Bald eagle - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus, from Greek hali . A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white- tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla).
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Its range includes most of Canada and Alaska, all of the contiguous United States, and northern Mexico. It is found near large bodies of open water with an abundant food supply and old- growth trees for nesting. The bald eagle is an opportunistic feeder which subsists mainly on fish, which it swoops down and snatches from the water with its talons. It builds the largest nest of any North American bird and the largest tree nests ever recorded for any animal species, up to 4 m (1. The adult is mainly brown with a white head and tail.
Country in North America, a federal republic of 50 states. Besides the 48 conterminous states that occupy the middle latitudes of the continent, the United States. The bald eagle occurs during its breeding season in virtually any kind of American wetland habitat such as seacoasts, rivers, large lakes or marshes or other large. Hello, Uploading.com will be performing a service upgrade on Wednesday, September 5th, for about 45 minutes. We are conducting this upgrade to perform
The sexes are identical in plumage, but females are about 2. The beak is large and hooked. The plumage of the immature is brown.
The bald eagle is both the national bird and national animal of the United States of America. The bald eagle appears on its seal.
In the late 2. 0th century it was on the brink of extirpation in the contiguous United States. Populations have since recovered and the species was removed from the U.
S. It was removed from the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife in the Lower 4. States on June 2. Description. The plumage of an adult bald eagle is evenly dark brown with a white head and tail.
The tail is moderately long and slightly wedge- shaped. Males and females are identical in plumage coloration, but sexual dimorphism is evident in the species, in that females are 2. The legs are feather- free, and the toes are short and powerful with large talons. The highly developed talon of the hind toe is used to pierce the vital areas of prey while it is held immobile by the front toes. The closely related African fish eagle (H.
When seen well, the golden eagle is distinctive in plumage with a more solid warm brown color than an immature bald eagle, with a reddish- golden patch to its nape and (in immature birds) a highly contrasting set of white squares on the wing. The only larger species of raptor- like bird is the California condor (Gymnogyps californianus), a New World vulture which today is not generally considered a taxonomic ally of true accipitrids. See media help. The bald eagle has a body length of 7. Typical wingspan is between 1.
For example, eagles from South Carolina average 3. The calls of young birds tend to be more harsh and shrill than those of adults.
Bald in the English name is derived from the word piebald, and refers to the white head and tail feathers and their contrast with the darker body. It is found in the southern United States and Baja California Peninsula. It is found in the northern United States, Canada and Alaska. This species pair consists of a white- headed and a tan- headed species of roughly equal size; the white- tailed eagle also has overall somewhat paler brown body plumage. The two species fill the same ecological niche in their respective ranges. The pair diverged from other sea eagles at the beginning of the Early Miocene (c.
Ma BP) at the latest, but possibly as early as the Early/Middle Oligocene, 2. Ma BP, if the most ancient fossil record is correctly assigned to this genus. It is the only sea eagle endemic to North America. Occupying varied habitats from the bayous of Louisiana to the Sonoran Desert and the eastern deciduous forests of Quebec and New England, northern birds are migratory, while southern birds are resident, remaining on their breeding territory all year.
At minimum population, in the 1. Alaska, the Aleutian Islands, northern and eastern Canada, and Florida. From November until February, one to two thousand birds winter in Squamish, British Columbia, about halfway between Vancouver and Whistler. The birds primarily gather along the Squamish and Cheakamus Rivers, attracted by the salmon spawning in the area.
Studies have shown a preference for bodies of water with a circumference greater than 1. Tree species reportedly is less important to the eagle pair than the tree's height, composition and location.
Selected trees must have good visibility, be over 2. If nesting trees are in standing water such as in a mangrove swamp, the nest can be located fairly low, at as low 6 m (2.
In Chesapeake Bay, nesting trees averaged 8. Florida, the average nesting tree stands 2. The greatest distance from open water recorded for a bald eagle nest was over 3 km (1. Florida. The largest recorded nest was found in Florida in 1.
Favored nesting trees in Florida are slash pines (Pinus elliottii), longleaf pines (P. Wyoming eagles may inhabit habitat types ranging from large, old- growth stands of ponderosa pines (Pinus ponderosa) to narrow strips of riparian trees surrounded by rangeland. It chooses sites more than 1. They will commonly congregate at spots with plentiful perches and waters with plentiful prey and (in Northern climes) partially unfrozen waters. Alternately, non- breeding or wintering bald eagles, particularly in areas with a lack of human disturbance, spend their time in various upland, terrestrial habitats sometimes quite far away from waterways.
In the northern half of North America (especially the interior portion), this terrestrial inhabitance by bald eagles tends to be especially prevalent because unfrozen water may not be accessible. Upland wintering habitats often consist of open habitats with concentrations of medium- sized mammals, such as prairies, meadows or tundra, or open forests with regular carrion access.
It reaches speeds of 5. If its territory has access to open water, it remains there year- round, but if the body of water freezes during the winter, making it impossible to obtain food, it migrates to the south or to the coast. A number of populations are subject to post- breeding dispersal, mainly in juveniles; Florida eagles, for example, will disperse northwards in the summer. During migration, it may ascend in a thermal and then glide down, or may ascend in updrafts created by the wind against a cliff or other terrain. Migration generally takes place during the daytime, usually between the local hours of 8: 0. Throughout their range, fish often comprise the majority of the eagle's diet.
In Sonora (Mexico) and Arizona, 7. Oncorhynchus mykiss). Prey fish targeted by bald eagles are often quite large.
When experimenters offered fish of different sizes in the breeding season around Lake Britton in California, fish measuring 3. Eagles in Washington need to consume 4. The contribution of such birds to the eagle's diet is variable, depending on the quantity and availability of fish near the water's surface. Waterbirds can seasonally comprise from 7% to 8.
Due to easy accessibility and lack of formidable nest defense by such species, bald eagles are capable of preying on such seabirds at all ages, from eggs to mature adults, and can effectively cull large portions of a colony. If the said birds are on a colony, this exposed their unprotected eggs and nestlings to scavengers such as gulls.
In some cases, these may be attacks of competition or kleptoparasitism on rival species but ended with the consumption of the victim. Raptorial birds reported to be hunted by these eagles have included large adults of species such as red- tailed hawks (Buteo jamaicensis). Newborn, dead, sickly or already injured mammals are often targeted. However, more formidable prey such as adult raccoons and subadult beavers are sometimes attacked. In the Chesapeake Bay area, bald eagles are reportedly the main natural predators of raccoons. On Protection Island, Washington, they commonly feed on harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) afterbirths, still- borns and sickly seal pups. There are a handful of proven cases of lamb predation, some of specimens weighing up to 1.
In some areas reptiles may become regular prey, especially warm areas such as Florida where reptile diversity is high. Turtles are perhaps the most regularly hunted type of reptile.
The main species found were common musk turtles (Sternotherus odoratus), diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin) and juvenile common snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina). In these New Jersey nests, mainly subadult and small adults were taken, ranging in carapace length from 9. They eat by holding the fish in one claw and tearing the flesh with the other. Eagles have structures on their toes called spicules that allow them to grasp fish. Osprey also have this adaptation. It may swim to safety, in some cases pulling the catch along to the shore as it swims. Many sources claim that bald eagles, like all large eagles, cannot normally take flight carrying prey more than half of their own weight unless aided by favorable wind conditions.
Gorging allows the bird to fast for several days if food becomes unavailable. When hunting concentrated prey, a successful catch which often results in the hunting eagle being pursued by other eagles and needing to find an isolated perch for consumption if it is able to carry it away successfully.
The species mainly target prey which is much smaller than themselves, with most live fish caught weighing 1 to 3 kg (2. Due to their dietary habits, bald eagles are frequently viewed in a negative light by humans.
They will scavenge carcasses up to the size of whales, though carcasses of ungulates and large fish are seemingly preferred. Neither species is known to be dominant, and the outcome depends on the size and disposition of the individual eagles involved.
Similarly, both eagle species have been recorded, via video- monitoring, to feed on gut pills and carcasses of white- tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in remote forest clearings in the eastern Appalachian Mountains without apparent conflict. They have been recorded stealing fish from other predators such as ospreys, herons and even otters. When they are old enough to breed, they often return to the area where they were born. It is thought that bald eagles mate for life. However, if one member of a pair dies or disappears, the other will choose a new mate.