Southern Bald Eagle
(Haliaeetus
leucocephalus
Habitat:
Near
seacoasts, rivers, large lakes, oceans, and other large bodies of
open water with an abundance of fish
Range:
Most
of North America, including most of Canada, all of the continental
United States and northern Mexico
Natural Diet:
Fish
is the preferred diet of eagles, but they also eat small mammals,
waterfowl, turtles and dead animals
Status In The Wild:
Least concern
Fun Animal Facts
The bald eagle is a conservation success story.
By 1963, shooting, habitat destruction, lead poisoning, and
DDT contamination reduced eagle numbers to a mere 417 pairs.
Since legal protections have been in place, bald eagles have
undergone a strong increase in numbers and an expansion in range,
with an estimated ten-fold increase from the 1963 low .
Up to 3 feet in height, a bald eagle's wing span is almost 8 feet.
Adults have a distinctive white head and tail, dark brown body and
yellow eyes, beak and legs. By contrast, young eagles are uniformly
brown and do not develop their characteristic plumage until they
mature at about 5 years of age.
Bald eagles are predators. They have several adaptations that fit
them for that role. They have excellent eyesight and the frontal
setting of their eyes gives them excellent binocular vision as well
as peripheral vision.
The eagle has a strong, hooked beak with which it tears food, but it
uses its powerful, taloned feet to capture prey. Bald eagles prefer
fish, which they often capture by swooping down and snatching them
from the water's surface.
