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| − | {{Taxobox_begin | color=pink | name=Bald Eagle}}<br>{{StatusLeastConcern}}
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| − | {{Taxobox_image | image = [[Image:Bald eagle.jpg|200px]] | caption = }}
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| − | {{Taxobox_begin_placement | color = pink}}
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| − | {{Taxobox_regnum_entry | taxon = [[Animal]]ia}}
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| − | {{Taxobox_phylum_entry | taxon = [[Chordate|Chordata]]}}
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| − | {{Taxobox_classis_entry | taxon = [[Bird|Aves]]}}
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| − | {{Taxobox_ordo_entry | taxon = [[Falconiformes]]}}
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| − | {{Taxobox_familia_entry | taxon = [[Accipitridae]]}}
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| − | {{Taxobox_genus_entry | taxon = ''[[Haliaeetus]]''}}
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| − | {{Taxobox_species_entry | taxon = '''''H. leucocephalus'''''}}
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| − | {{Taxobox_end_placement}}
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| − | {{Taxobox_section_binomial_parens | color = pink | binomial_name = Haliaeetus leucocephalus | author = [[Carolus Linnaeus|Linnaeus]] | date = [[1766]]}}
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| − | {{Taxobox_end}}
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| − | The '''Bald Eagle''' (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') is a [[bird of prey]] indigenous to [[North America]], most recognizable as the [[national bird]] of the [[United States]]. The species was on the brink of [[extinction]] late in the [[20th century]] but has largely recovered and now has a stable population and is no longer on the [[Federal government of the United States|U.S. federal government]]'s list of [[endangered species]].
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| − | The bird gets both its common and scientific names from the distinctive white color of the adult's head feathers; ''baeld'' is the [[Old English language|Old English]] word for "white" and ''Haliaeetus'' is the [[New Latin]] for "sea eagle," from the [[Greek language|Greek]] ''haliaetos''. ''Leucocephalus'' is the Greek for "white head," from ''leukos'' ("white") and ''kephale'' ("head").
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| − | ==Range and habitat==
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| − | Bald Eagles can be found in small concentrations throughout the U.S. and [[Canada]], particularly near large [[body of water|bodies of water]]. The state with the largest resident population is [[Alaska]]; out of the estimated 100,000 Bald Eagles on [[Earth]], half live in Alaska.
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| − | ==Description==
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| − | [[Image:bald.eagle.longshot.arp.500pix.jpg|200px|thumb|right| ]]
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| − | An immature bird has speckled brown [[feather]]s all over, the distinctive head and body [[plumage]] arriving 2–3 years later, before sexual maturity. 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).
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| − | ==Behavior==
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| − | Bald Eagles build huge nest platforms out of branches, usually in large trees. Pairs, who mate for life, add material to the nest each breeding season. After several years, the nest may weigh upwards of a thousand pounds or more.
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| − | Bald Eagles which are old enough to nest often return to the area in which they were raised. They are more social than many other raptor species: an adult bald eagle looking for a nesting site is more likely to select a location that contains other immature eagles than one with no eagle population.
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| − | Bald Eagles are powerful fliers, and ride thermal convection currents to range far.
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| − | ==Reproduction==
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| − | Bald Eagles are sexually mature at 4 or 5 years of age. Mated pairs produce between one and three [[egg (biology)|egg]]s per year, but it is rare for all three chicks to successfully fledge. Third chicks are sometimes removed from nests to use in [[reintroduction]] programs in areas where the species has died out.
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| − | In such programs, the [[bird]]s are raised in boxes, on platforms in the tree canopy, and fed in such a way that they cannot see the person supplying their food, until they are old enough to fly and find their own food.
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| − | ==Diet==
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| − | The Bald Eagle's diet is varied, including [[fish]], smaller [[bird]]s, [[rodent]]s, and sometimes food scavenged or stolen from campsites and picnics.
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| − | To hunt, the eagle swoops down over the water and snatches the [[fish]] out of the water with it's claws. They eat by holding the fish in one claw and tearing the flesh with the other.
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| − | Sometimes, if the [[fish]] is too heavy for the eagle, they will be dragged into the water. Some will swim to safety, but others will drown or catch [[hypothermia]].
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| − | ==Rare vagrant==
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| − | This species has occurred as a vagrant once in [[Ireland]]. The exhausted specimen was discovered by a [[national park]]s worker in a northern heath. Presumably, a storm blew it out to sea, and the bird struggled across the [[Atlantic Ocean]].
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| − | ==National Bird of the US==
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| − | The bald eagle is the national bird of the [[United States of America]]. When the United States was being established, [[Benjamin Franklin]], one of the founding fathers and a signer of the Declaration of Independence, wished the national bird to be the [[Wild Turkey]]. Mr. Franklin believed the turkey was a good choice as it provided food for the early settlers and had a noble appearance. However, Mr. Franklin was outvoted by the other members of the Continental Congress who felt that the eagle symbolized strength and alertness and that it would look much better as a national symbol.
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| − | ==Gallery==
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| − | <gallery>
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| − | Image:Bald eagle.jpg|Adult
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| − | Image:Bald-eagle.jpg|Adult resting
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| − | Image:Haliaeetus_leucocephalus.jpeg|Adult
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| − | </gallery>
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| − | {{commons|Haliaeetus leucocephalus}}
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| − | ==See also==
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| − | [[Alaska Raptor Center]]
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| − | ==External links==
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| − | * [http://images.fws.gov/default.cfm?fuseaction=records.display&CFID=2060719&CFTOKEN=64720564&id=5C7D1A7F%2DF41E%2D4C0A%2D87A4F0A6E628BD0E 11.9" x 8" 1.24 MB Bald Eagle JPEG] provided by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
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| − | <!--Categories-->
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| − | [[Category:Eagles]]
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| − | <!--Interlanguage links-->
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| − | [[da:Hvidhovedet havørn]]
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| − | [[de:Weißkopfseeadler]]
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| − | [[fr:Pygargue à tête blanche]]
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| − | [[nl:Amerikaanse zeearend]]
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| − | [[ja:ハクトウワシ]]
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| − | [[pl:Bielik amerykański]]
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| − | [[pt:Águia de cabeça branca]]
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| − | [[fi:Valkopäämerikotka]]
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| − | [[sv:Vithövdad havsörn]]
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| − | *[http://baldeagles.org The American Bald Eagle Foundation]
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| − | *[http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0207/feature2/index.html Norbert Rosing Photography, National Geographic]
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| − | *[http://www.natureserve.org/explorer NatureServe Explorer]
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| − | *[http://www.baldeagleinfo.com Baldeagleinfo.com by Hope Rutledge]
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