Golden eagles are built for soaring. Their long, broad wings let them glide for long distances without flapping, which saves energy. They use columns of warm rising air called 'thermals' to lift themselves higher and higher, sometimes reaching over 3,000 metres above sea level — above many of Andorra's peaks. From up there they can spot a hare or a marmot far below.
A golden eagle's eyesight is about five times sharper than a human's. It can see individual blades of grass from hundreds of metres in the air. Its eyes are so large compared to its head that they cannot move in their sockets — instead the eagle turns its whole head to look around, which is why you often see eagles swivelling their heads back and forth.
Golden eagles build huge nests called eyries, usually on a rocky ledge or a cliff face high in the mountains. The same nest is often used and added to year after year, and over time some eyries become enormous — as big as a small car. The parents bring food back to the eaglets (baby eagles) until the young birds are ready to learn to fly at about three months old.