The Eagle's Nest

Eagle Facts

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The Eagle's Nest

Bird's Eye View
Eagle Facts
Tail Feathers
Eagle Spotting
The Eagle Eye
For the Eaglets
Feeding Habits
Eagle Migration
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On Eagle's Wings Ministries

Bald Eagle

(Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

The Eagle in Legend

The Eagle in Native American Culture

The Eagle as a national symbol

Legal status in U.S.: Threatened

Length: female 34-43 inches male 30-35 inches

Wingspan: 7 feet

Weight: 8-14 pounds

Description

Bald eagles are well-known as our national symbol. The adult eagle's most distinctive characteristic, its white head, is described by both its common name, "bald," and scientific name, "leucocephalus," which means "white head." An adult bald eagle's white head and tail contrast strikingly with its dark-brown body. Its large bill, feet and eyes are yellow.

The Young

Immature bald eagles are harder to identify. They are dark-brown with only spatterings of white on the underwings and tail. Head and tail feathers don't turn white until the birds are four or five years old. Immature eagles' feet are yellow, but unlike the adults, their bills and eyes are brown. Thus, it is easy to confuse immature bald eagles with large hawks or golden eagles.

Mating Habits

Bald Eagles generally stay with one mate, unless the mate dies or disappears, which prompts the remaining bird to seek another. Adult females lay one to three whitish eggs in an enormous nest constructed of branches high in a tree. The eggs are incubated for 35 days by both adults. The newly hatched young are fed for 10 to 12 weeks until they have developed feathers and learned to fly, which is called fledging. Eagles can live up to 28 years in the wild and 36 or more years in captivity.

Habitat

Bald eagles live only in North America. Historically, they inhabited the entire continent wherever there were adequate nest sites and an abundant supply of fish. However, due to human activities, bald eagle populations have declined dramatically throughout most of the species' range. While small numbers of eagles presently nest in many regions of North America, the largest breeding populations are in Alaska and Canada. In Wisconsin, bald eagles nest along the shores of inland lakes and rivers. Their largest breeding concentrations are in the northern third of the state.

Migration

Bald eagle distribution varies with the seasons. In southern states, eagle breeding and wintering range can be the same. Eagles that breed in northern states, however, move south as northern waters freeze. They often congregate and share communal roosts and feeding grounds.

In Action

Who can forget the awesome sight of a Bald Eagle soaring high on an updraft, broad wings silhouetted against the sky? Or the piercing cry as an eagle plummets towards a lake, talons extended to seize unsuspecting prey?