Species in Persia and Afghanistan. The eagle in Persian literature.
Eagles have strong, hooked bills and powerful talons adapted to their flesh-eating mode of life.
They catch their prey with their feet and the claws of the rear toe and the central of the front three toes close together powerfully, killing their victims. The length of the toes and claws is more closely correlated with the size of the prey than with the size of the eagle itself. The short toes and claws of the short-toed eagle provide a more effective grip on its reptilian prey, especially snakes. Some eagles, such as the golden and Bonelli's, are used with greyhounds to hunt gazelles in the deserts of the South. But while these feeding adaptations and preferences distinguish several species, most supplement their diets with reptiles, amphibians, birds, small mammals, and carrion.