The Bald Eagle, flying
The bald eagle is a large North American bird of the forest that catches most of its meals live–including ducks, gulls, seabirds, salmon, and other fish. The bald eagle is an accomplished fisherman. It can snatch fish from the surface of the water — but with its feet rather than its hooked beak. The eagle flies with the fish to a perch high in a tree. There it uses its large beak to tear it into chunks small enough to swallow. During the nesting season it also feeds fish to its chicks.
These perches and nests, called aeries, are usually near bodies of water and provide a panoramic view of the surrounding area so the eagle can see danger approaching from far away. It also allows the eagle to spot fish in the water and spy on other birds, such as ospreys and gulls. If one of those birds catches a fish the eagle wants, it may swoop in and try to steal it. This can be easier than catching fish itself.
The female of this species is larger than the male. A female bald eagle can have a wing span of eight feet and reach a weight of 14 pounds. The bird’s distinctive white head markings only appear four to five years after its birth.
In 1782, the United States government adopted the bald eagle as the country’s national symbol. The only eagle unique to North America, its majestic proportions and stature were probably seen as synonymous with the growing stature of the new nation.
It is thought that as many as 75,000 bald eagles once nested in the United States. Destruction of its habitat by settlers and agricultural chemicals like DDT killed many of the birds. The eagles’ fish-eating habit endangered them in the 1960s and 1970s. DDT collected in fish, then the eagles, along with pelicans, gulls, and terns, ate large doses of these chemicals with their fish dinners. In mother birds, these chemicals made the egg shells so thin that they cracked easily, causing the baby birds to die. In 1940, Congress, fearing that the bald eagle might become extinct, made it illegal to shoot, harass, or sell the birds. Then, in 1969, they were declared an endangered species. Once again, the beautiful white head, brown body, and yellow beak of the bald eagle can be seen near oceans, bays, lakes, and rivers throughout much of North America.
Today, there are some 6,000 or more adult bald eagles in the lower United States. The birds are more common in Alaska and Canada.