Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle, adult, Cape Coral, FL

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Bald Eagle, adult in flight, Yellowstone NP, WY

Bald Eagle, juvenile

Bald Eagle, immatures, Cape Coral, FL

Bald Eagle, first-year in flight, Cape Coral, FL

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1. Description
2. Sound
3. Conservation Status
4. Other Names
5. Cool Facts
6. Full detailed species account

The national emblem of the United States, the Bald Eagle was threatened with extinction in the lower 48 states because of DDT (a type of pesticide) poisoning. Protection under the Endangered Species Act, together with reintroduction programs, brought populations up, and the species was reclassified as Threatened in 1995. By 1999, some were suggesting removing the eagle from the Endangered Species List.

Description

• Very large raptor.
• Adults unmistakable with brown body and white head and tail.
• Bill large and hooked.
• Long broad wings held flat while soaring.

• Size: 71-96 cm (28-38 in)
• Wingspan: 204 cm (80 in)
• Weight: 3000-6300 g (105.9-222.39 ounces)

Sex Differences

Sexes alike in plumage, female larger.

Sound

Call high-pitched whistling or piping.

Conservation Status

Preservation efforts brought populations in the lower 48 states back from near exinction in the mid-20th century. Although the Bald Eagle was proposed for removal from the Endangered species List in 1999, populations in the lower 48 states remain relatively low. Humans are the most important source of mortality.

Other Names

Pygargue à tête blanche (French)
Águila cabeza blanca (Spanish)

Cool Facts

• Humans are the most important source of mortality for this threatened species.

• Bald Eagles occasionally hunt cooperatively, with one individual flushing prey towards another.

• The immature Bald Eagle has a prolonged period of exploration lasting for four years. Some young from Florida have wandered north to Michigan, and birds from California have reached Alaska.

Sources used to construct this page:

Buehler, D. A. 2000. Bald Eagle (Halieaeetus leucocephalus). In The Birds of North America, No. 564 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.