Field Guide/Birds/Haliaeetus leucocephalus

Template:Taxobox begin
Template:StatusLeastConcern Template:Taxobox image Template:Taxobox begin placement Template:Taxobox regnum entry Template:Taxobox phylum entry Template:Taxobox classis entry Template:Taxobox ordo entry Template:Taxobox familia entry Template:Taxobox genus entry Template:Taxobox species entry Template:Taxobox end placement Template:Taxobox section binomial parens Template:Taxobox end 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 U.S. federal government's list of endangered species.

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 word for "white" and Haliaeetus is the New Latin for "sea eagle," from the Greek haliaetos. Leucocephalus is the Greek for "white head," from leukos ("white") and kephale ("head").

Range and habitat

Bald Eagles can be found in small concentrations throughout the U.S. and Canada, particularly near large 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.

Description

Bald Eagle at Combe Martin Wildlife and Dinosaur Park, North Devon, England

An immature bird has speckled brown feathers 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).

Behavior

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.

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.

Bald Eagles are powerful fliers, and ride thermal convection currents to range far.

Reproduction

Bald Eagles are sexually mature at 4 or 5 years of age. Mated pairs produce between one and three eggs 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.

In such programs, the birds 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.

Diet

The Bald Eagle's diet is varied, including fish, smaller birds, rodents, and sometimes food scavenged or stolen from campsites and picnics. To hunt, the eagle swoops down over the water and snatches the fish out of the water with its claws. They eat by holding the fish in one claw and tearing the flesh with the other. 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.

Rare vagrant

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.

National Bird of the United States

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.