Eagles have over 60 plus different species. They are huge predatory birds mostly found in the African region. Due to its great strength and the altitude of flight with quick reflexes, the eagle has always been a terrifying factor for its other counterparts flying in the sky. The lifespan of an eagle varies between 15-30 years and entirely depends upon species. Eagles can be broadly classified into four clusters. And they are majestic forest eagles, snake eagles, sea eagles, and booted eagles. The majestic forest eagles diet consists of larger forest animals like monkeys, deers, etc. Snake eagles generally survive on reptiles whereas sea eagles favor preying fishes. Booted eagles, on the other hand, have a very large appetite and prefer small mammals, reptiles and rodents. In this article, we will try to explore a few interesting facts about this huge flying predator.
Table of Contents
General Eagle Facts
Eagle Fact #1: As stated above there are over sixty species of an eagle across the globe which are mostly found in Africa and Eurasia and the rest in Australia and America.
Eagle Fact #2: Most of us are already aware of the fact that eagles are a carnivore. But amazingly, there is a breed called Vulturine fish eagle which in contrast only eats oil palm fruit.
Eagle Size Facts
Eagle Fact #3: The largest breeds of eagles are known to kill the animals almost double their size and weight. The list consists of deer, monkey, goat, etc. These large-sized eagles have a wingspan of around 7-8 feet. To name a few in this category are Harpy and Philippine eagle.
Eagle Fact #4: You will be surprised to know that the smallest eagle weighs only 450 g in comparison to the 7 kg of its larger counterpart. This breed is nearly categorized under endangered species and known as Serpent eagle. In the due course, they have started disappearing gradually.
Eagle Fact #5: One of the interesting facts about the eagles is that the same holds the record of carrying the largest prey load of 6.8 kg. It was a Bald eagle, found in North America which carried and flew with the aforesaid load of the deer.
Eagle Fact #6: The largest prey for Martial eagle which is mostly found in sub-Saharan Africa is an antelope. It weighed almost 37 kg which is almost 7-8 times the weight of masculine predator, the Martial eagle.
Eagle Appearance Facts
Eagle Fact #7: It is quite hard to distinguish between the male and female eagles of the same species. And at the same time, it is unusual to note that the female eagles are about 25 percent larger in appearance than males.
Eagle Fact #8: The Bald eagle is not bald but it was named so because of its white-feathered head in contrast to the brown body.
Eagle Behavioral Facts
Eagle Fact #9: Eagles are proud predators. They, unlike their other counterparts, flying in the sky do not bother to glance over their shoulders before they dive for their prey. They are confident about the fact that nothing has got enough strength to hunt down this huge predator in the sky.
Eagle Fact #10: Eagles generally do not tend to migrate from the place where they are born and can live life long at the same place. They are forced to migrate only in unbearable winters when scarcity of food and temperature fluctuations are intolerable. Eagles migrate in a very leisure manner by hunting in the morning and continue their onward journey in the afternoon when there is warmth in the air.
Eagle Fact #11: The choice of prey varies in eagle species. The variety of prey differs from fish and water birds for Fish eagles to reptiles for Snake and Serpent eagles. There are other species of eagle that survives on mammals, large birds, and rodents in the forest.
Eagle Breeding Facts
Eagle Fact #12: Eagles tend to have a habit of returning to their old nest and rebuilding it with more stuff. Due to this only the nest size keeps on increasing every year and reaches the width and height of 8 and 15 feet respectively.
Eagle Fact #13: Most of the eagle species lay 2-3 eggs. It is commonly observed that the stronger chick kills the other ones in the nest. The adult male and female eagles are never found intervening to stop this fight and killing.
Eagle Fact #14: The chicks grow very quickly and weigh around 4 kg in six weeks. Female eagle takes incubation time of about 35 days and in this duration, the male eagle takes the responsibility of getting food for his companion.
Eagle Fact #15: The fittest youngster who survives and gets ready for his first flight is also not sure whether he will be able to reach his first birthday. This is because they do not possess the adult eagle skills of tackling poor weather conditions and scarcity of food. They even struggle to prey at the initial stages.
Eagle Facts Related to Human
Eagle Fact #16: Romans believe that the eagle is a symbol of both the messenger and their deity, Jupiter.
Eagle Fact #17: The bald eagle is a symbol of the US for various reasons. As the eagle is depicted as a beautiful and majestic bird that soars through the sky like a king, the US opted for this as its symbol.
Eagle Fact #18: According to Hindu mythology, the eagle is portrayed as ‘Garuda’ which combines the feature of both humans and eagle. It is also considered as Vahana (Vehicle) of Lord Vishnu which represents birth and heaven.
Eagle Fact #19: In the Bible, Isaiah 40:30 says “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, and they shall walk and not faint.” Overall 34 times eagle is mentioned in the Bible.
Eagle Fact #20: The North Americans consider the feather of an eagle as auspicious and include it in their rituals and religious events. It is illegal nowadays to possess an eagle feather unless the person possessing the same proves his identity has Native Americans.
Eagle Miscellaneous Facts
Eagle Fact #21: Eagles have very sharp and good vision and their eyes constitute 50 percent of their head size. The vision of an eagle is 5-6 times enhanced than human beings. The eagle eyes are positioned in such a way that they get a wider angle view.
Eagle Fact #22: Eagles can see five colors in comparison to human beings which can only view three. They can even detect ultraviolet light.
Eagle Fact #23: The secret of eagles’ enhanced vision in comparison to ours is because of its large number of cones present behind the retina. Cones are the photoreceptors present in the retina which are capable of detecting light and sensitive to color detection.
Eagle Fact #24: Eagles have one million cones whereas we have only a few lakhs.
Eagle Fact #25: Eagles can fly high for many hours without a single wing flap and this happens at ease due to hot rising air in the atmosphere.
Eagle Fact #26: Eagles are considered to be the most intelligent large bird. There is one kind of eagle species found in Greece which is generally fed on turtles. To break the hard shells of turtles, they fly high and drop them on to hard rocks.
Eagle Fact #27: Eagles masculine legs are formed specifically in such a way that they can lock themselves on a branch and can even afford to take a nap while being balanced upon a tree.
Eagle Fact #28: Eagle’s total body weights 4 percent is made up of its feather. The body of an eagle consists of around 7-8 thousand feathers.
Eagle Fact #29: Eagle eats the prey it kills on its own and never eats dead meat.
Eagle Fact #30: The eagle in its 40’s needs to take a hard decision as during this time the beak bents and the featherweight becomes too heavy making it hard to fly. Either the eagle should opt to die or wait for 150 painful days of old feather shedding and the new one coming.
Other than the interesting facts mentioned above, we can also imbibe many leadership qualities from eagles. A few of them are summarized below.
Eagle Fact #31: Carefully observe an eagle sitting at a high cliff or a tree. You will see a focused and attentive bird that reminds of a powerful vision. In the same way, we should be focused on our future vision and constantly work towards achieving the same.
Eagle Fact #32: When a storm hits the sky, unlike the other birds, the eagle tends to fly high using the current. This is a sheer example of fearlessness and robust defense.
Eagle Fact #33: Though the Eagles are known for their aggressive trait the way they nurture their chicks is astonishing. This teaches us the value of bonding and relationship. The more you invest your time in grooming your relationship, the stronger it gets and subsequently lasts long.
Eagle Fact #34: Eagles are fearless hunters and this trait of them should encourage us to take calculative risks in our lives and succeed. By imbibing this sort of trait in our life we will be able to stand out of the crowd and get noticed.
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