Kathy Doodchenko, age 11, of Uxbridge, Ontario, Canada, for her question:
How many different eagles are there?
More than 20 different birds are called eagles, though scientists do not classify them in a special group of their own. However, all of them are classed as accipiters, or hark type birds of prey. As such, they belong with the 205 bird species in the family Accipitridae. The various birds we call eagles are in several subfamilies and smaller groups within this large family.
The term "eagle" is so common that most of us assume that these birds must be close relatives. This is not necessarily so, though all of them are hawk type birds of prey. Actually, the word eagle is a sort of folk name for a large hawkish bird who does his hunting by day. Scientists class the splendid American eagle and the magnificent golden eagle in separate genus groups. And 14 species of harrier eagles are classed in a sub family of their own.
Throughout the world, people have given the name eagle to more than 20 and perhaps more than 30 big birds of prey. Many of these are called sea eagles because they live near shores where they can catch plenty of fish for themselves. One of the largest of these so called erns is the famous American eagle.
It is not fair to call this magnificent bird the bald eagle because he is not bald. Far from it. His proud head is capped with white feathers that glisten like snow as he soars high in the sky. There was a time when his kinfolk spread their wide wings and ranged around waterways from Alaska and Northern Canada all the way south to Florida. Nowadays, their numbers have dwindled down to a precious few.
Another eagle is the while tailed or grey sea eagle who ranges as far north as the Arctic. Steller's sea eagle makes a living in Asia and around the western shores of the Pacific Ocean. These and a few other type eagles feed mostly on fish, either living or washed up on the beaches.
Eagles that live inland are more likely to limit their menus to live food, caught in their mighty talons. Since roman times, the great golden eagle has been called the King of Birds. His big golden brown body is almost a yard long and when soaring aloft, his huge wings spread seven feet wide. The golden eagle still survives in many inland mountainous regions north of the equator.
Barrier eagles are smaller than the giants, quite handsome any: very, very fierce. They are classed together in a sub family of 14 species. Harrier eagles are found in wooded regions in parts of Europe, Asia and Africa where they seize and eat lizards and snakes. These eagles and the monkey eating eagle of the Philippines wear crests of feathers on their heads. When annoyed, some can spread their crests in fearsome¬looking fans.
Aside from the fish eating erns, eagles feed mostly on rodents and reptiles. They help to maintain the balance of nature by keeping the populations of smallish animals within bounds. However, people who care nothing for the world of nature regard these great birds as menaces to be destroyed. For this reason, many of the birds we call eagles are on the long, sad list of endangered animal species.