Eagle

Eagle (Ukrainian: orel). Bird of prey of the Accipitridae family. In Ukraine there are two genera: Aquila and Haliaeetus. The wingspan of these birds reaches 2.5 m, and their weight varies from 650 g to 6 kg. Eagles feed on small mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, and sometimes carrion. In Ukraine there are eight species of eagle. The golden eagle (A. chrysaetus; Ukrainian: berkut) has a wingspan of almost 2.3 m and nests almost exclusively in the Carpathian Mountains. The tawny eagle (A. rapax) is rare and nests only in the steppe. The imperial eagle (A. heliaca; Ukrainian: mohylnyk) nests in various regions. Two types of spotted eagles, one larger (A. clanga) and the other smaller (A. pomarina), are found in Polisia and the forest-steppe belt. The booted eagle (Hieraetus pennata), a closely related genus, is also found in several regions of Ukraine. To the Heliaeetus genus belong the white-tailed eagle (H. albicilla), which lives in Polisia, the forest-steppe , and the Carpathian Mountains; and Pallas's sea eagle (H. leucoryphus), found in the eastern steppe. Today the eagle is a rare bird, and most species are under state protection.