Eagles are large birds of prey that have always aroused the fascination of human beings. That is why they are part of the traditional mythology of many cultures An example is Eton or the eagle of the Caucasus that, every night, devoured the Greek Prometheus when he was chained for stealing fire from Mount Olympus.
Another curious mythological animal is the alicantus from the Atacama desert, an enormous shiny golden eagle that feeds on precious metals. If a greedy human follows you, it will cause you to get lost in the desert. In reality, the eagle's diet does not include metals, nor does it include human beings. In this article on our site, we tell you what eagles eat
Characteristics of Eagles
Eagles are birds belonging to the order Accipitriformes and the family Accipitridae. They are, therefore, related to the old world vultures, falcons and sparrowhawks, among others. An exception is ospreys (Pandion spp.), which form the family Pandionidae.
All eagles are diurnal birds of prey of brown or grayish colors that can be seen in most latitudes. Among the characteristics of the eagles, their claws and hooked beaks stand out, perfectly adapted for hunting. As for their wings, they are wide and have fingerings (“fingers”) that allow them to fly long distances and make long glides.
Eagle feeding
All eagles are predatory animals and, therefore, carnivores Their prey is usually small or medium-sized mammals, such as lagomorphs, mustelids and rodents Also, many consume other smaller birds. As we will see later, some eagles specialize in hunting very specific prey, such as some eagles that feed only on fish.
The prey that forms part of the eagle's diet depends on where in the world they live and also on their size. The largest ones can consume larger prey, while the smallest ones can only feed on small animals. Therefore, in the following sections we are going to see what eagles eat according to their size
Also, it is important to mention that eagles live close to their food source. To learn more, you can consult this other article on Where do eagles live?
What do large eagles eat?
The wingspan of great eagles can reach two meters and their body length varies between 60 and 90 centimeters. Females are usually considerably larger than males.
The enormous size of these birds of prey allows them to hunt both large and smaller animals. Their diet is usually based on lagomorphs, such as rabbits, and medium-sized birds, such as pigeons and partridges. However, their diet is very varied, and can include snakes, lizards, rats, coatis, weasels, and even monkeys.
Examples of large eagles
Let's see what the most common large eagles eat:
- Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos): it is one of the most widely distributed eagles and its wingspan exceeds two meters. Their diet is very varied and includes rabbits and hares, medium-sized birds, lizards and snakes.
- Eastern Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca): Their diet is based on small mammals, such as ground squirrels and hamsters, although they can also eat reptiles, birds and carrion.
- Rapacious Eagle (Aquila rapax): This African eagle varies greatly in its diet, including mammals, lizards, birds, freshwater fish and even insects.
- Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus): The North American Eagle has a very opportunistic diet, although it enjoys river fish such as salmon and the trout. It can also eat carrion and small mammals.
- Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja): is the largest eagle in South and Central America. Their diet is based on sloths. However, they also often eat primates, rodents, carnivores, and birds.
- Spotted Eagle (Aquila clanga): This is a medium-sized eagle found throughout Eurasia. Their diet includes all kinds of animals, including those that are already dead (carrion). In this other article we talk in greater detail about Scavenger Animals - Types and examples.
What do small eagles eat?
The smallest eagles are known as aguilillas or harriers and their size ranges between 40 and 55 centimeters.
The prey of these birds of prey are smaller than those of larger eagles, since they cannot carry as much weight. Therefore, they feed mainly on field mice, voles, small snakes and amphibians. When these are scarce, they eat many invertebrates, especially large lobsters.
Examples of small eagles
This is what the most common small eagles eat:
- Booted Eagle or Booted Eagle (Hieraaetus pennatus): its diet is very varied, although it is usually based on medium-sized birds, such as Magpies, pigeons and blackbirds. They can also eat reptiles, baby rabbits, and large insects, such as grasshoppers.
- Osprey (Pandion haliaetus): these are birds associated with the coast and the only eagles that feed only on fish, along with the Oceanian osprey, P. cristatus.
- Western Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus): is an eagle associated with wetlands with a very wide distribution. It feeds, above all, on small rodents, young marsh birds and reptiles. It can also eat amphibians, fish and large insects.
- Harrier Harrier (Circus cyaneus): This species from the cold and temperate world is a bird of prey specialized in hunting over bushy areas. It is very fond of rodents, small bird chicks (such as quail), snakes and some types of insects.
- Montagu's Harrier (Circus pygargus): is a Eurasian bird of prey associated with extensive grasslands. Currently, due to its disappearance, it survives in cereal fields. In them, it controls the populations of voles and other rodents, as well as lobsters and granivorous birds.
- Hudson's Harrier (Circus hudsonius): is a small American bird of prey that feeds on voles, amphibians and reptiles. When these prey are scarce, it does not hesitate to eat invertebrates.
Eagle trivia
Now that we know what eagles eat, let's take a look at some curious aspects of their biology. These are some curiosities of the eagles.
Eagles are monogamous
There are many eagles that have the same mate throughout their lives Each year, they come together for breeding and perform a series of nuptial flights with which they consolidate the couple. The female usually incubates the eggs while the male is in charge of getting food and defending the nest. When the chicks hatch, both parents care for them.
The bald eagle, for example, is one of the most faithful animals to its mate. In other birds of prey, such as the hen harrier (C. cyaneus), polygyny of the male is frequent, which can support more than one family at a time.
Chicks kill their siblings
When the resources that both parents bring to the nest become scarce, stronger chicks decide to kill the weaker siblings. Thus, they maximize their chances of survival. For example, 26% of Iberian imperial eagle (A. adalberti) chicks die from fratricide.
Robber Eagles
Some eagles consider that predation consumes too much energy and decide to steal the prey that other raptors have obtained. The best example is the bald eagle (H. leucocephalus) that goes to great lengths on the coasts to steal food from the osprey (P. haliaetus).
Endangered Eagles
Some eagles are endangered or vulnerable. Among its main threats are poisons used illegally in hunting reserves, contamination by lead and pesticides, the scarcity of rabbits due to myxomatosis, and the destruction of their habitats.
Some of the eagles that are in danger of extinction or in a situation of vulnerability are:
- Iberian imperial eagle (A. adalberti).
- Bonelli's Eagle (A. fasciata).
- Montagu's Harrier (C. pygargus).
- Harpy eagle (H. harpyja).
