The Eagle symbolizes strength, courage, and daring in many nations throughout history. In the National Geographic Magazine article, Eagle, King of Birds, and His Kin, July, 1933, Mr. Alexander Wetmore begins his account by telling of the world-wide range of the bird. "Eagles and their many relatives among the hawks and vultures are distributed throughout the world, except over the open seas, the barren Antarctic continent, and the smallest and most isolated of oceanic islands," (p. 43).
Countries all over the world use and have used the eagle on their crests and military emblems for the past 3,000 years. The Aztecs called the eagle, "the winged wolf." There are more than 700 bird families in the eagle and kin group. "They are mainly birds of medium to large size, with broad wings, strong legs, feet armed with sharp claws, and strongly hooked bills," (p. 43).
Falcons are generally smaller than eagles and other hawks but have long pointed wings which give them greater speed. "The food of birds of the hawk group is highly varied although it is taken entirely from the animal kingdom," (p. 50).
My son-in-law, Dave, who has maintained a back yard chicken coop in Massachusetts, U.S.A., for several years, expects his two dogs to drive away any chicken hawks. News flash, Dave: These birds "may on occasion eat birds or even visit hen-yards for prey, but confine their attention principally to mice and rats. Therefore, they are in the main beneficial, as they destroy large numbers of rodents that are injurious to crops and orchards," (p. 50-51), and also eat chicken feed!
There are bat-eating hawks and snake-eating hawks, frog-eating hawks and monkey-eating (!) hawks. The fish-eating hawks dive for their food in a manner similar to the pelicans. Some hawks catch and eat smaller birds in flight. "The honey buzzards of the Old World (Pernis) are fond of honey and the immature stages of bees," (p. 51). Vultures eat dead animals and are immune to the decaying flesh. I will not relate the digestive processes of these birds!
Mr. Wetmore writes that hawks were almost universally thought of as destructive yet they were mostly beneficial as mentioned above in reference to the chicken hawks. In the writer's time, hawks were usually shot and killed everywhere, on sight. Some states even paid a bounty for their heads. As a result, "in the eastern half of the United States, these birds have decreased to less than a tenth of their former abundance," (p. 57). This resulted in an overabundance of the rodents which do destroy crops. The bald eagle, our national bird, also had a bad reputation among farmers and was hunted extensively, in the 1930's. It is good to know that the bald eagle is now vigorously protected in the United States!
"The carrying or lifting power of hawks and eagles has been frequently exaggerated," (p. 58). They may carry 10 to 12 pounds, but not for a long distance. Wouldn't it be amazing to watch one grab a rabbit, a doe, or a lamb? Have you ever seen an American bald eagle or a South American condor in a zoo? What immensely large birds they are! They can weigh from 20 to 25 pounds.
Next blog: how humans have used these large birds.
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