Daily Times

The lion is considered to be the king of beasts and likewise the eagle is the king of birds.

It is the favourite of kings and sardars, and flies high. The eagle is obviously different from other birds because of its strong and powerful body and sharp beak. There are 60 species of this magnificent bird which are found across Eurasia and Africa and 14 species are found elsewhere. The eagles are informally divided into four groups. Snake eagles are placed in the subfamily Circaetinae. The fish eagle, booted eagles and harpy eagles have traditionally been placed in the subfamily Buteoninae together with the buzzard hawks and harries. The strong and large wings enable the eagle to fly fast and straight. Its size and weight varies from specie to specie. Its legs are strong and talons are pointed and sharp.

Eagle belongs to kingdom Animalia, phylum Chordata and class aves. Eagles do not mix with other birds and it just enjoys its flying straight and fast. This characteristic makes it unique than another. The eagle is also known as the symbol of many nations due to its speed, agility and courage. In ancient times, the eagle was used as the national and war symbol because of its beauty, bravery, courage, pride and grace. Eagle builds its nest in tall trees and on cliffs. The nest of an eagle is called aeries. Most species lay two to three eggs and the baby eagle takes three to four years to become an adult eagle, but the older, larger chick frequently kills its sibling once it has hatched.

Poet and philosopher Muhammad Iqbal was so impressed by the eagle, that he considered a Momin like an eagle, which hunts its prey itself and flies high and never gets worried what the situation is. The smallest member of the eagle family is shikra which has red eyes. It is fondly in Pakistan and India and it also hunts animals larger than its size. The Filipino eagle is the national eagle of Philippines, but it’s said that in 1980, this eagle became extinct and according to estimate, there are almost 600 Filipino eagles. The best work of an eagle is that it controls the population of other animals like rats, snakes and rabbits by hunting them down. Eagles are solitary birds. Most eagles prey without landing and take flight with it, so the prey can be carried to a perch and torn apart.

The interesting thing about eagle is that it loves the storm for flying while other birds flee from the storm to hide themselves. The eagle flies in the storm in order that it should go higher and higher without losing its own energy. When the eagle’s feather gets old, so it hides itself and pluck the old feathers and waits in the hidden place in order that new feathers may come out. When the eagle gets old at the age of 30, it knocks its beak by banging it against a rock, plucks its talons and feathers and each part re-grows which allows the eagle to live another 30 to 40 years.