Eagle
Eagles are large
birds of prey which inhabit mainly the Old World, with only two species commonly found in
North America, a few in
South America, the in
Australia and the
Philippine Eagle in the Philippine Archipelago. They are members of the
bird order
Falconiformes, family
Accipitridae and belong to several different genera, not necessarily closely related to each other.
Eagles are differentiated from other broad-winged birds of prey mainly by their larger size, more powerful build, and heavier head and bill. Even the smallest eagles, like the
Booted Eagle, which is comparable in size to a
Common Buzzard or
Red-tailed Hawk has relatively longer and more evenly broad wings, and more direct, faster flight.
Encyclopedia
Eagles are large
birds of prey which inhabit mainly the Old World, with only two species commonly found in
North America, a few in
South America, the in
Australia and the
Philippine Eagle in the Philippine Archipelago. They are members of the
bird order
Falconiformes, family
Accipitridae and belong to several different genera, not necessarily closely related to each other.
Eagles are differentiated from other broad-winged birds of prey mainly by their larger size, more powerful build, and heavier head and bill. Even the smallest eagles, like the
Booted Eagle, which is comparable in size to a
Common Buzzard or
Red-tailed Hawk has relatively longer and more evenly broad wings, and more direct, faster flight. Most eagles are larger than any other raptors apart from the
vultures.
In Britain before 1678,
Eagle referred specifically to the
Golden Eagle, the other native species, the White-tailed Eagle, being known as the
Ernee. The modern name "Golden Eagle" for
Aquila chrysaetos was introduced by the naturalist
John Ray.
Like all birds of prey, eagles have very large powerful hooked
beaks for tearing flesh from their prey, strong legs and powerful talons. They also have extremely keen eyesight to enable them to spot potential
prey from a very long distance. This keen eyesight is primarily contributed by their extremely large pupils which cause minimal
diffraction of the incoming light.
Eagles build their nest in tall trees or on high cliffs. Their nests, which are sometimes called eyries, can grow to 10 feet in diameter and weigh as much as 2000 pounds.
Eagles are sometimes used in
falconry.
Taxonomy
For many years there has been some scientific debate as to whether the Accipitriformes are a separate order, or belong to the
Falconiformes.
Major new research into eagle taxonomy suggests that the important genera
Aquila and
Hieraaetus are not composed of nearest relatives, and it is likely that a reclassification of these genera will soon take place, with some species being moved to
Lophaetus or
Ictinaetus.
Current species classification
- ORDER ACCIPITRIFORMES
- Family Accipitridae
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Haliaeetus vocifer- African Hawk-eagle, Aquila spilogaster
- Ayres' Hawk-eagle, Hieraaetus ayresii
- Bald Eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus
- Black Eagle, Ictinaetus malayensis
- Black Hawk Eagle, Spizaetus tyrannus
- Black-and-chestnut Eagle, Oroaetus isidori
- Black-and-white Hawk Eagle, Spizastur melanoleucus
- Blyth's Hawk Eagle, Spizaetus alboniger
- Bonelli's Eagle, Aquila fasciatus
- Booted Eagle, Aquila pennatus
- Cassin's Hawk Eagle, Spizaetus africanus
- Changeable Hawk Eagle, Spizaetus cirrhatus
- Crested Eagle, Morphnus guianensis
- Crowned Hawk Eagle, Stephanoaetus coronatus
- Crowned Solitary Eagle, Harpyhaliaetus coronatus
- Eastern Imperial Eagle Aquila heliaca
- Golden Eagle, Aquila chrysaetos
- Greater Spotted Eagle, Aquila clanga
- Grey-headed Fish Eagle, Ichthyophaga ichthyaetus
- Gurney's Eagle, Aquila gurneyi
- Harpy Eagle, Harpia harpyja
- Javan Hawk Eagle, Spizaetus bartelsi
- Lesser Fish Eagle, Ichthyophaga humilis
- Lesser Spotted Eagle, Aquila pomarina
- Little Eagle, Hieraaetus morphnoides
- Long-crested Eagle, Lophaetus occipitalis
- Madagascar Fish Eagle, Haliaeetus vociferoides
- Martial Eagle, Polemaetus bellicosus
- Mountain Hawk Eagle, Spizaetus nipalensis
- New Guinea Eagle, Harpyopsis novaeguineae
- Ornate Hawk Eagle, Spizaetus ornatus
- Pallas' Sea Eagle, Haliaeetus leucoryphus
- Philippine Eagle, Pithecophaga jefferyi
- Philippine Hawk Eagle, Spizaetus philippensis
- Rufous-bellied Hawk-eagle, Hieraaetus kienerii
- Sanford's Fish Eagle, Haliaeetus sanfordi
- Solitary Eagle, Harpyhaliaetus solitarius
- Spanish Imperial Eagle Aquila adalberti
- Steller's Sea Eagle, Haliaeetus pelagicus
- Steppe Eagle, Aquila nipalensis
- Sulawesi Hawk eagle, Spizaetus lanceolatus
- Tawny Eagle, Aquila rapax
- Verreaux's Eagle, Aquila verreauxii
- Wahlberg's Eagle, Aquila wahlbergi
- Wallace's Hawk Eagle, Spizaetus nanus
- Wedge-tailed Eagle, Aquila audax
- White-bellied Sea Eagle, Haliaeetus leucogaster
- White-tailed Eagle, Haliaeetus albicilla
- Black-Chested Buzzard Eagle, Geranoaetus melanoleucus
- Subfamily Aegypiinae: Old World vultures
- Subfamily Circinae: harriers
- Subfamily Circaetinae: snake-eagles
- Andaman Serpent-eagle, Spilornis elgini
- Banded Snake-eagle, Circaetus cinerascens
- Bateleur, Terathopius ecaudatus
- Black-chested Snake-eagle, Circaetus pectoralis
- Brown Snake-eagle, Circaetus cinereus
- Crested Serpent-eagle, Spilornis cheela
- Fasciated Snake-eagle, Circaetus fasciolatus
- Mountain Serpent-eagle,Spilornis kinabaluensis
- Nicobar Serpent-eagle, Spilornis minimus
- Philippine Serpent-eagle, Spilornis holospilus
- Short-toed Eagle, Circaetus gallicus
- Sulawesi Serpent-eagle, Spilornis rufipectus
Eagles appear prominently in myth and literature. In the Old World, such references are commonly to the Golden Eagle .
Eagles as national birds
The eagle has been used by many nations as a national symbol, depicting power, beauty and independence.
- Ancient Egypt. The Ptolemaic rulers of Egypt used it as their seal
- Ancient Rome. The Romans used it on the standards of their armies.
- Austria. The Austrian Empire had a two-headed eagle as its symbol. After the abolition of Austria-Hungary, Austria took as its symbol a one-headed eagle in the modern coat of arms of Austria.
- Byzantine Empire and Russia. After the fall of Rome, Constantinople chose a two-headed golden eagle as the Monarchy symbol. One head symbolised ancient Rome, and the other head symbolised the "new Rome" sited at Constantinople. After the fall of Constantinople, the Russian Empire
...
took the two-headed eagle as its own symbol.
- Charlemagne and Holy Roman Empire. After his crowning as the new Roman Emperor, Charlemagne adopted the ancient Roman eagle as his own symbol. The Holy Roman Empire born of his kingdom took the eagle, but the Habsburgs replaced the golden eagle by an imperial eagle.
- Czech Republic. The Czech Republic integrates three historical parts: Bohemia , Moravia and Silesia .
- Germany and Prussia. Prussia, and later Germany have used a black eagle as their national symbol.
- Islamic. Many Islamic states and organisations use eagles as symbols, e.g. the PLO.
- Poland. A white eagle on a red field is the coat of arms of Poland.
- Spain. The "Catholic Kings", Isabella and Ferdinand, used the Golden Eagle as a part of the royal shield. The eagle was on the Spanish shield until 1978.
- First French Empire. Napoleon Bonaparte recovered the Roman golden eagle as the symbol of his new French empire.
- Seljuk Turks and Ottoman Turks used it.
- Modern Europe. The eagle is also part of the coat of arms of Romania and the coat of arms and flag of Moldova. It is the emblem of "Shqipėria" or Land of the Eagles, which is known in English as Albania . Two-headed eagle is emblem of Serbia, Montenegro, and Serbia and Montenegro
- Mexico. The bird on the Mexican coat of arms and flag is a Golden Eagle.
- The Philippines. The endangered Philippine Eagle is the national bird of the Philippines.
- USA. The United States has adopted the North American Bald Eagle as its national emblem. Although the Golden Eagle is found in North America, U.S. references to an unspecified "eagle" are often to the Bald Eagle; this point was not realized by an American coin die engraver, who, told to depict "an eagle", depicted a Golden Eagle; this error is the cause of the expression "illegal eagle". The name and symbol of the highest rank in the Boy Scouts of America
The
Boy Scouts of America is an American [i] Scouting [i] organ ...
is the Bald Eagle.
Eagles as religious objects
In Jewish tradition the eagle is a symbol of true greatness, and the nation's greatest leaders such as the great sage of the Middle Ages Maimonides and the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, the modern day leader of world Jewry have been referred to by their peers and students as "The Great Eagle". The Torah compares G-d Himself to an eagle in Deuteronomy, 32.11-12. "As an eagle awakens its nest, hovering over its fledglings, it spreads its wings, taking them and carrying them on its pinions. [So] the Lord guided them [the Israelites] alone, and there was no alien deity with Him."
The eagle is a sacred bird in some cultures and the feathers of the eagle are central to many
religious and spiritual customs, especially amongst
Native Americans. Native Americans revere eagles as sacred religious objects and the feathers and parts of
Bald and
Golden Eagles are often compared to the
Bible and
crucifix. Eagle feathers are often used in various ceremonies and are used to honor noteworthy achievements and qualities such as exceptional leadership and bravery.
Despite modern and historic Native American practices of giving eagle feathers to non-Native Americans and
Native American members of other tribes who have been deemed worthy, current eagle feather law stipulates that only individuals of certifiable
Native American ancestry enrolled in a federally-recognized tribe are legally authorized to obtain eagle feathers for
religious or spiritual use.
See also
References
- Splitting headaches? Recent taxonomic changes affecting the British and Western Palaearctic lists - Martin Collinson, British Birds vol 99 , 306-323
- Bruguier, Leonard.
External links
-
- on the Internet Bird Collection
