The Native Americans live amongst animals. And they only kill animals when necessary. When Native Americans kill animals, they utilize every aspect of that animal to ensure they don’t waste it.
They show respect for animals, even the slain ones. But one animal they respect the most is the eagle. Native Americans admire the eagle because of its strength and courage. Each tribe even has a special name for eagles. Check out the cute names of eagles.
Cute Native American Names For Eagles
Each Native American tribe has a unique name for eagles. Check them out below.
- The Hidatsa Tribe: The eagle is called iphoki in this Native American tribe.
- Lakota Tribe: The Lakota Native American Tribe calls eagles Wanbli.
- Osage Tribe: This Native American Tribe calls eagles “Hon’ga.”
- The Yakama Tribe: This Native American tribe has a unique name for bald and golden eagle. The names are k’ámamul (bald eagle) and xwayamá xwaamá (golden eagle).
- Apache Tribe: What this tribe calls eagle is tsa-cho.
- Navajo Tribe: This tribe has the shortest name for eagles. Their name for eagles is atsa.
- Cheyenne Tribe: This tribe calls eagles ma’xevé’késo.
- Cherokee Tribe: For the Cherokee tribe, eagles are called wohali.
- Shawnee Tribe: The name of eagles for this Native American tribe is pelaethee.
- Mohegan Tribe: For this tribe, eagles are called wómpissacuk.
Characteristics of Eagles That Makes Them Unique
If there’s one bird that fascinates and inspires people the most, then it’s the eagle. This bird possesses traits that endear it to humans. Even the Native Americans were fascinated by the eagle and had high respect for it.
Eagle possesses brilliant leadership qualities, which sets them apart. When thinking about eagles, people often imagine a large hunter with oversized wings soaring high above open spaces.
Sincerely, the eagle is among the largest birds in the world by size. And they’re also considered a living symbol of freedom and power.
In ancient times, people showed enormous respect for the eagle. The eagle was so revered in Mexico’s Aztec civilization that the people had to build Tenochtitlan, their capital. And the exciting part of this legend is that the building is where an eagle landed on a cactus.
So the admiration and respect people have for eagles didn’t start today. It started many centuries ago. People saw the eagles as a symbol of bravery, beauty, honor, pride, and determination. It’s one of the few Aves symbolic of humanity owing to its unique characteristics.
Here are five characteristics or qualities of the eagle that sets it apart.
- Eagles possess powerful vision
- They are fearless creatures
- They are powerful defenders
- They are high flyers
- Eagles take good care of their young
Eagles possess robust characteristics that set them apart. They also have powerful leadership qualities that we humans can learn from.
For example, an eagle nurtures its young ones. It nurtures it until it can fly on its own. Now let’s go in-depth on the characteristics of the eagles that we just mentioned.
1: The eagle possesses powerful vision:
Have you ever seen an eagle on a cliff or just sitting atop a tree? When you find one, pay close attention. You’ll discover just how attentive and focused the bird is.
In addition to the body being still, the eagle’s head always tilts side by side. And this makes it possible for it to observe the things happening above, around, and below it.
The eagle doesn’t lose focus even when flying. It’s always attention and seeking prey to devour.
There are clear scientific facts about the eagles’ powerful vision. Eagles’ eyes are uniquely designed for long-distance focus with clarity.
The eagle’s eyes are four to eight times stronger than humans’. It’s also one of the strongest compared to others in the animal kingdom.
Do you know an eagle can spot prey (rabbit) from 3.2 km away? That’s how powerful their visions are.
However, eagle’s eyes and human’s share something similar. Their eyes are almost the same size as humans. Scientists have also claimed that the muscles in the eagle’s eyes continually adjust the eyeballs’ curvature when descending to attack prey.
This adjustment allows the eagle to maintain a sharp focus throughout the process. It’s also one of the reasons they are successful hunters.
2: The eagles are classified as fearless hunters:
Eagles are viewed as fearless hunters for several reasons. One of them is they will never give up their prey, regardless of size and strength.
Eagles are ready to battle its prey until it becomes successful. They also possess the capacity to prey on animals larger than their size. For instance, an eagle can prey on a goat. There are cases where eagles had goats larger than they are thrown off the side of a cliff.
What makes the eagles successful hunters are their claws. They have powerful claws on their toes, curved and sharp as a razor blade. This claw is what the bird uses to catch and hold its prey.
The large toes are one of the reasons eagles are called “raptors.” It’s the reason they share such a name, coined from the Latin word “rapere.” The meaning of this word is to grasp or grip.
Another thing that makes eagles successful hunters is the rough bumps they have on their toes. These bumps allow the eagle to hold slippery and even waggling prey like fish.
Let’s also not forget the damage the eagles’ claws can do to prey. Their claws can inflict massive injury to their prey, which may be difficult or impossible to survive.
What do eagles eat? Eagles have a special diet. They mainly consume fish and, in addition, feed on small mammals and waterfowl.
3: The eagles are powerful defenders:
Have you ever seen eagles flying when there’s a storm? You will be thrilled. You will find other birds running away from the storm, but not the eagle. The eagle doesn’t run away.
Storm can’t stop an eagle from flying. When there’s a heavy storm, the eagle spreads its mighty wings and uses the current to soar even higher. It doesn’t run away like other lesser birds. Instead, it takes advantage of the storm.
There are also scientific facts regarding the eagle’s powerful defending ability. Science has proven that bald eagles use their sharp, long claws to defend themselves. And they do this successfully.
In addition, the bald eagle has no animal predator like other birds.
A large bird called an osprey may attempt to attack eagles, but they always end up unsuccessful. The eagle always scares them away.
Eagles defend their young ones. Firstly, they build nests high up where they lay their eggs and nurture their young.
Another thing that sets the eagles apart is their relationship. Scientists have claimed he bald eagles mate for life. When a member (male or female) disappears or dies, the survivor moves to a new mate.
So eagles value relationships. Their courtship involves elaborate flight displays and spectacular calls.
4: Eagles enjoy flying high:
The eagles can reach heights no other birds can. They have momentum and a powerful large wing to propel them higher.
The eagles can hit a speed of 60 miles per hour. They can also reach heights of 10,000 to 20,000 feet above sea level.
5: Eagles take good care of their young:
Eagles are famous for their aggression. But when it comes to parenting, they’re one of the best. Eagles’ ability to nurture their young sets them apart.
These birds protect their young from cold and heat. They spread their feathers when it’s hot to defend their young.
Must-know Scientific Facts About Eagles
Here are some facts about the eagles.
- The eagle belongs to the family called Accipitridae and the order Falconiformes.
- Bald eagles have been captured playing with plastic bottles and other objects as toys.
- Bald eagles are famous for creating massive nests. The largest ever recorded was 6.1 meters tall and 2.9 meters in diameter. The nest was recorded in St. Petersburg, Florida.
- Immature bald eagles use the first four years of life in nomadic exploration. They can explore vast territories and have the capacity to fly hundreds of miles daily.
- Bald eagles know how to cooperate when hunting. You can see one of them flushing prey toward the other.
- The oldest eagle ever recorded in the wild was 38 years.
- A nest belonging to an eagle was found in Vermilion, Ohio. The unique thing about this nest is that it had the shape of a wine glass and weighed around two metric tons. The nest remained useful for about 34 years until the tree was no more.
- Eagles are nestlings, and they remain so for 10 – 12 weeks. However, they’re full grown once they reach 9 weeks.
- Male and female eagles care for their young in their capacity. The female eagle is said to be in her nest 90% of the time when the baby hatches. The male is said to be present about 50% of the time. In a nutshell, at least the male or female is present to protect the nest.
- Unlike other animals, the eagles don’t regurgitate food to feed their young. Instead, they feed their nestlings with raw meat.
- The male and female eagle work together to ensure the nestlings are fed and appropriately protected. In the first two weeks, the male makes food available. But after three or four weeks, female eagles provide as much food as their male partners. However, the female provides most of the food by the late nestling period.
- Eaglets eat around one to eight times per day. And they don’t have to hunt for food since they’re still little. Instead, their parents take the prey to the next. The parents tear off the prey’s flesh and feed the eaglets directly via their beaks.
- By five weeks, both parents (male and female eagles) would have brought their young an equal amount of food. Parents may also start spending more time away at this age.
- Young eagles stand and walk at six weeks of age. However, by seven weeks old, body growth is almost reaching completion.
- Eagles are ready to start flying by week twelve.
- Eaglets are fully grown at nine weeks. However, they will continue staying in the nest to gain strength for week 10 to 12 exploration.
Conclusion
So these are cute Native American names for eagles and some scientific facts about Eagles. You can see the different aspects that eagles excel in. They are top creatures designed to survive in diverse climates.
The Native Americans adore eagles because of their tenacity and capacity to survive any climate. Eagles are top creatures and look extremely attractive. So if you’re looking for Native American names for eagles, you can check out the ones on this list. You’ll find names each Native American tribe calls eagles.
