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| Sunday, 14 November 2004 |
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Junior Observer |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Birds of prey
Eagles, hawks, kites and vultures, which are among the big feathered species are lords over the skies ... They are indeed fascinating to watch as they glide across the sky high up in the air, with their magnificent wings spread across. Let's learn some interesting facts about three of these birds of prey ... A bird that we may see flying high in our own skies is the Brahminy Kite also known as the Red-backed Sea Eagle, Indian Fish-hawk and Shira's Kite. Mostly found in southeast Asia from New Guinea, eastern and northern Australia to Solomon Islands, these birds are graceful in flight. They are about 46 cm (18 inches) in length and weigh around 400 - 900g (0.8lb-2.0lb). The female bird is larger than the male and lays 2-3 eggs in nests made of sticks on top of tall trees. These birds are found wherever there is water. They prefer rice fields and coastal areas but are found even in towns near water. The name Brahminy Kite was given to this bird by the Europeans when they learned that the Kite was sacred to the Indian God Vishnu. The name is derived from the name of the caste of Indian priests, Brahmins.
The Muslim name for this bird of prey means 'lucky face'. They believed that if a Brahminy Kite appeared in flight above a fighting army, then that army would win the battle. There are many myths surrounding these birds and one is that they start fires ! The world's most formidable bird of prey, capable of killing and carrying away prey the size of monkeys and sloths is the Harpy Eagle. Huge and magnificent, this bird is mostly found in South America from Southern Mexico, south to eastern Bolivia and Argentina, in tropical rainforests. It is extremely agile for a bird that is 100 cm (39 inches) or more in length, weighing about 4.4kg (9.7lb) - males and females upto 6.0kg (13.2lb). Here too the female bird is bigger than the male.
It can move at speeds of as much as 60-80 km per hour (37-50mph). The female has long powerful talons which are the most powerful legs of any bird of prey. It may occasionally grab animals from the ground. Monkeys, sloths, mammals large and small, and birds are listed in their diet. The Harpy Eagle nests in massive trees, on tree tops , as high as 50m (162ft) or more, in massive nests made of sticks. They lay two eggs and incubate them for around 50 days. Another fascinating bird is the strange, vulture-like bird Lammergeier or Bearded Vulture. In German, lammergeier means 'lamb-vulture'. It specialises in eating bones and is nicknamed 'dropper of bones from the skies' because it carries bones which are too big for it to swallow to a height of about 30-80m (100-260 ft) up into the air and drops them to break them into smaller pieces. It has a remarkable capacity for swallowing and can take in bones which are upto 25 cm (10 inches) long and 10cm (4 inches) in diameter. They will drop the bones that are too big even 50 times to break them. They drop tortoises too from high above to break open their shells and get at what's inside. They are known to kill mammals and birds. There are stories about them trying to attack even humans, but no evidence of this has yet been presented.In the air, these birds which are about 100-117cm (39-46 inches.) in length and have a wingspan of upto 280 cm (9ft) resemble a cross. They glide at upto 130 km per hour (80mph) as they patrol the rugged mountains looking for prey. Despite their great size, these birds are great aerial acrobats. They are found in Eurasia from Southern Europe through Middle East to Mongolia and Central China. They are also seen in north east and south Africa.
The female lays eggs in stick nests built in caves and crags of cliffs.They are Europe's rarest birds of prey with a limited amount of breeding pairs remaining. |
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