ABSTRACT
Eagles are the most charismatic birds in existence today, associated with martial power as the ‘Kings of Birds’ across the continents. Such beliefs are prehistoric and current, beginning with the ancient Greeks, Persians, Druids, other Mediterranean civilizations and later European heraldry, the ancient and modem Mesoamerican and African societies. Appraisals were based on the eagles’ powerful beaks, large wingspans, powerful talons, hunting capabilities, and large ranges and migratory habits. Engagements between eagles and people include falconry, religion, symbolism and heraldry, public attitudes and eagle-related conservation legislation policies. Recent developments include conservation, supported by multidisciplinary studies. These link the human mind and resultant action with the reality of the environment, the better to understand nature-society relations, environmental change and eagle status. Both positive actions (eagle conservation and dependent environments) and negative actions and impacts (direct and indirect killing of eagles, habitat destruction and killing of prey species) are considered. Related social research methods examine subjective, human actions, including gossip, hearsay, crude observation, religious doctrines, cultural patterns and supports for political ambition, all relevant to eagle conservation.
