Bald Eagle

baldeaglebg: Bald EagleCOMMON NAME: Bald Eagle

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Haliaeetus leucocephalus

DESCRIPTION:

The bald eagle is not bald. It is our national bird.

This eagle can grow 31 - 37 inches in height. As with most birds of prey, females are larger than the males. The wingspan can reach 70 - 90 inches from tip to tip. The adult, over 5 years old, has a white head, neck and tail feathers with a brownish-black body. It has large yellow eyes, hooked beak, and feet. Immature birds are entirely brownish-black with grayish wing linings and are often mistaken for a Golden Eagle.

Eagles mate for life, but will choose a new mate if one of the pair dies. Eagles use the same nest year after year. New sticks are added each year. The nest can grow so large that it breaks off or it causes the tree to fall over.

LIFE HISTORY:

Life Span in captivity has been recorded up to 48 years.

Clutch Size: 1 - 3 white eggs, incubation approximately 35 days, fledge 72-75 days. Eggs laid March - May. Frequently, the stronger chick kills the weaker nest mate.

Nest: made of sticks and built on the top of tall trees or on cliffs 10 - 150' above ground. Nests can get 6 feet across and weigh 100 - 200 pounds. The nest is the largest of all nests built by a single pair of birds; sometimes 7-8' across, 12 ' deep, weighing 500+ pounds, and lined with mosses, pine, needles, and grasses.

ECOLOGY:

Habitat: The Bald Eagle is generally uncommon throughout most of the lower 48 states but common in Alaska and Canada. They are seen near rivers and lakes and along the seacoast. Fish are their primary food, either self-caught or stolen. They will also feed on injured waterfowl or rodents.

ADOPT THIS ANIMAL

The Audubon Society Encyclopedia of North American Birds by John K Terres. ISBN# 0-517-03288-0. National Geographic Society Field Guide to the Birds of North America, second edition. ISBN# 0-87044-692-4.


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