What is an Eagle?
What are the Characteristics of the Group of Birds Known as Eagles?
A description of the eagles, members of the birds of prey, or raptors, including habits, preferred food, and conservation history.
Eagles belong to the birds of prey, or raptors (family Accipitridae). They are expert flyers with keen eyesight to spot live prey below them, but they'll also feed on carrion, particularly dead fish. In North America, congregations of hundreds of Bald Eagles can be seen in areas where food is plentiful, such as salmon rivers where fish die in large numbers after spawning. The Bald Eagle was endangered in the 1970's due to widespread use of DDT; however, the population has rebounded significantly since the chemical was banned. Eagles have also been blamed for killing livestock, and their eggs and feathers have been coveted by collectors, contributing to the decline of many species.
Blog entries:
Carbofuran: another bird-killing pesticide banned
The White-tailed Eagle Returns
