golden eagle

American  

noun

• golden eagles
  plural

1. a large eagle, Aquila chrysaëtos, of the Northern Hemisphere, having golden-brown feathers on the back of the head and neck.

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golden eagle British  

noun

1. a large eagle, Aquila chrysaetos, of mountainous regions of the N hemisphere, having a plumage that is golden brown on the back and brown elsewhere

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• golden eagles
  plural

Etymology

Origin of golden eagle

First recorded in 1780–90

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

golden eagle

The wingspan of an adult bald eagle ranges from 5.5 to 8 feet across; it’s roughly the same for a golden eagle.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 26, 2025

Despite a brief return following the two world wars, when driven shoots largely ceased, numbers gradually declined again with the last resident golden eagle in England disappearing from the Lake District in 2015.

From BBC ● May 28, 2025

In life it would have been about 2 m in wingspan, similar to that of large birds like the golden eagle.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 18, 2024

She noted that the trees are important shelter and habitat for species like the golden eagle, other raptors and even the threatened desert tortoise.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2023

Which leads to thoughts of Maxwell, the golden eagle, his favorite bird to visit at the sanctuary until the eagle was set to the sky.

From "A Bird Will Soar" by Alison Green Myers