The American bald eagle, also known by its scientific name Haliaeetus leucocephalus, is a symbol of freedom for the united states. It is also one of the largest birds. It symbolizes being proud to be an American. Other than freedom, this magnificent bird represents power, spirituality, and wildness. A Bald eagles coloration is simply extraordinary! They have a white head and tail and a bright orange yellow beak and feet.

 

The Beak is called a bill and it is curved down for tearing prey. The size of the eagle is amazing! It can grow up to 2.5-3ft. in height and have a 7.5ft. wingspan. The bald eagles are odd because the females are larger than the males; females can reach 10-14lb. Males 7-11lb. The American bald eagle has adaptations that are like no other. First, they have awesome sight and can see four to eight times better than we human beings. They have a bony overhang used to protect their eyes from the sun, and from predators.

 

The last special adaptation Eagles have is the little bumps on the bottom of their feet called spicules. These, along with the razor sharp talons are used to hold fish during flight. The eagle’s habitat is near a body of water. The body of water is supposed to provide the fish that the bird eats regularly. Eagles can only lift half their weight. An eagle can dive into the water after a fish using it’s wings to paddle; but it will drown if the fish weighs too much.

 

Married eagles will stay together until one of them dies then it will except a new spouse. Eagles mate by diving at each other in the air and locking talons, mating usually starts in early April. Pretty much the most important thing to an eagle is making a nest. Without one it would not survive. The eagle usually lays 1-3 eggs. Once the eggs hatch and the summer is over the mother leaves.

 

Some interesting facts about the eagle that I learned while researching are that bald eagles can see a fish from 2 miles away. A bald eagle has approximately 7,000 feathers on its entire body. Last but not least, I found that about 50,000 bald eagles live in the United States today.

 

Author: Dallas S

Published: 02/2007

 

Bibliography Gerrard, Jon M. and Bortolott, Gary R. “The Bald Eagle Hunts and habits” Washington D.C Smithsonian institution press 1989 Emilie U. Lephthien “Bald Eagles” Childrens press 1989 “Bald Eagle, birds of prey, large birds” www.baldeagles.com 1998

 

Photo Credit: 10:23, 31 December 2006 . . Daniel.Bryant