The burial ground is an eagle whose population is steadily declining, even despite the ban on hunting this bird of prey. As a result of human agricultural activities, the main habitats of the Imperial Eagle are disappearing, and the birds have to choose new and often not the best places for nesting, located near unprotected power lines.
In addition, despite official bans, in some villages people still fight predators using poisoned baits, which kill a large number of animals, including imperial eagles.
Origin of the name
Based on how the Imperial Eagle is called, it can be concluded that it got its name as a result of the fact that it feeds mainly on carrion, but this is not so. At the beginning of the XIX century. in Russia it was simply called an eagle. But after the active study of the steppes of the Aral Sea region and Kazakhstan began, where this bird was often seen sitting on top of mounds, which, as you know, are places of ancient burials, tothe word "burial ground" was added to the name.
Eagle-Eagle, whose name in direct translation from Latin means "sunny", and in many other languages - "imperial", in most territories that were formerly part of the USSR, still retains its gloomy image. The fact is that most people associate the word "burial ground" with burial places, and not with a proud and beautiful bird. Despite the fact that recently there have been more and more opinions that it would not be superfluous to give the eagle a different, more aesthetic name, no decisive action has been taken for this yet.
Eagle-Eagle description
Unlike the golden eagle, whose tail is wedge-shaped, and the feathers on it are arranged in a fan, at the burial ground it is straight and elongated, although the general similarity between the birds is visible. Body length can reach 85 cm with an individual weighing up to 5 kg.
The burial ground is an eagle of rather large size. Its wingspan is 215 cm, but this value still cannot be compared with the wingspan of a golden eagle. Plumage color ranges from dark brown to black. At the same time, in the neck area, the feathers are painted in a light straw color and are slightly elongated. Some individuals may have white spots on their shoulders that look like epaulettes.
Voice
Compared to its closest relative, the golden eagle, the Imperial Eagle, photo of which is located below, is quite a noisy bird. Most often, its deep, rough voice is heard at the beginning of the breeding season onup to a kilometer away from the bird. The duration of the cry, vaguely reminiscent of a dog's barking, is sometimes up to 10 syllables.
In the event that a burial ground detects an outsider in its territory, located in the immediate vicinity of the nest, it emits a warning cry, not paying attention to which, an individual that dares to approach the nest may be seriously injured.
Food
Most remarkable is the variety of food composition that this eagle prefers to eat. The imperial bird is capable of hunting small field rodents with the same passion as large animals. Of the mammals, preference in food is given to hamsters and mice, and among large animals, hares and young, immature predators deserve indisputable preference. In addition, the burial ground eats any birds whose weight does not exceed 3-4 kg.
Nevertheless, Imperial Eagles prefer to nest in ground squirrel habitats. As a rule, where these animals are absent, eagles do not make nests. A very small number of pairs of eagles that have chosen the lakes located in Kazakhstan and Western Siberia as their permanent habitat eat local waterfowl, but even for them gophers necessarily make up the majority of their prey.
The Imperial Eagle usually catches rodents on the surface of the earth, and birds - when they are just about to take off. On the day of an adult, at least 600 g of meat is needed, and if there are chicks, daily volumesincrease significantly, so the burial ground will never disdain the carrion that can be found. The amount of carrion consumed increases significantly in the spring, when there is practically no fresh food. At this time, the burial grounds specially fly around the places where there may be animals that died during the winter, the carcasses of which will provide them with food for several days.
It is noteworthy that the birds in the air are not interested in the eagle. Tracking down a future victim, he can fly for hours at a sufficient height so that the prey does not see him ahead of time, or guard, sitting on a hill, which is ideally played by burial mounds.
Transformation into an adult bird
The Burial Ground is an eagle, the sex of which cannot be distinguished by the color of plumage. Flight feathers, regardless of gender, are dark above and brown below. At the same time, a blurry striped-gray pattern is observed on the bases of the inner fans. The wing coverts repeat the color of the flight feathers, but their shade is much darker. The tail is gray-black with a marble sheen. The claws and beak of an adult bird are black, which only emphasizes its beauty, standing out against a yellow background, characteristic of the section of the mouth and paws of the Imperial Eagle.
Chicks are predominantly covered with light buff plumage with longitudinal strokes. At the same time, their flight feathers have a rich dark brown hue. In subsequent years, they will gradually darken until the buffy tint completely disappears from the coat. The young bird will change plumage several times, and only after it fully matches in colorthe color of an adult bird, the burial ground is considered ready for independent life.
Nesting
The bird moves freely on the ground, but such a phenomenon is quite rare, and you can see it only in the early morning, when the absence of rising air currents prevents the burial ground from taking off. Often the need to land is due to the fact that the nest is located in the immediate vicinity. In fact, the burial ground is an eagle that prefers desert steppe and forest-steppe zones for nesting, which could be used for several decades.
A couple who have chosen a place for themselves will simply improve the nest so that the chicks feel comfortable. Nests can be located both on the ground, among the branches of small-growing shrubs, and on trees. However, nesting at altitude comes with some risk, as the birds are constantly bringing in new anchoring branches, and the tops of the trees simply cannot support the increased weight and can break.
Reproduction
If a breeding couple does not find a suitable nest, they build their own, which measures 130-160 cm wide and 70-90 cm high at the time of completion. In subsequent years, the volume of the nest will increase significantly, and it will become an almost monumental building.
Depending on the habitat, the period of laying eggs lasts from late March to early May. In one nest there are no more than 3 eggs, the laying of which occurs at intervals of severaldays. The size of the eggs ranges from 53 mm to 83 mm, while, regardless of the nesting site, the shell is dull white with gray or dark spots. It is noteworthy that if the loss of the original clutch occurs, the pair is removed from the place and lays it again in a new nest.
The incubation process is performed by both members of the pair, starting with the first egg, for 43 days. In this case, the emergence of chicks occurs in the same order in which the eggs were laid. The female is engaged in rearing the offspring, and the role of the main earner of food for the family falls on the male. Around the age of 2-3 months, the chicks begin to leave the nest, but for a long time they still return to it for the night until they fly away for the first wintering in their life.
What benefit does the Imperial Eagle bring to man?
Animal advocates urge not to touch the nesting sites of these birds of prey and report their discovery to the relevant animal welfare authorities. The fact is that the burial ground is not only a rare, but also a useful bird, significantly reducing the number of small rodents and thereby ensuring the safety of crops. In addition, the eagle eats carrion, which is known to be the source of most serious diseases in humans.
The burial ground is listed in the Red Books of countries such as Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, in which any actions aimed at reducing the population of this species of birds of prey are strictly punished.
