There are many categories of eagles, such as falcons, eagles, buzzards, vultures, eagles, etc., all belong to the eagle category, and each category includes many species.
my country’s eagles are mainly distributed in Tibet, Xinjiang and Mongolia.
Eagle (ying) is a general name for vertebrates, birds, and some species of the Eagle family.
Phylum: Chordata
SubPhylum: Vertebrata
Class: Birds
AvesOrder: Storks
Ciconiiformes Stork suborder
Accipitridae is a family with very complex members. The raptors we are familiar with such as eagles, eagles, harriers, buzzards and Old World vultures are all A member of the family Accipitridae. Members of the family Accipitridae vary in size and habits. There are the largest and most ferocious birds of prey, and there are also small birds of prey. Some eat carrion, such as various vultures, some eat birds, such as sparrowhawks, and some eat mammals. , such as the horned eagle, some eat fish, such as the fishing eagle, some eat reptiles, such as the snake eagle, some eat insects, such as the bee eagle, and some are adapted to special things, such as the palm eagle that eats fruits and those that specialize in snails. Snail kite. Accipitridae can be further divided into 9 subfamilies, with 64 genera and 209 species. Among them, my country has 46 species in 20 genera and 46 species in 20 genera and 46 species.
Eagle generally refers to various birds of the genus Eagle. It has keen vision and can see prey on the ground while flying at high altitudes. Since there are two fovea in the macula of the eagle's retina, not only one more than that of ordinary animals, but also there are as many as 1 million photoreceptor cells in the fovea per square millimeter (the human eye only has about 150,000). The upper beak is sharp and curved, and the lower beak is shorter. The 4 toes have sharp hooks, suitable for catching prey. They are ferocious and carnivorous, feeding on birds, rats and other small animals; some species like to eat carcasses, such as vultures (Aegypiusmonachas). It has well-developed wings and is good at flying. It is usually active during the day. They mostly inhabit mountain forests or plain areas, such as goshawk (Accipitergentilis), sparrowhawk (Accipi-ternisus), kite (eagle) (Milvusmilvus), etc.
The golden eagle (Aguilachrysaetos), commonly known as the white eagle, is larger and has a dark brown body color. It is the blackest among eagles and hawks. The head and neck of the adult bird are golden yellow. The base of the tail feathers and the bases of the wing flight feathers of young birds are white, and the white parts disappear when they grow up. When flying, the wings are long and wide, with slightly rounded tail ends. The young birds of the white-tailed sea eagle and the Steller's sea eagle, which are also distributed in my country, are also brown all over and are very similar to the golden eagle, but their tail shape is wedge-shaped, which is an important symbol to distinguish them from the golden eagle. They live in mountains, often perched on top of cliffs or flying high in the sky. It is ferocious in nature and likes to eat hares, pheasants, quails and even large mammals such as young musk deer. They nest on hanging rocks in high mountains or in trees on cliffs. They can often be seen in Northeastern my country during migration. Young birds are domesticated as falcons; their flight feathers and tail feathers can be used to make fans, which has important economic value.
The black eagle (Aguilaclanga), commonly known as the soap eagle or the flower eagle, is larger than the goshawk, with a dark brown body, V-shaped white spots on its waist, and a longer tail than the golden eagle and the white-shouldered eagle. There are light spots on the tips of the compound feathers of young birds' wings. There are also light spots at the base of the primary flight feathers under the wings. It often lives in swamps, rivers, waterside and other places. It likes to eat lizards, frogs, small birds, gulls, crows and rats. It also often eats animal carcasses. It lives in Northeast my country and the lower reaches of the Yangtze River all year round. It is common in Fujian, Guangdong and other places in winter.
Falcons are small raptors, generally slightly larger than pigeons. They have narrow and pointed wings, a long tail, and fly quickly. They feed on small animals and insects as their main food. Common species in my country include peregrine falcon, swallow falcon and kestrel.
The Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) is a larger type of falcon with wider wings. The upper body of the adult bird is dark green and black, and the lower body is white with fine horizontal stripes. The upper body of the young bird is dark brown, the lower body has vertical stripes, and the young and adult birds have distinct whisker-like black spots on their cheeks. It is very ferocious and can fly quickly. It often lives in coastal areas, flying quickly over rivers and lakes, hunting wild ducks and other birds for food. It is a traveling bird in the north of my country and a winter migratory bird in the south.
The falcon (Farco subbuteo) is similar in shape to the peregrine falcon but smaller. The tips of its wings are sharp, and its wings and tail are the same length when resting. It is different from other hawks. The upper body is dark brown, and the adult bird has black vertical spots from the chest to the abdomen, and russet from the shins to the lower tail. Young birds have thick vertical spots, thicker brown underparts, and whisker-like stripes on the cheeks. The underside of the wings is light gray and looks like a black bird when flying. It inhabits agricultural lands in forested areas, plains, grasslands and other places. It flies quickly and lightly, often preying on insects and small birds in flight. Found throughout eastern my country, in the Yellow River and Yangtze River basins, it is a summer migratory bird and a resident bird in Guangdong Province.
The male kestrel (Falco tinunculus) has a brown back, a bluish-gray head and tail, and a black band at the tip of the tail. The female body is auburn with horizontal spots on the upper body and vertical spots on the lower body. The flight feathers are dark brown and the compound feathers are brown when flying. The wings are sharper than those of the peregrine falcon. They often live in agricultural lands, near fields, and in open foothill grasslands. It often hangs in the air and pounces on bait when it sees it. It likes to eat insects, birds and small rodents. It lives in North China all year round and is found in the southeastern mainland of my country and Taiwan in winter.
The male prairie eagle is smaller, about 740 mm in length, and has brown feathers. The female bird is larger, about 780 mm in length, and has darker feathers. They are found throughout western my country, reaching the Himalayas in the south and central and eastern Inner Mongolia and Hebei Province in the east. After autumn, it moves to the south to overwinter. Prairie eagles are mostly found in low mountains and open grassland areas. They usually fly at low altitudes and soar over grasslands at a height of 150-200 meters. Sometimes they look for prey on the ground and stand outside rodent burrows, "waiting for rabbits." The time it takes to feed every day coincides with the activity pattern of rats. It mostly forages between 7 and 10 a.m. and in the evening, so it is a powerful force for rats. Nest in trees, rock walls or in marmot holes. The nest in the tree is mainly made of branches, reeds, etc., and is lined with grass or wool. It lays eggs between April and May, 2-3 eggs each time, with reddish-brown and pale gray spots on the eggs. The incubation period lasts 45 days, and the brooding period lasts 55 days. The young birds can fly by the end of August.
The eagle is a legendary bird. For thousands of years, the eagle has been deified by humans and has become a symbol of bravery and might, but the relationship between eagles and humans goes beyond that.
Su Dongpo, a great poet of the Song Dynasty, once wrote: "I am chatting like a teenager, holding the yellow on my left, holding the sky on my right... my chest is still full of courage after drinking." This is Su Dongpo in "Hunting in Mizhou" The poem describes the scene when he led his people on a hunting trip. Among them, "You Qingcang" means that there is a goshawk standing on the right arm. Of course, this goshawk is a falcon that was domesticated specifically for hunting.
The domestication of wild eagles for hunting activities had begun before Su Dongpo's time. Our ancestors discovered very early that hawks were good at catching pheasants, hares, wild ducks and other animals, so they began to explore ways to tame falcons for hunting. Historically, hunting with an eagle was called falconry. Sima Qian recorded in "Historical Records" that before the Qin Dynasty prime minister Li Si was executed, he still thought about the life of "leading a yellow dog, arming a goshawk, and going out to Cai Dongmen". It can be seen that falconry was one of the main recreational activities of the nobles at that time. According to research, falconry first originated in the East. Falconry activities began during the reign of King Sargon II of Assyria (a kingdom in northern Mesopotamia, in what is now northern Iraq) from 721 to 705 BC. Later, Western merchants, adventurers and Crusaders learned the art of falconry in the East and introduced it to the European continent. At first, falconry was a pastime reserved for the privileged class, but by the 17th century, falconry had become popular among the masses. In 1770, the world's first falconer association was established in England. There are many types of hawks used in falconry, the main one in our country is the goshawk. This kind of eagle has a slender body. The male eagle is 0.5 meters long. The female eagle is larger than the male eagle, about 0.56 meters. Wild goshawks like to live in forests. Their wings are short and round. When flying, goshawks can flutter their wings and fly quickly, or they can soar leisurely in the sky. They can also hover in the air and make a cry of "di-lililili...". When a goshawk hunts, it always first lands on a large tree with a wide field of vision in search of prey. Once it finds its target, it rushes down. Falconers take advantage of this hunting habit of the goshawk. The success rate of goshawk hunting is very high because it has hunters and hounds to help alarm the prey. When the prey is panicked, the goshawk attacks quickly and captures the prey in one fell swoop. At this time, the hunter must arrive in time, seize the prey, and feed the falcon as a reward. Otherwise, the prey will become the goshawk's delicacy. It is said that the hunting ability of female eagles is higher than that of male eagles, so falconers like to trap female eagles and tame them.
Falcon training mainly involves taming young eagles. However, generally goshawks build their nests on the tops of tall trees, and few people dare to go to the nest to pick out their chicks. In that case, the thief will be attacked by male and female goshawks, and may be scratched, or his eyes may be scratched, or even killed. Goshawks are now rare due to overexploitation of forests due to heavy use of pesticides in recent decades. Falconry also affects the number of goshawks to a greater or lesser extent. How to solve this problem remains to be studied. The peregrine falcon is also a commonly used falcon in many countries around the world. In the Middle Ages, in England, only nobles above the earl had the right to own peregrine falcons, and ordinary poor people could only tame other falcons. Strictly speaking, the peregrine falcon is not an eagle but a falcon. The falcon is generally smaller than the eagle. Its wings are long and pointed, and it is good at flying quickly. It is known as the fighter among birds.
In ancient my country, falcons were called birds of prey, which means fast-flying birds. The important difference between a falcon and an eagle is in the mouth. The falcon has a sharp tooth process on the edge of its upper jaw, while the eagle does not.
The Peregrine Falcon is the largest of its kind, with a body length of about 0.5 meters and a wingspan of about 0.7 meters. Peregrine falcons mainly move in open wilderness, farmland, grassland, river valleys and mountains and hills are all places where they show their talents. Peregrine falcons fly very fast and can reach speeds of up to 360 kilometers per hour when catching prey. Peregrine falcons feed mainly on birds, and they mostly hunt in the air. They catch up with their prey at high speeds and strike with their claws. The injured prey falls straight to the ground. Sometimes the peregrine falcon intercepts the prey in the air before it reaches the ground. However, sometimes the peregrine falcon misses and cannot hit its prey in one fell swoop. When this happens, the peregrine falcon never gives up its prey and will take off again to attack until it captures the prey. When hunting, the peregrine falcon usually first pierces the cervical vertebrae of the prey with its sharp claws, then pecks out the blood vessels in the prey's neck with its beak, and sometimes even breaks the prey's neck. It then rips off the bird's feathers and tears into its prey's muscles. Even young peregrine falcons that have just emerged from the nest can use this skill with ease. A brood of peregrine falcons can eat 300 medium-sized birds in one summer. Their diet includes pintail ducks, red-necked ducks, mallards, herring gulls, turtle doves, pheasants, hares, rats and insects. Because of this, the peregrine falcon is widely appreciated by falconers.
Peregrine falcons are widely distributed, from the cold Arctic to the southern tip of Africa. During World War I, Germany domesticated a large number of peregrine falcons and used them to intercept carrier pigeons used by the Allies to deliver messages in the air. In doing so, it indeed destroyed the Allied intelligence system. However, peregrine falcons cannot identify friend and foe, and they will not let go of German homing pigeons. The Germans were forced to stop using peregrine falcons. There are also peregrine falcons in our country, but they are mainly winter migratory birds, and their numbers are very rare. Currently, around the world, peregrine falcons are seriously threatened and their numbers are declining sharply. The main reason for this phenomenon is the misuse of pesticides worldwide. When peregrine falcons eat prey with pesticides accumulated in their bodies, their reproductive systems are damaged, which reduces egg-laying rates and embryo survival rates. What's more serious is that trace amounts of pesticides have been detected in the brain blood of many raptors, including the Peregrine Falcon, which is undoubtedly a potential threat to the Peregrine Falcon's highly developed movement regulation system. Once the amount of pesticides in the brain reaches toxic levels, the peregrine falcon is not only no longer an expert hunter. And it will probably be difficult to even fly. In the United States, the peregrine falcon is considered to be on the verge of extinction, and many scientists are going all out to save and protect it. Can this popular falcon regain its glory? People will wait and see.
Eagles are much more than just game birds for human hunting. More importantly, they play an irreplaceable role in maintaining ecological balance. In the early 1950s, rabbits were infested in France. In order to control the rabbit population and protect farmland and pasture, the French deliberately made myxomatosis endemic among wild rabbits. In this way, France did effectively control the rabbit population, but the rest of Europe suffered. Because the number of rabbits in these countries remains at normal levels, the epidemic of myxomatosis causes the death of 90% of rabbits. However, the rabbits living in Marimas, southern Spain, have always maintained a considerable number. Why is this? It turns out that there are many raptors in the Marimas area, and rabbits infected with myxomatosis are more likely to be killed by raptors. The infected rabbits are constantly being eliminated, so myxomatosis is not prevalent among the rabbit population in Marimas. If there were no birds of prey, who could save the Malimas rabbits from the plague? This is an extreme example, but it illustrates that in natural ecosystems, a predatory bird such as an eagle can control or protect the group it preys on.
In fact, they are helping the prey group eliminate the weak, sick, and uncompetitive individuals, thereby ensuring the health and competitiveness of the prey group. Of course, they also control the number of prey within a certain range. For example, a sparrowhawk eats 290 mice per year, which is equivalent to the number of mice that 16 pairs of mice can reproduce in a year. As you can imagine, sparrowhawks have strong control over rodent populations. Therefore, eagles are an indispensable link in the ecological balance. Let us work hard to protect these raptors.
Golden eagles are known for their bravery and majesty. Both the ancient Kingdom of Babylon and the Roman Empire used golden eagles as symbols of royal power. During the era of Kublai Khan in our country, powerful Mongolian hunters were popular in domesticating golden eagles to hunt wolves. To this day, golden eagles have become assistants to scientists. They were domesticated and used to capture wolf pups, and they have played a significant role in in-depth research on the ecological habits of wolves. Of course, you need to trap their sharp claws before releasing them, so as not to catch the wolf pups to death. It is said that a golden eagle once captured 14 wolves, which shows how ferocious it is.
The golden eagle is not a golden eagle, although its name from Greek literally translates to golden eagle. The golden color mentioned here may refer to the metallic luster reflected by the feathers on its head and neck under the sunlight, because the feathers all over its body are chestnut brown, which is far from golden. The golden eagle is nearly 1 meter long and weighs about 4 kilograms. It is the largest type of eagle. Their legs are completely covered with feathers except toes, and they look really majestic.
The golden eagle has a wingspan of 1.5 meters and flies very fast. When chasing prey, its speed is no less than that of a falcon among birds of prey. Because of this, taxonomists originally classified them as a type of falcon. The golden eagle flies quickly and has a smart and flexible way of hunting. When searching for prey, golden eagles do not fly quickly; they hover slowly in the air. Once they find prey, they rush straight down, catch the prey, flap their wings, and fly into the sky as fast as lightning. Wolf pups that have just left the nest are often attacked in this way, and by the time the mother wolf comes to the rescue, it is already too late. In the air, golden eagles can also hunt as they please. Someone has recorded a situation in which a golden eagle rushed into the sky from the ground to prey on a flying pheasant: the golden eagle rushed into the sky, and when it flew below the pheasant, it suddenly turned its belly to the sky, and at the same time slammed the pheasant with its sharp claws. The pheasant fell straight down after being injured. The golden eagle turned over and swooped down again, catching the falling pheasant in the air. This is simply a performance by an outstanding pilot.
The nests of golden eagles are built in high places, such as the tops of tall trees and leeward rocks on cliffs, because these places are difficult for people and other animals to approach. A pair of golden eagles occupy a very large territory, nearly a hundred square kilometers, and they will use their sharp claws to attack any animal that approaches their nest. Therefore, studying golden eagle nests is a risky endeavor. However, a Swedish female ornithologist managed a successful adventure. She discovers a golden eagle nest and wants to get closer to it. Due to her offense, the golden eagle immediately attacked. With the sharp cry of "chi-chi-", the golden eagle dived towards her again and again, but every time she nimbly avoided the golden eagle's attack. Finally, the golden eagle had no choice but to give up the attack and circled away. So she built an observation point on the cliff opposite the golden eagle's nest. She found that the nest she was observing already had two chicks covered with white feathers. The golden eagle flew far away every day to find food for the chicks. Over time, the golden eagle stopped paying attention to her. One day, she changed her hat. Unexpectedly, this move caused another attack from the golden eagle. She had no choice but to put on the original hat again, and the golden eagle flew away safely. This move of the golden eagle aroused her interest, so she made a dummy and dressed it in clothes different from her own. She walked out with the dummy on her back. The golden eagle immediately discovered the attack target again. This time the golden eagle succeeded. It grabbed the dummy, flew to an open space not far from the nest, dropped the dummy and flew away. It turns out that this open space is the "granary" of the golden eagle, where some animal bones that the golden eagle has not eaten are also stored there.
Time passed day by day, and the little golden eagle gradually grew up. One day, a restless little golden eagle came out of the nest, stumbled and fell to the hillside below the nest. The female ornithologist rushed to the rescue, and the golden eagle that had returned from hunting followed. Perhaps because the female ornithologist was holding their "loved son" in her arms, the golden eagle did not attack this time. After the female ornithologist put the little golden eagle in its mouth and left safely, the golden eagle couldn't wait to land in the nest.
my country is a country rich in sea eagles, and their production areas are concentrated in the west and northeast.
The jade-belt sea eagle is a kind of sea eagle widely distributed in the western plateau of my country. They are huge in size and have a wingspan of up to 2 meters. They especially like to eat marmot pups and pikas. They often live quietly about ten meters away from marmot holes and pika holes. When the prey comes out of the hole to look around, the huge jade-banded sea eagle will pounce on it. They make very little noise when taking off, so their success rate in catching prey is high. The jade-belted sea eagles living in the Transbaikal region of the Soviet Union mainly feed on fish, as well as some rats and swan geese. The tail feathers of the Jade Belt Sea Eagle are dark brown, and there is a broad white band in the middle of the tail feathers. The tail feathers of the Jade Belt Sea Eagle are very precious feathers, so it is often hunted by people. The white-tailed sea eagle is similar in size to the jade-belted sea eagle, and its tail feathers are pure white, which is very conspicuous. White-tailed sea eagles live in coastal areas. When they breed, they migrate to the northeast and the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and spend the winter south of the Yangtze River. In addition to fish, the white-tailed sea eagle's food also includes hares, rats, and young deer. In winter, they occasionally prey on dogs and cats, and even feed on carrion and garbage near fishing grounds. White-tailed sea eagles eat a lot, but they are also very resistant to hunger. They can survive without eating for 45 days. Almost all the feathers of the white-tailed sea eagle have economic value. The wing and tail feathers can be used to make fans, and the lower tail coverts can be used as decorative feathers. White-tailed sea eagles and jade-belted sea eagles are both rare in my country and have been listed as national second-class protected animals. The bald eagle is the most famous sea eagle, and they only live in North America. In the 18th century, the U.S. Congress designated the bald eagle as the national bird. Since then, the national emblem and military uniforms of the United States have all featured a bald eagle holding an olive branch in its feet. In this pattern, the olive branch symbolizes peace and the bald eagle symbolizes war. The combination of the two symbolizes the United States Congress, which combines the two powers of peace and war.
The most prominent feature of the Bald Eagle is that its head and tail are as white as snow, and the rest of its body is brown. Their young birds are different from adult birds. Their feathers are chestnut brown when they are born, similar to golden eagles. As the young bald eagle grows older, the feathers on its head and tail gradually turn white. Generally, it takes 7 years for a baby bird to fully mature, and then its head and tail become exactly like its parents. Bald eagles feed on fish and other small animals, and they also eat carrion. They often rely on force to take food from others' mouths. Sometimes they force weak fishing birds such as gulls to spit out prey; sometimes they forcefully snatch food, and weak birds are forced to give up food due to their strength. Even the larger American eagles have to be coerced by them and obediently spit out the carrion that has been swallowed in the crop. Otherwise, the American eagles will be violently attacked by the bald eagles, ranging from injuries to death. However, even such a powerful raptor cannot escape the fate of being hunted by humans. Even in the United States, where they are regarded as the national bird, 103,454 bald eagles were shot from 1922 to 1940. After World War II, more than 1,000 bald eagles were still killed by hunters' guns. But the bald eagle's misfortune does not stop there. Recently, scientists have discovered that the levels of toxic chemicals in the blood of bald eagles are significantly higher than those of other raptors. Many bald eagles' reproductive organs and brain tissues have been damaged as a result. What's more serious is that a large number of embryos often die from excessive toxic chemicals in the body. The population of bald eagles has plummeted as a result. Currently, the United States is investing a lot of manpower and material resources to save the endangered bald eagle. If I had known this before, why did I do it in the first place?
When it comes to eagles, probably everyone is familiar with them, because they can be seen almost everywhere, whether in the suburbs of cities and towns or in the countryside and mountains. Sometimes they flap their wings and fly straight, sometimes they hover high in the sky, and their flying posture is so light that it is admirable. There is a poem by Gao Ding, a poet of the Qing Dynasty: "The grass grows and orioles fly in the February sky, and the willows blow on the embankment and are drunk by the spring smoke. Children come back early from school, and they are busy flying kites in the east wind." Here the paper kite is a kite, and the kite is the taxonomic name for the eagle. The ancients called kites paper kites, which shows how familiar people are with the light and graceful flying posture of kites. In English, the kite is also called kite, and the Chinese meaning of kite is kite. It can be seen that the understanding of the kite at home and abroad in ancient and modern times is very similar.
Kite is a type of eagle. It is easy to identify them: their feathers are dark brown. When flying, a white spot is revealed on the left and right sides of the wings. The tail is a concave fork in the middle, which is different from other eagles. The rounded tail with a convex middle is completely different.
"The eagle catches the chicken" is well known and has even become a game often played by children.
So, is the kite addicted to chickens? In fact, the feeding habits of kites are very mixed. They often prey on small mammals such as rabbits and mice in the fields. They also eat small birds, snakes, frogs, fish, locusts, ants and earthworms. Sometimes they even eat some whole grains. On the seashore, kites often feed on garbage, carrion fish, and small animal carcasses, so they are called scavengers. Relatively speaking, chicken only accounts for a small part of the kite's diet.
The red kite is a kind of kite widely distributed in Europe, North America and the Middle East. It is different from the common kite in my country in that its feathers are reddish brown, hence the name "Red Kite". The body length of the red kite is about 0.6 meters, its wings spread up to 1.6 meters, and its tail is also forked. Every breeding season, male and female red kites fly side by side in the sky. The clear sky is like a huge "dance field". The male red kite flies up and down to its heart's content, showing off its flying skills to the female red kite. After "making a lifelong commitment to each other," the male and female red kites "chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp..." and fly to their favorite nest site to "settle down and settle down." Most of the red kite's nests are old nests, most likely the ones the pair used the previous year. The nests are generally built on tall trees near the edge of the forest, which makes the nests not only their hatching "field" but also their watchtowers, making it very convenient to search for prey. Of course, the old nest must be repaired before it can be used, so the "couple" got busy. They picked up twigs, fresh moss, various pieces of paper, animal hair, rags, and even hung clothes from nearby people's houses in their mouths. Picking up clothes on the rope is really "choosing nest materials in an eclectic way".
After the comfortable nest is built, the female red kite lays 2 to 4 eggs. In mid-April, the chicks, covered with gray downy feathers, hatch out of their shells. They open their big mouths and keep chirping to beg for food. The male red kite hurriedly went out to hunt for the young kites. At this time, the male red kite hunted as many as 6 times a day, each trip covering at least 20 kilometers.
The diet of red kites is as complex as that of kites. They eat voles, house mice, marmots, snakes, worms, animal carcasses and carrion, etc. When food is in short supply, Red Duck will also "beg" for the "children". Of course, strictly speaking, he said that they are not really "begging for food". They are just standing quietly next to large raptors or beasts that are tearing away food. If the owner of the food "shows mercy", there will be some uneaten food left, and Chi Yuan will "pack it home".
In the first week after the chicks hatch, the male red kite always goes out alone to hunt for the "family". A week later, the female red kite went hunting with her "husband".
The young red kites begin to "train" their wings about 45 days after they are born. They stand by the nest and constantly flap their wings, but cannot take off. The "parents" were indifferent to Little Red Yuan's practice and continued to hunt every day, relying solely on Little Red Yuan's own exploration. After practicing for 4 to 5 days, the strong little red kite tried to fly for the first time. During the time when Little Red Yuan was practicing flying, her "parents" were extremely busy because Little Red Yuan, who was practicing flying, never had enough to eat. The "parents" of the red kite go hunting again and again, return to the nest, put food into the nest, and then fly to the hunting ground in a hurry. And inside the nest, as they fly back again and again, "robbing" occurs again and again. "Food fight". The hungry little red kites refused to give in to each other and competed for food. Of course, the strong little red kites always had the upper hand, and the competition for survival was no exception even among "brothers and sisters"! A few months later, The little red kites with hardened wings left their "home" and started living independently.
Among the kites, there are many strange species. For example, there is one species that is distributed in Florida and South America. The kite in the area is called the snail kite. People have known for a long time that this kind of kite feeds on snails, but how to eat it is rarely known. Later, an American explorer named Herbert Long found out. His observations in British Guiana described in detail the way the snail kite eats snails. It turns out that when the snail kite picks up a snail, it holds the snail shell with its claws and waits patiently. When the snail thinks that everything is going well and slowly stretches out its shell, the snail kite stabs the snail's body accurately with its sharp mouth. After 2 minutes, the snail becomes paralyzed. Then, the snail kite shakes the hard shell and throws out the snail's body. At this time, they eagerly swallow the snail meat, including the horny shell that seals the snail's hard shell.
This feeding method of the snail kite is indeed unique and interesting. Another species of kite found in the jungles of the Indo-Malaya region, the cuckoo falcon, can use its feet to scoop out animals hidden in tree holes.
Their feet are as flexible as monkey's "hands". Their ankles are what people generally think of as the "knee joints" of birds. They can not only bend forward, but also bend backward, just like a human wrist.
The Beehawk is also a type of kite. They are about 0.6 meters long and have dark brown feathers on their backs. The face is covered with small, thick feathers that look like scales. Beehawks often inhabit sparse pine forests and often visit rural fields and grasslands. Bee hawks excavate bee hives and eat bee eggs, larvae and even adult bees with venomous stingers. The dense, scale-like feathers on their faces act like helmets, making the bees helpless. Beehawks often move their habitats with bees during the summer. In winter, they return to warmer areas. Beehawks not only eat bees, they also eat small animals such as grasshoppers, stink bugs, rats, frogs, and snakes. According to records, the Beehawk is common in the eastern hills and south of our country. Beehawks are fond of eating bees, which brings certain losses to beekeeping. However, on the other hand, beehawks also eat pests, which brings certain benefits to agricultural and forestry production.
In the vast African savannah, large groups of herbivores follow some salivating animals wherever they go. Among these coveters, vultures can be seen at any time, chasing their targets and constantly circling over the herd. Suddenly, one of the vultures found a corpse. After hovering in the air for several times, it landed accurately next to the corpse. In an instant, twenty or thirty vultures landed one after another. As a result, the corpse was torn apart, the internal organs were devoured, and the muscles were destroyed. Tear off in strips.
In the Andes Mountains of South America, the Andean condor is soaring in the blue sky and overlooking the hills, hoping to encounter a dead sheep to satisfy its hunger. In appearance, the Andean condor is very similar to the vultures on the African grasslands: its head and neck have only short down feathers, as if they are naked. However, ornithologists point out that they do not have the same ancestors and are not related. The vultures of the African grasslands are descendants of the Old World vultures and are close relatives of the eagle. The Andean condor is a New World eagle.
About 20 million years ago, Old World vultures settled in the New World of America. Later, for reasons that are still unknown, they completely disappeared from the New World. With the disappearance of the mandarin ducks in the Old World, the ancestors of the New World eagles emerged and became the birds that feed on corpses and carrion in the New World. According to research, the ancestors of the New World vultures have a longer survival history than the Old World vultures. They are a type of eagle-like bird that evolved independently. Unlike Old World vultures, New World vultures have connected nostrils, and some species have well-developed olfactory organs; New World vultures have very thin claws, unlike Old World vultures that have strong claws like eagles. In addition, the New World eagle's syrinx is very underdeveloped, so it is almost "dumb".
There are only 7 existing species of New World eagles. Because they are all distributed in the Americas, they are also called American eagles, and the Andean condor is one of them. This kind of vulture has black body feathers, a large wattle on the forehead of the male vulture, and a white feather collar at the base of the exposed neck. The exposed head, neck and crop are all bright red, because they mainly inhabit Vinizola in the Andes Mountains. As high as the mountains of Turadforge, they are considered the largest flying bird because their wingspan reaches 3 meters and their weight reaches 12 kilograms. Therefore, people call them "Andean Condors".
The Andean condor is good at soaring and can use the updrafts in the mountains to rise and fly silently across ravines and rivers. They can feed on the carcasses of any animal, especially cattle and sheep. Unlike many Old World vultures, Andean condors rarely gather in large flocks of dozens to feed together. Andean condors are very gluttonous and will never leave until they have finished eating the carcass. Andean condors often fly to high cliffs and "sit" for a long time after eating because they are too full after eating. However, their digestive systems are muscular and powerful, allowing them to digest even large amounts of food. Currently, due to strict legal protection, Andean condors are more common in the Andes and the Pacific coast of South America.
There are about 13 species of Old World vultures, widely distributed in Africa, Asia and Europe, and the wattled vulture is one of them. The Wattled Vulture is a very numerous large Old World vulture that lives on the desert grasslands of Africa. It is about 1 meter long and has a wingspan of up to 2.7 meters. It is famous for the pink wattles hanging on both sides of its exposed head. Got its name.
Wattled Vultures have black and brown feathers on their backs, a wedge-shaped tail, and a large amount of white down on their abdomen, making them look like a disheveled hippie with a napkin in his collar.
Speaking of their behavior, people often use two words to describe it - "greed". It turns out that wattled vultures are very domineering, and they always have the upper hand in fights, regardless of whether they find the carcass first. If other vultures refuse to give up the carcass, they will be driven away by force.
Wattled vultures also have a strict order when feeding. They are always larger and taller?/ca>
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