Eastern Imperial Eagles are known to have a varied diet, including small to medium-sized mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, and insects. Specifically, they are known to prey on rodents such as ground squirrels, hamsters, and voles.

Prey Preferences of Eastern Imperial Eagles

Eastern Imperial Eagles are opportunistic predators, meaning they will take any prey they are capable of overpowering. Their diet includes:

• Small to medium-sized mammals
• Birds
• Reptiles
• Fish
• Insects

Rodents, such as ground squirrels, hamsters, and voles, are a preferred prey item for these eagles.

Hunting Techniques of Eastern Imperial Eagles

Image source: eastern imperial eagle By Koshy Koshy

Eastern Imperial Eagles employ various hunting techniques to capture their prey:

1. Still Hunting: They watch for prey from a moderately low perch and then make a short stoop or dive to the ground once the prey is spotted.
2. Aerial Hunting: They make a longer dive onto prey from a low soaring flight, often using any vegetation available to obscure their approach.
3. Ground Hunting: Occasionally, they will capture prey on foot, including insects and burrowing mammals, which they may wait by the entrance of the animal’s burrow.

Feeding Behavior of Eastern Imperial Eagles

Eastern Imperial Eagles are known to exhibit the following feeding behaviors:

• They may steal food from other eagles, especially during the winter months.
• They sometimes hunt in tandem, with pairs working together to capture prey.
• They are quite vocal on their breeding grounds but tend to be silent or nearly so elsewhere.
• Their main call is a deep, harsh bark ‘owk owk, gok gok or kraw-kraw’.

Physical Characteristics of Eastern Imperial Eagles

Eastern Imperial Eagles have the following physical characteristics:

• Length: Up to 0.92 meters
• Wingspan: Approaching 2.14 meters
• Mass: About 3.6 kilograms
• Adult Plumage: Black-brown in color, with a pale golden crown and nape, and a grey base that extends to the tail. They have very apparent white “braces” on their scapulars.
• Juvenile Plumage: Paler and more variegated than the adults, with rump, wing, and tail patterns similar to the patterns of the Lesser Spotted, pale Spotted, Tawny and Steppe eagles.

Breeding and Nesting Behavior

Eastern Imperial Eagles are ready to breed for the first time when they are about four years old. They are monogamous and form pair-bonds that last for life. The breeding season typically occurs between late March and September, with the following behaviors:

• Pairs engage in aerial displays with loud calling and extensive high circling for the purposes of territorial proclamation to other eagles of their species.
• The female lays 2 to 3 eggs at intervals of 2 or more days and incubates them for 43 days.
• The eaglets hatch at intervals of several days, with mostly the female brooding the young and the male capturing prey.
• From when the young are 40 days onward, the female typically resumes hunting and takes to a perch nearby.
• The young fledge at 63 to 77 days of age and after leaving the nest, they usually linger near it for 2-3 days.

Habitat Preferences

Eastern Imperial Eagles prefer to live in the following habitats:

• Taiga forests
• Woodlands
• Grasslands
• Meadows
• Vast areas of steppe
• River valleys
• Agricultural areas
• Semi-deserts
• Forested lower mountains and montane steppe
• Near marshes, lakes, and other wetlands

They usually spend time singly or in mated pairs but may sometimes form small groups at waterholes or food during migrant or winter.

In conclusion, Eastern Imperial Eagles do indeed eat squirrels, as they are opportunistic predators that take any prey they are capable of overpowering, with a preference for small to medium-sized mammals, including rodents such as ground squirrels, hamsters, and voles.

References:
– Aquila heliaca – Imperial eagle – Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved from https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Aquila_heliaca/
– Eastern Imperial Eagle – Facts, Diet, Habitat & Pictures on Animalia.bio. Retrieved from https://animalia.bio/eastern-imperial-eagle?environment=207
– The Largest Eagles in the World by Wingspan – Fact Animal. Retrieved from https://factanimal.com/animal-facts/largest-eagles-in-the-world-by-wingspan/
– Facinating animals- The Eagle – Steemit. Retrieved from https://steemit.com/animals/%40diegoferrer/facinating-animals-the-eagle