A. chrysaetos Skull or Golden Eagle measures 5×3 inches & Claw replica measures 2.5 inches. Both are museum quality polyurethane resin cast. Made in USA.
The Accipitridae or Golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere.
It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known birds of prey in the Northern Hemisphere.
Adults of both sexes have similar plumage and are primarily dark brown, with some grey on the inner wing and tail, and a paler, typically golden color on the back of the crown and nape that gives the species its common name.
Unlike other Aquila species, where the tarsal feathers are typically similar in color to the rest of the plumage, the tarsal feathers of A. chrysaetos or Golden eagles tend to be paler, ranging from light golden to white. Some full-grown birds (especially in North America) have white “epaulettes” on the upper part of each scapular feather tract.
The bill is dark at the tip, fading to a lighter horn color, with a yellow cere. As in many accipitrids, the bare portion of the feet is yellow.
Juvenile A. chrysaetos or Golden eagles are similar to adults but tend to be darker, appearing black on the back especially in East Asia. They have a less faded color. Young birds are white for about two-thirds of their tail length, ending with a broad, black band.
Occasionally, juvenile eagles have white patches on the remiges at the bases of the inner primaries and the outer secondaries, forming a crescent marking on the wings which tends to be divided by darker feathers.
By the third summer, the upper-wing coverts are largely replaced by dark brown feathers, not all feathers moult at once which leaves many juvenile birds with a grizzled pattern. The tail follows a similar pattern of maturation to the wings.
This species moults gradually beginning in March or April until September or October each year. Moulting usually decreases in winter. Moult of the contour feathers begins on the head and neck region and progresses along the feather tracts in a general front-to-back direction.
Feathers on the head, neck, back and scapulars may be replaced annually. With large feathers of the wing and tail, moult begins with the innermost feathers and proceeds outwards in a straightforward manner known as “descendant” moult.
A. chrysaetos or Golden eagles have a particular tendency for silence, even while breeding. Some vocalization has been recorded, usually centering around the nesting period.
The voice of the golden eagle is considered weak, high, and shrill, has been called “quite pathetic” and “puppy-like”, and seems incongruous with the formidable size and nature of the species.
Most known vocalisations seem to function as contact calls between eagles, sometimes adults to their offspring, occasionally territorial birds to intruders and rarely between a breeding pair. In western Montana, nine distinct calls were noted: a chirp, a seeir, a pssa, a skonk, a cluck, a wonk, a honk and a hiss.
