Bald Eagles - Pictures Facts - Diet
|
|
Picture source:
Great Lakes-Big Rivers Region
|
The favorite food of Bald Eagles is fish. Usually they catch herring, pollock, salmon, and flounder long the coast. These birds are excellent swimmers and use their wings to swim underwater, but if the water is too cold, the eagle may be overcome by hypothermia. About one out of 18 attacks is successful; the Bald eagle wastes much energy and has to spend a lot of time resting quietly.
Bald Eagles are opportunistic hunters and if they have no chicks to feed, adults can go without food for several days. If the food is abundant, Bald Eagles are able to store it in a crop when the stomach is full. They even separate indigestible substances (fur, feather and bones) in the crop, mix it with mucus and eventually regurgitate it. If chances arise, Bald Eagles prey on waterfowl, crabs, small mammals, clams and even carrion.
Often Bald Eagles steal food from other birds, even from their neighbors. They chase other birds that were more successful and persuade them to drop the prey. These birds sometimes overestimate their strength, and too large a fish can pull them under the water. Misconceptions that these eagles carry children and domestic animals to their nests are just myths, because the lifting power of Bald Eagles is about 4 pounds.
Bald Eagles - Pictures Facts - General Info Links
|
|
Picture source:
The Illinois Raptor Center
|
Alaska Bald Eagle Natural History Information - Social life, status and management of the species.
All about the Bald Eagle - Bald Eagle information from The Bald Eagle Foundation and places to go to watch eagles.
American Bald Eagle Graphics - Contains many photos and pictures of the Bald and other eagles.
American Bald Eagle Information - Contains general information on the birds and many photos in the wild.
American Bald Eagle Pictures - Contains a lot of images of these birds in the wild and basic information on them.
Bald Eagle Fact Sheet - Offers life history, distribution, migration and photos of these birds of prey.
Bald Eagle Facts - Key facts about the species.
Bald Eagle Information - North Florida Field Office offers information on Bald Eagle and its status in the wild. Contains reference materials.
Bald Eagle Information Online - The Endangered Species Act, diet and nesting habits of Bald Eagles.
|
|
Picture source:
Silentflight com
|
Bald Eagle Kids Page - Many useful links to eagle sites.
Bird Info - Bald Eagle - Classification and basic facts on Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus).
Eagle Facts - A very informative site containing myths, information on history, ecology and breeding of these birds.
Eagle Watch - Tracks the progress of four immature Bald Eagles rescued from a muddy silt pit in Charles County, Maryland.
Eagles in the Cloud - Provides information and many photos of the Bald Eagle.
MidwestEagles.com - Includes photographs of Bald Eagles accompanied by eagle facts.
Prince Edward Island: About the Bald Eagle - Visitors' guides to places where you can see Bald Eagles.
Southern Bald Eagle Overview - Profile of the large, fierce, and beautiful birds.
The Bald Eagle: Information and Facts - Read about the Bald Eagle - the most regal
bird in the sky and the symbol of America.
Travelmaniac: Bald Eagle photos - Photos of the American national symbol.
Upper Skagit Bald Eagle Festival - Held annually in February. Upper Skagit River Valley in northwestern Washington State is home to one of the largest wintering Bald Eagle population in the continental United States.
Bald Eagles - Pictures Facts - Other Bald Eagles sites
American Bald Eagles - American Bald eagles are considered to be the national birds of the USA. On June, 20 1782, the Bald eagle image was adopted for the Great Seal of the United States. Before this, the settlers viewed the Bald eagle as a competitor; the settlers saw them as depriving them of fish and game and depleting them of their stock. The eagles were killed for sport. Native Americans view these birds as a connection between people and the Creator. Some eagles are notable in American history. "Old Abe," the mascot of a regiment during the Civil War survived 42 battles. Today Bald eagles can be seen practically in every region of the USA.
Historically American Bald eagles were found in all 50 states except Hawaii. In the 19th century the American Bald eagle was a common breeding bird. American Bald eagles are subdivided into two subspecies: the Southern Bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus leucocephalus) and the Northern Bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus alskanus). The Northern Bald eagle inhabits the northern two-thirds of the continent, including Nebraska, and winters in Oklahoma, Texas, Florida, and Arizona. The Southern Bald eagle lives along the Atlantic coast, in the Mississippi Valley, and in California, Arizona and New Mexico. These species don't migrate.
Bald Eagles Pictures - Bald Eagles are majestic birds whose strength and independence became the impetus for Americans to adopt the species as the national symbol in 1782. These are large birds that reach the size of 30 inches in length with the wingspread being up to 72-84 inches. Contrary to some
people's belief, the species got its name because of the white head, but not a "bald head". The name comes from the Old English "bald" that stood for "white headed."
Bald Eagles Facts - Bald Eagles are the national birds of the United States of America. These powerful birds display many outstanding characteristics, such as exceptional sharp vision, an impressive appearance, and the ability to soar in the sky.
Basically, the Bald eagle is one of the largest birds of prey found in North America. They stand about 30 inches high. Their wingspan reaches 6 to 7 feet. The bird weighs 8 to 12 pounds. Females are usually larger than males. Immature bald eagles can be easily mistaken for other species of birds, since they lack the white head and tail adult birds are characterized by. Immature bald eagles are mostly chocolate brown with splashes of white over the body, tail, and under wing parts. The bird acquires its typical looks only when it reaches the age of five years.
American Bald Eagles Information - American Bald Eagles are the national symbol of the United States. This bird is associated with strength and free spirit and is widely known not only in the country but also worldwide. The American Bald Eagle is hard to confuse with some other species especially when a bird is mature and has obtained adult feathering. The species has a white head, brown back, and yellow beak.
The name of the species comes from an old English word that meant "white," but not "hairless," as some people may mistakenly think. The scientific name of the species is Haliaeetus leucocephalus. It is considered threatened and cannot be captured, kept, traded, etc. without permission.
American Bald Eagles Photos - American Bald Eagles are the only eagles unique to North America. The scientific name of the species is Haliaeetus leucocephalus; it means "a sea eagle with a white head." Bald Eagles can be found in the vast territory from Alaska and Canada to Northern Mexico. About half of the world's population of the American Bald Eagle lives in Alaska.
Bald Eagles inhabit mostly forests near the shores of lakes and rivers. They build nests on the top of large trees and use one nest for many years, rebuilding and adding more material to it. Young eagles stay in the same area where they were born. The largest nest of Bald Eagles may weigh a ton and be up to 8 feet across.
American Bald Eagles Pictures - American Bald Eagles are the national birds of the United States of America. Strikingly beautiful and powerful birds, they express dignity and freedom. An adult Bald Eagle has a brown plumage, with a white head and tail. Only mature birds have such physical characteristics. The young birds that have not reached the age of 4 years old do not have the white coloring.
American Bald eagles have short and powerful grasping toes, and long talons. Their wingspan is huge, and can reach seven and a half feet. The eagle's beak and eyes turn yellow during the fourth and fifth year. Bald Eagles measure about 29 to 42 inches long, and can weigh 7 to 15 pounds. Females tend to be larger than males. Bald Eagles can live up to 25 years in the wild, up to 36 years in captivity.
Bald Eagles Information - The scientific name of Bald Eagles is Haliaeetus leucocephalus, which means "white-headed sea eagle." The Middle English word for "shining white" is "balled", that is how the bald eagle got its name. On June 20, 1782 the image of this species was declared to be the symbol of the USA and adopted for the Great Seal of the state.
The relations of Bald Eagles with humans were rather tense, as the first settlers considered these birds as competitors for fish and game and killed them in large numbers. The population of Bald Eagles has revived and today these birds can be seen in every state except Hawaii.
