Bald eagle

Conservation status Numbers declined seriously during the first two-thirds of the 20th century. Shooting was one major cause; even after the eagles were given full legal protection, they continued to decline, probably because of the effects of DDT and other persistent pesticides. Following the banning of DDT, numbers have been increasing gradually since the 1970s, with spectacular recoveries in some states. Family Habitat Coasts, rivers, large lakes; in migration, also mountains, open country. Typically close to water, also locally in open dry country. Occurs in a variety of waterside settings where prey is abundant, including swamps in Florida, edges of conifer forest in southeastern Alaska, treeless islands in Aleutians, desert rivers in Arizona. Also winters in some very dry western valleys. The emblem bird of the United States, majestic in its appearance. It is not always so majestic in habits: it often feeds on carrion, including dead fish washed up on shore, and it steals food from Ospreys and other smaller birds. At other times, however, it is a powerful predator. Seriously declining during much of the 20th century, the Bald Eagle has made a comeback in many areas since the 1970s. Big concentrations can be found wintering along rivers or reservoirs in some areas. Photo Gallery Feeding Behavior Opportunistic; sometimes a predator, sometimes a scavenger. Does much hunting by watching from a high perch, then swooping down to catch prey in its talons. Also hunts by crui...

Adult Bald Eagles have white heads and tails with dark brown bodies and wings. Their legs and bills are bright yellow. Immature birds have mostly dark heads and tails; their brown wings and bodies are mottled with white in varying amounts. Young birds attain adult plumage in about five years. © Nigel Voaden | Macaulay Library • Look for Bald Eagles near lakes, reservoirs, rivers, marshes, and coasts. For a chance to see large Bald Eagle congregations, check out wildlife refuges or large bodies of water in winter over much of the continent, or fish processing plants and dumpsters year-round in coastal Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. © Dan Vickers | Macaulay Library

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus): bird of prey found in North America. Kingdom: | Animalia Phylum: | Chordata Class: | Aves (Birds) Order: | Falconiformes Family: | Accipitridae Genus: | Haliaeetus Species: | leucocephalus The bald eagle is the national bird of the United States. It can be found on the U.S. seal, stamps, coins and much more. The founders of the United States wanted a bird to symbolize a nation they hoped would be strong and powerful and one that could soar high in the sky to represent freedom. To fit this description, the founders chose the bald eagle, which is an eagle species found only in North America. Size and Weight: American bald eagles are one of nature’s largest raptors, with wings that can span eight feet. Even their nests can weigh up to a ton. Female bald eagles are about 25% larger than males. While female bald eagles weigh 10 to 15 pounds, males weigh 6 to 9 pounds. Their height is 28 to 38 inches and their wingspan is 5.5 to 8 feet. Appearance: Despite what their name may suggest, bald eagles aren’t actually bald. The name is an old translation of “piebald” thought to describe the birds’ coloring, meaning “white-headed.” Their beak is large and hooked. On their wing feathers, they have black pigment, which has been found to strengthen the feathers against breakage when diving into the water. Diet: Bald eagles are often found near bodies of water to be close to their favorite food — fish. They can capture fish with their spiny scales and...

Basic Description The Bald Eagle has been the national emblem of the United States since 1782 and a spiritual symbol for native people for far longer than that. These regal birds aren’t really bald, but their white-feathered heads gleam in contrast to their chocolate-brown body and wings. Look for them soaring in solitude, chasing other birds for their food, or gathering by the hundreds in winter. Once endangered by hunting and pesticides, Bald Eagles have flourished under protection. Find This Bird To find Bald Eagles, head for water, where the birds are likely to be looking for fish. Nationwide, Bald Eagles are most widespread during winter, where they can be found along coasts, rivers, lakes, and reservoirs in many states. They winter in large numbers at some lakes and national wildlife refuges. • Rather than do their own fishing, Bald Eagles often go after other creatures’ catches. A Bald Eagle will harass a hunting Osprey until the smaller raptor drops its prey in midair, where the eagle swoops it up. A Bald Eagle may even snatch a fish directly out of an Osprey’s talons. Fishing mammals (even people sometimes) can also lose prey to Bald Eagle piracy. • Had Benjamin Franklin prevailed, the U.S. emblem might have been the Wild Turkey. In 1784, Franklin disparaged the national bird’s thieving tendencies and its vulnerability to harassment by small birds. "For my own part,” he wrote, “I wish the Bald Eagle had not been chosen the Representative of our Country. He is a Bi...

• العربية • Asturianu • Atikamekw • Azərbaycanca • বাংলা • Беларуская • Беларуская (тарашкевіца) • Български • Bosanski • Brezhoneg • Català • Cebuano • Čeština • Cymraeg • Dansk • Deutsch • Diné bizaad • Dolnoserbski • Eesti • Ελληνικά • Español • Esperanto • Euskara • فارسی • Føroyskt • Français • Gaeilge • 한국어 • Հայերեն • Hornjoserbsce • Hrvatski • Bahasa Indonesia • Íslenska • Italiano • עברית • ქართული • Kotava • Кырык мары • Latviešu • Лезги • Lietuvių • Magyar • Македонски • മലയാളം • मराठी • مصرى • Bahasa Melayu • Монгол • မြန်မာဘာသာ • Nederlands • Nēhiyawēwin / ᓀᐦᐃᔭᐍᐏᐣ • 日本語 • Nordfriisk • Norsk bokmål • Norsk nynorsk • Oʻzbekcha / ўзбекча • پنجابی • Polski • Português • Română • Русский • Scots • Shqip • Simple English • Slovenčina • Српски / srpski • Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски • Suomi • Svenska • தமிழ் • Taqbaylit • ไทย • Tsetsêhestâhese • Türkçe • Удмурт • Українська • Tiếng Việt • Winaray • 吴语 • 粵語 • 中文 On migration only Star: accidental records • Falco leucocephalus (Linnaeus, 1766) The bald eagle ( Haliaeetus leucocephalus) is a Haliaeetus albicilla), which occupies the same niche as the bald eagle in the The bald eagle is an opportunistic feeder which subsists mainly on Bald eagles are not actually The bald eagle is the Taxonomy The bald eagle is placed in the genus Haliaeetus ( Bald in the English name is from an older usage meaning "having white on the face or head" rather than "hairless", referring to the white head feathers contrasting with the dark...

Conservation status Numbers declined seriously during the first two-thirds of the 20th century. Shooting was one major cause; even after the eagles were given full legal protection, they continued to decline, probably because of the effects of DDT and other persistent pesticides. Following the banning of DDT, numbers have been increasing gradually since the 1970s, with spectacular recoveries in some states. Family Habitat Coasts, rivers, large lakes; in migration, also mountains, open country. Typically close to water, also locally in open dry country. Occurs in a variety of waterside settings where prey is abundant, including swamps in Florida, edges of conifer forest in southeastern Alaska, treeless islands in Aleutians, desert rivers in Arizona. Also winters in some very dry western valleys. The emblem bird of the United States, majestic in its appearance. It is not always so majestic in habits: it often feeds on carrion, including dead fish washed up on shore, and it steals food from Ospreys and other smaller birds. At other times, however, it is a powerful predator. Seriously declining during much of the 20th century, the Bald Eagle has made a comeback in many areas since the 1970s. Big concentrations can be found wintering along rivers or reservoirs in some areas. Photo Gallery Feeding Behavior Opportunistic; sometimes a predator, sometimes a scavenger. Does much hunting by watching from a high perch, then swooping down to catch prey in its talons. Also hunts by crui...

Basic Description The Bald Eagle has been the national emblem of the United States since 1782 and a spiritual symbol for native people for far longer than that. These regal birds aren’t really bald, but their white-feathered heads gleam in contrast to their chocolate-brown body and wings. Look for them soaring in solitude, chasing other birds for their food, or gathering by the hundreds in winter. Once endangered by hunting and pesticides, Bald Eagles have flourished under protection. Find This Bird To find Bald Eagles, head for water, where the birds are likely to be looking for fish. Nationwide, Bald Eagles are most widespread during winter, where they can be found along coasts, rivers, lakes, and reservoirs in many states. They winter in large numbers at some lakes and national wildlife refuges. • Rather than do their own fishing, Bald Eagles often go after other creatures’ catches. A Bald Eagle will harass a hunting Osprey until the smaller raptor drops its prey in midair, where the eagle swoops it up. A Bald Eagle may even snatch a fish directly out of an Osprey’s talons. Fishing mammals (even people sometimes) can also lose prey to Bald Eagle piracy. • Had Benjamin Franklin prevailed, the U.S. emblem might have been the Wild Turkey. In 1784, Franklin disparaged the national bird’s thieving tendencies and its vulnerability to harassment by small birds. "For my own part,” he wrote, “I wish the Bald Eagle had not been chosen the Representative of our Country. He is a Bi...

Adult Bald Eagles have white heads and tails with dark brown bodies and wings. Their legs and bills are bright yellow. Immature birds have mostly dark heads and tails; their brown wings and bodies are mottled with white in varying amounts. Young birds attain adult plumage in about five years. © Nigel Voaden | Macaulay Library • Look for Bald Eagles near lakes, reservoirs, rivers, marshes, and coasts. For a chance to see large Bald Eagle congregations, check out wildlife refuges or large bodies of water in winter over much of the continent, or fish processing plants and dumpsters year-round in coastal Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. © Dan Vickers | Macaulay Library

• العربية • Asturianu • Atikamekw • Azərbaycanca • বাংলা • Беларуская • Беларуская (тарашкевіца) • Български • Bosanski • Brezhoneg • Català • Cebuano • Čeština • Cymraeg • Dansk • Deutsch • Diné bizaad • Dolnoserbski • Eesti • Ελληνικά • Español • Esperanto • Euskara • فارسی • Føroyskt • Français • Gaeilge • 한국어 • Հայերեն • Hornjoserbsce • Hrvatski • Bahasa Indonesia • Íslenska • Italiano • עברית • ქართული • Kotava • Кырык мары • Latviešu • Лезги • Lietuvių • Magyar • Македонски • മലയാളം • मराठी • مصرى • Bahasa Melayu • Монгол • မြန်မာဘာသာ • Nederlands • Nēhiyawēwin / ᓀᐦᐃᔭᐍᐏᐣ • 日本語 • Nordfriisk • Norsk bokmål • Norsk nynorsk • Oʻzbekcha / ўзбекча • پنجابی • Polski • Português • Română • Русский • Scots • Shqip • Simple English • Slovenčina • Српски / srpski • Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски • Suomi • Svenska • தமிழ் • Taqbaylit • ไทย • Tsetsêhestâhese • Türkçe • Удмурт • Українська • Tiếng Việt • Winaray • 吴语 • 粵語 • 中文 On migration only Star: accidental records • Falco leucocephalus (Linnaeus, 1766) The bald eagle ( Haliaeetus leucocephalus) is a Haliaeetus albicilla), which occupies the same niche as the bald eagle in the The bald eagle is an opportunistic feeder which subsists mainly on Bald eagles are not actually The bald eagle is the Taxonomy The bald eagle is placed in the genus Haliaeetus ( Bald in the English name is from an older usage meaning "having white on the face or head" rather than "hairless", referring to the white head feathers contrasting with the dark...

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus): bird of prey found in North America. Kingdom: | Animalia Phylum: | Chordata Class: | Aves (Birds) Order: | Falconiformes Family: | Accipitridae Genus: | Haliaeetus Species: | leucocephalus The bald eagle is the national bird of the United States. It can be found on the U.S. seal, stamps, coins and much more. The founders of the United States wanted a bird to symbolize a nation they hoped would be strong and powerful and one that could soar high in the sky to represent freedom. To fit this description, the founders chose the bald eagle, which is an eagle species found only in North America. Size and Weight: American bald eagles are one of nature’s largest raptors, with wings that can span eight feet. Even their nests can weigh up to a ton. Female bald eagles are about 25% larger than males. While female bald eagles weigh 10 to 15 pounds, males weigh 6 to 9 pounds. Their height is 28 to 38 inches and their wingspan is 5.5 to 8 feet. Appearance: Despite what their name may suggest, bald eagles aren’t actually bald. The name is an old translation of “piebald” thought to describe the birds’ coloring, meaning “white-headed.” Their beak is large and hooked. On their wing feathers, they have black pigment, which has been found to strengthen the feathers against breakage when diving into the water. Diet: Bald eagles are often found near bodies of water to be close to their favorite food — fish. They can capture fish with their spiny scales and...