Georgia Golden Eagle Added To Project Tracking Appalachian ‘Ghosts’
A high-tech research project teamed with middle Georgia’s Devil’s Backbone hunt club to catch their first golden eagle in Georgia, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division.
The golden eagle – considered one of the state’s rarest raptors – was caught on Feb. 15 on the club’s 4,700-acre lease area that borders Sprewell Bluff Wildlife Management Area near Thomaston.
The 5-year-old golden eagle is one of eight caught in the South this year and fitted with phone-sized transmitters that weigh less than three postal letters. The monitors post almost real-time updates to cell towers, which the project uses along with 270 camera stations to track the eastern North American golden eagles and their migration routes.
Golden eagles are more common west of the Mississippi River, but they’re also found in Mexico, where they’re the national bird, as well as Asia, Europe and northern Africa. Though similar in size to bald eagles, golden eagles have legs covered in feathers, and the adults are almost entirely chocolate-colored. Both species are protected by state law and by the federal Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.
Unlike bald eagles, which orient to open water and feed more on fish, golden eagles favor high-elevation forests and a terrestrial diet that includes groundhogs, rabbits, even turkeys and carrion, such as deer. The secluded habitats result in fewer sightings, even for a top predator with a wing span up to 7 feet.
With golden eagles migrating north soon, Miller doesn’t plan to return to the area until next winter. The club will check the cameras for now. And Miller and project partners will continue monitoring the Devil’s Backbone bird, watching for new insights into golden eagles in Georgia and across the eastern U.S.
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