Now is the season when azaleas are in full bloom. The staff of the Sichuan Giant Panda National Park planned to take some beautiful azaleas for publicity. They went to Meishan District to look for the most beautiful azaleas near the Lanxi Waterfall in Wawu Mountain, but unexpectedly found the most beautiful azaleas. A large raptor was photographed in a tree.

I saw it standing majestically on the tree trunk. The feathers all over its body are almost chestnut brown, but there is a golden crown feather on its head. Its body length should be about one meter. Obviously, this is a national first-level protected animal - the golden eagle.

This is the first time a golden eagle has been photographed in Wawu Mountain. It's not because golden eagles rarely come here, but because of the rise in technology. In recent years, the Meishan Management Bureau of the Giant Panda National Park has used the integrated monitoring platform of sky, ground and people to mobilize and train a large number of monitors to form a full coverage network, which has greatly increased the chances of discovering wild animals.

As a large raptor in the Accipitridae family and the genus Condor, the golden eagle naturally has many commendable advantages. Otherwise, how could it be called the "King of Raptors"? So what are the specific advantages that have earned it respect?

Golden Eagle

The reputation of the Golden Eagle has been great throughout history, earning it respect and even reverence. In medieval Europe, they were royal eagles, "hunting auxiliary eagles" that only kings could use; in Greek mythology, they were the siblings of Zeus, the bearers of his messages or omens; the Mongols even popularized the practice of domesticating golden eagles. The eagle is used to catch wolves, it is a wolf!

Just a few examples are enough to see that the golden eagle Its strength is recognized.

They are about 78-105 cm long and weigh about 2.8-7.5 kg. Doesn’t that sound big? But its full wingspan can reach 235 cm! The pressure of such a body swooping down from the air is really full, and it feels like fighting a boss battle.

The reason why they are called golden eagles is because of the golden feathers on their heads and necks. The color matching of males and females is similar, butThe female will be larger in size. Scientists believe that although golden eagles are extremely ferocious, they are very single-minded. After mating, a pair of golden eagles will live together for many years, maybe even a lifetime. They patrol and hunt their territory together and use the same den for many years.

However, before breeding, golden eagles will travel around in search of suitable habitats in North America, Europe, and parts of Africa and Asia. They will choose to fly in open areas such as deserts, mountains, plateaus and grasslands. In such an environment, there is nowhere for prey to hide. It is obviously perfect to establish territories in these areas.

Excellent hunting skills

Golden eagles are large raptors, but there is still an upper limit to their size, so scientists believe that they can only catch prey such as rabbits. However, from 1975 to 1979, naturalist Tjernberg believed that golden eagles would not be so "promising". He spent four years investigating golden eagle nests in Swiss territory.

In 158 nests, he found a total of 2,803 species of golden eagle prey, 66% of which were various birds, and 34% were various mammals. These mammals are not just rabbits. Little guys like rats, there’s even a deer in there! But his discovery was not widely recognized. Most people thought it was some kind of coincidence. For example, the deer was almost eaten by other creatures, and the golden eagle brought it to the nest because golden eagles occasionally eat scavengers.

However, in 2014, biologist Linda Klee confirmed that Tjernberg’s discovery was true because she observed golden eagles killing deer in Wyoming, USA. She has been studying golden eagles for many years, and she knows that golden eagles have seven different animal techniques to deal with different prey. For example, when facing birds, the golden eagle will sprint upwards, then plunge down, piercing the birds with its sharp claws; when facing fast-moving animals such as rabbits, the golden eagle will force them into open areas, and then Predicting the rabbit's movements, it swoops in and delivers a fatal blow; when faced with large prey such as deer, the golden eagle will fly very low, continue to stalk the prey, and then find opportunities to continuously attack with its claws, eventually consuming the prey to death.

Such a flexible and changeable hunting strategy makes the golden eagle have the highest hunting success rate among raptors. , for this reason alone it deserves to be called the "King of Raptors".

The current situation of the King of Raptors

Like most wild animals, the golden eagle also They are constantly being persecuted by humans. In the past, people believed that golden eagles were sacred and dangerous, and they would not harm them. But modern people think that they are interests. Whether they are pets, specimens or various animal products, they are business opportunities! So they were constantly poached, and the exact number was impossible to estimate. Moreover, many farmers believed that golden eagles would harm their livestock, so they shot golden eagles for no reason when they saw them. Between 1941 and 1961 alone, about 20,000 golden eagles died. Due to hunting by farmers.

In addition, land reclamation has resulted in the golden eagle’s prey having no habitat, a significant reduction in number, and less food. The golden eagle naturally feels uncomfortable; the golden eagle occasionally eats When humans use poison to deal with so-called prairie rat infestations, rabbit infestations, etc., they may indirectly kill golden eagles.

They were indeed miserable for a period of time, but fortunately they were beautiful enough and quickly attracted attention, and the protection methods were constantly iterated and updated, making Their current global number is around 20,000, and it is rising steadily.

It seems that this brave hunter can continue to rule the sky.