2 of 20

Write now Article Tools

by Jon Martin

• 

You live on the periphery of civilization, deep in the Altai Mountains of Central Asia. All your children are hungry, as is the wheezing donkey who hauls your weight from one desolate valley to another. But how are you going to find food in these wastes? Well, that's where the golden eagle perched on your left arm comes in useful.

She's almost three foot from head to tail and your arm aches with the weight of her. You can feel the grasp of her talons through your gauntlet, tightening with her agitation. Then she stiffens and dips her head in concentration. You watch her brown eye gazing out from its deep socket, over her long, curved beak (which is made of the same substance as your fingernails) and fixing on something in the valley far below. A slight flick of your wrist is all the encouragement she needs; in an eruption of wings she launches. As she thrusts off your fist the tremendous blast of wind from her 7 foot wingspan threatens to knock you off your donkey. You watch as she comes into a glide, soaring silently and effortlessly at speeds exceeding 40mph, followed by her shadow which flickers across the rocky mountainside.

She begins to rise, and you wonder if she's lost sight of her target. But then her wings tuck in and she plummets, rocketing earthwards at 150mph. In a distant commotion of wings she slams into something on the ground, rolling over and stabbing with her beak to subdue her prey. After a short rest she begins the journey back to you, beating through the air, dangling a limp corpse from her talons. Coming at last to a perch on a nearby rock she drops the catch at her feet, meeting your eyes with a satisfied glare. It's a hare this time, but she often catches foxes, lizards, snakes, and gazelles. Sometimes she'll even kill a wolf.

For 6,000 years people and golden eagles have worked together to hunt food in Central Asia, particularly in Kazakhstan and Mongolia, and they still do today. These golden eagles are trained very thoroughly from a young age. They live in the same houses and sleep in the same rooms as their owners. But golden eagles also help out humans in the Western world. In the city of Bari, Italy, a golden eagle is employed to keep the airport runway clear of foxes who prowl too close to the planes. Let's hope she steers clear of those jet engines.

Golden eagles were less popular in southwestern America between 1942 and 1962, when farmers felt they were helping themselves to a few too many of their sheep. In retribution, they set

• 1
• 2
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about Bird facts: Golden Eagle?
We want to hear your view. Write now!