What bird is an aerial natural enemy even more formidable than the eagle

The eagle has a pair of sharp eyes and can see several thousand meters or even farther. Since ancient times, it has carried the beautiful meaning of a mighty eagle spreading its wings and unfolding a grand plan. So what is the aerial natural enemy more formidable than the eagle?

1. Aerial natural enemies more formidable than the eagle

There are many categories of eagles, including falcons, hawks, buzzards, vultures, and eagles. Different kinds of eagles have different natural enemies, and this must be judged according to the specific type of eagle. Some of the more mighty eagle species have no aerial natural enemies.

2. Famous eagle species

1. Northern goshawk: commonly known as the chicken hawk or yellow hawk. The male bird is about half a meter long, and the male is smaller than the female. From the head to the front part it is grayish black, black behind the eyes, with obvious white eyebrow patches; the underparts are white, mixed with a very large number of small grayish black horizontal bars. The female's upperparts and wing surfaces are grayish brown, the eyebrow stripe is white and mixed with brown streaks, the underparts are white, and the underside of the body has longitudinal spots. When the northern goshawk flies, its wings are short and broad, with rounded tips, and the tail is relatively long. It generally alternates between flapping and gliding, flying in a straight line. When flying, the wings are kept horizontal. Its wingbeat speed is faster than that of other large eagle species. It inhabits mountain forests and is good at preying on small mammals such as wild hares and wild rats, and occasionally also preys on birds. It is distributed in Northeast China and as far as Yunnan, Guangdong, and other places. It breeds in Siberia and in China's Lesser Khingan Mountains and other places. This bird is fond of eating rats and other animals and is beneficial to agriculture. Young birds are often tamed as hunting hawks to catch wild hares and small birds.

2. Eurasian sparrowhawk: commonly known as the sparrowhawk, slightly smaller than the northern goshawk. The adult's upperparts are bluish gray, the tail feathers are relatively long, and it has very obvious dark brown horizontal bars, making it very easy to identify. When flying, it mainly alternates between flapping and short-distance gliding, and often flies in circles in the air. It often inhabits mountain forests, or areas near rivers and streams near villages, has very strong flying ability, and is good at preying on small birds and other animals. It breeds in northern North China, northwestern Northeast China, Boketu in the Hulunbuir League, the Greater and Lesser Khingan Mountains in the north, and other places, and in winter it is commonly seen in areas east of Sichuan and Yunnan. This bird can also be tamed as a hunting hawk to catch small birds.

3. Chinese sparrowhawk: slightly larger than the Eurasian sparrowhawk, with bluish black upperparts, several thin horizontal bands on the tail feathers, no eyebrow patch, and light gray underparts. Its flying posture is the same as that of the Eurasian sparrowhawk. It often inhabits forests and feeds on frogs, lizards, small birds, and large insects. It breeds in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River in Hunan, Hubei, Anhui, Zhejiang, Guangdong, and other places.

4. Argentavis: it can weigh up to 70 kg, with a wingspan of 7 m, as large as a modern “Cessna” 152 light aircraft. New models show that 6 million years ago, they glided over Argentina rather than flying by flapping two giant wings. Scientists concluded that taking off from the ground and landing may have been a great challenge for Argentavis, but not an impossible task. Argentavis is considered the ancestor of modern large birds of prey such as storks and cinereous vultures. Research on its fossils shows that Argentavis clearly had physiological characteristics suitable for flight. However, unraveling the mystery of the details of how Argentavis soared in the sky is extremely difficult.

Eagles have relatively few natural enemies in the air, and can be said to be the overlords of the sky. The current number of eagles is relatively scarce, and attention needs to be paid to protecting eagles.