Bald Eagle

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Bald Eagle

Scientific Classification
Kingdom Animalia Phylum Chordata Subphylum Vertebrata Class Aves Order Falconiformes Family Accipitridae Genus Haliaeetus Species H. leucocephalus
Binomial Name
Haliaeetus leucocephalus

Bald Eagle's are powerful birds-of-prey perhaps best knows as the national bird of the United States of America. They belong to the order Falconiformes. Over half of the bald eagles in North America live in Alaska. They build huge nests out of branches, usually in large trees. After several years, the nest may weigh upwards of a thousand pounds or more. Old Bald Eagles often return to the area in which they were raised. Eagles live rather long, especially bald eagles, which can live up to 60 years.

1 Anatomy
2 Reproduction
3 Ecology
4 Related References
5 See Also

Anatomy

The bald eagle's scientific name is Haliaeetus leucocephalus; meaning sea (halo) eagle (aeetos) with a white (leukos) head. The Bald Eagle has brown feathers all over in body and white feathers in head. Adult Bald Eagles have a wingspan of approximately 2.1 meters (7 feet) and they weight 4.1 kg~5.8 kg.

Reproduction

Bald Eagles reproduce sexually by laying their eggs, usually at the age of 4~5. They lay about 1~3 eggs each year, but it is unusually to 3 eggs to be all adult eagles. Most Bald Eagles don't start breeding until they are at the age of four to five years. If there are no nesting sites made, they may be forced to delay breeding. Depending on region, they begin to lay eggs differently. The eggs generally incubate for 5 weeks.

Ecology

Bald Eagle is the one of the unique eagles in North America, and over the half of bald eagles live in Alaska. They have a long lifespan, living to be 60 years old. The Bald Eagles, are known as birds of prey. They eat small vertebrates, mostly fish, and sometimes small mammals. To hunt, the eagle swoops down and grab the fish out of the water with its talons. Bald Eagles build huge nests out of branches, usually in very top of large trees. After several years, the nest may weigh upwards of a thousand pounds or more. Old Bald Eagles often return to the nest which they were raised.