Bald eagle

The bald eagle is a North American bird in the raptor class that subsists by both hunting and scavenging. Known for the distinctive white feathers covering the head and neck of adult birds, the majestic bald eagle was revered as a spiritual symbol by America’s Indigenous people and is the national emblem of the United States. The bald eagle population in the 2020s is the result of animal conservation efforts. Once endangered, the bald eagle population rebounded because of the efforts of advocates, lawmakers, and scientists.

Background

The scientific name for the bald eagle is Haliaeetus leucocephalus. The bald eagle lives exclusively in North America and can be found throughout the continent. While some think it is called the “bald” eagle because its white feathering resembles a bald head, the name actually comes from the Old English balde which means “white.”

Native Americans consider the eagle—which they call waŋblí—to be the bravest and strongest bird species. They believe the eagle represents the Great Spirit, the source of all power and strength, and its feathers were used to adorn ceremonial attire and objects. The bald eagle, along with the golden eagle, are considered especially sacred because they fly high in the sky, close to the Great Spirit.

The United States adopted the eagle as its national symbol in 1782. Eagles in general have been used as a symbol of power, strength, and authority for centuries. For example, the eagle was a prominent symbol used by ancient Roman warriors. Early versions of America’s official seal included other types of eagles. Secretary of Congress Charles Thomson (1729–1824) was charged with helping to design America’s national emblem. He replaced the smaller white eagle depicted on those early versions of the country’s emblem with a bird unique to North America, the bald eagle, which became one of the new nation’s most recognizable symbols. There was some controversy about this, however. Some early Americans felt that while the bird appears majestic and strong, its scavenging habits made it a less-than-ideal choice as the new nation’s symbol. Founding Father Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790) may not have been in favor of the bald eagle based on a comment he made in a personal letter in 1784.

Characteristics

Bald eagles are from 28 to 38 inches tall with a wingspan of 6 to 8 feet. They weigh between 6 and 14 pounds. Females are generally larger in size, weight, and wingspan than males of the same age. Bald eagles generally live between twenty and thirty years in the wild, though one that was banded lived at least thirty-eight years.

Until they are about four to five years old, bald eagles are all brown with just a scattering of white feathers across their bodies. They also have darker eyes and bills. As a result, the younger bald eaglets are sometimes mistaken for golden eagles, which are about the same size but with darker coloring and without the distinctive white head feathers. By the time a bald eagle has reached five years of age, its head and neck feathers have turned white, its bill has lightened, and its eyes have become a golden color.

The bald eagle is a raptor, or a predator bird. Its claws and beak are both very sharp, and its powerful legs and feet can tear apart larger prey or animal remains. Its eyesight is keen enough to see a fish in water as far as a mile away and can even see fish below the water’s surface. A bald eagle also has notable flight capabilities that help it survive. An eagle can be soaring 10,000 feet in the air, spot a potential meal far below, and swoop down on it at speeds as high as 100 miles per hour.

Habits and habitats

Bald eagles can be found across North America, typically near larger bodies of water and the grasslands and waterways around them. Birds that live in the more northern portions of the continent, such as Alaska and Canada, are generally larger than their southern counterparts. While they tend to prefer fish, bald eagles will also eat waterfowl, small mammals, and dead animals. Although they are well-equipped for hunting for their meals, they are frequently scavengers who steal food from ospreys and other birds.

Bald eagles mate for life and become very territorial during mating season, which runs between May and October, depending on where in North America they live. Male bald eagles are known for fighting in mid-air. A pair of combatants will cling to each other using their talons and beaks as they tumble and flip in the air in a battle over territory or potential mates. Once mated, bald eagles build nests high in trees and often return to the same nest year after year. Nests can grow to large sizes—one of the largest measured almost 10 feet across—and can weigh thousands of pounds.

The female bald eagle lays between one and three eggs, though usually only one eaglet survives. The parents take turns incubating the eggs for up to thirty-six days. The young eaglets remain with their parents until they are ten to twelve weeks old. They do not reach full size or sexual maturity until they are about five.

Conservation history

While bald eagles were once numerous, they were threatened with extinction in the twentieth century. Pesticide use that contaminated their food sources, loss of habitats due to human activity, and illegal hunting reduced the bird’s population. Congress passed the Bald Eagle Protection Act in 1940, making it illegal to kill, sell, or possess a bald eagle. Shortly after this, scientists realized that the pesticide DDT (Dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane) was polluting the bird’s food source, causing it to produce eggs with shells too thin to sustain growing eaglets. The population of bald eagles was so decimated that fewer than 420 nesting pairs could be found in America in 1963. They were listed as endangered in 1966.

The use of DDT was banned in 1972, which helped the bald eagle population stabilize. Conservationists bred birds in captivity and reintroduced them into the wild to further bolster the population and by 2007, the bald eagle was no longer endangered. These steps, along with additional laws that protected the bald eagle’s nests, allowed the eagle population to soar to more than 71,000 breeding pairs and almost 317,000 individual birds by 2019. This is considered one of the most significant successes of America’s wildlife conservation efforts.

Bibliography

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“Bald Eagle.” Audubon Guide to North America Birds, www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/bald-eagle. Accessed 6 Aug. 2022.

“Bald Eagle.” Smithsonian National Zoo & Biology Conservation Institute, nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/bald-eagle. Accessed 6 Aug. 2022.

“Bald Eagle.” U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, www.fws.gov/species/bald-eagle-haliaeetus-leucocephalus. Accessed 6 Aug. 2022.

“Bald Eagle.” ZooAmerica, www.zooamerica.com/animals/bald-eagle/. Accessed 6 Aug. 2022.

“Eagle Management Program.” U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, www.fws.gov/program/eagle-management. Accessed 6 Aug. 2022.

“Is that Golden Eagle Actually a Bald Eagle?” Audubon, www.audubon.org/news/is-golden-eagle-actually-bald-eagle. Accessed 6 Aug. 2022.

“The Eagle in Native American Culture.” Southwest Arts and Design, swartsanddesign.com/the-eagle-in-native-american-culture/. Accessed 6 Aug. 2022.