The eagle is a bird that has always been associated with greatness, pride and a strong spirit. This is one of the oldest and most universal symbols of the world. For many peoples, he was identified with the Sun and power, for others - with a warrior and victory. What is the bird itself? Where does it live and what lifestyle does it lead?
What kind of bird is an eagle? Photo and description
Eagle is a separate genus of birds that belong to the hawk-like order and the hawk family. These are large animals, much larger than a falcon or hawk. Their weight, depending on the species, reaches from 3 to 8 kilograms, and the body length is up to one meter. The wingspan of some birds reaches 2.5 meters.
The eagles have a powerful, bent at the end, beak and strong long claws. Their dense muscular body is densely covered with feathers down to the toes. Plumage is about 5% of the total weight of animals. The tail of the birds is narrow and short, which distinguishes them from many other representatives of the order. The head, compared with the body, is rather small.
In flight, an eagle is difficult to confuse with another bird. He usually hovers above the ground, occasionally flapping huge and strong wings. Birds are able to hang for a long time in the sky, catching the streams of ascending air and looking for prey. Having noticed the victim, they immediately dive, while developing a speed of up to 200-300 kilometers per hour.
Habitat
The eagle bird is found in many parts of our planet. The largest number of species lives within Africa, Eurasia and North America. However, birds are also common in Australia, South America, and some Pacific and Indian islands.
They are not found in too cold regions and inhabit all zones from the forest-tundra to the desert. Eagles live in a semi-open area, nesting in the rocks, on thick branches of trees, and sometimes right on the ground. The housing, like the birds themselves, is large, several meters in diameter and weighing up to 400 kilograms. Eagles are loners, and never unite in flocks. During the breeding season, they settle in pairs, at a distance of about 2-4 kilometers from other representatives of their kind.
Nutrition and lifestyle
The eagle is a bird of prey. Its entire structure reports that it is a serious hunter, leaving no chance to the victim. Excellent vision allows him to discern even small lizards and rodents at a distance of one or two kilometers. Thanks to this, he hunts right in flight or looks out for his lunch, sitting on a tall tree.
The peripheral vision of the eagle covers an area of 12 km 2 , for a greater view, it uses an incredibly mobile neck. There are more photosensitive cells in his eye than ours, which helps him to better distinguish colors and recognize masked animals.
The diet of the eagle bird is quite diverse, and consists of amphibians, reptiles and various mammals, sometimes even carrion. Some species are more selective, and prefer to eat only specific representatives of the animal world. For example, the Kaffir eagle, which lives in South Africa, mainly preys on Cape Damans.
Speed, maneuverability in flight, excellent vision and a muscular body allow these birds of prey to hunt both small (lizards, mice, hares, turtles, other birds), and rather large animals. Monkeys, antelopes, gazelles and rams often become the prey of the largest eagles in size.
Biggest eagle
Golden eagle - the king among the eagles. The bird is the largest representative of its kind. It is distributed exclusively in the Northern Hemisphere of the Earth and lives in North America, Eurasia and some countries of North Africa.
In length, the golden eagle grows to 80-95 centimeters, and its wingspan can reach 2.5 meters. This is the fastest eagle - during the hunt it can reach speeds of up to 320 km / h. Faster than him in the world there is only one bird - a peregrine Falcon, which "accelerates" to 390 km / h.
The golden eagle leads a separate lifestyle and does not like neighborhood with a person. Due to the high urbanization, it has become a rare species, despite the fact that its range is very wide. Today it is listed in the Red Books of many countries of the world, and areas with places of its nesting are included in reserves or national parks.