The Life of Eagles
Belonging to the family Accipitridae and several groups of genera, eagle is a catchall name that denotes any kind of bird of prey large enough to hunt sizable vertebrates, frequently many times the weight of the eagle itself. True eagles of the genus Aquila comprise 68 known species—mostly found in Eurasia and Africa, while two can be found in North America, nine in Central and South America and three in Australia. Known for their large bodies, wingspans and legs, eagles are powerfully built apex predators with heavy heads and beaks compared to other birds, in most cases, larger in size than all other raptors, save for certain vultures and condors.
Anatomy Built for Hunting
Like all birds of prey, eagles have large hooked beaks for ripping flesh from their chosen prey, along with muscular legs and powerful talons for snatching prey for both land and water. Known to live successfully in a broad range of habitats, eagles possess extremely powerful eyesight, which enables them to spot potential prey from enormous distances, thanks to their large pupils that reduce diffraction or scattering of incoming light. All known species of eagles are sexually dimorphic—with females always larger than males—eagles range in size from the one pound 16-inch-long South Nicobar eagle found in the dense forests of India’s Great Nicobar Island north of Sumatra, to the eighteen pound, three-foot-tall Giant Philippine Eagle. Building their nests or eyries in tall trees or on high cliffs, most species lay two eggs at a time, while larger and older chicks frequently kill their younger sibling without interference by the parents.
Lifespan and More
Choice of prey varies widely from species to species, such as the North American Bald Eagle’s preference for fish, while snake and serpent eagles of the genera circaetus, Terathopius, and Spilornis dine on a wide variety of snakes found in the tropics of Africa and Asia. With a lifespan of 20-30 years in the wild and up to 50 in captivity, some of the heaviest verified loads of eagle prey include a fifteen-pound mule deer fawn taken aloft by a bald eagle, to documented reports of golden and crowned eagles killing ungulates weighing up to 66 pounds, while a martial eagle was witnessed snatching an 82-pound duiker some seven to eight times heavier than the eagle itself, making eagles, some of the most powerful, majestic birds in the wild.