Bald Eagle � Aquila leucocephalus
Copyright Arthur Morris
��� The Bald Eagle is one of the easiest of the raptors to identify, it's conspicuous white head and tail make it unmistakable, they are named for this characteristic. The word "bald" actually means "white." It is possible to see bald eagles in areas of most of the United States and Canada.� Their numbers were drastically reduced due to the use of the pesticide DDT.� The eagles would eat fish that had ingested DDT, either though eating insects that had been near it, or by the chemical getting washed into water systems.� The shells of the eggs that the eagles were laying were very fragile and thin, so when the birds would incubate them, the eggs were crushed beneath their weight.� DDT was banned in the 1970's and through protective laws, captive breeding and the eagles' resillience, they are slowly making a comeback.
���� Immature bald eagles have brown feathers on their head and tail.� They will not get the white feathers until they are fully mature around five years old.� They closely resemble golden eagles before they get their white feathers. Click to hear them.
Immature bald eagle
