Birds and wildlife

Golden Eagle

Aquila chrysaetosGroup: Kites, hawks and eaglesUK Conservation status:Green

How to identify

A huge bird of prey, with only the White-tailed Eagle larger in the UK. With its broad wings, it has a different outline to the smaller Buzzard. It likes to soar and glide on air currents, holding its wings in a shallow 'V'. Eagles have traditional territories and nesting places which may be used by generations. They have been illegally killed in the past and are still occasionally poisoned, or have their nests robbed. They are listed as a Schedule 1 species.

Key features to look out for

  • A huge bird of prey, much bigger than a Buzzard – in the UK only the White-tailed Eagle is bigger 
  • Adults are mostly brown, with lighter feathers on the head and neck which look golden in the sunlight 
  • Juveniles are darker, with a white base to the tail and white patches in the underwing  
  • Wings much longer than a Buzzard’s, with pronounced ‘fingered’ tips 
  • Fan-shaped tail that is longer than a White-tailed Eagle’s  
  • Chunky black beak with yellow at the base 
  • Yellow feet  
  • Feathers on the legs right the way down to the feet, which look a bit like feathery trousers  
  • Flies with slow, deep wingbeats 
A lone Golden Eagle perched on a rock.
There are now around 48 Golden Eagles in southern Scottish skies
What’s that bird of prey

From tiny Merlins to enormous White-tailed Eagles, the UK’s birds of prey come in all shapes and sizes. These masterful predators are a real treat to see, but they’re often super-fast and many species look quite similar, which can make identifying them a challenge. In this guide, we share some simple ID tips to help you.

Distribution

You’re most likely to see Golden Eagles soaring over moorlands and mountains. They used to be quite widespread in the UK, with birds found in Scotland, north Wales, Ireland, and as far south as Derbyshire in England.

 As a result of persecution, they’re now only found in parts of Northern Ireland, as well as the Scottish Highlands and islands. When in Scotland, people often hope they’ve seen a Golden Eagle, but Buzzards are far smaller and much commoner!

Key

  1. Resident
  2. Passage
  3. Summer
  4. Winter
* This map is intended as a guide. It shows general distribution rather than detailed, localised populations.
  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

Where best to see them

Protect our Golden Eagles

Despite being protected by law, Golden Eagles are still illegally persecuted: between 2007 and 2022, there were 22 confirmed incidents, including 14 Golden Eagles that were poisoned. 

The RSPB works in numerous ways to help Golden Eagles, including work by our investigations team who gather evidence to expose bird crime and work with the police to try to bring criminals to justice.

Key facts