By Obiabin Onukwugha
The Eagle, is a magnificent bird belonging to the family Accipitridae in the Animalia kingdom. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related.
It lives near rivers and large lakes, as its primary source of food is fish. Eagles are carnivores and also hunt and scavenge small mammals, snakes, and other birds.
Known for its majestic nature, the adult eagle has a brown body, brown wings, white head, and large, hooked yellow bill, while younger eagles appear all brown.
Eagles soar up to 10,000 to 15,000 feet above sea level at a maximum speed of 320 km/h. its wing measures 7 ft (2.3 m) wingspan for males while females are 30% larger than the males.
Also known as king of birds, Eagles adapt their altitude, solving the obstacles by flying over them. Eagles also soar above clouds to avoid extreme weather and are well adapted to flying in extreme weather conditions and can fly for hours without losing stamina.
The gliding tactics employed by the eagle while soaring of diving at its prey, is a beauty to behold for lovers of nature.
The female eagle weighs between 3.6 to 6.7 kg, while the male weighs at about 2.8 to 4.6 kg.
One interesting thing about the eagle is its ability to regenerate at old age. Researchers say, the eagle have about 7,000 feathers and can live up to 70 years.
But to reach this age, the eagle must make a very difficult decision. In its 40th year, the eagle’s long and flexible talons can no longer grab a prey which serves as food as its long and sharp beak becomes bent. Its old-aged and heavy wings, due to their thick feathers, stick to its chest and also makes it difficult to fly.
With this, the eagle is left with only two options: DIE or go through a painful process of CHANGE.
Researchers also say that this process lasts for about 150 days (5 months).
If it must live, eagle called “Gaggafa” in Hausa, “Ugo” in Igbo and “Idi” In Yoruba, is required to fly to a mountain top and sit on its nest.
The eagle’s nest is usually enormous, made from twigs and leaves. The nest, called an aerie, can be up to eight feet across and may weigh a ton. Nests are located high from the ground, either in large trees or on cliffs and may be used by the eagle over and over again for years.
There the eagle knocks its beak against a rock until it plucks it out then the eagle will wait for the new beak to grow back after which it will pluck out its talons.
When its talons grow back, the eagle starts plucking its old-aged feathers and after this, the eagle takes its famous flight of rebirth and lives for 30 more years.
During reproduction the female eagle lays between 1 to 3 eggs. The incubation period is from one to one and half months. Both males and females incubate the eggs. They both feed the hatchlings until they learn to fly (fledge).
In Scotland, the white-tailed eagle brings tourists attraction, and is said to account for between £4.9 million and £8 million of spend every year on the Isle of Mull, which has a population of 2,800 persons.
Found worldwide, eagles hold a crucial role in maintaining ecosystem balance. As apex predators, they regulate populations and indicate environmental changes.
Their unique scavenging abilities ensure nutrient recycling, while their presence in marine ecosystems signals ocean health.
Also Eagles are a very important part of the environment. By eating dead animal matter, they help with nature’s clean-up process. Eagles are also hunters, so they keep animal populations strong. They do this by killing weak, old, and slower animals, leaving only the healthiest to survive.
The bald eagle has been the national symbol of the United States of America since 1782, so when it became threatened with extinction in the 1960s due to pesticide use, habitat loss, and other problems created by humans, it was listed as endangered specie under the Endangered Species Act.
Reports say now the number of bald eagles has increased so much that in June 1994, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed that they be downgraded from endangered status to the less urgent status of threatened in all but three of the lower 48 states.
In Nigeria, the Eagle on the Coat of Arms represents strength and is listed among endangered species under the country’s law. In the United States of America.