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Size, wing shape help in recognizing eagles at a distance |
 LITTLE
ROCK - There’s a really big bird soaring in the distance. Is it an
eagle?Winter is bald eagle watching time in Arkansas, and beginners often have questions about identifying the national symbols in the field. How do you tell an eagle from a hawk or a turkey vulture (often called a "buzzard" by Arkansans)? First of all, size is a major identifier, according to Arkansas Game and Fish Commission staff members. Eagles are much bigger than hawks and owls and are also larger than vultures. Another clue is the flight pattern. Bald eagles soar with their wings extended flat; vultures hold their wings in a V shape. Many hawks also soar with wings flat and not in the V shape. A mature bald eagle is easy to identify if you can get close enough for a good look. It is all dark brown with a white head and tail, and its legs are bare and yellow. The golden eagle, not nearly so common in Arkansas, has a brown head and tail and legs covered with feathers down to the feet. An immature bald eagle is predominantly brown with white mottling; novices often mistake the young bald eagles for golden eagles. |
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