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eagle

eagle

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2011 | Copyright

eagle common name for large predatory birds of the family Falconidae ( hawk family), found in all parts of the world. Eagles are similar to the buteos, or buzzard hawks, but are larger both in length and in wingspread (up to 7 1/2 ft/228 cm) and have beaks nearly as long as their heads. They are solitary birds, said to mate for life. The nest, or aerie, of twigs and sticks is built at a vantage point high in a tree or on a cliff in a permanent feeding territory and is added to year after year, the refuse of the previous nests decomposing beneath the new additions. Nests can become enormous, measuring up to ten feet across and weighing well over 1,000 pounds. The eaglets (usually two) do not develop adult markings until their third year, when they leave parental protection and seek their own mates and territories.

The American bald (in the sense of white, as in piebald), or white-headed, eagle ( Haliaetus leucocephalus ) is found in all parts of North America near water and feeds chiefly on dead fish (sometimes robbing the osprey 's catch) and rodents. It is dark brown with white head, neck, and tail plumage. The northern species (found chiefly in Canada) is slightly larger than the southern, which ranges throughout the United States. With only 417 known breeding pairs in the 48 contiguous states in 1963, the bald eagle population was dwindling alarmingly; a decade later they were placed on the endangered species list. In one of the greatest success stories in species recovery, conservation methods such as the banning of DDT and the prohibition against eagle hunting had by the beginning of the 21st cent. increased the breeding population in the lower 48 states to some 5,000 pairs. In 1995 the bald eagle was removed from endangered status, and in 2007, when there were nearly 10,000 breeding pairs in the lower 48, it was removed from threatened status. The bald eagle (and golden eagle) continue to be protected by federal law.

The golden, or mountain, eagle (genus Aquila— whence aquiline, meaning eaglelike) is widespread in the Northern Hemisphere, in the United States found mostly in the West. Unlike the bald eagle, it is an aggressive predator. In Asia it is trained to hunt small game (see falconry ). The adult is sooty brown with tawny head and neck feathers; unlike those of the bald eagle, its legs are feathered to the toes. The gray and Steller's sea eagles (also in the genus Haliaetus ) are native to colder areas of the Northern Hemisphere; the king or imperial eagle to S Europe and Asia; and the rare monkey-eating eagle to the Philippines. The harpy, or harpy eagle ( Thrasyaetus harpyia ), of Central and South America, the largest (38 in./95 cm long) of the hawks, eats macaws and sloths. It was named for the winged monsters of Greek myth and was called "winged wolf" by the Aztecs. New Zealand's extinct Haast's eagle, which had a 10-ft (3-m) wingspan and weighed 30% to 40% more than the harpy, was the top predator in the archipelago's ecosystem prior to the arrival of humans.

Eagles—impressive both in size and for their fearsome beauty—have long been symbols of royal power and have appeared on coins, seals, flags, and standards since ancient times. The eagle was the emblem of one of the Ptolemies of Egypt and was borne on the standards of the Roman armies and of Napoleon's troops. The American bald eagle became the national emblem of the United States by act of Congress in 1782. In folklore the eagle's ability to carry off prey, including children (e.g., the legend of Ganymede), has been exaggerated; even the powerful golden eagle can lift no more than 8 lb (3.6 kg).

Eagles are classified in the phylum Chordata , subphylum Vertebrata, class Aves, order Falconiformes, family Accipitridae.

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eagle

A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology | 2004 | | Copyright

eagle [L, MidE egle]. The large, diurnal bird of prey (genus Aquila) plays a surprisingly small role in Celtic mythology and iconography, compared to other European traditions. Gaulish examples appear copied from Roman models. In Irish and Welsh traditions the eagle is thought to be one of the oldest of animals; a Scottish Gaelic phrase describes it as sàr-eun [veritable bird]. Culhwch consults the ancient eagle of Gwernabwy in his search for Mabon. Several heroes, Fintan mac Bóchra, Lleu Llaw Gyffes, Taliesin, and Tuan mac Cairill, take the form of an eagle, often in a series of transformations; the transformation into a salmon usually follows. In Irish folklore the hawk of Achill tricks an eagle by sending it on a fruitless errand while the hawk eats the eagle's chicks. The eagles of Snowdonia (W Eryri) in Welsh tradition were thought to be oracles of peace and war; flying high signalled victory, but flying low, crying incessantly, implied defeat for the Welsh. In later tradition the eagle may be associated with St John the Evangelist, with the sign of Scorpio in the zodiac, or with water as one of the four elements. In Irish and Scottish Gaelic folklore Adam and Eve are thought to be extant as eagles. See ERYR PENGWERN [The Eagle of Pengwern]. ModIr. iolar; ScG iolaire; Manx urly; W eryr; Corn. ēr; Bret. erer.
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JAMES MacKILLOP. "eagle." A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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eagle

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable | 2006 | | Copyright

eagle this large bird of prey, renowned for its keen sight and powerful soaring flight, is traditionally regarded as the king of birds. In the 15th-century Boke of St Albans, the eagle is listed in falconry as the bird for an emperor.

An eagle is the emblem of St John the Evangelist.

The figure of an eagle was used as an ensign in the Roman and French imperial armies; a figure of a bald eagle is the emblem of the United States, from which the Eagle may mean the US.
eagles don't catch flies great or important persons do not concern themselves with trifling matters. The saying is recorded from the mid 16th century, but the Latin aquila non captat muscas ‘the eagle does not catch flies’ is found in the Adages of the Dutch Christian humanist Erasmus (c. 1469–1536).
keep an eagle eye on keep a keen and close watch on.
two-headed eagle the emblem of the empires of Austria and Russia.
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "eagle." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "eagle." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-eagle.html

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eagle

World Encyclopedia | 2005 | Copyright

eagle Strong, carnivorous diurnal bird of prey. Sea and fishing eagles, such as the American bald eagle, are large birds found on sea coasts and inland bodies of water, where they feed on fish, small animals, and carrion. Serpent eagles are stocky reptile-eating birds. Large, harpy eagles inhabit tropical forests. Some eagles indigenous to Asia and Africa are open-country predators. True (booted) eagles (Aquila) have long hooked bills, broad wings, powerful toes with long curved talons and fully feathered legs. They are usually brownish, black or grey with light or white markings. They nest high on sea coasts or island mountains, building massive stick nests (eyries) lined with grass and leaves. One or two light-brown or spotted eggs are laid. Length: 40–100cm (16–40in). Family Accipitridae. See also falcon
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eagle

A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture | 2000 | | Copyright

eagle.
1. Pediment of a temple, or, more especially, tympanum from the Greek ὰητόσ, ὰήτωμα.

2. Gable.

3. Reading-desk or lectern in a church, often in the form of an eagle, symbol of the Word and St John the Evangelist. The eagle was believed to be the only bird that could fly directly into the sun without closing its eyes: thus it became a symbol of Holy Scripture, leading us with open eyes to God.

Bibliography

James Douglas

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JAMES STEVENS CURL. "eagle." A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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eagle

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English | 2009 | Copyright

ea·gle / ˈēgəl/ • n. 1. a large bird of prey (family Accipitridae, esp. the genus Aquila) with a massive hooked bill and long broad wings, renowned for its keen sight and powerful soaring flight. ∎  one of a pair of officer's insignia in the shape of an eagle. 2. Golf a score of two strokes under par at a hole. • v. [tr.] Golf play (a hole) in two strokes under par.

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eagle

A Dictionary of the Bible | 1997 | | Copyright

eagle A bird recognized by its speed in flight (2 Sam. 1: 23; cf. Rev. 4: 7). Those mentioned by Jesus as gathering to swoop on a corpse (Matt. 24: 28) are probably vultures (REB, NRSV, NJB). Possibly the readers of the gospel would detect a reference to the eagle carried on the standards of the Roman army; the corpse of Palestinian Judaism was to be swooped on by the eagles of Rome.
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W. R. F. BROWNING. "eagle." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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eagle

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology | 1996 | | Copyright

eagle XIV. — AN. egle, (O)F. aigle, replacing †aille, refash. after Pr. aigla, etc. :- L. aquila, perh. rel. to aquilus dark-brown.
So eaglet young eagle. XVI. See -ET; after F. aiglette, †eglette.
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T. F. HOAD. "eagle." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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Eagle

A Dictionary of British Place-Names | 2003 | | Copyright

Eagle Lincs. Aclei, Aycle 1086 (DB). ‘Wood where oak-trees grow’. OE āc (replaced by OScand. eik) + OE lēah.
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A. D. MILLS. "Eagle." A Dictionary of British Place-Names. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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eagle

The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military | 2001 | Copyright

eagle n. a figure of an eagle, especially as a symbol of the United States, or formerly as a Roman or French ensign.
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Eagle

The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military | 2001 | Copyright

Eagle F-15 an air-superiority fighter also capable of playing a strike/attack role. Its first version, the F-15A, was a single-seat, twin-turbofan aircraft with fixed-geometry swept wings of low aspect. Production continued until 1979, with a total of 385 built. The F-15B, developed simultaneously, had a two-seat cockpit. The F-15C variant (and its companion derivative, the two-seat F-15D), a single-engine mixed power fighter with a radial engine in the nose and a jet engine behind the wing, was the last U.S. Navy fighter built by Curtiss. It remains in operation in the United States with Air Force tactical fighter wings and fighter interceptor squadrons, and it is credited with nearly all the “kills” in the (second) Persian Gulf War (1991).
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eagle

Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes | 2007 | Copyright

eagle •draggle, gaggle, haggle, raggle-taggle, straggle, waggle •algal •angle, bangle, bespangle, dangle, entangle, fandangle, jangle, mangel, mangle, spangle, strangle, tangle, wangle, wide-angle, wrangle •triangle • quadrangle • rectangle •pentangle • right angle • gargle •bagel, finagle, Hegel, inveigle, Schlegel •beagle, eagle, illegal, legal, paralegal, regal, spread eagle, viceregal •porbeagle •giggle, higgle, jiggle, niggle, sniggle, squiggle, wiggle, wriggle •commingle, cringle, dingle, Fingal, intermingle, jingle, mingle, shingle, single, swingle, tingle •prodigal • madrigal • warrigal •surcingle • Christingle •boggle, goggle, joggle, synagogal, toggle, woggle •diphthongal, Mongol, pongal •hornswoggle •bogle, mogul, ogle •Bruegel •bugle, frugal, fugal, google •Dougal, Mughal •Portugal • conjugal •juggle, smuggle, snuggle, struggle •bungle, fungal, jungle •McGonagall • astragal •burghal, burgle, Fergal, gurgle

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

Eagle's death spurs dealer consolidation. (Eagle brand)
Magazine article from: Automotive News; 10/6/1997
Eagles aloft; Minnesota's bald eagle population, once threatened, has...
Newspaper article from: Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN); 1/24/2001
Eagles 33, Redskins 25.(Sports)
Newspaper article from: The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA); 11/12/2007

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