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The royal eagle o caudal eagle It is a bird that has a lot of strength and leadership in some cultures and, in fact, some countries use this bird of prey as a national symbol. For example, in Mexico, the golden eagle is the emblematic species of the country and is a symbol on its flag. Even so, this importance of this bird has not saved it from being threatened.
If you want to know why is the golden eagle in danger of extinctionContinue reading this Green Ecologist article in which you will find information about the characteristics of the golden or flow eagle, the causes of its current situation and what we can do to help it.
Golden Eagle: characteristics
These are the main characteristics of the golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) or also call caudal eagle:
- It is a kind of large wingspan, since it can reach more than 2 meters from tip to tip of the wings.
- In length, that is, from the beak to the tail, it could reach 1 meter.
- They are animals with colored feathers dark brown Except on the head, neck and some areas of the wings that have feathers with lighter tones.
- They are characterized by strong claws and very developed.
- Your flight arrives until 240 km / h being, in addition to being very fast, an elegant flight.
- Its peak and have a powerful long distance view, make the caudal eagle an excellent hunter.
- They are distributed throughout the northern hemisphere of the planet, in open or semi-open habitats. They generally live in mountainous areas, but are easily adapted to forest, wetland, scrub, and tundra areas.
- They inhabit territories ranging from sea level to altitudes of 3,600 meters.
- Depending on the populations they can be sedentary or migratory and, although they are very solitary, they can also be found in pairs or in small groups.
- As for their diet, they feed on rodents, fish and even carrion, sometimes they have also attacked larger animals, such as red foxes and deer.
- They are a species that spends several years with the same couple, that is, they are monogamous and nest in high places, where they lay 1 to 4 eggs that incubate for approximately 40-45 days.
- When they are young, the strongest sometimes kill the weakest.
- When they begin to fly they become independent and it is at the age of 4 or 7 when they begin to reproduce.
Although, the sad reality is that there are fewer and fewer copies of the golden eagle that can be seen flying in our sky. This being a great problem since the caudal eagle acts as an "umbrella species" contributing to the conservation of the biodiversity of the territories it inhabits.
If you like royal or caudal eagles, we suggest you discover 112 birds of prey or raptors here: types, names and photos.
Why is the golden eagle in danger of extinction- the causes
The golden eagle in Mexico is listed as a threatened species according to NOM-059-SEMARNAT-210. We are facing a predatory bird and naturally it does not have too many enemies, only wolverines and grizzly bears. But it is not because of these two species that the caudal eagle is in some danger of extinction. The greatest enemy of the golden eagle is the human being and the activities they carry out, since they have ended up being a serious threat to this species and many others. These are the Causes of the Golden Eagle being endangered or threatened in some parts of the world:
Modification of your area
The fragmentation of its habitat and the loss of it due to the modification of the use of the soil for agricultural and livestock activities, as well as for urban centers, is the main threat suffered by this bird. Here you can learn more about the Destruction of the environment and habitat: causes and consequences.
Electrocution
Changes in land use have been mentioned, this entails the construction of a power line to provide electricity to the area. Many of the eagles are electrocuted to death when passing through the cables of these power lines.
Illegal traffic
They loot nests by stealing eggs and chicks to trade in illegal wildlife markets. These birds are bought in order to train them for the benefit of human beings using them as a hunting tool.
Here we explain how to avoid illegal animal trafficking.
Climate change and global warming
The alteration of the temperature that continues to increase and the changes in the rainy periods are other problems that the golden eagle faces, since its prey is being affected in terms of its diversity and quality.
Poisoning
As already mentioned, eagles feed on rodents, sometimes these are poisoned, entering the poison in the food chain and finally causing the poisoning of the eagles.
How to help the golden eagle
There are several initiatives that are already being carried out to protect and conserve the golden eagle:
- Laws: Environmental laws in countries like Mexico criminalize the possession and distribution of the golden eagle, unless it is under a special permit.
- Conservation program: Africam Safari with the aim of reinforcing the golden eagle populations that are in the wild, has been developing since 2003 a reproduction program under conditions that are totally controlled. In fact, it is the first institution of Latin American origin that has successfully reproduced the species.
- Awareness programs: Environmental education is very important for people to be aware of what is happening with species and their importance for the planet.
We recommend you read this other Green Ecologist article on Why it is important to protect endangered animals.
If you want to read more articles similar to Why is the golden eagle in danger of extinctionWe recommend that you enter our category of Endangered Animals.
