The Wedge-tailed eagle (Aquila audax) is the largest Australian bird of prey 1, 2, 3, 5 . One of the most characteristic features of the Aquila audax is its long, wedge like tail1, 3, 5, 7 . They’re also identifiable by their narrow wings and distinctive shoulders when perched 1, 3, 5, 7. The beak is yellowish-grey, the eye brown to dark brown, and the feet off-white. The wedge-tailed Eagle also has feathering all the way to the toe1, 2, 3,5,7.
The adult Aquila audax is largely dark brownish-black, excluding the reddish-brown hackles on the back of the neck and a narrow, speckled grey-brown band across the upper wing1, 3, 5 . The undertail coverts are paler brown and the flight feathers have observable pale bases on the underside of the wings (see fig 1). The male and female wedge-tailed eagles are similar in appearance. However, a female eagle is usually slightly larger and heavier than the male1,2,4,5,6,7.
Hatchlings are covered in a pure white plumage straight out of the egg (see fig 2). However, juvenile Aquila audax are easily identifiable; their plumage consists of a dark brown body with a reddish tinge to the edges of the feathers and a light golden to reddish-brown back, nape and upper wing band1,3,6,7. The wing band in the young Aquila audax is much broader than that of the adult, covering close to half of the wing1,3, 6,7.
The wing band is a lot broader in the adult, taking up more than half of the width of the wing. Wedge-tailed eagles get darker as they age, reaching a blackish-brown colour after about ten years1,2,3,4,7.
Feeding habits
Wedge-tailed Eagles eat both live prey and carrion1,2,3,4. Their diet relies on the availability of prey, but the most significant live foods are rabbits and hares1,3,4,5.
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...led Eagle. [online] Available at: http://www.australiazoo.com.au/our-animals/amazing-animals/birds/?bird=raptors&animal=wedge-tailed_eagle [Accessed 4 May. 2014].
3) Birdsinbackyards.net, (2014). Wedge-tailed Eagle | BIRDS in BACKYARDS. [online] Available at: http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/species/Aquila-audax [Accessed 4 May. 2014].
4) Environment.nsw.gov.au, (2014). Wedge-tailed eagle | NSW Environment & Heritage. [online] Available at: http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/animals/TheWedgetailedEagle.htm [Accessed 4 May. 2014].
5) Fields, J. (2010). Wedge-tailed Eagle - Australian Museum. [online] Australianmuseum.net.au. Available at: http://australianmuseum.net.au/Wedge-tailed-Eagle [Accessed 4 May. 2014].
6) Readers Digest., (n.d.). Complete Book of Australian Birds. 1st ed.
7) Serventy, V. (1968). Wildlife of Australia. 1st ed. [Melbourne]: Nelson [(Australia).
In “A Caged Bird”, it is made clear that this bird has never experienced the freedom of flying with the other species or perching atop the highest building. All it has ever known is the cage in which is has been kept and fed plentifully, yet not punctually, and nurtured with the love of an owner and proper care.
Of the birds of Arizona, the cactus wren is likely to be the most well known, as it is the state bird. The cactus wren is a very vocal bird with the white eye stripes behind each of it’s eyes. Its breast is heavily flecked with dark brown and black, whilst its tail feathers alternate between black, brown and white. Its beak also has a faint curve to it. The cactus wren makes its home in a variety of desert environments, most commonly in the foothills with all manner of scrub such as yucca, mesquite, and its namesake, cactus. One of the most numerous birds of the city is quail who tend to live in washes and bushes as they are often too heavily weighted to fly far off the ground or for long distances. The Northern mockingbird also
But the word condor is derived from the Ecuadorian Quechua word cuntur. The California condor has black feathers with a triangle of white on each wing. The adults have a bald head and on their neck they have a fluffy black ridge of feathers that look like a collar. They grow between 117 to 134 centimeters long and weigh from 17 to 24 pounds. The California condor is the largest flying bird in North America, living only in the south western United States.
Listed as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act, the Northern Spotted Owl has inadvertently landed in the in middle of the complicated debate over logging in the Pacific Northwest. Under the Act, logging of many old-growth forests has been suspended to protect the bird and its remaining habitat.
U.S. Department of the interior, National Park Service. (2013). Endangered Species. Retrieved from website: http://www.nature.nps.gov/biology/endangeredspecies/index.cfm
Piping plovers are small shorebirds that usually lives on sandy beach and is considered to be endangered. It has a pale color that blend perfectly with dry beach sand. During the spring and summer, it appears to have a single black neckband and a narrow black band across its forehead. The plover’s bills and legs are yellowish but their bills have a black tip. During their flight its rump is white in color. The sexes appear similar, in both their size and color. During the winter, their legs and bill gets darker. Piping plovers are seen in small flocks or singularly.
In 1782, the bald eagle was elected as the national symbol of the United States of America, yet by the early 1960’s, it was nearly extinct in the Continental United States. A combination of many dangers, with the main danger being the pesticide DDT, the bald eagle was on the verge of extinction. Yet, through conservation measure applied by the United States government the bald eagle cam back from the brink and was taken off of the endangered species list in 2007.
While driving On Rte10 through the town of Hamden what seems to be an ordinary ride can become a scenic view of our nation’s bird. On a tall skinny Birch tree over 40 ft in the air is lives a bald eagle in its natural habitat. In this nest lives a male adult and female adult with an Eaglet. The nest is located in a farming open field along a river bank. This field and river provides the eagles with a source of food. The eagles mostly eat fish, the adult eagle will swoop down to the water and grab a fish all in one motion flying the meal back to the nest to feed its family. The field is posted to prevent people from ruining the habitat, since the natural reproduction of this eagle is very important to its recovery from being endangered. I was able to view this community form the road and was able to watch the nest and occasionally watch the adult eagle fly away most likely looking for food to feed his family. The nest form my view was huge at least 3 feet in diameter perched up about 40 ft high on a birch tree. The surrounding area of the nest was clear of any branches or trees creating a clear access way for the birds to land. Below the nest was a large open field on the bank of an active river.
Many species are part of the endangered animals, and steppe eagle is no different. Any endangered animals suffers HIPPO (Habitat Destruction, Invasive Species, Population, Pollution, and Overharvesting.), and like other flying species suffers electrocution. This eagle can’t be found in United States, but they are located outside of Europe to Central Asia. There are about 800-1200 pairs of steppe eagle. I choose steppe eagle because I believe steppe eagles should not be harmed by power lines and their destruction of their habitat. Unfortunately there hasn’t been a favorable or a specific solution for this eagle. I will propose to you one of my suggestions to help steppe eagles free from being endangered.
Burton, R. & Kress, S. W., (2010). Bird profiles: American Crow. Audubon North American birdfeeder guide (Rev. ed., p. 150). New York: DK.
Thousands of different types of birds roam the Earth as we know it today, so let’s begin consider the origin of these beings. How had these creatures come to be? What was their original form? The evolution of birds has only recently begun to explode with new information within the last decade (Savile, 1957, p. 212). Birds are unique creatures and inhabit a wide variety of locations, but constant among them is the fact that they came from Archaeopteryx. Over time, three key changes have developed with the bird’s anatomy that makes it a paradigm of evolution.
The eagle has always been considered a bird that is fierce in nature and is above all.
tail. They have gray or rosy brown backs with lighter gray or brown hind legs and have
Most peregrines are slate blue on the back and wings. The top of its head is black. Black
The Bald Eagle eats a variety of food, Since Bald eagles mainly live in Alaska; there are lots of fresh salmon in rivers, so they feed on fish. They don’t just eat fish though they also eat other animals like seabirds, waterfowl, mammals, and reptiles. Bald eagles obtain their oxygen through their lungs like other birds and mammals.