Imperial eagle
The imperial eagle, also known as the eastern imperial eagle, is a large and majestic bird of prey renowned for its impressive size and soaring abilities. Weighing between five to nine pounds and reaching lengths of up to three feet, it boasts a wingspan of six to seven feet. Its dark brown plumage, contrasted by lighter markings on its head and wings, contributes to its fierce appearance. This carnivorous eagle primarily hunts small mammals such as hares, voles, and ground squirrels, but may also prey on birds and occasionally scavenge for carrion, especially in winter.
Imperial eagles are migratory, traveling vast distances from eastern Europe and Asia to regions like northern India and North Africa during winter months. They are known for their strong pair bonds, often mating for life and returning to the same nesting sites year after year. Their nests, or aeries, are substantial constructions found in sturdy trees, though habitat loss poses a significant threat to their nesting success. The incredible courtship displays of imperial eagles, involving dramatic aerial acrobatics, are a highlight of their mating rituals. Currently, they face challenges such as hunting, habitat destruction, and pollution, making them a vulnerable species.
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Imperial eagle
The imperial eagle, sometimes known as the eastern imperial eagle, is a large bird of prey which is known for its majestic appearance and impressive soaring and courtship flight. Although it weighs five to nine pounds (two to four kilograms), it is able to kill prey which weighs as much as 10 pounds (4 1/2 kilograms). The imperial eagle can be found from Europe throughout Asia.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Accipitriformes
Family: Accipitridae
Genus: Aquila
Species: Heliaca
At a length of up tp three feet (one meter), a weight of up to nine pounds (four kilograms), and a wingspan of six to seven feet (around two meters), the imperial eagle is an impressive creature. Whether it is on the ground, perched in a tree, or soaring on a thermal, the eagle looks quite regal, and its name suits it well. With very little effort, the eagle is able to rise into the air and catch a thermal, or a rising current or warm air. Circling higher and higher on this column of air, the imperial eagle is able to scan its territory for prey. Most of the eagle's day involves hunting, and it is able to soar and glide for hours with very little effort or movement of its wings.
The imperial eagle has dark brown plumage, or feathering, over its entire body, except for lighter-colored markings on its head, tail, and wings. The dark colors add to the fierce appearance of the bird, as do its dark eyes, its sharply-hooked beak, and deadly talons. Diving from the sky at great speeds, the eagle's prey has little opportunity to escape.
Hovering high over the grass and marshes of Eurasia's open steppes and low-lying plains, the eagle hunts each day for its daily meals. It may also perch in one of the few, scattered trees and look for food. The imperial eagle is a carnivore, meaning it eats meat. Its diet mainly consists of live prey, such as hares and rodents. Some of these rodents are voles, ground squirrels, and marmots. Other birds, such as songbirds, ducks, geese, crows, and even flamingos, may find themselves on the imperial eagle's menu. It may kill prey which weighs up to 10 pounds (4 1/2 kilograms), which can be as much as the eagle itself weighs. When living animals are not available, the eagle is content to eat carrion, or dead animals. This is especially true during the winter when other food is not available. Two imperial eagles often hunt together. One eagle flushes out prey, or stirs the prey from its hiding place, while the other eagle catches it.
Migration occurs each winter from eastern Europe and Asia to northern India, the Arabian Peninsula, the Middle East, and North Africa. These distances of thousands of miles (kilometers) are crossed with little difficulty because the eagle is able to soar and glide from thermal to thermal on its broad wings.
The imperial eagle returns to its northern ranges in time to mate in March through Semptember. A pair of imperial eagles mates for life and uses the same nesting site and nest year after year. Some nesting sites have been used by pair after pair for decades and even for centuries. The nest, or aerie, is a huge pile of sticks and usually rests in a large, strong tree which can support the very heavy nest. Unfortunately, suitable nesting sites are not always available due to increased farming which has decreased the number of trees. Each pair also claims its territory around its aerie.
Before mating, the male and female perform an amazing courtship display in which they circle and dive, and even free fall. With their talons linked together, they fall and tumble and spin toward the ground and then let go just in time to fly upward again. After mating, the female lays two to three eggs in the aerie. Both male and female take turns incubating the eggs for the 64 to 68 days during which the young eaglets grow inside their brown-spotted, white shells. Among other raptors, or birds of prey, only one chick may survive, but the survival of two imperial eagle chicks is common. After 9 to 11 weeks, the chicks are ready to fly for the first time. The first time they are able to mate is four or five years later. These eagles may live between 20 and 45 years if conditions remain favorable and they are left undisturbed.
While young imperial eagles may be preyed upon by owls and other birds of prey, adult imperial eagles have few enemies besides humans and their activities. Difficulties facing the imperial eagle are hunting, starvation, pollution, habitat loss, and the long time it takes them to grow to maturity for breeding. For these reasons, the imperial eagle is a vulnerable species.
Bibliography
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology. “Imperial Eagle - Aquila Heliaca.” Birds of the World, 2024, birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/impeag1/cur/introduction. Accessed 12 Apr. 2024.
“Eastern Imperial Eagle - Facts, Diet, Habitat, & Pictures on Animalia.bio.” Animalia, 2024, animalia.bio/eastern-imperial-eagle. Accessed 12 Apr. 2024.