Mexican Eagle versus American Eagle.
Most people believe these two birds are closely
related, but surprisingly this isn’t the
case. Bald Eagles belong to a group called
“fishing eagles,” and are more closely
related to kites. Golden Eagles are more closely
related to hawks called “Buteos”, such
as Red-Tailed Hawks. Golden and Bald Eagles
are majestic, large birds, that are revered
by many people. But if these beautiful birds
were to engage in a fight to death, which
of them would win? Which is stronger? Let's
meet our fighters!
Physical Description & Habitat.
The Golden Eagle is the national bird of Mexico,
Albania, Germany, Austria, and Kazakhstan,
making it the most common national animal
in the world. Adult Golden Eagles are dark
brown with a golden sheen on the back of the
head and neck. For their first several years
of life, young birds have neatly defined white
patches at the base of the tail and in the
wings.
Mexican Eagle range from Mexico through much
of western North America as far north as Alaska;
they also appear in the east but are uncommon.
Golden Eagles are also found in Asia, northern
Africa, and Europe. Some Golden Eagles migrate,
but others do not, depending on the conditions
of their geographic location. Alaskan and
Canadian eagles typically fly south in the
fall, for example, while birds that live in
the western continental U.S. tend to remain
in their ranges year-round.
The Bald Eagle is the national bird of the
United States of America and appears on its
seal. Bald Eagles are not actually bald; the
name derives from an older meaning of the
word, "white headed". Adult Bald Eagles have
white heads and tails with dark brown bodies
and wings. They have a large, yellow bill
and large feet, also yellow, equipped with
strong talons. While the Mexican Eagle has
feathered legs, American Eagle has no feathers
on his legs. Immature birds have mostly dark
heads and tails; their brown wings and bodies
are mottled with white in varying amounts.
Young birds attain adult plumage in about
five years.
Bald Eagles are found throughout North America
and they are able to live anywhere with adequate
nesting trees, feeding grounds and roosts.
They are a partially migrant species and if
they have access to open water they will remain
at the nesting site year round. Those that
do not have access to water migrate south
or to coastal areas for the winter months.
Size & Weight.
The Golden Eagle is one of the most well-known
and magnificent birds of prey. They have a
length of 75 - 90 cm (30 - 35 inches), a wingspan
up to 227 cm (75 - 89 inches) and they weigh
between 3 and 6.5 Kg (6.5 - 14 lb).
Bald Eagles are large distinguished birds
of prey. They have a body length between 71
and 96 cm (28 - 38 inches), a wingspan up
to 250 cm (98 inches) and they weigh between
3 and 6.5 kg (6.5 - 14 lb).
Flying Abilities.
Golden Eagles are sometimes considered the
best fliers among eagles and perhaps among
all raptorial birds. They are equipped with
broad, long wings with somewhat finger-like
indentations on the tips of the wing. Golden
eagles are unique among their genus in that
they often fly in a slight dihedral, which
means the wings are often held in a slight,
upturned V-shape. When they need to flap,
Golden Eagles appear at their most laboured,
but this is less common than soaring or gliding.
Flapping flight usually consists of 6–8
deep wing-beats, interspersed with 2–3 second
glides. While soaring, the wings and tail
are held in one plane with the primary tips
often spread. A typical, unhurried soaring
speed in Golden Eagles is around 45–52 kilometers
per hour (28–32 mph). When hunting or displaying,
the Golden Eagle can glide very fast, reaching
speeds of up to 190 kilometers per hour (120
mph). When stooping (diving) in the direction
of prey or during territorial displays, the
eagle holds its legs up against its tail,
and holds its wings tight and partially closed
against its body. When diving after prey,
a Golden Eagle can reach 240 to 320 kilometers
per hour (150 to 200 mph). Although less agile
and manoeuvrable, the Golden Eagle is apparently
quite the equal and possibly even the superior
of the Peregrine Falcon's stooping and gliding
speeds. This makes the Golden Eagle one of
the two fastest living animals. Although most
flight in Golden Eagles has a clear purpose
(e.g., territoriality, hunting), some flights,
such as those by solitary birds or between
well-established breeding pairs, seem to be
play.
The Bald Eagle is a powerful flier, and soars
on thermal convection currents. It reaches
speeds of 56–70 km/h (35–43 mph) when
gliding and flapping, and about 48 km/h (30
mph) while carrying fish. Its dive speed is
between 120–160 km/h (75–99 mph), though
it seldom dives vertically. Regarding their
flying abilities, despite being morphologically
less well adapted to faster flight than Golden
Eagles (especially during dives), the Bald
Eagle is considered surprisingly maneuverable
in flight. Bounty hunters shooting from helicopters
opined that they were far more difficult to
hunt while flying than Golden Eagles as they
would turn, double back or dive as soon as
approached. Bald Eagles have also been recorded
catching up to and then swooping under geese
in flight, turning over and thrusting their
talons into the other bird's breast. The eagle
is further aided in flight because its bones
are hollow. Unbelievably, the total weight
of an eagle skeletal system is only half the
weight of its feathers and it represents about
5% of the total body weight. With a wingspan
of seven to eight feet and a wide and rudder-like
tail, the eagle was built to master the skies.
Hunting & Weapons.
Golden Eagles usually hunt during daylight
hours, but were recorded hunting from one
hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset
during the breeding season in southwestern
Idaho. The hunting success rate of Golden
Eagles was calculated in Idaho, showing that,
out of 115 hunting attempts, 20% were successful
in procuring prey. Golden Eagles can fly hundreds
of miles while foraging for their food. They
are excellent hunters and they often work
in pairs while hunting: one eagle drives the
prey to its waiting partner. A Golden Eagle’s
diet consists primarily of small to medium
size mammals such as rabbits, ground squirrels
and marmots, as well as birds and reptiles.
They have been observed preying on larger
mammals like young pronghorn antelope and
bighorn sheep, and even been known to attack
full grown deer. Ranchers once killed many
of these birds for fear that they would prey
on their livestock, but studies showed that
the animal's impact was minimal. Today, Golden
Eagles are protected by law. Golden Eagles
are terrestrial predators. They are rarely
found near the water and generally do not
feed on fish.
Like all raptors, eagles kill their prey with
their talons. The talons on their feet kill
and carry the prey, while the beak is only
for eating. Each eagle foot has four very
sharp talons, three in the front facing back,
and one larger talon (the hallux) in the back,
facing forward. The long, straight and powerful
hallux-claw (hind claw) of the Golden Eagle
can range from 4.5 to 6.34 cm (1.77 to 2.50
inches), about one centimeter longer than
in a bald eagle and a little more than one
centimeter less than a harpy eagle. The crushing
strength of each talon (provided by powerful
leg muscles) is estimated to be at least 400
pounds per square inch, per talon. “We can
produce about 20 lb of pressure in our hands
as we squeeze. By contrast, a strong eagle
can produce the same power in its feet as
a Rottweiler’s jaws," says Dominic King,
chief falconer at Tayto Park. Although thinner,
the eagle's talons are as long as a grizzly
bear's claws. Experienced falconers say that
these deadly weapons often pierce the lungs,
fracture bones or even pierce the skulls of
small mammals that the eagle attacks. “When
they attack bigger animals, they like to go
for the eyes. For general hunting, a lot of
time they grab the animal instantaneously,
and the talons enter on both sides, between
the ribs, and puncture the lungs. Then they
sit and watch, and wait, or come back later,”
says Fairbanks wildlife biologist Rod Bortje.
"A strong eagle can crush the skull of a monkey
with just one foot,” says Dominic King,
chief falconer at Tayto Park.
Although eagles have the power to kill prey
many times their own size, they are unable
to carry more than just a few pounds. A fully-grown
Golden Eagle requires about 230 to 270 grams
(0.5 to 0.6 lb) of food per day but in the
life of most eagles there are cycles of feast
and famine, and eagles have been known to
go without food for up to a week and then
gorge on up to 900 grams (2.0 lb) at one sitting.
Bald Eagle are the only species of eagle native
to North America and they have been a protected
species since 1940. They really love fish.
When catching fish, Bald Eagle do not enter
the water like the osprey, instead they use
their strong feet and sharp claws to snatch
dead or dying fish or those that live near
the surface of the water. A Bald Eagle's lifting
power is about 4 pounds. Once an eagle spots
a fish swimming or floating near the water
surface, it approaches its prey in a shallow
glide and then snatches the fish out of the
water with a quick swipe of its talons. Eagles
can open and close their talons at will; although,
a hungry eagle can be dragged into the water
when refusing to release a heavy fish. Unfortunately,
the eagle might drown during the encounter
with the fish; eagles are strong swimmers,
but if the water is very cold, the bird might
be overcome by hypothermia. If an eagle falls
into the water during an aerial fight over
food with another eagle or accidentally falls
into the water, they are able to take flight
from the water surface.
American Eagles are opportunistic predators,
and when fish aren't available, they'll eat
whatever they can catch, including small birds
and rodents. Bald eagles are also scavengers
that will feed on carrion. If they see an
opportunity, Bald Eagles may even steal food
from other birds such as osprey.
Like all the others eagles, The Bald Eagle's
eyesight is especially remarkable. An eagle's
eye is almost as large as a human's, but its
sharpness is at least five times that of a
person with perfect vision. That’s why an
eagle can spot a target as small as a rabbit
up to a mile away. In addition, an eagle has
excellent depth perception due to the overlap,
of the right and left fields of vision. Another
interesting and noteworthy thing about the
Bald Eagle is that this bird builds the largest
nest of any North American bird. Their nest
can be up to 4 meters (13 ft) deep and 2.5
meters (8.2 ft) wide in a tree or sometimes
on the ground.
Conclusions.
This time I will not tell you who I think
will win this fight, but I will quote Jack
Whitman, the Fairbanks wildlife biologist
who studied the Golden Eagles in Idaho: “Golden
Eagles are formidable predators in Alaska.
Bigger and more aggressive than Bald Eagles,
Golden Eagles prey on young Dall sheep and
caribou - and can take even larger prey. They’re
built for killing. Comparing their physical
strength and food habits to Bald Eagles, the
Golden Eagle is an aggressive, successful
predator, and the Bald Eagle is a really good
scavenger. How often do you see a Golden Eagle
at a garbage dump?”
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I am waiting for you next week with another
interesting confrontation! Thank you for watching
and for all your support!
