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MASTERS OF THE
SKY
Eagles. For centuries, these seemingly larger-than-life birds have fascinated and inspired us. We venerate them as living symbols of power, freedom, and transcendence. In some religions, high-soaring eagles are believed to touch the face of God. Legend holds that Mexico's Aztecs so revered the birds that they built Tenochtitlan, their capital, at the spot where an eagle perched on a cactus. Behind this extraordinary reverence, however, is the even more
remarkable story of how Earth's 59 species of eagles live their
high-flying lives. That story is told in the NATURE program EAGLES, which
gives a rare bird's-eye-view of these masters of the sky. EAGLES documents
the stunning acrobatics and the ferocious hunting skills that have made
these birds the nobility of feathered society, from the plains of Africa
and the rivers of Alaska to the forests of the Philippines and the seas
off Japan.
Biologists also recognize another significant difference among eagles: some are built to hunt in the tight confines of a forest, while others are designed to soar high above open plains and water with nary a wing flap. The forest eagles, such as the Crested Serpent Eagle, have short wings and long tails that enable them to twist and turn easily -- an advantage when chasing prey at high speed through tree trunks and branches. In contrast, soaring eagles, such as the Golden Eagle and Africa's Bateleur Eagle, have short, wide tails and broad, long wings that enable them to glide effortlessly on rising air currents. There is a tradeoff, however: soaring eagles tend to be poor flyers, making every takeoff and landing an adventure! As a result, soaring eagles often hunt from high perches, where they can literally "fall" into the air and swoop down on unsuspecting fish and mammals. Still, soaring provides an efficient means of covering ground -- a necessity for eagles living in areas where food may be scarce. Golden eagles nesting in Wyoming, for instance, often have foraging areas that cover 100 square miles.
Usually, however, eagle eyes are too keen for the birds to fly blindly into danger. In fact, eagles' vision is among the sharpest of any animal. Wedge-tailed Eagles, for instance, can see twice as far as people. Studies suggest that some eagles can spot an animal the size of a rabbit up to two miles away. In part, eagles have excellent vision because their eyes, which are very large in proportion to their heads, are densely packed with sensory cells. While humans typically have 200,000 light-sensitive cells per square millimeter of retina, eagles may have 1 million -- five times more. Similarly, while humans have only one fovea, a funnel-shaped part of the retina where vision is sharpest, eagles have two. Finally, where people see just three basic colors, eagles see five, enabling them to pick out even well-camouflaged prey. Unfortunately, even such remarkable traits have not protected eagles from harm. Around the world, many eagle populations are dwindling as a result of habitat destruction, hunting, and pollution. But conservation efforts are helping some species. In the U.S., for instance, the Bald Eagle has made a dramatic comeback over the last few decades. And on the island of Madagascar, the dramatic 1993 rediscovery of the Madagascar Serpent Eagle has raised hopes that its population also can be protected and restored.
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