Changes

==Breeding==

==Breeding==

Golden eagles are monogamous, and mate for life.  Nests are large, and placed in high positions in the ledges of cliffs, crooks of large trees, or in man-made platforms constructed for that purpose atop power structures.  The nest is made of interwoven branches and brush, lined with finer material inside, and become larger over the years each time of re-use.  One to four eggs are laid, cream-colored and flecked in brown.  Both parents take take turns rearing and feeding the chicks, but the male is the primary hunter, and will also feed the female when she is nesting.  The incubation lasts 45 days, and the chicks fledge 66-75 days after hatching.

Golden eagles are monogamous, and mate for life.  Nests are large, and placed in high positions in the ledges of cliffs, crooks of large trees, or in man-made platforms constructed for that purpose atop power structures.  The nest is made of interwoven branches and brush, lined with finer material inside, and become larger over the years each time of re-use.  One to four eggs are laid, cream-colored and flecked in brown.  Both parents take take turns rearing and feeding the chicks, but the male is the primary hunter, and will also feed the female when she is nesting.  The incubation lasts 45 days, and the chicks fledge 66–75 days after hatching.

==Threats==

==Threats==

[[File:GoldenEagle.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Juvenile golden eagle in flight.]]

[[File:GoldenEagle.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Juvenile golden eagle in flight.]]

Man is the only threat to golden eagles, which in the United States were placed on protection in 1962 when some 20,000 birds were killed by ranchers.  Today, the eagles are still killed occasionally by poisoning or gunshot in North America and Europe.  The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act (16 USC §§ 668–668d) places fines and imprisonment for acts related to taking, killing, or disturbing the birds in any way without prior authorization<ref>http://energy.gov/nepa/downloads/bald-and-golden-eagle-protection-act-16-usc-668-668d-and-related-regulations-50-cfr</ref>. Despite this, wind farms - such as at Altamont Pass, California - have become exempt from these regulations; wind farms have been championed by liberals for years as a source of clean energy, with the trade-off being the deaths of any birds colliding with the turbine blades.  The Altamont Pass kills an estimated 116 golden eagles annually<ref>http://savetheeaglesinternational.org/new/us-windfarms-kill-10-20-times-more-than-previously-thought.html</ref>.

Man is the only threat to golden eagles, which in the United States were placed on protection in 1962 when some 20,000 birds were killed by ranchers.  Today, the eagles are still killed occasionally by poisoning or gunshot in North America and Europe.  The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act (16 USC §§ 668–668d) places fines and imprisonment for acts related to taking, killing, or disturbing the birds in any way without prior authorization.<ref>http://energy.gov/nepa/downloads/bald-and-golden-eagle-protection-act-16-usc-668-668d-and-related-regulations-50-cfr</ref>  Despite this, wind farms - such as at Altamont Pass, California - have become exempt from these regulations; wind farms have been championed by liberals for years as a source of clean energy, with the trade-off being the deaths of any birds colliding with the turbine blades.  The Altamont Pass kills an estimated 116 golden eagles annually.<ref>http://savetheeaglesinternational.org/new/us-windfarms-kill-10-20-times-more-than-previously-thought.html</ref>

==References==

==References==