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eagle
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bald eagle sea eagle great black hawk serpent eagle hawk eagle
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Apr. 3, 2023, 9:21 PM ET (AP)
EagleCam shows heavy winds blow nest from tree; eaglet dies
See a golden eagle take flight from its nest to swoop down on
rabbit prey
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eagle, any of many large, heavy-beaked, big-footed birds of prey belonging to
the family Accipitridae (order Accipitriformes). In general, an eagle is any bird
of prey more powerful than a buteo. An eagle may resemble a vulture in build
and flight characteristics but has a fully feathered (often crested) head and
strong feet equipped with great curved talons. A further difference is in
foraging habits: eagles subsist mainly on live prey. They are too ponderous for
effective aerial pursuit but try to surprise and overwhelm their prey on the
ground. Like owls, many decapitate their kills. Because of their strength,
eagles have been a symbol of war and imperial power since Babylonian times.
Their likeness is found on Greek and Roman ruins, coins, and medals.
Eagles are monogamous. They mate for life and use the same nest each year.
They tend to nest in inaccessible places, incubating a small clutch of eggs for
six to eight weeks. The young mature slowly, reaching adult plumage in the
third or fourth year.
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fish eagle
Watch the Steller's sea eagles competing for food during the
winters on Kuril Lake in Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula
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The sea eagles (sometimes called fish, or fishing, eagles, Haliaeetus species)
are very large eagles that live along rivers, big lakes, and tidewater throughout
the world except South America. Some reach 1 metre (3.3 feet) long, with a
wingspan nearly twice that. All have exceptionally large high-arched beaks
and bare lower legs. The undersurfaces of the toes are roughened for grasping
slippery prey. These birds eat much carrion but sometimes kill.
They snatch fish from the water surface and often rob their chief competitor,
the osprey. The largest sea eagle is Steller’s sea eagle (H. pelagicus), of Korea,
Japan, and Russia’s Far East (particularly the Kamchatka Peninsula).
This bird has a wingspan surpassing 2 metres (6.6 feet) and can weigh up to 9
kg (20 pounds). The only sea eagle of North America is the bald eagle (H.
leucocephalus), which is found across Canada and the United States and in
northern Mexico. The white-bellied sea eagle (H. leucogaster), frequently seen
on the coasts of Australia, ranges from New Guinea and Indonesia
through Southeast Asia to India and China. A well-known African species is
the African fish eagle (H. vocifer), found along lakes, rivers, and coastlines
from south of the Sahara to the Cape of Good Hope.