. The bird had a band placed around its leg in 1980.