June 1, 2023
By Sonakshi Kandhari
Watching an eagle with outstretched wings circle the sky casts a shadow of fear, but nevertheless, they look majestic. Recognised as birds of prey, their eyesight is five times better than that of a human being. An eagle is one of the planet’s largest birds, and there are roughly 60 species of eagles in the world. Here are the nine largest ones in terms of their wingspan.
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One of the world’s largest eagles, this bird has a 6.5-foot wingspan and weighs 8 kilograms.Tethering on the brink of extinction for the past 40 years, the situation of this bird came to light after it was declared the National Bird of the Philippines. It is also named the monkey-eating eagle because its diet comprises monkeys, along with other animals like rodents, bats and lizards.
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Panama’s national bird is named after a Greek mythological monster, the Harpies. It inspired the phoenix in the Harry Potter series. It's grey in colour with a hooked beak and feathers on the crown of its head. With its 3-inch-sized talons, 6.5-foot wingspan and legs the size of a child’s arm, this bird does not have predators. Its diet comprises iguanas and snakes.
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Also called the ‘Black Eagle’, this bird is named so because of its distinctive black plumage with a white V-shaped etch across its back. It has a yellow beak and white feathers on its underside. Mostly found in southern and eastern Africa, with a 7.7-foot wingspan, it's impossible to miss this bird’s flight. One will not find these birds solitary because they stick with their partners for life.
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Like its name suggests, the eagle’s tail is wedge-shaped; so if you happen to see one, identifying it is easy. It is pale pink at birth but eventually acquires a blackish-brown colour. With a 7.5-foot wingspan, one is most likely to spot this bird in an open countryside perched on the tallest tree, irrespective of whether the tree is dead or alive.
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Rare in more ways than one, this eagle is Mexico’s national bird and North America’s largest bird. Exhibiting strength, these eagles swoop their wings at a height of 7.5 feet while effortlessly grabbing a live coyote off the ground. Witnessing an adult golden eagle, which is golden brown with specks of gold scattered across its back, is a jaw-dropping sight.
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Weighing 5 kilograms, this eagle flies at 7.9 feet and is Europe’s biggest eagle. This bird feeds on anything that it can get its hands on, but fish is its favourite food. At the age of 3–4 months, the young eagles drift away from their parents and find a place that they call home, where they spend the rest of their lives. It is the national bird of Germany.
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Flying at a speed of 160 kilometres per hour, with an 8.2-foot wingspan, and weighing 7 kilograms, this bird’s presence is felt without any effort. This bird seeks solace in huge nests that are built in coniferous or hardwood trees along a water body. With its stark white head and brown body, it is one of the world's most recognised birds.
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With an 8.3-foot wingspan, this eagle takes a detour to Japan during the summer months, and there it is greeted as ‘O-Washi’. They breed along the Bering Sea or on the Sea of Okhotsk. This is one of the few eagle species where both the male and female play an active role in raising their young. With their robust size, watching them is a sight to behold.
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A native of sub-Saharan Africa, it would not be wrong to call this the world’s most powerful bird. It has an 8.5-foot wingspan and weighs 6.5 kilograms. Beware if you get a glimpse of it because it has the ability to knock you off your feet. Unlike most of the previously discussed eagle species, this one shunts between two nests instead of choosing one.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons