Adults resemble immature bald eagles, but the goldens are darker. Immature goldens have white wing patches and, for their first several years, a broad, white band at the base of the tail. Golden eagles are classic buteos, with long, rounded wings. They flap less and soar more than bald eagles. Their call is a series of rapid, sharp chirps.
Prey includes small rodents, hares, rabbits, birds, reptiles and fish.
Goldens crush prey in their sharp talons, and use their large, hooked beaks to rip it apart for eating. In the West, these fierce, powerful predators have been known to knock young mountain sheep and goats off high ledges, then feast on the remains below. May. They do not breed in our state, although individuals are sometimes sighted in summer. Some occasionally winter here in rugged, remote terrain. Most goldens breed across central Canada, in the western United States, Alaska and Mexico.