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Bald eagle are large birds of prey native to North America . Since 1782 , the denudate eagle has been the United States ' interior emblem and mascot . The bald eagle is n’t in reality bald ; it gets its name because its white nous against its disconsolate brown body makes it seem bald from a distance .
Even though they are a symbol for freedom in the United States , these birds are known for chivy pocket-size razz and stealing their quarry , according to theCornell Lab of Ornithology . According to PBS Nature , Benjamin Franklin once said , " For my own part , I like the bald eagle had not been choose the congressman of our country . He is a raspberry of bad moral character . He does not get his living honestly . … Besides he is a rank Noel Coward : The little king bird not bigger than a sparrow , attacks him boldly , and repel him out of the district . " Franklin want the untamed turkey to be the national bird , according to the American Eagle Foundation .
An adult bald eagle shows off a “backpack” transmitter carefully installed by the Center for Conservation Biology.
Size
Bald eagle have a monumental wingspan of about 7 animal foot ( 2.13 meter ) , grant to theU.S. Pisces and Wildlife Service . Their bodies are much smaller , though , at only 34 to 43 inches ( 86 to 109 centimetre ) . Normally , bald eagles matter 6.5 to 14 pound ( 3 to 6.5 kilo ) .
Habitat
The bald-headed eagle is found only in North America . For the most part , bald-headed eagles live in forests that are near rivers , lake , man-made lake , Marsh and coast . Some also live near fish processing plants , dumps and other expanse where they can find food .
Bald eagles are typically lone creatures . When there is abundant nutrient , though , they may gather with others in group of up to 400 , according to theMichigan University Museum of Zoology .
Diet
Bald eagle are " fish eagles . " They are in this classification because their main food source is fish . They will also eat smaller birds , other boo ’s eggs and small creature like rabbits , reptiles , amphibious aircraft and Cancer . Since bald bird of Jove only eat meat , this makes them carnivore .
Breeding habits
denudate eagles are think to be monogamous . This means that once they find a better half , bald-pated eagles mateonly with each other for the rest of their life . A bald bird of Jove will recover another mate only if it is widowed .
Bald bird of Jove make expectant nest from sticks , grass , feathers , moss and cornstalks to accommodate their testicle . The largest bald-pated eagle nest on record was retrieve in St. Petersburg , Florida . It was 9.5 feet ( 2.9 metre ) in diameter and 20 feet ( 6.1 m ) deep , according to theGuinness Book of World Records . It was estimated to librate 2 metrical tons ( 4,409 pound . ) .
In the nest , the distaff bald bird of Jove will lay one to three eggs and will hatch the eggs for 34 to 36 daytime . When they concoct , the chicks are covered in light-colored - gray down .
An adult bald eagle shows off a “backpack” transmitter carefully installed by the Center for Conservation Biology.
Young barefaced eagle spend their first four years exploring and can fly hundreds of mile per day . Bald eagle can live up to 28 years in the wild and 36 years in captivity .
Classification/taxonomy
Bald eagles , also called American eagles , are part of the Accipitridae family , which also includes hawks , kite and other form of eagles . The taxonomy of bald eagles , according to the Integrated Taxonomic Information System ( ITIS ) , is :
Conservation status
Though the bald bird of Jove is idolise in North America , it almost became extinct . Over - hunting was one crusade of the population decline . Manmade products are also to fault . DDT , a pesticide , foul many of the fish that the birds eat . After deplete contaminated Pisces , bald eagles would lay eggs with very tenuous shells , making facts of life hard . Once the poison was restricted in the 1970s , the bald eagle population started to take a hop , according to theNational Geographic . Today , the bald eagle is not queer . There are currently more than 10,000 bald eagles in North America , according to theRed List of Threatened Speciesfrom the International Union for Conservation of Nature .
Other facts
Though bald bird of Jove ca n’t float , they can cut through water without flying over it . They will pose in the body of water and row themselves across with their wings , according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology .
Bald eagles have no sentiency of smell , but they can savor . For example , if a bald eagle thinks that its nutrient tastes spoiled , it wo n’t eat it .
American bird of Jove have been know to drown strain to hale weighty fish out of the piddle .
Other resources
An eight-week-old bald eagle. Aerial spotting gives experienced raptor scientists enough of a look at size, plumage and beak to accurately determine the age of a chick.
