This large bird, easily and freely floating in the sky, admires its impregnability, majesty and incredible strength. Not without reason in many folk tales it occupies a majestic place of the king of all birds.
This article will present the largest eagles of the world and Russia, or rather, some of them. These are delightful and graceful giants with an unimaginably huge wingspan of powerful and strong wings.
About eagles
In nature, there is a huge family of eagles, which includes many species of eagles. However, in Russia there are not so many of them: the golden eagle-monarch, grave digger, dwarf, hawkish, steppe, large and small spotted eagles.
Each of these species is unique, has certain structural features, in size, in habitats and habits. About all this and about what the largest eagles exist on earth, will be discussed in this article.
Golden eagle
Of all the known species of eagles, golden eagles are one of the most powerful and beautiful. The wingspan of its powerful wings reaches 2 meters. And his tail, which plays the role of a rudder and gives maneuverability and speed, is also rather big. In this regard, the spoils noted by the golden eagle have practically no chance of salvation.
The golden eagle's beak is a powerful weapon. In its form, it is large and bent. With its cutting edges, the golden eagle is able to cut into pieces the skin of the victim. And this is not the most important weapon. He also has strong powerful claws, with the help of which he grabs and kills the animal he has caught.
The golden eagle hunts for a variety of animals: rodents (groundhogs, ground squirrels and hares), birds (black grouse and capercaillie), small ungulate animals. Even turtles sometimes become his prey, although they have a seemingly reliable carapace. In the latter case, the cunning of this wise bird plays an important role. She throws the caught turtle from a height, due to which the carapace breaks up on stones, and delicious tender meat becomes the food of a golden eagle.
The nest of this bird is huge, with a diameter of up to 2 meters, and a height of up to one. The eagle spreads the interior of its home with wool, scraps of skins, tree branches with leaves, fresh coniferous branches. In nature, you can find nests, built by him even at an altitude of about 3000 meters.
Andean Condor
This is a larger bird that lives in the Andes and on the Pacific coast. Three meters is the wingspan of the condor. This giant is known for its collar of white feathers on its neck against a background of beautiful shiny black plumage, as well as a crest on its head.
He feeds mainly on carrion, but can also hunt medium-sized birds, and also likes to feed on eggs. In total, a condor can eat about 6 kilograms of meat in one sitting.
These giants live quite high in the mountains, and they arrange their nests at almost 5-meter height.
Peregrine falcon
The bird has a name, which is translated from Latin as "traveling", and it is deserved. She travels almost everywhere, visiting northern European countries, Asia, America during flights, and reaches Central Africa.
The dark gray hue of the upper body of the bird has triangular spots, and the lower, yellowish tone, has dark stripes. Spotted fly feathers are blue-black.
The nesting place of this giant bird is large forests interspersed with rocks. Peregrine Falcon - a bird nesting in the cracks of steep rocks, but more often prefers abandoned housing of kites and eagles. About 50 years ago, she was seen even on high-rise buildings in European cities.
The main food for peregrine falcons is birds (from larks to geese). No wonder they are also called pigeons. During the hunt for prey, birds develop at tremendous speed, and therefore it often happens that the victim, dodging, escapes, and the predator breaks itself on the barrier.
Great hunter peregrine falcon. However, like other falcons, he, when pursued by other predators, throws his caught prey. What other cunning birds of prey use. They often lie in wait for the peregrine falcon to get easy prey.
Peregrine Falcon, like many of the largest eagles, has long been used by humans as a hunting bird. It differs from other hunting eagles in a slightly smaller size, a short tail and a strongly bent beak.
Philippine harpy
This strong bird of prey of the hawk family is also called a monkey-eater. The Philippine harpy is one of the rarest large birds in the world. It lives only in the Philippines, in tropical forests. This bird is one of the main national symbols of the country, and it is under state protection. Her murder is punishable by Philippine laws for twelve years in prison and a heavy fine.
The size of the Philippine harpy is impressive: length is from 80 to 100 cm, the wingspan is about 220 cm. The long tail and relatively short wings make this bird quite easy to maneuver in flight in dense forests.
The head of the bird is whitish-buffy with a crest of narrow and long feathers, which are brown in color on the back and on the wings, and with darker transverse stripes on the tail. The belly is painted in an ocher-whitish color.
The bird has a high and very large beak.
