The burial ground is an eagle, the population of which is steadily declining, despite the ban on hunting this bird of prey. As a result of human agricultural activity, the main habitat of the burial ground disappears, and birds have to choose new and often not the best places for nesting, located near unprotected power lines.
In addition, despite official bans, in some villages people still struggle with predators using poisoned baits, which kill a large number of animals, including burial grounds.
origin of name
Based on the name of the burial eagle, we can conclude that he got his name as a result of eating mainly carrion, but this is not so. At the beginning of the XIX century. in Russia it was called simply an eagle. But after an active study of the steppes of the Aral Sea and Kazakhstan began, where this bird was often seen sitting on top of mounds, which, as you know, are places of ancient burials, the word "burial ground" was added to the name.
The burial eagle, whose name in direct translation from Latin means "sunny", and in many other languages - "imperial", in most territories that were formerly part of the USSR, still retains its gloomy image. The fact is that the word "burial ground" in most people is associated with burials, and not with a proud and beautiful bird. Despite the fact that in recent years there have been increasing opinions that it would not be superfluous to give the eagle a different, more aesthetic name, no decisive action has yet been taken for this.
Eagle burial ground: description
Unlike the golden eagle, whose tail is wedge-shaped, and the feathers on it are fan-shaped, at the cemetery it is straight and elongated, although a general resemblance between the birds is visible. The body length can reach 85 cm with an individual weighing up to 5 kg.
The burial ground is an eagle of a rather large size. Its wingspan is 215 cm, but this value still can not be compared with the wingspan of a golden eagle. The color of plumage ranges from dark brown to black. At the same time, feathers are painted in a light straw color and slightly elongated in the neck area. Some individuals may have white spots on their shoulders resembling epaulettes.
Vote
In comparison with its closest relative - the golden eagle, the eagle burial ground, whose photo is located below, is a fairly noisy bird. Most often, his deep, coarse voice is heard at the beginning of the breeding season at a distance of up to a kilometer from the bird. The duration of a cry remotely resembling a dog bark is sometimes up to 10 syllables.
In the event that the burial ground finds on its territory an outsider located in the immediate vicinity of the nest, it emits a warning cry, ignoring which an individual who dared to approach the nest could be seriously injured.
Nutrition
Most notable is the diversity of feed composition that this eagle prefers to eat. The burial bird is capable of hunting small field rodents with the same excitement as large animals. Among mammals, food preference is given to hamsters and mice, and among large animals indisputable preference was given to hares and young, immature predators. In addition, the burial ground eats any birds whose weight does not exceed 3-4 kg.
Nevertheless, burial grounds are preferred in gophers' habitats. As a rule, where these animals are absent, eagles do not make nests. A very small number of eagle pairs, who have chosen lakes as their permanent habitat, located in Kazakhstan and Western Siberia, eat local waterfowl, but even gophers make up the majority of their prey.
The burial ground usually catches rodents on the surface of the earth, and birds when they are just about to take off. On the day of an adult, at least 600 g of meat is necessary, and in the presence of chicks daily volumes increase significantly, so the burial ground will never disdain carrion, which can be detected. The volume of consumed carrion increased significantly in the spring, when there was practically no fresh food. At this time, the burial grounds specially fly around places where animals that have fallen during the winter may be located, whose carcasses will provide them with food for several days.
It is noteworthy that the birds of the eagle in the air are not interested. Tracking down a future victim, he can spend hours flying at a sufficient height so that the prey does not see him ahead of time, or watch him sitting on a hill, in the role of which grave mounds ideally play.
Becoming an Adult Bird
The burial ground is an eagle whose gender cannot be distinguished by the color of plumage. Feather feathers, regardless of gender, are dark above and brown below. At the same time, a fuzzy striped gray pattern is observed on the bases of the internal fans. Covering wings repeat the color of the wings, but their hue is much darker. The tail is gray-black with a marble tint. The claws and beak of an adult bird are black, which only emphasizes its beauty, standing out against a yellow background, characteristic of the cut of the mouth and paws of the burial ground.
The chicks are covered mainly with light ocher plumage with longitudinal strokes. At the same time, their feathers are saturated dark brown in color. In subsequent years, they will gradually darken until the ocher shade completely disappears from the color. The plumage of a young bird will change several times, and only after it fully matches the color of an adult bird, the burial ground is considered ready for independent life.
Nesting grounds
The bird moves freely on the ground, however, such a phenomenon is quite rare, and it can be seen only in the early morning, when the absence of ascending air currents prevents the burial ground from flying up. Often the need for landing is due to the fact that a nest is located in the immediate vicinity. In fact, the burial ground is an eagle, which prefers desert steppe and forest-steppe zones for nesting, which could be used for several decades.
The couple, having chosen a place for themselves, simply improves the nest so that the chicks feel comfortable. Nests can be located both on the ground, among the branches of a shallow-growing shrub, and on trees. However, nesting at a height is associated with a certain risk, since the birds constantly bring new fastening branches, and the tops of the trees simply can not withstand the increasing weight and can break.
Breeding
In the event that the couple, preparing to start offspring, does not find a suitable nest, it builds its own, the dimensions of which for the period of completion of construction are 130-160 cm in width and 70-90 cm in height. In subsequent years, the volume of the nest will increase significantly, and it will become an almost monumental building.
Depending on the habitat, the egg-laying period lasts from late March to early May. In one nest there are no more than 3 eggs, the laying of which occurs with an interval of several days. The size of the eggs ranges from 53 mm to 83 mm, while, regardless of the place of nesting, the shell is dull white with gray or dark spots. It is noteworthy that if there is a loss of the original masonry, the pair is removed from its place and puts it back in a new slot.
The hatching process is performed by both members of the pair, starting from the first egg, for 43 days. In this case, the appearance of the chicks occurs in the same order in which the eggs were laid. The female is engaged in feeding the offspring, and the male has the role of the main earner of food for the family. At about the age of 2-3 months, the chicks begin to leave the nest, but for a long time they still return to it for overnight stay until they fly away for the first winter in their life.
What benefit does a burial eagle bring to a person?
Animal advocates urge not to touch the nesting sites of these birds of prey and report their discovery to the appropriate animal welfare authorities. The fact is that the burial ground is not only rare, but also a useful bird, significantly reducing the number of small rodents and thereby ensuring the safety of crops. In addition, the eagle eats carrion, which, as you know, can serve as the source of most serious diseases in humans.
The burial ground is listed in the Red Books of such countries as Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, in which any actions aimed at reducing the population of this species of bird of prey are strictly punished.