Did you know that the bald eagle has symbolized America, as well as being its national bird, since 1782? Sea Eagles, so common in 18th century Europe, were a common sight to America's early settlers, and it is from mistaking the two birds that the bald eagle got its name. The bald eagle is native to North America, making it a new sight for the Europeans. The bald eagle is still referred to as a sea eagle, and the scientific name of the bird is Haliaetus Leucocephalus, which in Greek and Latin means 'sea eagle with a white head.'
The only so-called 'sea eagle' in North America is 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.
The bald eagle is a fierce bird of prey, along with other raptors, such as hawks, vultures, owls, and falcons. The bald eagle lives on a diet of live prey, such as waterfowl and fish, as well as rodents, snakes, rabbits, and birds, but they will eat carrion when there is no live prey to be eaten.
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.
Alaska is home to the larger eagles, while the smaller ones make their homes in Florida. The bald eagle is known to other animals as a fierce predator in whatever region it is found.
An area 2 to 15 miles square is the area needed for a pair of bald eagles to hunt in. 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 usually drops its hard-won catch in order to escape the powerful eagle, and the eagle, not at all fussy about its meals, will then eat it.
These powerful birds of prey retain a strong instinct toward family loyalty. Though most birds are not known for their monogamy, these birds mate for life. Though most birds live a much shorter time, the bald eagle can live for as many as 25 years. The bald eagle can be found in many areas of North America, from Alaska, to Mexico, and all over the continental United States and Canada.
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. In the springtime, the bald eagle can lay one to three eggs, each hatching in about 35 days. After three months in the nest, the baby bald eagles begin to fly, and a month later fly away from their mother for good. Almost 70% of young eagles will survive their first year of life, adapting to their environment despite the dangers of food shortages, bad weather, illnesses and toxic chemicals.
Did you know the government passed the Bald Eagle Protection Act to save the species in 1940? When this law passed, it became illegal to bother or disturb the birds. It also became illegal to take the birds, their nests, or their eggs for any purpose, such as selling, trading, owning, or exporting them. Taking an eagle included shooting at the birds, wounding them, trapping, capturing, disturbing them, or killing them in any manner.
Large numbers of bald eagles died because of DTT, the overuse of pesticides, and other toxic chemicals. New laws and reintroduction programs for the bald eagle have given the birds a chance to survive. It seemed nearly impossible to save the species from extinction at the time.
In 1973, Congress passed the Endangered Species Act, enabling low and very low population animals to have a legal classification of threatened or endangered. In the early 1990s, the rapidly increasing numbers of bald eagles made it possible for the species to be taken off the endangered species lists in most states.
The 500 pairs of bald eagles that existed in 1963 rose 10 fold to almost 5,000 pairs in 1994, resulting in Congress declaring the species threatened, not endangered, on August 11, 1995. 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.
To watch these birds is to witness their power and beauty. The soaring eagle's flight appears to be in slow motion. It begins with the powerful bird's long and deliberate strides. The eagle stays fixed on its path, the prize kept firmly in sight. From one end of the continent to the other, the majestic presence of the bald eagle is increasing. Take any opportunity to see these magnificent animals.
Ryan Richardo writes about the bald eagle and the american bald eagle statue for OodlesOnBaldEagles.com.
