Bald Eagle 

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Haliaeetus leucocephalus

  • The Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), also known as the American Eagle, is a bird of prey found in North America, most recognizable as the national bird of the United States.
  • The species was on the brink of extinction in the USA late in the 20th century, but now has a stable population and is in the process of being removed from the U.S. federal government's list of endangered species.
  • This eagle gets both its common and scientific names from the distinctive appearance of the adult's head.
  • Bald in the English name refers to the white head feathers, and the scientific name is derived from Haliaeetus, the New Latin for "sea eagle," (from the Greek haliaetos) and leucocephalus, the Greek for "white head," from leukos ("white") and kephale ("head").
     
  • Range, habitat, and restoration:
  • The Bald Eagle's natural range covers most of North America, including most of Canada, all of the continental United States, and northern Mexico.
  • The bird itself is able to live in most of North America's varied habitats from the bayous of Louisiana to the Sonoran desert and the eastern deciduous forests of Quebec and New England.
  • It can be a migratory bird but it also is not unheard of for a nesting pair to overwinter in its breeding area.
  • Once a common sight in much of the continent, the Bald Eagle was severely affected by the use of the pesticide DDT in the mid-twentieth century.
  •  While the pesticide itself was not lethal to the bird, it made an eagle either sterile or unable to lay healthy eggs:
  • the eagle would ingest the chemical through its food and then lay eggs that were too brittle to withstand the weight of a brooding adult.
  • By the 1960's there were fewer than 500 nesting pairs in the 48 contiguous states of the USA.
  •  Currently it is still slowly but steadily recovering its numbers; it can be found in growing concentrations throughout the United States and Canada, particularly near large bodies of water.
  •  The U.S. state with the largest resident population is Alaska; out of the estimated 980,000 Bald Eagles on Earth, half live there.
  • Permits are required to keep this species. As a rule, the Bald Eagle is a poor choice for public shows, being timid, prone to becoming highly stressed, and unpredictable in nature.
  • This species has occurred as a vagrant once in Ireland. The exhausted specimen was discovered by a national parks worker in a northern heath.
  •  Presumably, a storm blew it out to sea, and the bird struggled across the Atlantic Ocean.
  • The only Bald Eagle to be hatched outside North America was born on May 3, 2006 in a zoo in the German city of Magdeburg.
  • Description:
  • An immature Bald Eagle has speckled brown plumage, the distinctive white head and body developing 2–3 years later, before sexual maturity.
  •  This species is distinguishable from the Golden Eagle in that the latter has feathers which extend down the legs.
  • Adult females have a wingspan of approximately 2.1 meters (7 feet); adult males have a wingspan of 2 meters (6 feet, 6 inches).
  • Adult females weigh approximately 5.8 kg (12.8 lb), males weigh 4.1 kg (9 lb). Bald Eagles are powerful fliers, and also soar on thermal convection currents.
  • In the wild, Bald Eagles can live about 20 - 30 years, and have a maximum life span of approximately 50 years.
  • They genrally live longer in captivity; up to 60 years old.
  • Bald Eagles normally squeak and have a shrill cry, punctuated by grunts.
  • They do not make the "eagle scream" as often shown on television.
  • What many recognize as the call of this species is actually the call of a Red-tailed hawk dubbed into the film.
  • Reproduction:
  • Bald Eagles build huge nests out of branches, usually in large trees.
  • The nest may stretch as large as eight feet across and weigh up to a ton (907kg).
  • When breeding where there are no trees, the Bald Eagle will nest on the ground.
  • Eagles that are old enough to breed often return to the area where they were born.
  • An adult looking for a nesting site is likely to select a spot that contains other breeding Bald Eagles.
  • Bald Eagles are sexually mature at 4 or 5 years old.
  •  Eagles produce between one and three eggs per year, but it is rare for all three chicks to successfully fly.
  • Both the male and female take turns sitting on the eggs.
  • The other parent will hunt for food or look for nest material.
  • The male might eat an eaglet if the mother is not around.
  • Diet:
  • The Bald Eagle's diet is varied, including carrion, fish, smaller birds, rodents, and sometimes food scavenged or stolen from campsites and picnics.
  • To hunt fish, the eagle swoops down over the water and snatches the fish out of the water with its talons.
  • They eat by holding the fish in one claw and tearing the flesh with the other.
  • Eagles have structures on their toes called spiricules that allow them to grasp fish. Osprey also have this adaptation.
  • Sometimes, if the fish is too heavy to lift, the eagle will be dragged into the water.
  • It may swim to safety, but some eagles drown or succumb to hypothermia.