Golden eagles are powerful birds of prey that inhabit wide ranges across the Northern Hemisphere. Their large size, sharp talons and incredible speed and agility enable them to take down prey much larger than themselves. But just how big of an animal can a golden eagle kill?
Golden eagles are the most widely distributed eagle species in the world. They can be found across North America, Europe, North Africa and Asia. These large raptors have wingspans reaching over 7 feet and can weigh up to 15 pounds. Their massive wings allow them to soar to great heights while hunting, before folding them back and diving at speeds over 150 mph to strike prey.
Golden eagles primarily feed on small mammals like rabbits, marmots and ground squirrels. However, they are opportunistic predators and will also take birds, reptiles, young ungulates and carrion. They have incredibly strong talons that can apply over 400 psi of pressure, enabling them to swiftly kill prey larger than themselves.
So when it comes to answering the question of how big of an animal a golden eagle can kill, their capabilities may surprise you. On occasion, these birds have been documented attacking prey exceeding 30 pounds in weight. The largest authenticated prey killed by a golden eagle topped 60 pounds. However, eagles are not likely to regularly take down animals this large due to the difficulty and danger involved.
Prey Size
The most common prey for golden eagles ranges between 1-5 pounds. This includes things like rabbits, ground squirrels, marmots and smaller birds like grouse and pheasants. Prey within this size range can be readily killed and carried off by the eagles.
Larger prey between 10-30 pounds are more difficult, but can still be attacked with success. Examples include larger birds like cranes and herons, smaller deer species like pronghorn fawns, foxes, coyotes, bobcats and domestic livestock like sheep and goats. Eagles can kill using their talons and lift or drag such prey into the air to carry back to a perch or nest.
The very largest prey golden eagles have been recorded killing likely represent rare or opportunistic instances involving sick or injured animals. Healthy prey exceeding 30-40 pounds is likely too dangerous for an eagle to regularly attack.
Documented Large Prey Examples
- Pronghorn fawn – 16 pounds
- White-tailed deer fawn – 22 pounds
- Siberian ibex kid – 33 pounds
- Woolly monkey – 35 pounds
- Warthog piglet – 45 pounds
- Crested capybara – 60 pounds
As these examples show, golden eagles can and will attack impressively large prey on occasion, but they tend to stick to more moderately sized animals in most cases.
Hunting Capabilities
Golden eagles possess several key adaptations that enable them to take down large prey:
- Size – Their 7-foot wingspan provides power and stability in flight critical for chasing and attacking prey. Their large body size (10-15 lbs) also helps them overpower prey.
- Strength – Eagles have incredibly strong feet equipped with 3-inch talons. They can strike prey with enough force to kill instantly.
- Speed – Golden eagles can dive at 150 mph, enabling them to ambush prey before it can react or escape.
- Vision – Their eyesight is up to 8 times sharper than a human’s, allowing them to spot prey from over a mile away.
These attributes enable golden eagles to pursue, swiftly kill and lift animals much heavier than their own body weight. Their feet are so powerful that they can pick up and fly with prey totaling half their own weight.
Weight Carrying Capabilities
The amount of weight a golden eagle can lift and fly with depends on factors like wind conditions, altitude and distance. Under optimal conditions, golden eagles have been recorded carrying:
- Rabbits and hares weighing 5-8 lbs routinely during normal flight.
- Sheep and goats weighing 15-30 lbs on rare occasions.
- Carcasses and large prey exceeding 10 lbs by flying low to the ground.
- Their own body weight (10+ lbs) during territorial displays where they rapidly gain altitude while grasping heavy prey in talons.
Generally, golden eagles can carry about 50% of their own body weight. However, flight capabilities diminish greatly beyond this, so they likely cannot take off and fly any great distance with prey exceeding 8-10 pounds. Heavier prey can be lifted off the ground, but the eagle may be grounded until it can lighten the load by consuming part of the carcass.
Prey Relative to Eagle Size
To better understand the size of prey golden eagles can kill, it helps to look at some size comparisons relative to the eagle’s own size:
Prey Example | Prey Weight | Eagle Weight | Prey Size Relative to Eagle |
---|---|---|---|
Jackrabbit | 5-8 lbs | 10-15 lbs | 33-80% of eagle’s weight |
Bobcat | 10-30 lbs | 10-15 lbs | 100-300% of eagle’s weight |
Sheep | 50-180 lbs | 10-15 lbs | 333-1,800% of eagle’s weight |
As this table shows, regular golden eagle prey ranges from 33-100% of the raptor’s own weight. Larger prey up to a few hundred percent of the eagle’s weight may be attacked opportunistically, but larger animals up to the size of ungulates and livestock are unlikely to be successfully killed.
Average Prey Weight
According to scientific research and observations, the average weight of prey killed by golden eagles is:
- Small mammals: 1-3 lbs
- Medium-sized mammals: 5-8 lbs
- Large birds: 3-5 lbs
- Overall average: 2-4 lbs
This reflects their most regularly taken prey of rabbits, ground squirrels and grouse. Larger prey over 10 lbs are occasionally taken, but do not make up a significant portion of their diet in most areas.
Prey Size Limitations
There are a few main factors that limit the maximum size of prey a golden eagle can successfully kill:
- Danger – Very large prey can potentially injure or kill an eagle during the attack process.
- Weight – Eagles have limited flight capabilities when carrying over 50% of their own weight.
- Grip Strength – Large, powerful prey may be able to overpower an eagle’s footing and escape.
- Availability – Larger prey is less abundant than smaller prey in most habitats.
These limitations force golden eagles to generally stick to smaller prey that poses less risk and can be more easily killed and carried off. However, in certain circumstances, predators may attack atypically large prey when vulnerable opportunities present themselves or smaller prey is scarce.
Conclusion
In summary, golden eagles are capable of killing a surprisingly wide range of prey, from 1-60+ pounds. However, they most often take relatively small prey in the 1-8 pound range. Prey larger than themselves exceeding 10-15 pounds is occasionally attacked, but the eagles cannot regularly handle animals beyond 30-40 pounds due to safety and flight constraints. While golden eagles can lift prey equal to half their body weight of 10-15 lbs, their flight capabilities diminish rapidly beyond this point. These limitations on size and weight make golden eagle predation most effective on prey under 30 lbs in weight, or 2-3 times their own size.