The golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) is considered the emblem of the Alps and is a symbol of the freedom, unspoilt nature and integrity of habitats/regions. The Hohe Tauern also represent an important core habitat for golden eagles within the Austrian Alps. 42–43 pairs breed here. This means that around 15 percent of Austria's total number of golden eagles live here.

From 2003 to 2005, the golden eagles in the Hohe Tauern were surveyed as part of the cross-border project Interreg III-A "The Golden Eagle in the Eastern Alps". Since 2011, these surveys by the national park are conducted almost solely by national park personnel (rangers and professional hunters) with the involvement of other people, mostly from the hunting and forestry communities with the aim to identify population trends and to determine reproduction success.

Generally speaking, the golden eagle population figure is currently stable. An average of 15.7 young eagles per year can be assumed, which corresponds to a reproduction success of 0.46. These values ​correspond with those for the Alps. However, the generally low growth rates among golden eagles in connection with the high youth mortality rate of 65% between the fledging stage and reaching sexual maturity and the thus not to be underestimated loss of young eagles in the first years show that even stable populations can quickly dwindle if any negative factors begin to take hold.

However, the coming years could be interesting, as golden eagles start to breed in late March/April in the region and the question arises whether climate change will have any possible long term effect on this type of wildlife species.