golden eagle

American

noun

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

golden eagle British

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of golden eagle

First recorded in 1780–90

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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

Blowing on both sides, he explained, should cause the golden eagle to fall from the skies in a sort of daze.

From BBC • Mar. 2, 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

Inside was a golden eagle who on Oct.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 5, 2024

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

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023