The national animal of Armenia is the golden eagle. This majestic bird has been one of the most renowned birds of prey in world history and into the modern day. It is a vital Armenian symbol representing power, wisdom, courage and patience. They are widely recognized as an important Armenian icon.
The golden eagle is an animal that very commonly evokes strong emotions and passions in the hearts and minds of human beings.
Birds in general are often very important to both symbolic thinking and national identity in general, but this is even truer than usual with Armenia’s national golden eagle.
Let’s find out more.
What is the national animal of Armenia?
The national animal of Armenia is the golden eagle.
This iconic bird is a very important cultural symbol, and it means a great deal of different things to the Armenian people.
The birds are found throughout the country, though, and so on a more literal level, first of all, the golden eagle is simply something that Armenian people are very often in close proximity with.
This proximity, both historically and in the individual lives of modern people, creates and has created an important bond that has made the eagle an important icon.
Golden eagles were once found over a much larger range covering more or less the entire Holarctic region at least during certain times of the year.
Though their range has since been much diminished, it is still enormous and they can be found over very wide areas of the northern hemisphere.
They have tended to move out of areas that have become more heavily populated with humans.
Individual birds may sometimes hunt in territories as large as 77 square miles, so it’s easy to see why they have such a wide range—there’s a lot of competition for space!
The species was first taxonomically designated by modern natural science in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus.
The golden eagle is part of a broader group of raptors called booted eagles, given that they have feathering over their legs where many birds do not.
They are easily recognizable by their bright golden heads and the brighter brown spots across their otherwise rather dark plumage.
They’ve been highly regarded in many different cultures over time, both as symbols of ideals as well as more practically for falconry and hunting purposes.
Why, then, is it the national animal of Armenia?
Why is the golden eagle the national animal of Armenia?
The golden eagle is the national animal of Armenia for a variety of reasons.
Let’s first consider the symbolic importance of the animal and what it is considered to represent for the country.
The golden eagle is seen as a symbol of power, courage, patience and wisdom; in that sense it is seen as broadly an embodiment of temperance and patience.
The bird has immense power, but it also has the wisdom and mental capacity to properly direct that power.
As mentioned, because of their great efficiency and skill as hunting birds, they have been very important in a practical sense, too.
Hunting with golden eagles still goes on though it was naturally once a lot more common than it was; having an eagle fly above you in the air is a great way to track down prey.
Beyond that, though, there’s the simple fact that Armenia is such a mountainous country.
This has made it an ideal habitat for many golden eagles and thus the eagles can be found very commonly throughout the country.
Again, this simple fact of proximity has meant that the Armenian people are very used to seeing the golden eagle and to being around it.
Thus, both the country and the animal become intertwined.
How big are golden eagles?
Golden eagles are certainly quite large.
They generally have a body length between 80 and 90 cm, and a wingspan of around 2.3 meters on average.
The females are larger than the males and usually weigh up top 6.5 kilos, while the males don’t usually get much heavier than 4.5 kilos.
No doubt, then, they are very large birds and again this is part of what makes them so striking.
They are hard to miss even when they are soaring hundreds of feet in the air.
What do golden eagles eat?
Golden eagles, being birds of prey, naturally go after fairly large animals for their own size.
They mostly hunt mammals, smaller mammals like squirrel, rabbits, hare, and marmots.
They use their immense speed and agility, coupled with their huge size and strength, to swoop down onto their prey and clutch them with their talons.
They are then more than capable of carrying these animals back to their nests.
They may sometimes eat smaller things in the harsher months if prey is harder to find, but generally, they will move around a lot during the year to follow prey.
The golden eagle will no doubt continue to be an important symbol of Armenia for a very long time.
Again, eagles hold a particularly important place in the hearts of people all over the world, and it’s hard to deny or ignore their power.
Golden eagles in particular have perhaps been so important to human history simply because they were spread so far and wide across the world at one time; and though their range has been reduced now, they can still be found in many diverse areas.