I see many well intentioned posts and articles giving an Eagle’s analogy. Propogating that, an Eagle does this and that and let’s learn from it. Of course there is so much to learn from an eagle or any other bird and nature and it’s truly magical and beautiful.

One of the myths that people share about an Eagle (without checking the facts and the truth) is that to extend and renew its life. An Eagel does the following:

When it’s Beak, Talons and Feathers get weak, the eagle takes refuge and isolates itself somewhere in the cliffs and knocks off its beak, talons, feathers and waits for it to grow back and that’s how an eagle renews its life to live up to 70 years. Well this is untrue and a myth. The fact is as follows:

The average life span of an eagle is approximately 30 years. The eagle, like many other living organisms, does not have the luxury of making the decision to extend their life cycle far beyond what is normal for its species. Eagles would not typically “lose” their beak or talons, unless it was the result of a traumatic injury. The talons and beak are two of the three best defining features of what makes these birds of prey “raptors”. Without the sharp talons for catching prey and the strong, sharp beak for tearing food, the raptor would certainly die of starvation. An eagle hatches with both a beak and talons and these will continue to grow throughout the bird’s life. The beak and talons are composed of hard keratin and are somewhat similar to human fingernails. The talons of the eagle are not flexible as the story claims. New layers of keratin growth build onto the old layers ensuring a strong structure for the raptor. The raptor keeps the beak in good condition naturally in the wild by eating tough prey and rubbing the beak clean on stones or other hard surfaces (feaking) after eating. Like all birds, Eagles also sheds feathers and grows new ones but that happens slowly and naturally without going bald. In captivity, an eagle may live beyond what the average life expectancy is, because it receives both regular and nutritious meals, has access to veterinary care and can be sheltered from the harsh elements by housing provided by the facility caring for the bird. Even then, the life span is in no way extended as far as this myth is suggesting.

There is speculation as to the origin of this myth, but be assured that none of it is true. Even Times of India, printed this myth in a story a few years ago. People keep picking up the myths from media, and consider them as facts. Just coz it’s printed and shared on the internet and paper doesn’t mean it’s a fact or the truth. Do your own due-diligence before you propogate anything as knowledge for others. 😊

#eagel #birdofprey #myths #facts #duedeligence #fakenews #learning #nature #authenticity source: https://lnkd.in/dVviSuBy