In 1782 the bald eagle was chosen to represent the United States and has remained its national bird ever since. European settlers in America, used to the sight of the Sea Eagle in Europe, named the bald eagle, believing the two birds were the same. No European has ever seen a bald eagle, as they were native only to North America. The bald eagle is still called the sea eagle, as evidenced by its scientific name, Haliaetus leucocephalus, meaning 'sea eagle with a white head.'
Of the 'sea eagle' species, the bald eagle is the only one that is native to North America. The bald eagle has a striking appearance, with its dark brown feathers set off by the stark white feathers of its tail and head. The bald eagle's image has been used on many items over the years, including coins, flags, seals, and on buildings.
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 enormous adult bald eagle, with wingspans up to 7.5 feet, weighing up to 16 pounds, and with a length of up to 32 pounds, is a worthy adversary for any animal.
The largest eagles live in Alaska, and the smaller eagles can be found in Florida. 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 living along the Indian River lagoon located on the Central Florida coast have been known to go after Ospreys who have themselves caught a meal. The eagle, unfussy about its meal, will eat the second hand catch when the Osprey drops it to get away from the pursuing eagle.
Although they are birds of prey, the bald eagle shows a tremendous instinct for family loyalty. This species chooses its mate for life, unlike most birds. The bald eagle in the wild can live to be 25 years old, though most birds do not live to be this age. 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.
Even though these great travelers fly long distances to summer in the cooler weather of the northern United States and Canada, when it comes time to mate, they generally retrace their paths and nest within just a hundred or two miles from where they were hatched. In the spring, one to three eggs can be laid by the breeding bald eagle, which then hatch after about 35 days. The baby eagles live in the nest during the first three months, and then learn to fly for a month before leaving and beginning their own lives. Despite the ever-present dangers that exist to young eagles, including disease, chemicals, harsh weather, and food shortages, almost 70% of baby eagles adapt and live past their first year.
Did you know that the U.S. Congress tried to help the species by passing the Bald Eagle Protection Act in 1940? The law prohibits anyone from disturbing or bothering bald eagles. The law also prohibited taking the animals, their eggs, or their nests, for any reason unless they have a permit. Taking an eagle included shooting at the birds, wounding them, trapping, capturing, disturbing them, or killing them in any manner.
The overuse of pesticides commercially and residentially, as well as the use of DDT and other harmful chemicals, led to the steep decline of bald eagles. New laws and reintroduction programs for the bald eagle have given the birds a chance to survive. When the law was enacted, it was thought that the species could not be saved from extinction.
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. The bald eagle will soon by removed from the endangered species list by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, due to the increasing population of these birds.
The bald eagle is a pleasure to watch. The bald eagle takes long strides, each deliberate and powerful as it launches into its slow-motion soaring flight. The eagle stays fixed on its path, the prize kept firmly in sight. The number of majestic bald eagles is steadily increasing all over North America. Take any opportunity to see these magnificent animals.
Source: http://www.ArticlePros.com/author.php?Ryan Orlancia
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