Freedom Flight

Throughout history and across many cultures, Eagle has been seen as a symbol of strength, ferocity, vision and endurance. Mythology abounds with tales of Eagle, from the Native American's Thunderbird to Eagle which tore at the liver of Greek Prometheus. The bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), our national bird, is the only eagle unique to North America. The bald eagle's scientific name signifies a sea (halo) eagle (aeetos) with a white (leukos) head. At one time, the word "bald" meant "white," not hairless. This great bird has also come to be the symbol of several nations, such as the Double-Headed Eagle of Poland and the American eagle. (Over the objections of Ben Franklin, who supported the Turkey as the national bird.)

Eagles are renowned for their superior vision. The wedge tailed eagle can see twice as well as a human. The rods and cones of their eyes are concentrated in the top portion of their eyes, so that their best vision is from above, looking down. They must actually turn their heads upside down to view the sky above. As with other raptors, a protective shelf above their eyes helps to shadow their vision from the sun.

Attacking in a swift dive, which can reach speeds of up to 100 M.P.H., eagles grasp their prey in long talons. Bald eagles subsist mainly on fish and waterfowl, while the golden eagle's diet tends toward rabbits and other rodents. Generally their prey is smaller than they, however a South American harpy eagle was seen carrying a 13 lb sloth, and a bald eagle was once recorded as carrying a mule 15 lb mule deer fawn. Bald eagles will also steal food from ospreys and other birds.

Eagles are not social animals, and the main family group is generally the breeding pair. They build nests high in trees or on the edges of cliffs. Bald eagles return to the same nest every year, adding sticks each time. The largest recorded nest was 9.5 ft wide, 20 ft deep and weighed over 2.9 tons. Although eagles usually lay a clutch of 2 or 3 eggs, often only one is raised. Hatching over a couple days time, the smaller, younger chicks often starve, or are killed by their larger nest mates. Because of this, eagle populations are slow to grow, and slow to bounce back from ecological threats.

Many species of eagles are presently considered threatened or endangered. The bald eagle population was nearly wiped out (down to 700 known breeding pairs in 1974 in the contiguous 48 states). Since the ban of various pesticides including DDT, and severe laws concerning poaching and nest disturbance, they have climbed to a present number of 4,500 breeding pairs. Presently the Harpy Eagle of South America and the Philippines eagle are considered extremely endangered as well.

Size: 5 x 7 wooden plaque

The item sells for $45.00

Pauline Libutti, RiverRock