The bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), our national bird, is the only eagle unique to North America.The bald eagle is found over most of North America, from Alaska and Canada to northern Mexico. About half of the world's 70,000 bald eagles live in Alaska. The eagle is one of the most powerful birds in the world. Dead or dying fish are an important food source for all bald eagles.The bald eagle's scientific name signifies a sea (halo) eagle (aeetos) with a white (leukos) head. At one time, the word "bald" meant "white," not hairless. There are two subspecies of bald eagles. The "southern" bald eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus leucocephalus, is found in the gulf states from Texas and Baja California across to South Carolina and Florida, The "northern" bald eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus alascanus, is found north of 40 degrees north latitude across the entire continent. The "northern" bald eagle is slightly larger than the "southern" bald eagle.
America's eagles are the Bald Eagle, which is a fish eagle, and the Golden Eagle, which is a booted eagle. Golden and Bald Eagles both reside in the United States. Male bald eagles generally measure 3 feet from head to tail, weigh 7 to 10 pounds, and have a wingspan of about 6 1/2 feet. Females are larger, some reaching 14 pounds and having a wingspan of up to 8 feet. This striking raptor has large, pale eyes; a powerful yellow beak; and great, black talons. The distinctive white head and tail feathers appear only after the bird is 4 to 5 years old. It inhabits areas near large bodies of water where there are plenty of fish to eat and tall trees in which to nest and roost. The Golden Eagle (which is a bird of prey) can weigh up to 15 pounds and can have a wing span of up to eight feet. It builds nests on mountain rocks and ledges, and feeds on small mammals and reptiles.
Eagles compare in size only to the California condor in North America. They appear fierce and proud and are pictured as courageous hunters. They can soar high in the air for hours without flapping their wings.Because of this, Eagles have been symbols of freedom and power for centuries. Bald Eagles have very keen eye sight, strong beaks, and powerful legs and wings.
In the early 1900s the Bald Eagle was close to extinction, but The Bald Eagle Protection Act of 1940 prohibited shooting or otherwise harming the birds in the U.S. but didn't cover the pesticides that within a decade began to destroy eagles' eggs. By the 1960s only about 400 breeding pairs of bald eagles remained in the lower 48. "The trend...may well make it necessary for us to find a new national emblem," Rachel Carson warned in her 1962 masterwork, Silent Spring. The banning of DDT in 1972 and other measures launched an amazing comeback by the eagles, whose status changed from endangered to threatened in 1995. Today, with more than 6,000 breeding pairs, bald eagles may soon be taken off the endangered species list entirely, their survival as an icon secured--or now.
The bald eagle is a symbol of freedom. In 1782 it was chosen as the American National Bird. Also in 1782 the eagle became the central figure in the official national seal. The designer originally drew in the golden eagle, but since the golden eagle lives in both Europe and America the American bald eagle was used instead. The Great Seal shows a wide-spread eagle, faced front, having on his breast a shield with thirteen perpendicular red and white stripes, surmounted by a blue field with the same number of stars. The bald eagle is the emblem of twelve states and is the symbol of many companies and organizations across the country. On the backs of our gold coins, the silver dollar, the half dollar and the quarter, we see an eagle with it's wings spread out. |
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