Eagle Day 2021 - Jesse Granger: Bushranger

Today is Eagle Day!

Hawks fear them. Vultures wanna be them. Today we celebrate the grace and majesty of one of nature’s most ferocious and beautiful birds of prey, the eagle. Now when most people think about eagles, they envision the bald eagle. A symbol of strength and freedom. But did you know that there are actually 59 different species of eagles on Earth today? Keep reading to learn more!

OH SAY CAN YOU SEE

Go outside and look as far as you can into the distance. It seems like a long way doesn’t it? Eagles can see four to five times farther than that! They can also see a wider range of the color spectrum than we can. The reason for this is because eagle have more cones in their eyes than we do, allowing them to see a farther and more clearly. Our eyes have about 200,000 cones per square millimeter whereas an eagle’s eyes have a million! Can you imagine seeing new colors? No you can’t! And neither can scientists. These advantages help the eagle hunt better and become the dangerous bird of prey that it is.

FLY LIKE AN EAGLE

Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a… oh wait. It is a bird. When eagles take flight, they can use thermal convection currents (basically currents of rising hot air) to reach enormous heights. They can get up to 10,000 feet in the air! That’s about the length of 33 football fields! They can use these currents to glide for hours and even reach speeds of 40 mph. The fastest recorded speed a human being has raved is about 27.5 mph. Using these currents helps the eagle save energy as they hunt for prey. So when the time comes, they’ll be ready to strike.

EATING LIKE A BIRD

Like the lion and the crocodile, eagles are apex predators. That means they basically run the skies and have no natural predators. They’re at the top of the food chain. They do what they want and eat what they want. All eagles are carnivorous meaning they eat meat. The kind of meat they eat depends on their size and the type of animals around. There are four different tires of eagles:

Snake eagles – these eagles are smaller and feed on snakes, lizards, and frogs.
Fish/Sea eagles – the bald eagle is in this category. These eagles live near bodies of water and feed on fish and waterfowl
Harpy eagles – these are the largest of the eagles. They live in forests and feed on large prey such as monkeys and sloths.
Booted eagles – these eagles are characterized by the feathers on their legs going all the way down to their feet like a boot. They come in a variety of sizes and live all over the world.

BACK IN BUSINESS

Thanks to amazing conservation efforts, the bald eagle is no longer listed as an endangered species. But that doesn’t mean the fight is over yet. There’s still work to be done to ensure that these creatures don’t end up on the brink of extinction again. Here’s how you can help:

Hunt and fish responsibly. Bald eagles are still protected by the government. If you come across one or its nest while hunting or fishing, leave it alone.
Petition your city to put up eagle-friendly power lines. An estimated millions of birds including eagles are electrocuted every year by power lines.
If you come across an eagle nest or an injured eagle, you can help by contacting your local wildlife department.

I hope you enjoyed learning about eagles! Keep a sharp eye out for ways you can help in your community and as always, stay wild!