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Farmers believed the eagles would prey on their livestock, and shot them. Those that feared the eagles would frequently kill or attempt to kill them. In fact, eagles were used in many cultures to hunt and capture prey for humans. Historically, those who respected eagles regarded them as symbols of power. Golden eagles have been both respected and feared. They have also been recorded eating or attacking livestock, deer, carrion, birds, reptiles, porcupines, fish, and even large insects. Their most common prey includes ground squirrels, rabbits, and marmots. Golden eagles are capable of preying on a wide variety of animals, including some that are impressively large. Despite populations declining in areas that have become inhabited by humans, the populations appear to have remained stable. They can be found in Eurasia, North America, and the northern tip of Africa. Golden Eagles live basically anywhere north of the Equator. There are also high population volumes in mountainous or rocky regions. The most frequently used habitats are open or semi-open fields and prairies. Because they hunt using their impressive eyesight, they also avoid heavily wooded areas where prey is difficult to spot. They usually avoid urbanized and developed areas, sticking with natural vegetation. Golden eagles tend to remain in similar habitats across their range. Because eagles do not have teeth, they must rip bite-sized chunks of flesh from their prey, which they then swallow whole! Tearing pieces of flesh is easy when you have a large, sharp, hooked beak. The Better to Eat You With! – The golden eagle’s impressively large and hooked beak is used during feeding.This claw can be up to two and a half inches long, and is used to pierce and incapacitate prey, especially while the eagle is in flight. The hallux-claw is the sharp, rear claw in an eagle’s set of talons. The Better to Catch You With – Golden eagles are equipped with an impressively long hallux-claw.These birds are capable of seeing in color, and turning their heads 270º just like an owl can! Also similar to an owl, golden eagles’ eyes are very large, and actually take up much of the space in the eagles’ skulls. The Better to See You With – A key contributor to the golden eagle’s success is its exceptional eyesight, which is much better than that of humans.The golden eagle is equipped with wonderfully precise tools for finding, catching, and killing prey. What makes a successful predator? Survey the golden eagle’s special traits, and you just may find out. They also have incredibly large talons used for grabbing prey. These eagles are dark brown in color on their tails and wings, and they have golden patches on the backs of their necks.