Swiss National Park - Golden eagle 2008

After the bearded vulture, the golden eagle is the largest domestic bird of prey and one of the most powerful predatory birds in the world. Females are always larger than males: the wingspan of the female is around 220 cm, that of the male around 200 cm. Its talons, the size of a man’s hand with rear claws often exceeding 5 cm in length, are an especially impressive feature. The golden eagle’s majestic shape and its proud and determined look have led to it being adopted as a heraldic animal in many places. With their wide expanses of land in elevated mountain regions, good availability of food and many nesting opportunities, the Alps offer an ideal habitat for the golden eagle. Thanks to these conditions, the king of the skies has succeeded in surviving the former habitat destruction by mankind. The most important prey of the golden eagle in summer is the marmot. In winter, it also hunts young hoofed animals such as chamois, roe deer, ibex and red deer or feeds on carrion. Today, golden eagles are once again increasingly to be seen in the Alps. The Swiss National Park in the Engadine and in the Münstertal valley is, for example, currently home to six pairs.