Abstract: From July to September of 2010，April to August of 2011 and July of 2012，the behaviors of 5 pairs of golden eagle [（Aquila chrysaetos）] in breeding season were investigated by focal sampling method in Mt. Biezhentaw and Mt. Alataw （the Tianshan Mts.） of Xinjiang. An ethogram of the golden eagle was presented and as many as 46 behaviors grouped under 12 categories were described and defined，including hatching，maintenance，locomotion，vigilance，caring，feeding，eating，off-nest and resting. In order to describe time budget of golden eagle the breeding season was divided into incubation（41-44 days） and parent care period（67-84 days）. During the incubation period，hatching behavior was the most prevalent，accounting for 95.28% of the parents’ time followed by maintenance （1.03%），locomotion （1.29%），off-nest （0.40%） and vigilance （2.1%）. While during parent care period，the off-nest that occurred mostly time of the parents was 77.81%，followed by caring （18.5%），feeding （2.64%），vigilance （1.05%）. During the first stage （0-3 weeks），second stage （3-6 weeks） and last stage （6 weeks-end） of this period there were significant difference [（p<0.01）] in time budget of off-nest，caring，and feeding. At the 5 sites that hatched young，female eagles spent a significantly greater portion of the day incubation （77.4%） than males did （22.6%） [（p<0.01）.] The time budget of nesting behaviors was in turn: resting （68.73%），vigilance （21.41%），locomotion （4.28%），and maintenance （1.02%）. During the three phases of the period，there were significant differences [（p<0.01）] in time budget of all behaviors except for maintenance. The time budget was related to the birds’ state，energy needs and physical condition during different breeding phases and affected by the weather condition. The nesting growth was the main reason causing caring and feeding behavior of the parents and the nestling physical condition in different stages decided their behaviors. In end，the ethogram of the golden eagle is the first research in China and conducive to the further studies of the behavior of golden eagle. Based on the ethogram of the golden eagle and the time budget during breeding，the paper give some advices for protect them as follows：Firstly during the incubation period the parents spent most of their time on hatching and was sensitive to the circumstance around the nest，particularly human activity. So this time we should avoid any activity around the nest. Secondly in the last phase of parent care period，the chicks’ food demand increased quickly. But based on our observation，when the parents find human activity around the nest，would rarely or never come to feed. So this time we should also avoid human activity around the nest for taking photographs. Finally during the last phase of parent care period or the chicks just leaved the nest period，the chicks’ self-protection capability was weak and this time was also the best opportunity for somebody who wants to grasp the chicks. We should strengthen the protection during this period.

Key words: Golden Eagle, ethogram, time budget, behavior, raptors, Mt. Biezhentaw, Mt. Alataw （Tianshan Mts.）