Newsgroups: rec.birds
Path: utzoo!rising
From: rising@zoo.toronto.edu (Jim Rising)
Subject: Golden Eagles & Sheep
Message-ID: <1990Sep14.140204.26186@zoo.toronto.edu>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
Date: Fri, 14 Sep 90 14:02:04 GMT

I've looked up info. in the dietary habits of the Golden Eagle in the
"Handbook of North American Birds," vol. 5 (ed. R. S. Palmer, 1988, 
that may be of some general interest.  Apparently Golden Eagles do
est lambs and kids, fairly frequently in some populations, but it 
thought that they rarely attack lambs more than 7-10 days old.  Records
are difficult to assess because they do eat carrion.  In the summary
under FOOD, I quote (with parenthetical material removed):
  "Goldens have been reported to prey on full-grown deer, but doubt
  remains that deer can be killed (as by eagles hunting cooperatively)
  unless already injured or otherwise handicapped.  A "good-sized"
  blacktail was reportedly killed in Mont.; a 4-point whitetail in
  Ariz. foundered in deep snow, was attacked, succumbed, and was
  dragged downhill where 3 eagles fed on it.  Deer fawns are taken
  with some frequency in certain places.  In sw. Yukon, the capture
  of several Dall's sheep lambs was observed; there was a scarcity
  of usual prey.  The evidence for taking pronghorns, especially 
  small fawns, is solid, but evidence from eagle digestive tracts--
  of this as well as other species--could pertain to carrion.  Grown
  pronghorns are more likely to become victims in severe winters.
  Five Goldens fed on a female pronghorn killed by 1 or more of
  them.  Two cooperated in killing an elk calf.  There is 
  insignificant predation on young caribou, highorns, and mountain
  goats; young eagles sometimes harass them, possibly a form of play."

I was one who guessed Golden Eagle on the trivia test (had heard of
the kea but couldn't remember the name).  Apparently they do not
kill full grown sheep, although on the basis of what I've quoted
above it would seem a possibility in certain circumstances.
-- 
Name:     Jim Rising
Mail:     Dept. Zoology, Univ. Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada    M5S 1A1
UUCP:     uunet!attcan!utzoo!rising 
BITNET:   rising@zoo.utoronto.ca