Eagles (or: How to alienate a nation)

[Potamus]

*beep*ing eagles! I AM SO SICK OF BALD EAGLES!
There, I said it. Yes, I know they're an American symbol. And yes, I know it's thanks to this status they were saved from extinction. And I'm sure they're all lovely birds with great personalities.
But: They're not the only species of eagle in the world, so please, please, pleeeease, for the love of godzilla, can we have some other eagles now?

I can accept US companies like Safari giving us the odd bald eagle. I can even accept the other companies making one, once. It's when they decide to have no other species whatsoever I start to lose patience. Isn't showing nature's diversity a big part of the model companies' mission? People already picture Haliaeetus leptocephalus whenever they hear the word "eagle", even if they live on the other side of the globe and have other eagle species in their immediate vicinity.
(This rant, in case you hadn't guessed, is partly brought on by Schleich's decision to make a new bald eagle model in almost the exact same pose as the old one, without bothering to introduce any new birds we haven't seen a jillion times before.
And partly by my struggle to paint a Steller's sea eagle and... well, you try google image searching "eagle" and see how far back you have to go to find something besides a baldy. *groan*)

[HyenaSean]

Originally Posted by Potamus

*beep*ing eagles! I AM SO SICK OF BALD EAGLES!
There, I said it. Yes, I know they're an American symbol. And yes, I know it's thanks to this status they were saved from extinction. And I'm sure they're all lovely birds with great personalities.
But: They're not the only species of eagle in the world, so please, please, pleeeease, for the love of godzilla, can we have some other eagles now?

I can accept US companies like Safari giving us the odd bald eagle. I can even accept the other companies making one, once. It's when they decide to have no other species whatsoever I start to lose patience. Isn't showing nature's diversity a big part of the model companies' mission? People already picture Haliaeetus leptocephalus whenever they hear the word "eagle", even if they live on the other side of the globe and have other eagle species in their immediate vicinity.
(This rant, in case you hadn't guessed, is partly brought on by Schleich's decision to make a new bald eagle model in almost the exact same pose as the old one, without bothering to introduce any new birds we haven't seen a jillion times before.
And partly by my struggle to paint a Steller's sea eagle and... well, you try google image searching "eagle" and see how far back you have to go to find something besides a baldy. *groan*)

Why don't you just Google Steller's eagle?

Really, it's like asking why they keep making lions (an animal which I am well and sick of personally, but that's besides the point) and tigers and zebras, but still no one has made a cacomistle or margay or Saiga antelope. It's what sells, even in places where they are not especially appropriate (I'm guessing that Africa is not Schleich or Safari's #1 market for their African animals!)

[Potamus]

Originally Posted by HyenaSean

Why don't you just Google Steller's eagle?

Well, of course I did... trying to prove a point here!

Really, it's like asking why they keep making lions (an animal which I am well and sick of personally, but that's besides the point) and tigers and zebras, but still no one has made a cacomistle or margay or Saiga antelope. It's what sells, even in places where they are not especially appropriate (I'm guessing that Africa is not Schleich or Safari's #1 market for their African animals!)

And why is that what sells? It's because people don't know there are other species! That's just the thing - instead of just thinking "if people like lions, then lions they shall have", the companies could (and should, IMO) be saying "hey, customer? lions are cool and all, but guess what: here's an animal you probably haven't even heard of, and it's AMAZING."

[pachyrhinosaurus]

I also am sick of American Eagles/ Bald Eagles/ whatever you want to call it. Now that I think about it, a harpy eagle would be nice.

[Fireplume]

Whoa whoa, don't go dissing on one of the most beautiful birds of prey in the world. I mean, I understand where you are coming from and all, but Bald Eagles are a very notable species, and deserve to be made into a model. I admit, there are quite a few, but remember, little kids think Bald Eagles when they think about Eagles, not Harpies or even Goldies.

[Helen]

I must say that bald eagles are very recogniseable for children but so are harpies, condors and a few owls that would make for interesting birds.

[Potamus]

Originally Posted by Fireplume

Whoa whoa, don't go dissing on one of the most beautiful birds of prey in the world. I mean, I understand where you are coming from and all, but Bald Eagles are a very notable species, and deserve to be made into a model.

Do you really honestly mean to say you don't think there are enough models of them?

[HyenaSean]

Originally Posted by Helen

I must say that bald eagles are very recogniseable for children but so are harpies, condors and a few owls that would make for interesting birds.

It is surprising that more owls--especially great horned owls--don't get made. I'm not sure how many kids actually would know what a Harpy eagle is.

[Fireplume]

No, I am saying that don't go saying that its so bad that they are made into models. Personally, I find the name of this topic a little offensive, being as how I live here in the U.S. I mean I would never say anything like that about other countries!

[HyenaSean]

Originally Posted by Fireplume

No, I am saying that don't go saying that its so bad that they are made into models. Personally, I find the name of this topic a little offensive, being as how I live here in the U.S. I mean I would never say anything like that about other countries!

Especially since most bald eagles are here in Canada anyways! But we don't take offense to the title.

Did I mention that despite the excess spring snow, we have bald eagles soaring around the hills here right now? Also various hawks and other birds; even saw a turkey vulture already!