There is an old legend that eagles are the only animals that can look into the sun. According to the translation of St Augustine, “The sun invigorates the eyes of eagles, but injures our own.”

It is certainly true that eagles have very special eyesight, estimated to be 4 to 8 times stronger than a human’s eyesight. An eagle can spot a rabbit two miles away. No wonder we say ‘eagle-eyed’ for someone with good eyesight. In fact, eagles who suffer from shortsightedness cannot hunt easily and eventually starve to death, but this is rare, fortunately for them.

At least 13 countries in the world have chosen an eagle as their national bird emblem. The golden eagle is the most popular, chosen by Scotland, Germany, Egypt and Afghanistan. The American bald eagle is not really bald; it should be called ‘white-headed eagle’. ‘Bald’ comes from ‘piebald’, meaning ‘white-headed’.

The Ancient Republic of Rome used the eagle image as the standard of a Roman legion, especially the golden eagle, who represented courage, strength and immortality.

However, US President Benjamin Franklin, discussing America’s choice, confided to his daughter:

“For my own part, I wish the bald eagle had not been chosen the representative of our country. He is a bird of bad moral character. He does not get his living honestly.”

Franklin was referring to the habits of the bald eagle, who watches another bird catch a fish, then swoops down and robs him of it – known as the bully of the sky. He felt the turkey was a more respectable and courageous bird.

Where Eagles Dare is the title of a novel and film about a wartime rescue from a fortress high in the Alps. It probably came from the Shakespeare line from Richard III, ‘wrens make prey where eagles dare not perch’.

In 1969 when Neil Armstrong landed on the moon aboard the first man-made craft Apollo 11 Lunar Module Eagle, he announced ‘The Eagle has landed’, which became a catchphrase meaning that a mission has been accomplished.

Happy Puzzling!