Did you know that Bald Eagles have refraction visual disorder? Yes, they do.
Younger bald eagles have problems focusing light on their retina. This is the reason why they cannot see their prey below the surface of the water; however, this problem gets corrected in time.
Eagles in general have the best vision among all the birds of prey. They can see six to eight times better than a human eye. They have 340 degrees visual field. They are capable of having monocular (vision of both eyes are used separately) and binocular vision ( an overlapping portion of the visual world perceived by the eye). They can see the ultraviolet light and colors vividly. The size of their eyes is bigger than their brain. The bald eagles can see from 20 feet, what we can see from five feet.
They have three eyelids which are the upper, lower and a nictating membrane. The nictating membrane is a transparent piece of skin which means that they can see even with their third eyelid close.
Our young children have depth, light sensitivity, and difficulty focusing both eyes simultaneously on an object. These vision problems on the young of both the eagles and human species only mean that they need guidance for survival.
Speaking of guiding and vision, one of my favorite quotes for vision is,
“I think that the greatest gift God ever gave man is not the gift of sight but the gift of vision. Sight is a function of the eyes, but vision is a function of the heart.” – Myles Munroe
Did you know that Bald Eagles have fidelity? Yes! They do.
Collins dictionary defines fidelity as loyalty to a person, organization, or set of beliefs.
The Bald Eagles have nest-site fidelity and mate fidelity.
Site fidelity is the bird’s attraction to constantly return to the same place where they were born. It’s also a place they can start their own family. The success rate of producing eaglets in the same area is one of the main reason for their nest site fidelity.
The Bald Eagles frequently migrate on their own but they meet the same mate on the same nesting site to produce offspring yearly. They reconnect with their pair by beak rubbing and aerial courtship.
The Bald Eagle’s loyalty to its birthplace and partner is an amazing behavior that is worth admiring.
Poem written by Salvacion Roselle Reyes
Photo credit: Adobe Creative Cloud Express.