Bald Eagle our National Symbol
Description
The adult Bald Eagle is evenly brown with a white head and tail. The tail is moderately long and slightly wedge-shaped. Males and females are identical in color. The beak, feet, and eyes are bright yellow. The legs are feather-free, and the toes are short and powerful with large talons.
The plumage of the immature is brown, speckled with white until the fifth year, when it reaches sexual maturity.
The Bald Eagle is a large bird, with a body 28–40 inches, a wingspan of 66 in to 96 in and weight of 5.5–15 lbs. Females are about 25 percent larger than males, adult females averaging 13 lb. and males averaging 9.0 lb.
The average life span of Bald Eagles in the wild is around 20 years.
Habitat and Range
The Bald Eagle prefers habitats near seacoasts, rivers, large lakes, oceans, and other large bodies of open water with an abundance of fish.
The Bald Eagle is extremely sensitive to human activity, and is found most commonly in areas free of human disturbance.
The Bald Eagle’s natural range covers most of North America, including most of Canada, all of the continental United States, and northern Mexico.
Diet and Behavior
The Bald Eagle is a powerful flier, and soars on thermal currents. It reaches speeds of 35–43 mph when gliding and flapping, and about 30 mph) while carrying fish. Its dive speed is between 75–99 mph though it seldom dives vertically.
The Bald Eagle’s diet is opportunistic but most feed mainly on fish. In the Pacific Northwest, spawning trout and salmon provide most of the diet.
To hunt fish, their most important live prey, the eagle swoops down over the water and snatches the fish out of the water with its talons. They eat by holding the fish in one claw and tearing the flesh with the other.
When competing for food, eagles will usually dominate other fish-eaters and scavengers, aggressively displacing mammals such as coyotes and foxes, and other birds or raptors.
Reproduction
Bald Eagles are sexually mature at four or five years of age. When they are old enough to breed, they often return to the area where they were born. It is thought that Bald Eagles mate for life.
Bald Eagle courtship involves elaborate calls and flight displays.
The eggs average about 2.9 in long by2.2 in.
Population
It is estimated that in the early 18th century, the bald eagle population was 300,000–500,000, but by the 1950s there were only 412 nesting pairs in the 48 contiguous states of the US.
The Bald Eagle was declared an endangered species in the U.S. in 1967
With regulations in place and DDT banned, the eagle population has rebounded. The Bald Eagle can be found in growing concentrations throughout the United States and Canada, particularly near large bodies of water. In the early 1980s, the estimated total population was 100,000 individuals, with 110,000–115,000 by 1992. The U.S. state with the largest resident population is Alaska, with about 40,000–50,000.
It was removed from the United States federal government’s list of endangered species in 1995, by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. When it was reclassified from Endangered to Threatened.
It was de-listed on June 28, 2007.
National Symbol
The Bald Eagle is the national bird of the United States of America. It appears on most of its official seals, including the Seal of the President of the United States. The Continental Congress adopted the current design for the Great Seal of the United States including a Bald Eagle grasping thirteen arrows and a thirteen-leaf olive branch with its talons on June 20, 1782.
Native American Culture
The Bald Eagle is a sacred bird in some North American cultures, and its feathers, like those of the Golden Eagle, are central to many religious and spiritual customs among Native Americans. Eagles are considered spiritual messengers between gods and humans.
Current eagle feather law stipulates that only individuals of certifiable Native American ancestry enrolled in a federally recognized tribe are legally authorized to obtain Bald or Golden Eagle feathers for religious or spiritual use.
Observation
The Bald Eagle is migratory, so you do not have to travel far to see one. You do need to make yourself aware of their seasonal migration and habits.
Many times a local news broad cast will have a story or the local paper an article.
One of the best ways to observe the bald Eagle is with a pair of binoculars or a spotting scope. Most places where the birds nest are closed off by local government so they can breed, hence you can not get up close and personal.
(you would scare them away any way). I know, in our state most hiking trails are closed when they are nesting.
A good tripod will steady the spotting scope and keep it focused while it roosts
Binoculars will let you track it across the sky Binoculars with a stabilizing feature will give you a more clear image.
Take the time to go observe. Even if you are not much of an outdoor person the birds of prey will still give you a thrill.
Dale Coover writes articles for and about binoculars,range finders, spotting Scopes, scopes, Tripods and related stories. He like to travl scuba dive vist=it old cemetery’s of lawmen and outlaws and read western history
