eagle

The bald eagle of North America lives along coasts, rivers, and lakes, where food is plentiful. During the mating season, couples indulge in spectacular courtship displays in which male and female birds lock talons in midair and somersault downwards together.

A white-headed bald eagle Haliaetus leucocephalus, the emblem of the USA.

The wedge-tailed eagle has been subject to an Australian Nature Conservation Agency-sponsored Recovery Plan since 1992. The plan has aimed to increase public awareness of the eagle's plight, to educate the public about its importance, and to consult with farmers to protect nest sites and reduce disturbances near nests during breeding.

Any of several genera of large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae, order Falconiformes, including the golden eagle Aquila chrysaetos of Eurasia and North America, which has a 2 m/6 ft wingspan. Eagles occur worldwide, usually building eyries or nests in forests or mountains, and all are fierce and powerful birds of prey. The harpy eagle is the largest eagle.

The white-headed bald eagle Haliaetus leucocephalus is the symbol of the USA; rendered infertile through the ingestion of agricultural chemicals, it is now rare, except in Alaska.

Another endangered species is the Philippine eagle, sometimes called the Philippine monkey-eating eagle (although its main prey is the flying lemur). Loss of large tracts of forest, coupled with hunting by humans, have greatly reduced its numbers.

In North America the golden eagle is found throughout most of the USA, Canada, and northern Mexico, with the exception of the southeast. The larger spotted eagle A. clanga lives in Central Europe and Asia. The sea eagles Haliaetus include Steller's sea eagle H. pelagicus, mainly a carrion-feeder which breeds on sea cliffs.

A. naevia, the spotted or screaming eagle, occurs in northern Europe. The sea-eagles are represented by the genera Haliaetus and Thalassaetus; the hawk-eagles by Spizaetus and Limnaetus; the fishing eagles by Pandion; and the harrier-eagles by Circaetus.

The eagle has been adopted by various nations as a symbol of power. It was the military standard of the Romans and of Napoleon's armies. As exemplified in the Bible, it is an emblem of nobility and generosity. In Christian art it typifies contemplation and is the symbol of St John the Baptist.

Eagle

Name given to the lunar module of the Apollo 11 spacecraft that landed two US astronauts on the Moon on 20 July 1969. Eagle was piloted by astronaut Buzz Aldrin. Mission commander Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on the Moon. The descent module of Eagle remained on the Sea of Tranquillity while the ascent module took the astronauts back to the orbiting command module, Columbia, piloted by fellow astronaut Michael Collins.