How Do Eagles Teach Their Young to Fly?
Baby eagles learn to fly by hopping around in the nest, flapping their wings, jumping from the nest to nearby tree branches and watching their parents. They are ready to make their first flight within 10 to 12 weeks.
Eagle eggs hatch after 35 days. Baby eagles are called eaglets, and they stay in the nest with their parents for 12 to 14 weeks after their birth. The parents feed and care for them as they learn how to fly.
Eaglets begin learning to fly by flapping their wings, hopping and jumping to other branches (called branching). After 10 to 12 weeks of practicing, an eaglet is usually ready for its first real flight.
An eaglet’s first successful flight is called a fledgling. Once it makes its fledging, the young eagle will continue to practice by flying to nearby trees. Eaglets usually do this for one or two months and then leave their parent’s nest for good, although they will sometimes stay a month or two longer to hone their feeding and flying skills.
Eagles are fast fliers and can reach speeds of about 55 miles per hour. When they are traveling long distances or just circling their territory, eagles usually fly around 20–30 miles an hour. They soar in the same direction as the air currents to make flying easier.
