Page 47 - World of Animals - Deadly Predators

Eagles

Eagle

attack

Eagles are all carnivorous and eat meat and/or
fish, and need to consume between 230 and 450
grams (0.5 to one pound) of food each day. But
they can store up to 910 grams of food in their
crop, so can survive without hunting for several
days. Most eagles will hunt small- to medium-
sized prey like rabbits, marmots and ground
squirrels, as well as snakes and other birds.
But as opportunistic hunters they’ll also chase
other birds like ospreys until they have dropped
their meal, which they’ll then steal (known as
kleptoparasitism). Like vultures, eagles will
scavenge on carrion – especially during the winter
months when there is less food available. The
largest eagles can catch deer and sloths, but they
only eat around one-third of their body weight
and are capable of carrying a couple hundred
grams. Once they start their meal, their digestive
systems begin to work and the strong stomach
acid dissolves and digests their preys’ bones.

With a wingspan of up
to 2.5 metres (eight
feet), the white-tailed
eagle is the UK’s © Getty
largest bird of prey

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