golden eagle

noun

|Updated on: 24 Jun 2018

Definition of golden eagle

: a dark brown eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) of the northern hemisphere with gold-colored feathers on the back of the head and neck, a gray beak, and yellow legs and feet

See golden eagle defined for English-language learners

See golden eagle defined for kids

Recent Examples of golden eagle from the Web

Higher up near the alpine regions, black pine yields to sheer granite and slate peaks, and chamois, ptarmigan, stoat and marmots peer curiously at visitors, while griffon vultures and golden eagles soar overhead.

— Smithsonian, "Explore Catalonia’s Most Beautiful Nature Parks," 15 June 2018
The wind project has been opposed by some environmental and conservation groups, who have argued the project is dangerous to raptors such as golden eagles and wildlife in the area such as bighorn sheep.

— rob nikolewski, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Tule Wind Project back up after being offline for more than 5 weeks," 1 June 2018
More than 300 species have been spotted here, from egrets and herons to grebes and golden eagles.

— chelsey lewis, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "By boat, bike or foot, Horicon Marsh is a Wisconsin treasure," 31 May 2018
When Mary-Beth Kaeser brought the golden eagle Chrysos from her cage, the crowd at the Audubon Center in Pomfret let out a collective gasp.

— denise coffey, Courant Community, "Horizon Wings Shares Majesty Of Area Raptors," 29 May 2018
In the mid-1800s, ranchers arrived with pigs, which attracted golden eagles from the mainland.

— matt simon, WIRED, "Inconvenient Minifauna and the Invasion of the Hammerhead Flatworms," 25 May 2018
Arguably Kentucky's most celebrated golden eagle is headed back to far-north Canada and once again his friends at Bernheim Forest are tracking his progress.

— james bruggers, The Courier-Journal, "Only in Kentucky: Bernheim Forest tracks golden eagle named after bourbon on way to Canada," 15 Mar. 2018
Anyone who captures or kills a bald or golden eagle can face hefty fines and jail time.

— madeline farber, Fox News, "Colorado bald eagle found shot dead, wildlife officials say," 22 May 2018
The noise and high traffic volume will likely temporarily displace the Canada lynx, grizzly bears, mountain goats, golden eagles and other wildlife that frequent the area, according to the analysis.

— Washington Post, "Glacier park to rebuild historical chalet destroyed in fire," 17 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'golden eagle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.