Falcons and Eagles
In Redwall
- Alignment: Neutral / Good
- Nicknames: None
- Appearance: Falcons and eagles wear no clothes and look like the
ones in our world.
- Diet: They eat meat, which is probably why they don't interact with
goodbeasts much. They seem to be more neutral than good, actually,
though all falcons and eagles in the Redwall series have helped goodbeasts
out.
- Habitat: Most live in the mountains, in nests.
- Typical Personality: Falcons and eagles are fairly aloof and don't
interact with other species much except when they're hungry or when one gets
too close to their nest. They have an intense sense of honor, however,
and will never let a debt go unpaid.
- Habits: Both falcons and eagles talk in a thick Scottish brogue.
Outside Redwall
Eagles
- Classification: Aquila
chrysaetos [golden eagle]
- Other Names: American war bird, bird of Jupiter, black eagle, brown
eagle, calumet bird, calumet eagle, Canadian eagle, gray eagle, jackrabbit
eagle, king of birds, mountain eagle, ringtail, ring-tailed eagle, royal
eagle, war bird, white-tailed eagle
- Life Span: The average lifespan for wild gold eagles is 2 years,
though they can live up to 23 years.
- Appearance: Golden eagles are large, 30 to 41 inches in length with
a wingspan of up to 78 inches. They are dark brown with pale golden
feathers on their head and neck. The legs are covered with feathers
almost to the claws.
- Diet: Eagles eat mostly small mammals such as rabbits and rodents,
but they can occasionally take down larger prey. There are even
records of golden eagles taking down full-grown deer. Some also feed
on tortoises by dropping them from high heights to the rocks below to get at
the meat.
- Habitat: Most golden eagles live at high elevations, such as in the
mountains. They make large, several-foot-diameter nests, and live in
mated pairs. A golden eagle nest is also called an eyrie.
- Typical Personality: N/A
- Life Cycle: Eagles lay their eggs in clutches of 2 or 3. The
male may sometimes help the female incubate them. About 50 days after
the clutch was laid, the eggs hatch into 3 oz. eagle chicks. Both
parents help feed the chicks until they are able to fly 75 days after
hatching.
- Sites for Further Research:
Falcons
- Classification: Order: Falconiformes; Family: Falconidae;
Species: Falco columbarius [merlin]
- Other Names: pidgeon hawk
- Appearance: Merlins are
small, stocky falcons with
blue-gray upper parts and heavily streaked underparts. Its underwings and
tail are heavily barred. They average on about 10-13 1/2" in
length with a 23-24" wingspan.
- Life Span: Most merlins in the wild live to be about
- Diet: The primary merlin prey is songbirds, but they will also eat
small mammals, frogs, lizards, snakes, and large insects.
- Typical Personality: Merlins, despite their small size, are agile
and aggressive. They are very territorial and thus quite
solitary.
- Habitat: Merlins are forest birds, found in the wooded areas of
open country, and are found in both North America and Europe, though with
different varieties of merlin in each area.
- Life Cycle: Merlins lay 3 - 5 rust-colored eggs and can nest just
about anywhere- on a rock ledge, in a tree cavity, or in another raptor's
conquered nest.
- Sites for Further Research:
