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

Fish and Wildlife Service to take a bald or golden eagle for religious purposes, and enrolled tribal members can apply for eagle feathers and other parts from the National Eagle Repository.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 27, 2024

Frank turned himself into an elephant and stomped through some Cyclopes, and Dakota held the golden eagle high, blasting lightning at any monsters that dared to challenge the Fifth Cohort.

From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan