Field Guide/Birds/Aquila chrysaetos

2006-03-03T22:19:25Z

80.65.73.27:

{{Taxobox
| color = pink
| name = Golden Eagle
| image = GoldenEagle-Nova.jpg
| regnum = [[Animal]]ia
| phylum = [[Chordate|Chordata]]
| classis = [[Bird|Aves]]
| ordo = [[Falconiformes]]
| familia = [[Accipitridae]]
| genus = ''[[Eagle|Aquila]]''
| species = '''''A. chrysaetos'''''
| binomial = ''Aquila chrysaetos''
| binomial_authority = [[Carolus Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[1758]]
}}

The '''Golden Eagle''' (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is one of the best known [[bird of prey|birds of prey]] in the Northern Hemisphere. Like all [[eagle]]s, it belongs to the family [[Accipitridae]].

There are five [[subspecies]] of the Golden Eagle:

* '''Eurasian Golden Eagle''' (''A. c. chrysaetos'')
* '''American Golden Eagle''' (''A. c. canadensis'')
* '''Spanish Golden Eagle''' (''A. c. homeryi'')
* '''Japanese Golden Eagle''' (''A. c. japonica'')
* '''Russian Berkut''' (''A. c. daphanea'')

== Distribution ==

At one time the Golden Eagle lived in temperate [[Europe]], North [[Asia]], [[North America]], North [[Africa]] and [[Japan]]. In most areas this bird is now a mountain-dweller, but in former centuries it also bred in the plains and the forests.

There was a great decline in Central Europe, and the Golden Eagle is now restricted to the [[Alps]]. In [[Britain]], there are about 500 birds left in the [[Scotland|Scottish]] highlands. In North America the situation is not as dramatic, but there has been a noticeable decline as well.

In Central Asia, Golden Eagles sometimes are trained for [[falconry]], and in [[Kazakhstan]] there are still hunters using these eagles in order to catch deer and antelopes.

Efforts are being made to re-introduce the species in [[Ireland]], where they had been extinct since the early 20th Century. 35 birds have been released into the wild since 2001.

== Reproduction ==

A pair of Golden Eagles remains together for life. They build several [[eyrie]]s within their territory and use them alternately for several years. The nest consists of heavy tree branches, upholstered with grass.

Old eyries may be 2 metres in diameter and 1 metre in height, as the eagles enlarge their nests every year. If the eyrie is situated on a tree, supporting tree branches may break because of the weight of the nest.

The female lays two eggs between January and May (depending on the area). After 45 days the young hatch. They are entirely white and are fed for fifty days before they are able to make their first flight attempts and eat on their own. In most cases only the older chick, which takes most of the food, survives, while the younger one dies before leaving the eyrie.

== Physical Characteristics ==

Adult Golden Eagles have an average length of 75-85 cm (30-34"), a wingspan of 175-200 cm (70-80"), and a weight of 3 to 5 kg. As in all birds of prey, the females are generally slightly larger than the males.

== Food ==
Golden Eagles often have a division of labour while hunting: one partner drives the prey to its waiting partner. Their prey includes [[marmot]]s, [[hare]]s and [[mouse|mice]], and sometimes [[bird]]s, [[marten]]s, [[fox]]es and young [[deer]]. Large [[mammal]]s like [[chamois]] or adult deer can only be taken if they are wounded or sick. In the US, Golden Eagles often take lambs as prey, providing a significant source of mortality and earning the enmity of sheep ranchers.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Image:Hunting with Golden Eagles .jpg|The hunting Burgut - Golden Eagle - of Eastern Turkestan (1870s)
Image:Golden Eagle (small illustration).jpg|Illustration of Golden Eagle, by Louis Agassiz Fuertes, 1897
Image:Goldie.JPG
</gallery>

{{commons|Aquila chrysaetos}}
==External links==
*[http://www.panoraama.com/live/maakotka/ Live Eagle camera]
*[http://www.mongoliaphoto.com/ Photo Hunting with Golden Eagles]

[[Category:Fauna of the Alps]]
[[Category:Eagles]]

[[bg:Скален орел]]
[[cs:Orel skalní]]
[[da:Kongeørn]]
[[de:Steinadler]]
[[et:Kaljukotkas]]
[[es:Águila real]]
[[eo:Reĝa aglo]]
[[fr:Aigle royal]]
[[fy:Keningsearn]]
[[gl:Aguia real]]
[[lt:Kilnusis erelis]]
[[nl:Steenarend]]
[[ja:イヌワシ]]
[[pl:Orzeł przedni]]
[[pt:Águia real]]
[[sl:Planinski orel]]
[[fi:Maakotka]]
[[sv:Kungsörn]]

Field Guide/Birds/Haliaeetus leucocephalus

2006-03-03T22:16:46Z

80.65.73.27:

{{Taxobox
| color = pink
| name = Bald Eagle
| status = {{StatusLeastConcern}}
| image = Haliaeetus leucocephalus.jpg
| regnum = [[Animal]]ia
| phylum = [[Chordate|Chordata]]
| classis = [[Bird|Aves]]
| ordo = [[Falconiformes]]
| familia = [[Accipitridae]]
| genus = ''[[Haliaeetus]]''
| species = '''''H. leucocephalus'''''
| binomial = ''Haliaeetus leucocephalus''
| binomial_authority = ([[Carolus Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[1766]])
}}

The '''Bald Eagle''' (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') is a [[bird of prey]] indigenous to [[North America]], most recognizable as the [[national bird]] of the [[United States]]. The species was on the brink of [[extinction]] late in the [[20th century]] but has largely recovered and now has a stable population and is in the process of being removed from the [[Federal government of the United States|U.S. federal government]]'s list of [[endangered species]].

The bird gets both its common and scientific names from the distinctive appearance of the adult's head. ''Bald'' in the [[English language|English]] name refers to the white head feathers, and the scientific name is derived from ''Haliaeetus'', the [[New Latin]] for "sea eagle," (from the [[Greek language|Greek]] ''haliaetos'') and ''leucocephalus'', the Greek for "white head," from ''leukos'' ("white") and ''kephale'' ("head").

==Range and habitat==
Bald Eagles can be found in small concentrations throughout the U.S. and [[Canada]], particularly near large [[body of water|bodies of water]]. The state with the largest resident population is [[Alaska]]; out of the estimated 100,000 Bald Eagles on [[Earth]], half live in Alaska.
==Description==
[[Image:bald.eagle.longshot.arp.500pix.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Bald Eagle at Combe Martin Wildlife and Dinosaur Park, North Devon, England]]
An immature bird has speckled brown [[feather]]s all over, the distinctive head and body [[plumage]] arriving 2–3 years later, before sexual maturity. Adult females have a wingspan of approximately 2.1 meters (7 feet); adult males have a wingspan of 2 meters (6 feet, 6 inches). Adult females weigh approximately 5.8 kg (12.8 lb), males weigh 4.1 kg (9 lb).

They are protected by three federal laws. The eagle law which protects bald and golden eagles, the migratory bird act, and were on the endangered species list up until February 13, 2006 when they were removed from the list.

==Behavior==
Bald Eagles build huge nest platforms out of branches, usually in large trees. Pairs, who mate for life, add material to the nest each breeding season. After several years, the nest may weigh upwards of a thousand pounds or more.

Bald Eagles which are old enough to nest often return to the area in which they were raised. They are more social than many other raptor species: an adult bald eagle looking for a nesting site is more likely to select a location that contains other immature eagles than one with no eagle population.

Bald Eagles are powerful fliers, and ride thermal convection currents to range far.

They have a long lifespan, with reports of birds in captivity living to be 60 years old.

They do not scream as often shown on television. Usually the call of a red-tailed hawk is placed over the image of a flying eagle. They squeak and have a shrill cry, punctuated by grunts.

==Reproduction==
Bald Eagles are sexually mature at 4 or 5 years of age. Mated pairs produce between one and three [[egg (biology)|egg]]s per year, but it is rare for all three chicks to successfully fledge. Third chicks are sometimes removed from nests to use in [[reintroduction]] programs in areas where the species has died out.

In such programs, the [[bird]]s are raised in boxes, on platforms in the tree canopy, and fed in such a way that they cannot see the person supplying their food, until they are old enough to fly and find their own food.

==Diet==
The Bald Eagle's diet is varied, including [[carrion]], [[fish]], smaller [[bird]]s, [[rodent]]s, and sometimes food scavenged or stolen from campsites and picnics.
To hunt, the eagle swoops down over the water and snatches the [[fish]] out of the water with its claws. They eat by holding the fish in one claw and tearing the flesh with the other. Eagles have structures on their toes called spiricules that allow them to grasp fish. [[Osprey]] also have this adaptation.

Sometimes, if the [[fish]] is too heavy, the eagle will be dragged into the water. It may swim to safety, but some eagles drown or succumb to [[hypothermia]].

==Eagles and humans==
As the symbol of the United States the bald eagle is sought after in captivity. As a rule they are poor birds for public shows being timid and prone to becoming highly stressed. Captive eagles who have been mutilated or crippled and are thusly non-releasable may go from home to home to home as they require specific housing and care.

If raised from a hatchling you can expect a terror of a creature, if the eagle [[imprint]]s on humans as a species it may or may not choose one person to bond with and attack or be very aloof to all others. The eagle may hate the human who raised it. [[Raptor]] expert [[Jemima Perry Jones]] does not believe that [[creche]] raising, where hatchlings are raised together to imprint on each other works either to produce an unimprinted adult raptor. Due to their immense strength and unpredictable nature bald eagles should only be kept by very competently trained individuals who have all the proper permits.

==Rare vagrant==
This species has occurred as a [[Vagrancy (biology)|vagrant]] once in [[Ireland]]. The exhausted specimen was discovered by a [[national park]]s worker in a northern heath. Presumably, a storm blew it out to sea, and the bird struggled across the [[Atlantic Ocean]].

==National Bird of the US==
The Bald Eagle is the national bird of the United States of America. When the United States was being established, [[Benjamin Franklin]], one of the founding fathers and a signer of the Declaration of Independence, wished the national bird to be the [[Wild Turkey]]. Franklin believed the turkey was a good choice as it provided food for the early settlers and had a noble appearance. Franklin didn't want to have the Bald Eagle as the national symbol of the U.S. because it often stole food from other birds.{{fact}} However, he was outvoted by the other members of the Continental Congress who felt that the Bald Eagle symbolized strength and alertness and that it would look much better as a national symbol.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Image:Bald eagle.jpg|Adult
Image:Bald-eagle.jpg|Adult resting
Image:Haliaeetus_leucocephalus.jpeg|Adult
Image:Bald Eaglehead.jpg
Image:A03 4663 1024x683.JPG|Female on nest with egg
</gallery>

==External links==
{{commons|Haliaeetus leucocephalus}}
*[http://images.fws.gov/default.cfm?fuseaction=records.display&CFID=2060719&CFTOKEN=64720564&id=5C7D1A7F%2DF41E%2D4C0A%2D87A4F0A6E628BD0E 11.9" x 8" 1.24 MB Bald Eagle JPEG] provided by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service





[[Category:Eagles]]

[[da:Hvidhovedet havørn]]
[[de:Weißkopfseeadler]]
[[eo:Blankkapa maraglo]]
[[fi:Valkopäämerikotka]]
[[fr:Pygargue à tête blanche]]
[[ja:ハクトウワシ]]
[[nl:Amerikaanse zeearend]]
[[pl:Bielik amerykański]]
[[pt:Águia de cabeça branca]]
[[sv:Vithövdad havsörn]]

Pathfinder Wiki - User contributions [en]

Field Guide/Birds/Aquila chrysaetos

Field Guide/Birds/Haliaeetus leucocephalus