by charles shibita
Eagles within the Chesapeake Bay weigh between 7 and 12 pounds. Females are 30% heavier than males and
have a stockier appearance. Females weigh 10-12 pound. Males weigh 7-8 pounds. Wing span is 6-8 feet. As with many animal species, body size in eagles increases from the southern to northern part of their range. Birds in Florida are quite small compared to birds in eastern Canada. Birds in the Chesapeake Bay are in the middle of the size range.
Q: WHAT IS THE LIFESPAN OF AN EAGLE IN THE WILD?
The oldest recorded bird in the wild is 29 years. This is biased low because longevity records are from banding. It is likely that birds can live well into their 30s and maybe beyond.
Q: WHEN DOES AN EAGLE REACH MATURITY?
A: Most eagles begin to breed for the first time in their fifth year. Though we have had birds breeding as young as 3 years old, many individuals may not breed until they are well past 5 years old.
Q: WHEN DO AN EAGLE’S HEAD AND TAIL FEATHERS TURN WHITE?
There is a transition in plumage over the first 5 years. Each successive molt being closer to adult plumage. Most birds attain the classic adult pattern between their 4th and 5th year. Some may have residual brown for more years or may never entirely lose it.
Q: WHEN DOES AN EAGLE’S BEAK TURN YELLOW?
A: Bill color is like plumage in that it moves closer to classic color as they are closer to sexual maturity. Most birds have a clean yellow bill by their fourth year. Some individuals take longe
Q: WHY ARE FEMALES LARGER THAN MALES?
: Our current thinking is that sexual size dimorphism in raptors is mostly driven by differences in gender roles. Males often do more of the hunting for brood rearing and so do more flying. Their body design is more sleek, lighter with lower wing loading which makes flight less energetically expensive.
Q: WHAT DO EAGLES EAT?A: Bald eagles are opportunistic foragers. They eat a wide range of prey including reptiles, birds, mammals, and fish. During brood rearing here in the Chesapeake nearly 90% of prey is fish (including quite a bit of shad and catfish). They also eat quite a few muskrat and turtles. In the winter their diet moves to a greater portion of waterfowl and gulls.
Q: HOW DO EAGLES KILL THEIR PREY?A: Depending on the prey type, eagles typically capture prey with their talons and then clip the spinal chord with their bill. other facts about eagle
- There are more than 60 different species of eagle.
- Eagles are different from many other birds of prey mainly by their larger size, more powerful build, and heavier head and beak. Most eagles are larger than any other raptors apart from vultures.
- Eagles have unusual eyes. They are very large in proportion to their heads and have extremely large pupils. Eagles’ eyes have a million light-sensitive cells per square mm of retina, five times more that a human’s 200,000. While humans see just three basic colours, eagles see five. These adaptations gives eagles extremely keen eyesight and enable them to spot even well-camouflaged potential prey from a very long distance. In fact the eagles’ vision is among the sharpest of any animal and studies suggest that some eagles can spot an animal the size of a rabbit up to two miles away!
- Many eagle species lay two eggs, but the older, larger chick frequently kills its younger sibling once it has hatched. Adults do not intervene.
- The Harpy Eagle and the Philippine Eagle have wings that spread 2.5m across and use their massive, sharp talons, to kill and carry off prey as large as deer and monkeys.
- In Greece, Golden Eagles eat turtles, dropping them from great heights onto rocks to break open their armoured shells.
- Although most eagles are carnivorous the African Vulturine Fish-Eagle is primarily a vegetarian, feeding on rich oil palm fruits.
- Some eagles are built with short wings and long tails enabling them to hunt in the tight confines of a forest, while others are have short tails and broad long wings allowing them to soar high above open plains and water.
- Golden eagles in Wyoming have been observed foraging areas that cover 100 square miles.
- To defend their territories and attract a mate, bald eagles put on spectacular aerial displays including death-defying swoops and seemingly suicidal dogfights that involve locking talons with another bird and free-falling in a spiral.
- Eagles are admired the world over as living symbols of power, freedom, and transcendence.
- The spot on which an eagle landed dictated to the ancient Aztecs the place where they were to build a city.
- In some religions, high-soaring eagles are believed to touch the face of God.