From the arctic to the tropics, these powerful birds of prey are breathtaking.
The eagle is a member of more than 200 species of the eagle family, a group of agile , strong raptors that feed on other animals and are active during the day. Eagles are generally divided into large, broad-winged free-tailed hawks, sometimes called “flying hawks,” that live in open areas, such as grasslands, and hawks, which tend to be smaller, that live in woodlands. Eagles are generally larger than falcons. Like most birds of prey — and unlike most other birds — female eagles tend to be larger than males.
Here are 18 of the most spectacular eagles in the world.
Red-tailed Hawk
The red-tailed hawk is named for its distinctive rust-colored tail, It is the most common eagle in North America. Red-tailed birds prefer open fields, looking for high perches like roadside poles to hunt for prey. It loves small rodents, but also eats squirrels, rabbits, bats, snakes, insects, frogs, and other birds. During mating, both hawks hover as the male makes a spectacular dive, sometimes delivering prey to the female in midair. During the spring breeding season, pairs of hawks will nest in tall trees and cliffs, and more and more hawks will nest in high-rise buildings in cities.
Where can I find this eagle
All year round: Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and the southern 48 states of the United States.
Spring: They can also be found in Canada and Alaska during the breeding season.
North American Striped Eagle
While these agile woodland hunters will prey on rodents and insects, their main diet They are small birds, and they pluck the feathers of the small birds before eating them. The sharp-skinned hawk is often seen in agricultural, suburban and urban areas, hunting for prey in aviaries and other places where birds congregate. Adult eagles have gray-blue wings, back and head, with rust and white spots on the belly.
Where can I find this eagle
Year-round: Although migratory, some live year-round in the Pacific Northwest, Western Intermountains, Appalachia, Upper Midwest, Northeast, and Mexico.
Spring/Summer: Canada, Alaska, Southern 48 states and Mexico.
Winter: Southern United States, Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean.
Cooper Eagle
The striking Cooper’s hawk has amber eyes and gray wings , black tail, brown and white spotted chest. It eats birds and small mammals such as chipmunks, mice, and squirrels. Stealthy hunter moves silently between a tree, and swoop down from behind to pounce on its prey. Some hummingbirds cluster their nests near those of Cooper’s hawks to protect their eggs from hungry jays that evade predators, the researchers found. In urban areas, populations of both the Cooper’s hawk and its close relative the sharp-shined hawk are increasing.
Where can I find this eagle
Year-round: Most of the 48 US states, Baja California, parts of northern and central Mexico.
Summer: Also found in Canada and the far north of the United States.
Winter: Some animals migrate to southern Mexico and Honduras.
Dark-legged Eagle
Large thick-legged eagle in the Arctic in North America, Asia and Europe Breeds in the tundra, where it preys on voles and lemmings in summer before migrating south. Some are dark brown with distinct white markings, while others show a lighter pattern. Its common name comes from its feathered legs, which together with the thick layer of down on its body, help it protect against the cold. When hunting, the thick-legged hawk usually faces the wind, hovering in the air in search of prey, or observing from a pole or tall branch. The tundra lacks trees, and it sometimes uses reindeer bones as nesting material.
Where can I find this eagle
Summer: Arctic tundra.
Winter: Canada, United States, southern regions of Europe, central and eastern Asia.
Red-shouldered eagle
The rusty wings of a red-shouldered hawk are highlighted by bold brown and white wing stripes replaced, while the chest shows thin strips of light brown and white. The red-shouldered hawk can be hard to spot at its woodland home, but it’s easy to spot by its loud whistle (although it could be a copycat blue jay). Flocks of crows sometimes gather around these predatory birds to harass them as a defensive behavior, but the two species also combine to drive away owls that threaten the red-shouldered hawk’s offspring.
Where can I find this eagle
Year-round: Coastal California, including most of Baja California and the southern United States.
Winter: Northern and central Mexico, southwestern Oregon, eastern California.
Iron Eagle
The “Imperial” Iron Eagle is the largest iron eagle in North America. The only species with legs that have feathers all the way to the toes, the iron hawk gets its common name from its rust-colored back and legs, white and red patterns on its wings, and white breast. The less common iron-colored hawk is a darker, more chocolate-like color.
These eagles soar over the prairies, deserts, and other open terrains of the western United States, preying primarily on rodents and other small mammals. In winter, flocks of ferrous hawks often prowl near prairie dog colonies, waiting for a good meal.
Where can I find this eagle
Year-round: Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico and Southern Nevada.
Spring: Breeding range extends north into eastern Oregon and Washington, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska, Dakotas, Alberta and Saskatchewan.
Red Crab Eagle
Red Brown Crab Eagle Has a lighter belly and a bright yellow or orange cere and black beak. It inhabits coastal mangroves from Venezuela to southern Brazil, and fossil evidence from Jamaica suggests its range once included the Caribbean Basin
Eagle swoops down from tree branches to catch Crabs at burrow entrances, or fly over mudflats to prey on them, using its hooked beak to shell the crab before eating it. It breeds in spring and is known for its dramatic flying courtship rituals. The rufous crab-eagle is listed as endangered because its numbers are declining, most likely due to the degradation of mangroves.
Where can I find this eagle
Year-round: Coastal mangrove wetlands in Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana and Brazil.
Northern Goshawk
The medium and large northern goshawk has a wide distribution including North America, Europe and Asia, and Includes several regional subspecies. These orange- or red-eyed hawks have slate gray backs and white breasts with striking gray-black stripes. They live in forests and hunt in woods, streams, and wetlands with sufficient cover to catch their prey by surprise. Northern goshawks breed in mid to late spring. They tend to nest in mature coniferous trees and defend their nests fiercely against perceived threats, including humans.
Where can I find this eagle
All year round: Many Central European populations settle, while people from Eastern and Northern Europe may migrate. In North America, they can be seen year-round in parts of Alaska, Canada, and the western United States.
Winter: Also found in the Upper Midwest and Northern Plains, as well as northern Nevada, eastern Oregon, and Washington. In Europe, they may occur in the Mediterranean and North Africa.
Harris’ Eagle< /strong>
The Harris Hawk is a dark brown and copper-colored eagle with yellow Legs and cere (the bare area above the beak) and white tail markings. It ranges from the southwestern United States to Chile and Argentina. This social animal is a rare species of raptor that hunts in packs and protects its nest by monitoring and harassing predators. It also practices “back stance” — a behavior in which hawks stand on top of one another to observe prey and predators. Recent research has found that Harris hawks have extraordinary color vision, which may be an important factor in their hunting success.
Where can I find this eagle
Grows year round: Southwestern United States, Mexico, dry regions of Central and South America. Harris hawks do not migrate.
African Harrier
The African harrier eagle is the largest eagle in Africa, found at altitudes up to 10,000 feet in sub-Saharan Africa They can be found everywhere and have special abilities in hunting. In addition to hunting from perch or in flight, they run along or hop between branches in pursuit of their prey. Most incredible of all, thanks to their double-jointed knees, they hang upside down from trees in search of prey.
These gray raptors have black tails with white bands, black and white stripes on the breast and leg feathers, and distinctive orange-yellow skin around the eyes.
Where to find this eagle
All year round: Woodlands and savannas, especially concentrated in West, Southern and East Africa , especially Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya and Ethiopia.
Rich Wei Ying
Only in The Ridgeway hawk, found on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, is one of the world’s most endangered raptors, threatened by deforestation, hunting and horsefly larvae that eat offspring in nests. Intensive conservation efforts are underway to save it.
The gray eagle with its rusty and white-striped legs eats a variety of foods including rodents, birds, Insects and amphibians, but reptiles—lizards and snakes—are its main diet. It has a strange nesting behavior, building a two-story, two- Bird’s nest.
Where to find this eagle< /em>
All year round: Currently, the only known breeding population is in Los Haides National Park in the Dominican Republic.
Swenson Hawk
When it comes to migratory spectacle, few species put on as impressive a show as the Swainson’s hawk, which flies by the thousands from the western United States and the Great Plains to Argentina. In fact, it is the longest migratory of the American raptors
During the breeding season, this slender gray, white and brown eagle soars over open fields, Look for rodents, rabbits, reptiles and insects. But in winter, it feeds mainly on large insects, especially grasshoppers and dragonflies, which it pursues both on foot and in flight.
Where can I find this eagle
Summer: Western US, Western Canada, and Eastern Alaska.
Fall: This is prime time to catch the mass migrating Swainson’s eagle. The best places to see them are near Corpus Christi, Texas; San Joaquin Valley, California; Veracruz, Mexico; Costa Rica; and Colombia, eastern Peru, western Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Argentina.
Winter: Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil. During the season, they follow migratory swarms of dragonflies and other insects.
Hawaiian Eagle
In Hawaiian, the solitary, non-migrating Hawaiian eagle is called The “lo” is the only remaining endemic eagle species in Hawaii. Today, the eagle is only found on the Big Island of Hawaii, although its numbers have started to rebound in recent years. Its diet is varied and adaptable, including insects, small birds, mongoose and even shellfish. Its color can range from dark to medium brown to white with gray markings, especially on its belly and wing feathers.
Where can I find this eagle
All year round: all over the Big Island, especially Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. It is often seen near the summit of Kilauea and the Mauna Loa Highway.
Pale Chanting Goshawk
This goshawk has a wide range in the arid scrubland, savannah and desert regions of southern Africa. It can pounce on rodents, but it is also a fast-running eagle that catches Lives on spiders, insects and lizards on the ground. It has been known to follow other predators and then grab prey chased off by competitors. The pale singing goshawk has a pewter gray body with well-striped black and white legs and body Below. Its most dazzling physical features are its bright orange beak and legs. It has a unique, lovely song.
Where to spot this eagle
All year round: Southern Angola, Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, Southwest Zimbabwe. The pale chirping goshawk is not migratory.
Gray Eagle
The small long-tailed gray hawk is a Neotropical species found in the Amazon Basin, Central America, and Mexico. Their range barely touches southern parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, although populations have recently grown in some border areas. In the tropics, they prefer dry forest and savannah tree species; in northern regions, they follow streams for poplar, mesquite, and willow. During the spring and summer breeding season, gray eagles perform spectacular aerial dances and they nest together.
Where can I find this eagle
Year-round: Gray eagles living in more southern regions do not migrate.
Spring and summer: The northernmost populations can be seen in southern Texas and Arizona, and occasionally in New Mexico.
Winter: Northern populations tend to overwinter in Mexico.
Tailed Hawk
Grey-black striped-tailed hawks are found in riparian forests from the southwestern United States to Central and South America, Woodland and desert highland life. It lowers its guard by taking advantage of the fact that its prey often mistake it for a harmless fire vulture. It is known for its dramatic mating rituals that include hovering and diving. The plot extends to the defense of summer breeding territory, with competing hawks circling, screaming, tangling their talons, and falling to the ground. In flight, it can reach altitudes of over 7,000 feet.
Where can I find this eagle
Year-round: In much of Central and South America, the striped eagle does not migrate.
Summer: Found in northern Mexico and southwestern United States during breeding season.
Black Faced Eagle
This black-and-white kitty (Agriturus nigra), with its striking black eye patch and bright orange legs and ruff, lives year-round in In moist forests and mangroves of northern South America. It feeds and roosts under tree canopies, looking for small prey like snakes and amphibians. Its breeding season lasts from February to May.
Where can I find this eagle
Year-round: Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, and the northern Amazon Basin of Brazil.
crested goshawk< /strong>
The crested goshawk is found over large areas of tropical Asia and has a gray-brown head with a striking crest on the back and vertical and horizontal brown stripes on the lower body. It is a non-migratory dweller of lowland forests, preying on small mammals, birds and reptiles. Some limited populations also live year-round at higher elevations, including in the Himalayan foothills of Bhutan and India.
Where can I find this eagle
All year round: South Asia, from India and Sri Lanka to southern China, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Indonesia, as well as Taiwan and the Philippines. Crested goshawks are increasingly occupying urban areas, including Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan.