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Information about Eagle

Eagle
Enlarge picture
White-tailed Eagle in flight

Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Aves
Order:Falconiformes
Family:Accipitridae
Genera
Several, see below.
For , see .
Eagles are large birds of prey which mainly inhabit Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just two species (the Bald and Golden Eagles) are found in North America north of Mexico, with a few more species in Central and South America, and three in Australia.

They are members of the bird order Falconiformes (or Accipitriformes, according to alternative classification schemes), family Accipitridae, and belong to several genera which are not necessarily closely related to each other in any sort of way.

Eagles are differentiated from other 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), have relatively longer and more evenly broad wings, and more direct, faster flight. Most eagles are larger than any other raptors apart from the vultures.

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.[1] This keen eyesight is primarily contributed by their extremely large pupils which cause minimal diffraction (scattering) of the incoming light.

In Britain before 1678, Eagle referred specifically to the Golden Eagle, the other native species, the White-tailed Eagle, being known as the Erne. The modern name "Golden Eagle" for Aquila chrysaetos was introduced by the naturalist John Ray.

Eagles build their nests, called eyries, in tall trees or on high cliffs. Many species lay two eggs, but the older, larger chick frequently kills its younger sibling once it has hatched.

Eagles are sometimes used in falconry. They appear prominently in myth and literature. In the Old World, such references are commonly to the Golden Eagle (or possibly closely related species found in warmer climates).

Taxonomy

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Thermographic image of an eagle, thermoregulating using its wings
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.[1]

Species

FAMILY ACCIPITRIDAE
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The powerful Harpy Eagle can easily grab a monkey weighing 5 kg and fly away with it.
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A Steppe Eagle in Lahore Zoo Pakistan .
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A dark individual of the Short-toed Eagle.

Eagles in culture

The word

The modern English name of the bird is derived from the Latin term aquila by way of the French Aigle. The Latin aquila may derive from the word aquilus, meaning dark-colored, swarthy, or blackish, as a description of the eagle's plumage; or from Aquilo, the Latin version of Greek Boreas, or north wind.

Old English used the term Earn, related to Scandinavia's Ørn / Örn. The etymology of this word is related to Greek ornos, literally meaning "bird". In this sense, the Eagle is the Bird with a capital B.

Eagles as national symbols

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Napoleonic eagle


The eagle has been used by many nations as a national symbol, depicting power, beauty and independence.
  • Persian Empire. The symbol of Persian Army was an Eagle
  • Arabic world. Many Arabic states and organisations use eagles as symbols, e.g. the PLO, Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Yemen.
  • Czech Republic. The Czech Republic integrates three historical parts: Bohemia (with a double-tailed lion in the emblem), Moravia and Silesia (both with female eagles in their emblems - red-and-white chequered and black).
  • Hellenistic Egypt. The Ptolemaic rulers of Egypt used it as their seal.
  • First French Empire. Napoleon Bonaparte used the Roman Golden Eagle as the symbol of his new French empire.
  • Ghana. Two eagles are part of the coat of arms of Ghana.
  • Indonesia. An eagle called garuda carrying a shield on its neck and a banner on its feet.
  • Mexico. The bird on the Mexican coat of arms and flag is a Golden Eagle.
  • Moldova. An eagle is part of the coat of arms and flag of Moldova.
  • Nigeria, The eagle is part of the Coat of Arms of Nigeria and the Seal of the President of Nigeria.
  • The Philippines. The endangered Philippine Eagle is the national bird of the Philippines.
  • Poland. A white eagle on a red field is the coat of arms of Poland.
  • Romania. The eagle is also part of the coat of arms of Romania
  • Rome. The Romans used it on the standards of their armies. From this derives:
  • The late Byzantine Empire chose a two-headed golden eagle as its symbol. It is popularly that one head symbolised ancient Rome, and the other head symbolised "new Rome" at Constantinople. From this derives:
  • Albania. The two-headed eagle is the emblem of "Shqipëria" or Land of the Eagles, which is known in English as Albania (see The Tale of the Eagle for the legendary origin of the name)
  • Russian Empire. 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. From this derives:
  • 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.
  • Germany and Prussia. Prussia, and later Germany have used a black eagle as their national symbol.
  • 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.
  • Serbia/Montenegro. The Two-headed eagle is the emblem of Serbia, Montenegro, and Serbia and Montenegro.
  • The Seljuk Turks and Ottoman Turks used a double-headed eagle as coats-of-arms.
  • 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, especially in an emblematic context. However, a few U.S. coins have shown the Golden Eagle (recognizable because the feathering on its legs extends to the base of the toes);[3] [4]

Eagles as religious objects

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Moche Eagle, A.D. 200, Larco Museum Collection, Lima, Peru.
In Jewish tradition the eagle is a symbol of greatness, and leaders such as the medieval sage Maimonides and the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, have been referred to by their peers and students as "The Great Eagle". The Torah compares God 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."

Eagle lecterns are very common in Christian churches and cathedrals. The eagle is the symbol used to depict John the Apostle, whose writing most clearly witnesses the light and divinity of Christ. In art, John, as the presumed author of the Gospel, is often depicted with an eagle, which symbolizes the height he rose in the first chapter of his gospel. See Names of John.

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 in the United States and First Nations in Canada, as well as among many of the peoples of Meso-America. Some Native American peoples 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. In the cultures of the Northwest Coast, Eagle is also a supernatural being and also the ancestor and features in the heraldic crests of important clans known as totem poles.

The Moche people of ancient Peru worshipped the animal and often depicted eagles in their art. [5]

Despite modern and historic Native American practices of giving eagle feathers to non-indigenous people and also members of other tribes who have been deemed worthy, current United States 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. In Canada, poaching of eagle feathers for the booming U.S. market has sometimes resulted in the arrests of First Nations person for the crime.

Eagles as organizational symbols

  • Australia. The Royal Australian Air Force uses the Wedge-tailed Eagle on its coat of arms. There is also an Australian Rules Football club called the West Coast Eagles, and an NRL Football club called the Manly Sea Eagles.
  • China. Flying eagle is the logo of Shatin Pui Ying College in Hong Kong. In this school, an award is called Flying Eagle Award with the eagle badges as prizes.
  • Greece. The double-headed eagle is the emblem of the Greek sport clubs AEK (black eagle with open wings on yellow background) and PAOK (black eagle with closed wings on white background, as a symbol of mourning). It is a symbol of the clubs' origins, since both clubs were founded by Greeks who fled to Greece from Constantinople in 1922-23. The eagle itself is derived from the later version of the Roman Eagle, the Byzantine- or East Roman eagle.
  • Italy. The Roman eagle is the symbol of the Roman sports club S.S. Lazio.
  • Nigeria. The Nigeria Football Association, the nation's football (soccer) governing body, has a green eagle perched on a football as its organisational symbol and logo. The Nigerian national football team is known as the 'Super Eagles', the under-20 youth team as the 'Flying Eagles', and the under-17 national side as the 'Golden Eaglets'. They all have an eagle as their symbol.
  • Portugal. Eagle is the symbol of the Portuguese football team Sport Lisboa e Benfica.
  • Turkey. Black Eagles is used for the Turkish sports club Beşiktaş J.K..
  • USA. Eagles are a common motif for American companies and organizations seeking association with a national identity. A few examples are the United States Postal Service, the Constitution Party, and the name of the highest rank in the Boy Scouts of America. Among the sports teams whose mascot is an eagle, the only one in a major league of a major sport (by U.S. standards) is the Philadelphia Eagles (American football). The U.S. international rugby teams are also known as the The Eagles.

Eagles as coroporate symbols

  • Italy The eagle is the symbol of Moto Guzzi, the motorcycle manufacturer. Carlo Guzzi, and Guiseppi Parodi, along with Gionvanni Ravelli had envisioned starting a motorcycle company after WWI ended. Parodi and Guzzi went on to create Moto Guzzi by themselves, as Ravelli was killed in a plane crash just days after the end of the war. To commemorate Ravelli, Parodi and Guzzi chose as the emblem of their nascent company, the symbol that represented their commeraderie and their common passion for flight: the insignia of the Italian Air Corp, l’aquila ad ali spiegate, the winged eagle

References

1. ^ Lerner, H. R. L.; D. P. Mindell (2005). "Phylogeny of eagles, Old World vultures, and other Accipitridae based on nuclear and mitochondrial DNA". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution (37): 327-346. 
2. ^ Bunce, M.; et al (2005). "Ancient DNA Provides New Insights into the Evolutionary History of New Zealand's Extinct Giant Eagle". PLoS Biol 3 (1). DOI:10.1371/journal.pbio.0030009. Retrieved on 2006-12-27. 
3. ^ Roach, Steven (Jan. 10, 2000). A History and Interpretation of Bela Lyon Pratt's Indian Designs. Professional Coin Grading Service. Retrieved on 2007-01-02.
4. ^ "New Washington Quarter Has Wrong Species of Eagle". Science News (Sept. 3, 1932). Retrieved on 2007-01-02. 
5. ^ Berrin, Katherine & Larco Museum. The Spirit of Ancient Peru:Treasures from the Museo Arqueológico Rafael Larco Herrera. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1997.
  • Splitting headaches? Recent taxonomic changes affecting the British and Western Palaearctic lists - Martin Collinson, British Birds vol 99 (June 2006), 306-323
  • Bruguier, Leonard.A Warrior's Eagle Feather
Persian Empire: the symbol of the Persian army was and eagle

See also

External links


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Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. Scientific classification also can be called scientific taxonomy, but should be distinguished from folk taxonomy, which lacks scientific basis.
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Chordata
Bateson, 1885

Typical Classes

See below

Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates.
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Aves
Linnaeus, 1758

Orders

About two dozen - see section below

Birds (class Aves) are bipedal, warm-blooded, egg-laying vertebrate animals.
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Falconiformes
Sharpe, 1874

Families

Accipitridae
Pandionidae
Falconidae
Sagittariidae

The order Falconiformes is a group of about 290 species of birds that include the diurnal birds of prey.
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Accipitridae
Vieillot, 1816

Subfamilies
  • Accipitrinae
  • Aegypiinae
  • Buteoninae
  • Circaetinae
  • Circinae
  • Elaninae
  • Milvinae
  • Perninae
but see text

The Accipitridae
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    Accipitriformes
  • Pandionidae
  • Accipitridae
  • Sagittariidae
  • Falconiformes
  • Falconidae


A
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Eurasia is an immense landmass covering about 53,990,000 km² (or about 10.6%) of the Earth's surface. Often reckoned as a single continent, Eurasia comprises the traditional continents of Europe and Asia, concepts which date back to classical antiquity and the borders for which are
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Africa is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30,221,532 km² (11,668,545 sq mi) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area, and 20.4% of the total land area.
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H. leucocephalus

Binomial name
Haliaeetus leucocephalus
(Linnaeus, 1766)

Bald Eagle range

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A. chrysaetos

Binomial name
Aquila chrysaetos
Linnaeus, 1758

World distribution of the golden eagle
Light green = Nesting area
Blue = Wintering area

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North America is a continent [1] in the Earth's northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western hemisphere. It is bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southeast by the Caribbean Sea, and on the south and west
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Anthem
Himno Nacional Mexicano


Capital
(and largest city) Mexico City

Official languages Spanish (
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Central America (Spanish: Centroamérica or América Central) is a central geographic region of the Americas. It is variably defined either as the southern portion of North America, which connects with South America on the southeast, or a region of
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South America is a continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east by the Atlantic Ocean; North America and the Caribbean Sea lie
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Anthem
Advance Australia Fair [1]


Capital Canberra

Largest city Sydney
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Aves
Linnaeus, 1758

Orders

About two dozen - see section below

Birds (class Aves) are bipedal, warm-blooded, egg-laying vertebrate animals.
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Falconiformes
Sharpe, 1874

Families

Accipitridae
Pandionidae
Falconidae
Sagittariidae

The order Falconiformes is a group of about 290 species of birds that include the diurnal birds of prey.
..... Click the link for more information.
Accipitriformes

Families

Accipitridae
Pandionidae
Sagittariidae
Cathartidae

In a common but inaccurate way in which the raptors are classified, the order Accipitriformes
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Accipitridae
Vieillot, 1816

Subfamilies
  • Accipitrinae
  • Aegypiinae
  • Buteoninae
  • Circaetinae
  • Circinae
  • Elaninae
  • Milvinae
  • Perninae
but see text

The Accipitridae
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genus (plural: genera) is part of the Latinized name for an organism. It is a name which reflects the classification of the organism by grouping it with other closely similar organisms.
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A. pennata

Binomial name
Aquila pennata
(Gmelin, 1788)

Synonyms
  • Hieraaetus pennatus
The Booted Eagle (Aquila pennata) (formerly Hieraaetus pennatus
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B. buteo

Binomial name
Buteo buteo
(Linnaeus, 1758)

Dark green: All-year distribution
Light green/blue: Breeding/winter range of Steppe Buzzard.

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B. jamaicensis

Binomial name
Buteo jamaicensis
(Gmelin, 1788)

Synonyms

Buteo borealis
Buteo broealis (lapsus)

The Red-tailed Hawk (
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VULTURE is the name of a fictional international crime cartel in the DC Comics universe. It first appeared in House of Mystery #160 July (1966), created by Jack Miller and Joe Certa.
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The beak, bill or rostrum is an external anatomical structure of birds which, in addition to eating, is used for grooming, manipulating objects, killing prey, probing for food, courtship, and feeding their young.
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A talon is a claw of an animal, especially a bird of prey. It may also refer to:

Places:
  • Talon, Nièvre, a commune in the Nièvre département in France
People:
  • Durwin Talon, an illustrator and professor of new media

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predation describes a biological interaction where a predator organism feeds on another living organism or organisms known as prey.[1] Predators may or may not kill their prey prior to feeding on them.
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Diffraction refers to various phenomena associated with wave propagation, such as the bending, spreading and interference of waves passing by an object or aperture that disrupts the wave.
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