Aquila heliaca - The eastern imperial eagle is monogamous and pairs for life. A couple will build and use several large nests in tall trees standing within modest clearings. This allows an unobstructed view of the surrounding area. The female produces two or three eggs per season, but only one hatchling will survive. In an example of animal fratricide, the first eaglet to hatch will attack and kill the others as they hatch. This behavior threatens the eastern imperial eagle with extinction.
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The First Bulgarian Empire was formed in 681. It contained most of the Balkan Peninsula and stretched its influence into present day Greece and Southern Ukraine. The Byzantine Empire was its chief rival and several wars were fought between the two empires. In 1014, Bulgaria suffered a crushing defeat at the Battle of Kleidion. The victorious Byzantines dismantled the Bulgarian state. The Second Bulgarian Empire emerged in 1185, but eventually succumbed to the Ottoman Turks in the late 14th century.
