by Dori Beldi

Created on: February 11, 2008

Graceful, courageous, spiritual - the symbolic characteristics which has earned the golden eagles their royal title, "King of the Birds."

The golden eagle is the largest of the genus, buteo, a bird of prey. Their wingspan can reach up to 7 1/2 feet, and they are the soaring "specialist" among all buteos which includes bald eagles, hawks, and buzzards. They use their large wingspans to catch rising masses of warm air (thermals) and can glide longer and further than other birds. Temperate climates in the Northern Hemispheres of North America, Eurasia, and Northern Africa possess the thermals and are the habitats for the golden eagle. They live mostly in wide open spaces of mountains, desert grasslands, tundra, and open coniferous forests.

Golden eagles can fly up to 80 MPH and can dive up 200 MPH. An eagle diving at full speed can simulate the sound of a small airplane. Diving is a form of play for the birds, but it is more importantly used as a resourceful means for hunting.

The eagle's eyes are large, occupying most of their head, and they have colored vision much sharper than any 20/20 human vision in daylight. Additionally, they can rotate their heads 210 degrees, so they can take in panoramic views in search of prey while remaining stationary.

These "built to kill" birds will spot a meal and take to the sky. They tuck in their wings, spread their feet, and extend their talons as they dive with bullet speed to catch an unsuspecting animal. It's believed the eagle's feet are stronger than the human hand. Their four talons are razor sharp and used to pierce the lungs of small animals such as prairie dogs, cotton rabbits, jackrabbits, ducks, reptiles and smaller birds. Eagles can carry up to 8 pounds in flight. If the prey is too large to be carried, the eagle will patiently wait, perched, until it's victim succumbs to it's wounds.

For larger animals, such as baby caribou and baby sheep, the birds have been known to work in pairs. One will taunt a mother away from it's young while the other swoops in and attacks the baby. If the bird is hunting the mature, larger animal, they will first go for the eyes to blind the animal then make several attacks, sometimes over a few days, until the large animal is incapacitated. Their hunting abilities are so instinctive, even a newborn eaglet is born to kill, often eating a sibling for food. In some parts of the world, eagles are used for falconry, a sport of training and hunting with hawks.

A pair of eagles mate for life and

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