The photo illustrated in this article does not show a golden eagle. The bill of a golden eagle is black on the outer half and pale blue at the base, and the feathers on the back of its head are bright tawny. It could be a white-tailed eagle, a very close relative of the bald eagle with a widespread range in northern Eurasia and a small population in southwestern Greenland.
Alan Ryff St. Clair Shores, Mich.
The reader is correct. According to Keith Bildstein of the Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in Pennsylvania, the photo does appear to show a white-tailed eagle in adult or near-adult plumage. Unfortunately, information on locality is unavailable.
—Susan Milius
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