Bald Eagle Facts

Question 1

Appearance

Answer 1

Adult Bald Eagles have white heads and tails with dark brown bodies and wings. Their legs and bills are bright yellow. Immature birds have mostly dark heads and tails; their brown wings and bodies are mottled with white in varying amounts. Young birds attain adult plumage in about five years.

Question 2

Habitat

Answer 2

During the summer, Bald Eagles can be seen soaring above lakes and in the nearby trees. They prefer lakes and reservoirs with lots of fish and surrounding forests. In the winter, they can be seen around unfrozen lakes and hunting along coastlines, reservoirs, and rivers. During the migration, Bald Eagles are seen near all types of water habitats.

Question 3

Diet

Answer 3

Bald Eagles eat mainly fish. When fish are not available, they will eat whatever they can catch including small birds, rodents, and even dead meat. Bald eagles also have no problem stealing food from other birds.

Question 4

Behavior

Answer 4

Bald Eagles are found soaring high in the sky, flapping low over treetops with slow wingbeats, or perched in trees or on the ground. Bald Eagles do much hunting by watching from a high perch and then swooping down to catch the prey in its talons. They also hunt by cruising low over sea or land and taking prey by surprise. Bald Eagles will scavenge many meals by harassing other birds or by eating carrion or garbage

Question 5

Ecology Facts of Bald Eagles

Answer 5

Like the Peregrine Falcon, the Bald Eagle was endanger of extinction in the mid-20th century. Habitat destruction and degradation, illegal shooting, and poisoning by the pesticide DDT decimated the Bald Eagle population. Habitat protection afforded by the Endangered Species Act, the federal government’s banning of DDT, and conservation actions taken by the American public have helped Bald Eagles make a remarkable recovery. Numbers have been increasing gradually since the 1970s, with spectacular recoveries in some states.

Question 6

USA emblem

Answer 6

The Bald Eagle has been the national emblem of the United States since 1782 and a spiritual symbol for native people for far longer. One of most famous founding fathers, however, hated the idea of the Bald Eagle as the national symbol. Benjamin Franklin said, “I wish the eagle had not been chosen as the representative of this country. He is a bird of bad moral character; he does not get his living honestly.” Franklin hated the Bald Eagle’s thieving tendencies and its vulnerability to harassment by smaller birds. Benjamin Franklin hoped our national symbol would be the turkey. The turkey is “a much more respectable bird and a true native of the country.”