Condor (Sarcorhamphus condor).—Largest of vultures, averaging nine feet wing expanse, lives among the peaks of the Andes but descends for food. Its feet are not adapted for grasping, and it cannot truly perch nor carry objects when flying; it sleeps soundly, can be lassoed at night and kills small quadrupeds, besides feeding on carrion. The condor lays two white eggs four inches long, on bare rock, hatched in seven weeks. The young are brown and a year old before they can fly. The male is black with white ruff, has wing bars and tip of bill; wattles are present on the head and breast. The female lacks comb, wattles, and has less white. The young do not acquire full plumage for six years. The condor depends more on sight than smell in finding food.
Eagle (Aquila) is a name given to many birds of prey in the Falcon family. The golden eagle, the white-headed eagle, and the sea-eagles are characteristic examples. The falcon family includes over three hundred predacious birds, feeding for the most part on living animals, hunting by day, and living usually on exposed rocky places. The bill is powerful, but rather short, high at the root, and slightly curved; the partition between the nostrils is complete; the upper margin of the eye-socket projects; the head and neck are feathered; the soles of the feet bear large callosities.
Representatives of this noble genus are found in all parts of the world except the neotropical and Australian regions.
The Golden Eagle is a large and magnificent bird. The predominant color is dark, tawny brown, but the back of the head and neck are more tawny and look golden in the sunlight. The young birds have tails of a brighter color. The adult female measures about three feet in length; the male is rather less both in length of body and wing. The golden eagles have their homes in remote rocky regions, but often wander far in search of booty. They prey upon numerous mammals and birds, but are rarely willing to run any great risks in so doing. The nest, usually upon a rocky ledge, is large and roughly made. There are most commonly two eggs. Though a strong and majestic bird, it cannot be credited with much bravery. The occasional cry is loud and shrill, but with some hoarseness. The species is widely distributed in Europe, Asia and North America.
The crested eagles are found in parts of both hemispheres, and are in some species distinguished by tufts of feathers on the back of the head. The harrier-eagle is an Old-World bird represented in Europe, north Africa, and western Asia. The fishing eagle or fish-hawk is an almost cosmopolitan bird, with markedly piscivorous diet. The bald eagle has the tarsus feathered only halfway to toes; with white head and tail after third year. Its length is about 36 inches. The bald eagle is the emblem of the United States, feeds on fish, sometimes secured by robbing the osprey and sometimes found as carrion.
Eagles as Emblems.—In the arms of the present German empire an eagle (with one head) sustains on its breast a shield containing the arms of Prussia. Austria has preserved the double-headed eagle of the earlier German empire. Russia assumed in 1472 the double-headed eagle under Ivan III. to signify that the czar sprang from the Greek emperors, who had borne it as a symbol since the partition of the Roman empire. A white crowned eagle in a red field was the shield of the kingdom of Poland. The arms adopted by the United States consist of a dark-brown eagle with outspread wings, having in one of its talons a bundle of arrows, in the other an olive branch, bearing on its breast a shield whose upper part is blue and under part silver, and crossed by six red vertical bars. In its beak it holds a band with the inscription E. pluribus unum, surmounted by thirteen stars, the original number of states.
Falcons (Falco) are birds of medium or small size, having short, strong beak, with a sharp hook at tip and a strong tooth on each side of upper mandible; legs short and strong, middle toe long, claws much curved and sharp, tail short and stiff, wings long and pointed. There are about fifty species, some known as hawks. True falcons, in hunting prey rise high in air above and swoop down. Hawks chase the prey near the ground. The most common falcon is dark-bluish above and white below with bars; the young are brownish above and streaked below. The largest falcon is found in the Scandinavian Mountains. Among small falcons are the sparrow-hawk of the United States and the kestrel of Europe. They feed on mice and insects. Most falcons prey upon birds, attacking some even larger than themselves. They, at one time, were trained for hunting the heron, sparrow, etc., in the sport known as falconry.
Hawks have the upper mandible not toothed, and the wings short, rounded, and concave below. They do not easily soar or glide.
Henhawks comprise chiefly the rough-legged hawk and the red-shouldered hawk. The first rarely, and the second never, takes chickens; they prey rather on noxious insects, mice, etc. The sharp-shinned hawk, length twelve inches, and Cooper’s hawk, eighteen inches, are rufous on breast and dusky above, with dark bars on the tail. These useful buzzards last mentioned should be protected.
Goshawks (Astur palumbarius) is found in almost all parts of Europe. It generally inhabits thick woods in the neighborhood of [210-
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