Scientific Name:
Haliaeetus leucocephalus
Distribution
North America, from Alaska down to N.W. Mexico
Diet:
Mainly fish. Also, small mammals (rodents), amphibians and reptiles, birds, also carcasses of small animals.
Facts
Habitat: Next to shores, rivers, swamps and small lakes. Generally next to waters and in altitudes up to 2000m.
Incubation: 35 days, 1-3 eggs
Nutrition: Mainly fish. Also, small mammals (rodents), amphibians and reptiles, birds, also carcasses of small animals.
Social structures: Depending on the season, either solitary, in couples, or in large flocks of hundreds
Population in the wild: Common. Increasing population trend.
Lifespan: 15-20 years in the wild, up to 38 years recorded in the wild, up to 48 years in human care
Threats: Use of pesticides and lead from bullets causing poisoning, electrocution on electrical wires, loss of habitat and hunting in the past.
IUCN status: Least concern
Did you know that:
- Their nest can eventually become one of the largest in the bird world as they use it for several years and add nesting material to it every year. The largest Bald Eagle nest recorded ever was 6.1m high and 2.9m diameter.
- When they are ready to mate, they show their skills off to their partner by performing extraordinary acrobatic flights.
- In the Indian tradition, the Bald eagle is considered sacred. Body parts (feet, talons and wing bones) and plumage of the bird are used in traditional ceremonies in order to spread wisdom and power.