Eagle Traits

The physical and physical characteristics of the eagle

Eagles are distinguished by distinctive formal characteristics , including the following:

Females are distinguished by their stocky bodies, as they are 30% heavier than males, weighing about 4.5-5.5 kg, while males weigh about 3.1-3.6 kg.
The wingspan of an eagle when it is extended ranges between 1.8-2.4 m.
The weight of the eagle varies according to its habitat, as it increases from the southern part to the northern part, as the weight of the eagles in Florida is much smaller than the eagles in eastern Canada, while the weight of the eagles that live in the Chesapeake Bay is about 3-5.44 kg, as it is located in the middle in terms of size. weighing volume.
The color of the eagle’s feathers changes during the first 5 years, when it is brown, and after 4-5 years it turns white, and the brown color of the eagles’ feathers may remain forever.
The eagle’s beak also changes color, being brown, turning yellow at 4 years of age, and it may take longer for some individuals.
The eagle is distinguished by its large size and heavy beak.
The eagle has large, heavy, and very strong legs that contain large, curved claws.
The eagle’s head is covered entirely with feathers, and is often crowned.

eagle behaviour

Eagles have behavioral characteristics that distinguish them from other birds, and they are as follows:

Eagles spend most of their time during the day flying in the sky in search of their food, as they need many hours to be able to have a good field of vision for vast areas, and to explore food.
Eagles soar in the sky gracefully with the air currents, and rarely flap their wings, as they have the ability to fly for long hours without flapping their wings even once.
Vultures settle for the night to perch in trees with a group of 10-12 individuals.
Vultures are social animals, as they live in colonies of up to 1,000 individuals.
Eagles hunt in flocks with groups, and eat them together.
Eagles marry once, meaning they stay with their family for life.

Eagle habitat

Vultures live in all continents of the world except Antarctica and Oceania, and they can adapt in different and varied environments, as long as these environments provide them with food.

Eagle food

Vultures feed on animal carcasses, wounded or newborn wild animals, in addition to that they feed on a variety of prey, and their diet includes reptiles, fish, mammals, and birds.

It feeds on fish in the Chesapeake, about 90% of its total diet, in addition to a few turtles and musk mice, while its diet changes in the winter, and it feeds on a large amount of gulls and waterfowl.

Vultures breed

Vultures go through several stages during their reproduction, which are as follows:

Vultures start breeding when they reach sexual maturity, as vultures reach maturity at the age of 4-5 years.
The breeding season varies according to the habitat, as the eagles in Florida lay their eggs in the month of 11, while the eagles lay their eggs in Alaska in the late month of 4 to the month of 5, and in southern Minnesota they lay their eggs in the late month of 2 to the beginning of the month of 3, while in the north they lay their eggs In month 4 to early 5.
Male eagles attract females through rapid, dramatic courtship movements in the air.
The male stays with his mate for many years unless she dies, or she does not return to their nesting site for the next breeding season.
The female lays her eggs 5-10 days after intercourse, as the bald eagle lays 1-3 eggs, separating each egg from the next from 1-2 days, and the color of the eggs is white and weighs 110-140 g, and the golden eagle lays 1-3 eggs , while separating each egg from another from 3-4 days, and the color of the eggs is yellowish-white, and its weight is 140 g.
The incubation period for the bald eagle for eggs ranges from approximately 35 days, while for the golden eagle it takes between 40-45 days. After cracking the egg, the young are released from the egg after about a day, and the eggs hatch in the same order in which they were laid.
The sexes participate in incubating the eggs and protecting them from predators, but the female stays longer in the nest than the male, while he leaves the nest to search for food.
Young bald eagles are able to take off on their first flight at 10-12 weeks of age, while golden eagles hatch at 10 weeks of age.
Young tiger bald eagles complete their full plumage growth at the age of 10-14 weeks, while young golden eagles complete growth at the age of 8-10 weeks, while fully growing their feathers shortly after their growth.

Average lifespan of an eagle

The eagle lives to adulthood, and its average lifespan in the wild is between 20-25 years, but 70-80% of eagles die before reaching adulthood , and often die at the age of 5 years.

While the average age of an eagle in captivity ranges between 40-50 years, due to the ecosystem available in captivity, which is rich in nutrients, in addition to the availability of medical care and supervision.