The Bald Eagle, Facts Everyone Should Know
Did you know that in 1782, the bald eagle became the national bird and political symbol of the United States of America? When the early settlers first came to America, they gave the mighty bird its name completely by accident by mistaking it for a Sea Eagle, which was a common bird throughout Europe in the 18th century. They had never seen a bald eagle in Europe because the American bald Eagle is unique to North America. The scientific name of the bald eagle is Haliaetus leucocephalus, which actually translates from Latin and Greek into 'sea eagle with a white head.' We still call them sea eagles to this day.
The bald eagle is the only 'sea eagle' that is a native of North America. Its appearance is unmistakable by its white head and white tail set against the backdrop of its beautiful, plush, deep chocolate-colored body. The well-known image of the majestic bald eagle has been used on numerous official seals, buildings, coins and flags throughout the United States.
Because of their tremendous size, with adult wingspans up to 7 1/2 feet, length to 32 inches and weight up to an astonishing 16 pounds, few would call it their enemy. Larger eagles are resident in Alaska while the smallest of the species hail from Florida. Regardless of the region an eagle calls home, though, most other animals agree, it's time to scatter when even the smallest of the bald eagles begins its descent.
Bald eagles require a very large hunting ground, an area of 2 to 15 square miles per hunting pair. In the home area of a pair of bald eagles, there is only one nest, which is ferociously guarded. Along the Indian River lagoon on the east Central Florida coast, it's not unusual to see a majestic bald eagle "scare-up" a meal in protection of its territory by chasing an Osprey who's just made a fresh catch. Typically, the retreating Osprey will get the eagle off its tail by dropping the squirming mullet. Because the eagle isn't as fussy about its dinner as is the Osprey, the eagle dines first.
Although they are birds of prey, the bald eagle shows a tremendous instinct for family loyalty. They mate for life. Few birds do. In the wild, bald eagles can live up to 25 years, which is many times the lifespan of most other birds. They're resident throughout North America including Canada, Alaska, the Continental US and northern 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. Each spring, breeding bald eagles lay between one and three eggs, which take about 35 days to hatch. Within three months, baby eagles learn to fly and by month four, they fly out into the world to fend for themselves. Although many obstacles such as lack of something to eat, inclement weather, chemicals or disease make the survival of the young eagles very difficult, nearly 70% of them survive into their second year of life showing that these animals are beginning to adapt to their ever-changing environment.
When Congress passed the Endangered Species Act of 1973, they delivered a law and a legal means to classify animals as threatened, for species with low populations, or endangered for species with nearly no population. The bald eagle remained on the endangered list with a status of endangered in most States of the Union until evidence showed a dramatic comeback in population of the species by the early 1990s.
On August 11, 1995, Congress reclassified the bald eagle upgrading its status to threatened, citing a 10-fold population increase between 1963 and 1994, taking the bald eagle population from just under 500 pairs to nearly 5000 pairs. Soon, the US Fish and Wildlife Service is planning to remove the bald eagle from the endangered species list altogether as populations continue to increase.
Watching these magnificent birds is a pleasure. When a bald eagle launches in to flight, it takes long, powerful, deliberate strides. It appears to move in slow motion as it soars. Its eye remains fixed on its prize; its path is a determined one. The numbers of bald eagles all over the continent are increasing, as its presence grows steadily more majestic. Make the time to see these wonderful animals for yourself.
