Its legs are feathered down to its talons. This eagle lives in rangeland, alpine tundra, or mountainous lands or canyons in western North America from Alaska to Mexico.
Nests are masses of sticks on a mountainous ledge or in a tree.
A golden eagle couple may alternate between nests in different breeding seasons. The golden seems able to soar effortlessly for hours, but when it sights its prey, it can dive at speeds estimated to be 150 to 200 miles per hour. These big raptors eat rabbits and large rodents. In the short, dark days of early December 1997, a golden eagle was found in a backyard in Mackenzie Bridge, Oregon. It had tried to stand on a woodpile, but slipped off.