What do Golden Eagles eat and what is their role in the food chain?
Golden eagles eat mostly small to medium mammals and birds. In western North America they eat a lot of rabbits, hares, and squirrels. In Denali, they eat mostly snowshoe hare, arctic ground squirrels, and willow ptarmigan (a bird similar to grouse. Sometimes they eat larger animals, like caribou calves and Dall’s sheep lambs. Eagles may eat carrion (animals that were already dead), but not when they are raising their young. The food habits of Denali golden eagles change as the seasons change. They eat mainly snowshoe hares and willow ptarmigan in March and April when they are repairing last years’ nests in preparation for the nesting season. From May to August, nesting golden eagles eat many arctic ground squirrels, as well as snowshoe hare, ptarmigan, hoary marmots, and many other small to medium sized birds and mammals. During the winter, carrion probably becomes an important food resource. Golden eagles are one of the predators, along with bears and wolves, at the top of the Denali
