Eagle
Adaptations: The Body
Most bird bodies don't tell much about the
bird's life until you look carefully at the wings, tail, and legs.
- A bald eagles body is mostly covered
with skin and feathers. Important things are happening
underneath!
- The heart and lungs are
so efficient that eagles can get enough oxygen to fly even at high
altitudes.
- Eagles have a fairly short tail.
A longer tail would be useful for quick aerial maneuvers, but eagles fly
slowly and directly, or spiral upwards on thermals in wide circles. That
means a long tail wouldn't be useful for them, and might actually drag in
water, making it difficult to snatch up a quick-moving fish.
- Eagles swallow big chunks of fish and
sometimes dead mammals or birds, bones and all. To digest them and to
prevent sharp, jagged bone edges from piercing their intestines, eagle
stomachs produce extremely strong acids. These acids also destroy most
bacteria, so when eagles are scavenging on dead fish and other animals, they
won't get sick.
- The eagle's dark body feathers are
good at absorbing sunlight, a big help when the eagle is fishing on a frigid
January day. After a plunge after a fish, any ice that forms on the feathers
will quickly melt as the sun hits those dark feathers.
