What Everyone Needs to Know About Bald Eagles
Did you know that the United States adopted the bald eagle as the national bird and symbol of the nation in 1782? Settlers arriving in America chose the name bald eagle, believing the bird was the common European Sea Eagle. The bald eagle is native to North America, making it a new sight for the Europeans. The bald eagle is still called the sea eagle, as evidenced by its scientific name, Haliaetus leucocephalus, meaning 'sea eagle with a white head.'
North America is the home of only one variety of 'sea eagle'- the bald eagle. It's hard to mistake the bald eagle for any other type of bird, with its striking white head, its deep brown body and its stark white tail. Many items, such as U.S. coins, flags, seals, and even buildings, have used the bald eagle's image as a symbol of the nation.
Bald eagles are fierce and powerful birds of prey as are all raptors, which include the hawks, falcons, eagles, vultures, and owls. Bald eagles live mainly on a diet of waterfowl and fish, but may also eat animals such as snakes, rodents, birds, and rabbits, and when these live specimens are not available they may also eat carrion.
The adult bald eagle has few natural enemies, especially considering their size of up to 16 pounds, wingspans of 7 feet, and a length of up to 32 inches.
Florida is the home of the smaller bald eagles, and Alaska is home to the larger ones. Wherever the bald eagle lives, the animals in the region scatter when the bird begins to land.
The area required for a pair of bald eagles to hunt in is large- anywhere from 2 to 15 square miles. A pair of bald eagles has only one nest, which they fiercely guard. Bald eagles have been observed in some instances, such as along the Indian River lagoon in Central Florida, chasing down Ospreys with fresh catches. The Osprey will drop its mullet to evade the chasing eagle, and the eagle then has a fresh meal.
These birds of prey leave the aggression to hunting and are fiercely loyal to their families. The bald eagle stays with its mate for life, though few other birds follow this behavior. Most birds live only a few years, but the bald eagle in the wild can live to be as old as 25. They live across North America, from the north, including Canada and Alaska, across the middle expanses of the U.S., and south into the northern part of Mexico.
The birds are frequent long-distance travelers, flying long distances north in the summer, but will mate within a few hundred miles of the place they were hatched. Breeding bald eagles lay one to three eggs in the spring, which hatch about 35 days later. After three months in the nest, the baby bald eagles begin to fly, and a month later fly away from their mother for good. The dangers of hunger, disease, harsh weather, and toxic chemicals can all make life hard for baby eagles, but almost 70% manage to adapt and survive for at least a year.
Did you know that the U.S. Congress tried to help the species by passing the Bald Eagle Protection Act in 1940? This law made it illegal for people to disturb or bother the birds. This also included taking bald eagles for reasons such as selling, trading, or transporting them, and also included their eggs and nests. Take includes not just capturing or trapping the bald eagle, but also bothering them, shooting at them, and wounding or killing them.
Large numbers of bald eagles died because of DTT, the overuse of pesticides, and other toxic chemicals. The bald eagle was given a chance to return in numbers thanks to new laws and many reintroduction programs, both federally and privately funded. The bald eagle was so near to extinction that many thought it impossible to save the species.
Animals with very low populations could be legally classified as threatened by the Endangered Species Act of 1973, and the species with the lowest numbers could be classified as being endangered. The dramatic return of the bald eagle population removed it from most endangered species lists in the early 1990s.
The bald eagle was reclassified by Congress as threatened on August 11, 1995, after its numbers grew from 500 pairs in 1963 to 5,000 pairs in 1994. As the number of bald eagles increase, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has plans to remove the bird from the endangered species list altogether.
Watching these magnificent birds is a pleasure. The long strides of the bald eagle as it launches leads into the soaring, slow motion movement of the bird in flight. The determined eagle keeps to its determined path, its prize kept in sight. The number of majestic bald eagles is steadily increasing all over North America. Make sure to see these magnificent animals for yourself as soon as possible.
Ryan Richardo writes about the bald eagle for OodlesOnBaldEagles.com.
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