The collective noun for eagles is convocation. Just like the collective noun for seagulls is a flock, and for crows, it is a murder. However, there are many names for a group of eagles, depending on where you are.
What is a Group of Eagles Called?
Some other names for a group of eagles are
- Aerie of Eagles
- Brood of Eagles
- Colony of Eagles
- Convocation of Eagles
- Congregation of Eagles
- Flock of Eagles
- Jubilee of Eagles
- Soar of Eagles
- Tower of Eagles
Eagles are primarily solitary birds who mate for life, so it’s not often that we see a group of eagles together. However the bald eagle, our national bird, lives throughout North America, and you may see a congregation of eagles during migrations.
How Many Eagles Are There in the USA?
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), it’s estimated that there are between 316,700 and 319,500 bald eagles in the lower 48 United States. Considering that in 1970 the bald eagle was on the critically endangered list, having over 300,000 bald eagles is a fantastic comeback story!
Eagles are even on our NYC birds list!
The giant eagle in North America is the Bald Eagle. These female birds have an 8-foot wingspan. However, the largest eagle in the world is the Harpy Eagle. In addition, these massive birds can have a wingspan of up to 7.5 feet and weigh up to 20 pounds!
Eagles are predators and hunt during the day. During their day hunts, they will primarily eat fish but will also eat small mammals, reptiles, and even other birds. More importantly, their diet depends on what is available in their habitat. Although a common question that comes up is, “do eagles hunt at night?”.
Eagles have excellent eyesight and can spot their prey from great heights. Furthermore, they will swoop down and grab their prey with their powerful talons. In addition one of the most amazing things about eagles is that they can fly up to speeds of 150 miles per hour!
Eagles build huge nests, called eyries, in trees or on cliffs. Eagle nests can be up to 10 feet wide and weigh several thousand pounds! Moreover, the female eagle will lay 2-4 eggs at a time. In addition, the eggs taking about 35-40 days to hatch.
In particular, eagles protect their young and will fiercely defend their nest from predators.
What Is a Gathering of Eagles Called?
Most people call a gathering of eagles a convocation. When we see eagles gathering together, it’s usually during the migratory season. However, there are also times when eagles will congregate together to feed on an abundant food source like fish.
What Do You Call a Group of Baby Eagles?
We call a group of baby eagles is called eaglets. However, you can also refer to them as fledglings. Likewise fledgling is a term for many baby birds, like pigeons, owls, and even woodpeckers. When a bird begins to hop around and try to fly, it’s called a fledgling.
What Is a Group of Bald Eagles Called?
According to ornithologists, a convocation of eagles is the most common term for a group of bald eagles. Meanwhile sometimes in literature, they are referred to as a “soar of eagles.”
When Do Eagles Form Groups Together? (What is a Group of Eagles Called?)
When eagles are migrating, they may form groups and fly together. Since they will often fly for days on end and even fly throughout the night, they will create a congregation to help ward off predators and keep warm.
Eagles are not usually seen in a flock unless there is an abundant food source or they migrate together. Otherwise, eagles are quite solitary birds. As you can see from the video, this convocation of eagles is swarming the pick-up truck because of an abundance of fish.
Do Eagles Eat Prey Together?
Normally eagles will eat prey with their mate or alone. However, a mate of eagles sometimes finds something like a truckload of fish, like in the video above. Then other eagles from afar will see this and begin to join in on the feeding frenzy.
Eagles not only prey on mammals and fish but are also adept at grabbing other birds in mid-flight. Even a solitary hunting eagle is enough to send shock waves of panic through any group of animals.
Meanwhile please look at these African Fishing Eagles; when the fish supply is low, they will go after other birds at certain times of the year.
Is a Family Of Eagles the Same Thing as a Congregation?
Yes, if a family of eagles is hanging out together in a group, you can call them a congregation of eagles.
Do Eagles Fly Together?
Eagles only fly together for a few reasons. One is that they are migrating to another area. A second reason eagles may fly together is that, on occasion, a mated pair may hunt for food to feed their fledglings.
Lastly, the third reason is that food is scarce, and they may fly with other eagles if a food bounty is discovered. Additionally, the video above shows a group of eagles going after fish in the back of a pick-up truck.
Are Eagles Migratory Birds?
Yes, many eagles are migratory birds and will leave an area searching for food or to mate. Many bald eagles will begin their migration when the lakes and rivers start to freeze.
Eagles do not migrate in the typical way that other birds do, like migrating woodpeckers. Instead, many eagles travel far and wide but return to their territory daily. Many eagles follow the salmon, so they only migrate in response to food scarcity. Eagles may eat as much salmon as a grizzly bear. 😁
However, some eagles who breed in warmer climates never leave the area, especially if they have a good source of fish. While some eagles migrate great distances, others only travel a few hundred miles. A stud by Scott Allen Kimball done in 2000 – 2001 – BEHAVIORAL INTERACTIONS OF BREEDING BALD EAGLES (HALIAEETUS LUECOCEPHALUS) AT LAKE CASCADE -, talks about how population increase can affect an eagles range and foraging habits.
A bald eagle’s primary food source is fish, and the eagles do not typically enter the water like ospreys. Instead, they grab the fish with their talons as they swoop down close to the water. So when the river begins to freeze, the bald eagle must move south to a warmer climate, where it’s easier to catch fish.
What Are the Different Eagle Species?
Did you know that there are more than 60 species of eagles around the world? You will find these powerful birds on every continent except Antarctica.
Both hawks and eagles are in the family Accipitridae. Furthermore, this group of birds ranges from giant eagles to small hawks.
There are 60 different species of eagles worldwide.
- African Fish-Eagle (Haliaeetus vocifer)
- African Hawk-Eagle (Hieraaetus spilogaster)
- Andaman Serpent-Eagle (Spilornis elgini)
- Ayres’s Hawk-Eagle (Hieraaetus ayresii)
- Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)
- Banded Snake-Eagle (Circaetus cinerascens)
- Bateleur (Terathopius ecaudatus)
- Beaudouin’s Snake-Eagle (Circaetus beaudouini)
- Black Eagle (Ictinaetus malayensis)
- Black Hawk-Eagle (Spizaetus Tyrannus)
- Black-and-Chestnut Eagle (Spizaetus isidori)
- Black-and-White Hawk-Eagle (Spizaetus melanoleucus)
- Black-Chested Buzzard-Eagle (Geranoaetus melanoleucus)
- Black-Chested Snake-Eagle (Circaetus pectoralis)
- Blyth’s Hawk-Eagle (Nisaetus alboniger)
- Bonelli’s Eagle (Aquila fasciatus)
- Booted Eagle (Hieraaetus pennatus)
- Brown Snake-Eagle (Circaetus cinereus)
- Cassin’s Hawk-Eagle (Aquila africanus)
- Changeable Hawk-Eagle (Nisaetus cirrhatus)
- Congo Serpent-Eagle (Dryotriorchis spectabilis)
- Crested Eagle (Morphnus guianensis)
- Crested Serpent-Eagle (Spilornis cheela)
- Crowned Eagle (Harpyhaliaetus coronatus)
- Crowned Hawk-Eagle (Stephanoaetus coronatus)
- Eastern Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca)
- Flores Hawk-Eagle (Nisaetus floris)
- Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos)
- Greater Spotted Eagle (Aquila clanga)
- Grey-headed Fish-Eagle (Ichthyophaga ichthyaetus)
- Gurney’s Eagle (Aquila gurneyi)
- Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja)
- Indian Spotted Eagle (Aquila hastata)
- Javan Hawk-Eagle (Nisaetus bartelsi)
- Lesser Fish-Eagle (Ichthyophaga humilis)
- Lesser Spotted Eagle (Aquila pomarina)
- Little Eagle (Hieraaetus morphnoides)
- Long-Crested Eagle (Lophaetus occipitalis)
- Madagascar Fish-Eagle (Haliaeetus vociferoides)
- Madagascar Serpent-Eagle (Eutriorchis astur)
- Martial Eagle (Polemaetus bellicosus)
- Mountain Hawk-Eagle (Nisaetus nipalensis)
- Mountain Serpent-Eagle (Spilornis kinabaluensis)
- New Guinea Eagle (Harpyopsis novaeguineae)
- New Guinea Hawk-Eagle (Hieraaetus weiskei)
- Ornate Hawk-Eagle (Spizaetus ornatus)
- Pallas’s Fish-Eagle (Haliaeetus leucoryphus)
- Philippine Eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi)
- Philippine Hawk-Eagle (Nisaetus philippensis)
- Philippine Serpent-Eagle (Spilornis holospilus)
- Rufous-Bellied Eagle (Lophotriorchis kienerii)
- Sanford’s Sea-Eagle (Haliaeetus sanfordi)
- Short-toed Snake-Eagle (Circaetus gallicus)
- Solitary Eagle (Harpyhaliaetus solitarius)
- South Nicobar Serpent-Eagle (Spilornis klossi)
- Southern Banded Snake-Eagle (Circaetus fasciolatus)
- Spanish Imperial Eagle (Aquila adalberti)
- Steller’s Sea-Eagle (Haliaeetus pelagicus)
- Steppe Eagle (Aquila nipalensis)
- Sulawesi Hawk-Eagle (Nisaetus lanceolatus)
- Sulawesi Serpent-Eagle (Spilornis rufipectus)
- Tawny Eagle (Aquila rapax)
- Verreaux’s Eagle (Aquila verreauxii)
- Wahlberg’s Eagle (Aquila wahlbergi)
- Wallace’s Hawk-Eagle (Nisaetus nanus)
- Wedge-Tailed Eagle (Aquila audax)
- White-Bellied Sea-Eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster)
- White-Tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla)
What Are the Bald Eagle Life Stages?
The bald eagle’s life stages start with the egg. Then from egg to eaglet to fledgling to adult.
Eggs
Bald eagle eggs take 35 days to hatch.
Nest – Eaglets
Baby eagles remain in the nest for 10-12 weeks.
Ready to Leave the Nest – Fledglings
Fledgling eagles are young birds ready to leave the nest at about 12 weeks.
Learning from Parents
Even though fledgling eagles can fly, they will still stick around the nest to continue learning from their parents.
Molting Feathers
Once a year, all eagles molt their feathers. To illustrate the old feathers fall out, and new ones grow in their place.
Nomadic Life
Between the ages of 8 and 5 years, a juvenile eagle will live a nomadic life. In addition, this period of eagles’ lives is crucial for their development and survival.
During this time, eagles learn essential skills like hunting and navigation. While the nomadic life can be challenging, it is also exhilarating. For juvenile eagles, it is a time of great discovery and growth.
Adult Feathers
Between the ages of 4-5, most eagles will lose their juvenile plumage, and the adult feathers will come in. Furthermore, if it’s a bald eagle, its head will turn white, and its bill will become a bright yellow color.
In addition, for the bald eagle’s head to turn completely white, it can take up to 8 years. However, the majority of feathers come in within five years.
Finding a Mate
Eagles will mate when they are between 4-5 years old. Their baby feathers have all fallen out during this age, and they have their adult feathers. These adult feathers signal that they are sexually mature. Lastly, depending on the eagle type, the adult plumage coloring will differ.
Building Nests
In March, eagles will begin building up their nest from last year, or they will make a new one. However, some eagles may start building the nest in February instead of March if it’s a warm February.
Death
Most eagles who are healthy, productive members of the animal kingdom will live for approximately 30 years. Of course, some documents of eagles living to 40 years of age and older.
Final Thoughts for “What is a Group of Eagles Called?”
So what is a group of eagles called? Well, according to ornithologists, some standard terms for a group of eagles are “convocation,” “congregation,” or “aerie.” As we wrap up our discussion on these fantastic creatures, we hope you have learned something new. Lastly, eagles are inspiring, majestic animals, and there is still a lot to learn!
