A-Z Blogging Challenge: E Stands For: Eagles

How could I resist?

Image via Wikipedia

Eagles are part of the bird family Accipitridae, and there are over 60 different species of eagle. The word "eagle" is derived from the Latin word "aquila", which may come from the word meaning dark-colored, swarthy, or blackish, referring to the eagle's feathers.

The Golden Eagle, or Aquila Chrysaetos (trust me, I never considered going around with the name Aquila chrysaetos) lives across North America, Eurasia, and parts of Africa, with its densest nesting populating living in Alameda County, California. Its size ranges from 70 to 85 cm/2 ft 4 in to 2ft 9 in in length, and the wingspan is 185 to 220 cm/6 ft 1 in to 7 ft 3 in. The species was first described in 1758 by Linnaeus. It is part of a worldwide superspecies with Verreaux's Eagle, Gurney's Eagle, and the Wedge-Tailed Eagle.

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The Bald Eagle, the national bird of the USA, is a kind of sea eagle. It lives across the entire United States (in theory--people have driven them out in a lot of areas thanks to habitat destruction and so forth), parts of Canada and Alaska, and in northern Mexico. It was put on the list of threatened species on July 12, 1995 thanks to a dramatic drop in population numbers, but was then removed from it on June 28, 2007. (Hooray!)

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Technical details aside, I love these birds because they're beautiful creatures. It's amazing to watch any bird fly--but I find something special about eagles. Their grace in the air, the way they dive, their proud, noble expressions. They're just amazing birds.

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(Wedge-Tail Eagle)

*****

*sighs happily*

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eagle
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bald_Eagle

Do you have a favorite eagle? Is there a kind of animal that you love?


-----The Golden Eagle

Tagged!

And here I was worrying about not having any posts for October . . .

This tag comes from Icewolf at Define Normal (For My Lack Of One).

This tag requires some Picnik skills, because the tag is choosing an animal that best fits your personality, stating why that animal is like you, and then posting an image (edited) that says "Deep down at heart . . . I'm an [insert animal] . . . "

I thought about doing an animal other than a Golden Eagle, but then I thought maybe you'd be interested in why I consider myself to share characteristics with Golden Eagles. So here's my image:

And here are my reasons:


Aquila Chrysaetos is a strong, intelligent, and majestic animal. I've always wanted to soar through the air, and the Golden Eagle is very adept at flying and hunting (they are known to kleptoparasitize--I don't do that, though. :P). Also like the golden eagle, I am relatively solitary; I am strong independently, but I don't mind working as a pair with someone else. The places they live in are varied, and moving around isn't a bother for me. They prefer high-up locations to nest, such as in trees or cliffs; I love a view.


I'm going to tag whoever feels like doing this!


What animal are you most like? Care to say?


-----The Golden Eagle