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Post by Revenge on Apr 14, 2009 11:11:47 GMT -5
Bald Eagle
An American Bird: Unique to North America, the bald eagle can be found along lakes, rivers, marshes and seacoasts across all 50 states except Hawaii. The bald eagle, so named because of its bald appearance due to a patch of white feathers on top of its head, is the only eagle native to North America.
Built to Kill: Bald eagles, as part of the group known as birds of prey, have acute eyesight, muscular legs and sharp bills. Most birds of prey hunt during the daytime unlike owls. They make their homes along lakes and rivers where fish is plentiful, a dietary staple.
Mates for Life: Bald eagles will pair for life. Bonding between pairs occurs through intricate aerial acrobatics. Together the couple builds massive nests by creating a web of sticks in a tall tree or sometimes a cliff.
From Eaglet to Eagle: A clutch includes two or three white eggs each season. The plumage of newly born eaglets is light gray, but turns dark brown by the time they leave the nest at 12 weeks. Adults are mottled brown with a white crown and white feathers under their wings. By 4 or 5 years of age, a bald eagle's beak and eyes turn yellow. Their wingspan is between 6 and 8 feet.
DID YOU KNOW?
A Loyal Bird: Like most eagles, bald eagles are monogamous; they stay faithful to one partner, 'til death do they part.
Bald Eagle Stronghold: The northwest coast of North America, with its plentiful supplies of salmon, supports nearly 80% of the world's 70,000 bald eagles.
Shrill and Squeaky: The sounds the bald eagle makes — squeaks and shrill cries punctuated by grunts — are unlike the powerful screach attributed to the bird in films.
Juvenile Journeymen: Young bald eagles spend up to four years exploring — sometimes up to 2,000 miles from where they were born — before settling down. |
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Post by Revenge on Apr 14, 2009 14:28:06 GMT -5
The Bald Eagle
Bald Eagle Profile
The bald eagle, with its snowy-feathered (not bald) head and white tail, is the proud national bird symbol of the United States—yet the bird was nearly wiped out there. For many decades, bald eagles were hunted for sport and for the "protection" of fishing grounds. Pesticides like DDT also wreaked havoc on eagles and other birds. These chemicals collect in fish, which make up most of the eagle's diet. They weaken the bird's eggshells and severely limited their ability to reproduce. Since DDT use was heavily restricted in 1972, eagle numbers have rebounded significantly and have been aided by reintroduction programs. The result is a wildlife success story—the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has upgraded the birds from endangered to threatened.
Though their numbers have grown in much of their range, bald eagles remain most abundant in Alaska and Canada. These powerful birds of prey use their talons to fish, but they get many of their meals by scavenging carrion or stealing the kills of other animals. (Such thievery famously prompted Ben Franklin to argue against the bird's nomination as the United State's national symbol.) They live near water and favor coasts and lakes where fish are plentiful, though they will also snare and eat small mammals.
Bald eagles are believed to mate for life. A pair constructs an enormous stick nest—one of the bird-world's biggest—high above the ground and tends to a pair of eggs each year. Immature eagles are dark, and until they are about five years old, they lack the distinctive white markings that make their parents so easy to identify. Young eagles roam great distances. Florida birds have been spotted in Michigan, and California eagles have traveled all the way to Alaska.
Bald Eagle Range (In the yellow)
Fast Facts
Type: Bird
Diet: Carnivore
Average lifespan in the wild: Up to 28 years
Size: Body, 34 to 43 in (86 to 109 cm); Wingspan, 6 to 8 ft (1.8 to 2.4 m)
Weight: 6.5 to 14 lbs (3 to 6.5 kg)
Did you know?: The largest bald eagle nest on record was 9.5 feet (3 meters) wide and 20 feet (6 meters) high. It weighed more than two tons.
Protection status: Threatened
Size relative to a 6-ft (2-m) man
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Post by Revenge on Apr 14, 2009 14:32:13 GMT -5
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