The Eagle, Our Beloved National Bird, Part Two

This continues a report of the July, 1933, National Geographic Magazine article, Eagle, King of Birds, and His Kin, Alexander Wetmore.  This species of birds includes eagles, hawks, falcons, vultures, and condors, large birds of prey.  The condors of America are the largest, with a length of between 40 and 50 inches.  They are even larger than turkeys!

"Raptors," as creatures of prey are called, are very useful to humanity.  Many birds eat small rodents.  Natives use the feathers of eagles in their colorful headresses.  Some of these large birds are eaten, but not many.  Falcons can be trained to hunt for their keepers.  They are fed until they are tame. "Among peoples of Central Asia, the golden eagle is trained to hunt small antelopes, foxes, and even wolves. . . Scenes depicting hunting with hawks are found among the ancient paintings in the tombs in Egypt, and this sport was well known in India, Asia, and Europe at a very early date," (p. 62).

Eagles' nests are called eyries; they are usually built tall in sturdy trees.  Once on a bus tour of the Space Center in Florida, large eagle nests were pointed out to us.  They were at least 6 feet long.

In this 1933 article, it was reported that California condors were "Formerly quite abundant. . . possibly ten individuals exist in the wild," (p. 64).  A quick Wikipedia check reveals that the California condor went extinct in 1987.  What a tragedy!  Apparently, a few remaining birds were captured, bred in captivity, and are being introduced into American southwestern states.  The birds can have a wingspan of 9 1/2 feet!  The color painting in this article reveals a bird with a head like a turkey with the rest consisting of black feathers.  Condors and vultures are birds that eat only carrion (dead animals).

The kites are another related species of these predator birds.  They are colored white, black, and gray, quite beautiful.  "This species feeds extensively on snakes and also eats lizards and large insects. All food is seized expertly in the feet, and the birds customarily eat while flying," (p. 68).

We will continue in this long article, exploring more species of these interesting birds in the next blog.