Anatomy and fun facts of the Eagle

Claw

A talon is the claw of a bird of prey, its primary hunting tool. The talons are very important; without them, most birds of prey would not be able to catch their food. Some birds also use claws for defensive purposes. 

First, the claws must be extremely strong and sharp. When an eagle catches a fish, those claws have to slice into a stiff, strong fish with thick scales protecting its body. (All birds of prey use their feet for killing, from the tiniest Elf Owl and American Kestrel to the largest eagles.)
But sharp claws are NOT the reason eagle feet are called talons; after all, cats have sharp claws, too, but they don't have talons. What makes talons different? They are designed to carry things. An eagle foot is made up of four muscular toes, powerful enough to hang onto a fairly large fish as the eagle carries it through the air.
Eagles, hawks, and owls have very sharp beaks as well as talons. Many of them use their talons to grab prey animals. Next they use the sharp points of their beaks to bite the animal at the base of the skull or in the neck to kill it. Eagles don't bother with that when they're carrying a fish, but ones that learn to hunt rabbits or ducks may do so. Although an eagle's beak is strong, powerful, and huge, it rarely if ever carries sticks or fish in its beak.

Eagle Foot Facts

• The eagle has very specially adapted large, clawed feet which are known as talons.
• The talons of the eagle are powerful and strong and allow the eagle to catch prey on the ground or in water when the eagle is still in the air.
• The talons of the eagle are designed to carry prey through the air and they are strong enough to hold onto a fish which weighs more than the eagle.
• The feet of an eagle have four strong toes, and at the end of these toes are large, curved claws which enables the eagle to hook onto its prey.
• The talons of a baby eagle are very short when compared to the talons of an adult eagle, and it takes a few years for the feet of the baby eagle to be fully sized.

Eagle Beak Facts

• Eagles have very sharp and pointed beaks which the eagle often uses to grab prey with.
• The eagle uses the sharply pointed beak to bite animals at the base of their skull to kill them before swallowing them whole.
• The beak of an eagle is extremely strong and powerful, although they will rarely carry their prey in their beak for large distances.
• The beak of an eagle is made out of keratin and therefore is growing constantly, much like the hair and fingernails of a human being.
• The beak of the eagle is almost as long as the head of an eagle and the eagle uses the hooked end of the beak to rip apart prey that this too big to swallow whole.

FUN FACTS!

1. Do eagles blink? What is the nictitating membrane?

Eagles do blink by closing the outer upper and lower lids like we do. The nictitating membrane is a clear membrane that is moved back and forth over the surface of the eye often times very rapidly. It functions to keep the surface moist and to clear off debris. Reptiles and birds have these membranes, humans do not.

2. Why is there a hole in an eagle's tongue?

The hole in the tongue is an opening to the respiratory system.

3. What is the beak made up of?

The beak is made of keratin similar to human fingernails.

4. Are those nostrils on the eagle's beak? how well can it smell?

There are nostrils or nares at the base of the bill. Like with humans, this is one way the bird can breathe. Most birds are not believed to have a very well-developed sense of smell. That is the general thinking with eagles. They do not use this sense to locate prey. Supporting this view is that they have a relatively undeveloped olfactory bulb compared to birds like turkey vultures that have a very well-developed sense of smell.

5. How many feathers does an eagle have?

Eagles have several thousand feathers that account for about 5% of their body mass.

6. What keeps an eagle from freezing?
A: Eagles are warm-blooded like humans meaning that their body temperature is maintained within a relatively narrow range. There is a complex physiological system that governs temperature regulation.