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Golden Eagle, Florida Breeding

Bald eagles are a familiar sight in Florida. Once severely reduced in number, their populations have rebounded, and they may be encountered breeding and hunting anywhere in the state. Their cousin, the golden eagle, one of the most widely distributed raptors in the Northern Hemisphere, is far less common in this part of the country, but does occasionally show up outside the breeding season.

Golden Eagles
- Golden eagles are massive birds of prey which are smaller-headed and longer-tailed than the similarly-sized bald eagles. They hunt relatively large prey, often targeting mammals like rabbits and groundhogs; sometimes they will take even bigger quarry like deer and pronghorn fawns. They have historically been most common in western North America, favoring open and rugged country.
Florida Presence
- Golden eagles are not common in the southeastern U.S., but occasionally visit this part of the country, including Florida, perhaps to over-winter. A 2007 analysis of the bird's conservation status in the U.S. distributed by the Hawk Mountain Sanctuary suggested that the wintering population in the Sunshine State and elsewhere in the East was increasing. Golden eagles are not recorded, however, as regularly breeding in Florida. Instead, the status report mentions that nesting in the East occurs in eastern Canada.
In Captivity
- Zoos, wildlife rehabilitation centers and other special institutions can apply for permission from the federal government to maintain eagles in captivity. As a result, captive breeding of the golden eagle could potentially occur in Florida in these specific cases.

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