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THE BALD EAGLE
Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) are magnificent birds of prey. They’re not really bald. White feathers on the head simply make them look that way. The name ‘bald’ derives from an Old English word meaning white.[1]
Habitat and range
This raptor lives in forests near lakes, rivers, marshes and seacoasts, close to plenty of fish to eat and tall trees for nesting.[2] Its domain is from Alaska to Baja California. Found in every state except Hawaii, it uses a specific territory for nesting and winter feeding. A migratory bird, some living in northern climes move southward in winter while some living in southern climes migrate north to avoid hot weather.[3] Wyoming has Bald and Golden Eagles, classified “Falconiformes – Accipitridae — along with Northern Goshawks, Cooper’s Hawks and Red-tailed Hawks.[4]
Eating habits
Eagles are diurnal rather than nocturnal. They hunt in daylight, using their keen eyesight to find prey. Able to discern color, Eagles can spot rabbits a mile away. Prey is snatched with strong talons. Diet is mostly fish, but they also hunt small mammals, snakes, and other birds. They’ll scavenge dead animals, including road kill.[5]
What to look for
Adult birds have blackish-brown brown backs and breasts, white heads, necks and tails, and yellow feet and bills. Males vary in length from 30 to 34 inches, with wingspans of 72 to 85 inches. Females are slightly larger. Their weight varies from 10 to 14 pounds. Northern eagles are somewhat larger than their southern neighbors.[6]
Nesting and breeding
Bald eagles mate for life, choosing another companion only if their first mate dies. Nests, called eyries — up to eight feet across, weighing a ton or more and built of leaves and sticks, on cliffs or at the top of tall trees — are lined with mosses, grass and feathers. A clutch of one to three eggs is laid between December and March. Four to six weeks later, they hatch. Both males and females incubate the eggs and feed the hatchlings until they learn to fledge at about twelve weeks.[7]
Nationally speaking
Bald Eagles were declared the national emblem by the Second Continental Congress in 1782. In places where they don’t prey on pets, lambs, and small antelope they are a living symbol of America’s freedom, spirit and pursuit of excellence.