Bald Eagle
The scientific name of the Bald Eagle is Haliaeetus leucocephalus. It means “white-headed sea eagle.” In Middle English “balled” means “shining white.” This species is restricted to America only. This fact along with the dignity and endurance of this bird made the Bald Eagle the symbol of the USA pictured on the Great Seal of the state. The state symbol was officially recognized in 1782.
The Bald Eagle is very easy to distinguish from other raptors. It’s the only large long-winged bird of prey with blackish-brown body and white head and tail markings. Feet and bill of these birds are yellow. The body length of these birds varies between 28 and 38 inches; the wingspan reaches 96 inches, but the weight of these birds is only 8 to 14 lbs. Female Bald Eagles are much larger than males. Bald Eagles inhabiting Alaska and Canada are larger than their relatives in the southern parts of their range.
The Bald Eagle is perfectly adapted for fishing and hunting small game. The lifting power of a common Bald Eagle is only about 4 pounds, that’s why it cannot take advantage of large prey. The eyesight of all eagles is very keen allowing them to notice the prey when they circle high in the sky. Bald Eagles can drop out of the sky so silently that the fish or other prey has no chance to escape. Bumps on their toes help Bald Eagles hold onto the fish.
When the Bald Eagle looks for the prey, it soars at the altitude of more than 10,000 feet. Everything in these large birds is designed for minimizing the body weight. Their bones are hollow; the beak and talons are made of keratin. The skeleton of the Bald Eagles is only about 5% of the body weight. Feathers of these birds are hollow, but very strong and flexible. 7,000 feathers of the Bald Eagle have various functions. They provide protection from the wind and cold and waterproof the body in the rain. When the Bald Eagle catches a rising column of air, widely separated feathers on the tips of the wings help attain the largest surface, increase the effect of updrafts and reduce the turbulence.
