The national animal of Mexico is the golden eagle. This bird is a vitally important national symbol, featuring on the country’s flag and coat of arms. They are important symbols of natural beauty, grace, and at the same time courage and strength. Many animals are unofficially thought of as Mexican national animals, but the golden eagle is the one official.
It is easy to understand why so many countries choose eagles of various species as their national animals.
The golden eagle in particular is a very striking and iconic bird of prey that most would recognize even if they had never seen one in the flesh before.
Let’s find out more.
What is the national animal of Mexico?
The national animal of Mexico is the golden eagle.
Golden eagles are among the world’s most iconic birds, ranging over vast swathes of the northern hemisphere.
They have been important to human culture virtually everywhere they are found, and this is even truer in Mexico than it is in other parts of the world.
They are plainly a central symbol and image in Mexico, as we can see the image of an eagle devouring a rattlesnake at the centre of the country’s flag.
Golden eagles themselves are the most widely distributed of all eagle species, found throughout North America, Russia, Asia and Europe as well as in parts of North Africa.
They are mostly dark brown though they of course also feature a lot of golden plumage among the darker feathers.
They hunt a variety of prey and have exceptional speed and agility, commonly catching hares, rabbits, marmots and ground squirrels.
Their home ranges can be as large as 200 square kilometres.
They nest in cliffs like many other species of birds of prey, and may even return to the same nests many times over several years.
Pairs often mate for life or at the very least for a good many years.
Eggs are typically laid in clutches of around four, though it’s not very common for more than one chick to survive; sometimes two will live to adulthood.
While the golden eagle does have an enormous range today, they were once found across the Holarctic and have since retreated from many areas now inhabited by humans.
They have been one of the most well-regarded birds in falconry for many centuries, with exceptional hunting prowess that has led to the bird having mystic, folkloric significance in many parts of the world including Mexico.
Why is the golden eagle the national animal of Mexico?
There are many reasons the golden eagle is important in Mexican culture.
Let’s start with the most obvious symbolic use of the eagle: the image on the Mexican flag and coat of arms of an eagle devouring a rattlesnake.
In Aztec legend, it was said you would know where to build your city when you saw an eagle eating a snake at the top of a lake.
The eagle was also a way to represent the sun god, Huitzilopochtli, in Aztec myth.
So, the golden eagle has been very important in this part of the world since long before the invention of the Mexican nation-state.
The eagle is also more broadly a symbol of many aspects of national identity; courage, strength, liberation and power.
Eagles can and do go anywhere, and they dominate the ecosystems in which they live, only threatened by other members of their own species.
At the same time, they are incredibly beautiful and graceful animals, soaring high in the air with huge wingspans and swooping down dramatically on their prey.
Golden eagles, then, are simply important to Mexico because they are such a common sight in the country.
They are deeply intertwined with Mexico’s past and present.
Is a golden eagle bigger than a bald eagle?
Golden eagles and bald eagles are around the same size.
Males in both bald and golden eagle populations are generally around 2.5 feet from head to toe, and their wingspans are around six to seven feet.
Females are usually a bit larger than this as is common with most raptor species.
If there is a size difference, it is usually that the golden eagle is slightly smaller than the bald eagle, but this is only by a very small margin on average and they are generally of roughly comparable size.
They can only really be distinguished by the head.
Are golden eagles endangered?
Golden eagles are presently listed as of least concern.
This means that their populations hold very strong and they are not in any immediate danger of going extinct or becoming endangered.
Of course, many aspects of the modern world threaten their future; loss of habitat, hunting and persecution, and multiple other factors.
Measures may need to be taken in the very near future to avoid their population numbers dwindling.
As of today, though, they are safe in their figures and there’s not much to suggest they will be in danger any time soon.
Unfortunately, though, more and more species are at risk of becoming endangered.
Golden eagles, then, are and have been vitally important to the people of Mexico since long before written records began.
They are today one of the most important symbols of Mexico today, and how better to show that than at the very centre of the national flag?
Golden eagles are visually striking and it is no surprise that they have played such a role in human imagination.