Bald eagle | Facts & Information

Origin

The northwest coast of North America is by far the largest stronghold of these majestic birds. Dead or dying fish are an important source of food for them.Vultures are part of the family Accipitridae, which includes the Hawk and Hawk. Ornithologists and biologists have classified these birds into four groups, depending on physical characteristics and behavior. The bald eagle is a sea eagle that feeds on fish.

There are two species of bald eagles. The "Southern" Eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus leucocephalus, lives in Gulf of Mexico States from Texas and Baja California to South Carolina and Florida. The "northern" bald eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus alascanus, lives in the northern part of the continent.

The "northern" bald eagle is slightly larger than the "southern"one. Studies have shown that "Northern" Eagles fly to the southern states and Mexico, and "Southern" Eagles fly north to Canada. For this reason, in recent literature, the "northern" and "southern" subspecies of bald eagles have been dropped.

The bald eagle was officially declared a threatened species in 1967, in all areas of the United States South of the 40th parallel, by a law that preceded the Endangered Species Act of 1973.

By 1995, the bald eagle was on the Endangered Species List in 43 of the 48 continental states, and on the Endangered Species List in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Washington and Oregon.

In July 1995, the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife upgraded the status of bald eagles in the 48 mainland states to "threatened species".

As of June 28, 2007, the bald eagle is no longer an endangered species. The Bald Eagle Protection document prohibits the catching, transportation, sale, exchange, trade, import and export of this species.

Feeding The Bald Eagle

Vultures are at the top of the food chain and are more vulnerable to toxic chemicals in the environment because each link in the food chain tends to assimilate chemicals from the lower link.

The lifting capacity of a bald eagle is about 1.8 kg. In general, these birds do not feed on chickens or other domestic animals, but use available food sources. Eat starvuri (dead or rotting animal meat).

Bald eagles live near large rivers and lakes and feed mainly on fish.

The Eagle's food is varied.He prefers fish such aspucumber, salmon but also fish of larger sizes.He procures his food from campsites, landfills.

The animals they prey on include rabbits,raccoons,Beavers, Ducks, egrets and geese.

Features Bald Eagle

Both males and females have a black-brown back and chest, white head, neck and tail, and yellow legs and beak. Young bald eagles have a color that is a mixture of Brown and white, and chicks have a black beak. In about five years, the head and tail feathers turn white. This is the only species of Eagles in North America.

The body of a female varies from 89 to 94 cm, the wingspan varies from 200 to 229 cm. The smallest male has a body length of 76-86 cm, and a wingspan of 183-216 cm. The average weight is 4.5-6.5 kg. Northern birds are significantly larger than their southern relatives.

The voice is sharp, shrill. Eagles have no vocal cords. Sound is produced in the sirinx, a bony cavity located where the trachea branches to reach the lungs.

Bald eagle cries can be a way of strengthening the bond between male and female, but also a warning to predators.

An eagle's eye is almost as large as a human's, but its sharpness is at least four times that of a person with perfect vision.

It weighs about 250 – 300 grams and accounts for only 5-6% of the total weight. Feathers weigh twice as much. The Eagle's bones are light because they are hollow. The beak, claws and feathers are made of keratin.

The body temperature is around 41 degrees Celsius. Vultures do not sweat, so they have their own methods of cooling, by lounging in the shade of branches, by rocking the body or by moving the wings away from the body. It has tolerance to cold temperatures. The skin of a bald eagle is protected by feathers provided with fluff. Feet withstand the cold. The outer part of the beak is mainly dead matter, being very little vascularized.

For gliding, Eagles use thermal currents, which are ascending currents of warm air and ascending currents generated by topographic areas, such as the edges of hills or rocks. Plane flight is achieved by giving very little of the wings, which allows them to conserve energy.

Bald eagles can fly at altitudes of 3,000 meters. During flight, they can reach speeds of over 150 km/h.

The tail is very important for flying. During planing, the tail feathers are loosened to obtain the largest surface area and to enhance the effect of thermal and ascending currents. The tail helps the eagle to land and stabilize it during a controlled fall or when it pounces on its prey.

Bald eagles have 7,000 feathers. They are very light, but very flexible; they protect the bird from the cold, but also from the heat of the sun, by capturing layers of air. To maintain its body temperature, the Eagle changes the position of its feathers.

The structure of the feathers makes their flexibility possible. The overlapping ones form a dense layer. The bald eagle has several layers of feathers, each of which has different functions. Feathers allow Eagles to live in extremely cold environments. Birds do not have to migrate to warmer places every year, but migrate to find food sources.

Eagles have nostrils on either side of their beak. The lungs and air bag system are suitable for its size. The air enters the lungs and then into the air sacs, then returns to the lungs and exits. It passes through the lungs twice in each breathing cycle – twice as much as in mammals.

The curved tip was created specifically for tearing flesh. Behind it, the upper mandible, with the edge sharp enough to cut the hard skin, overlaps with the lower mandible, thus creating a scissor effect.

The beak is a powerful weapon, but it is also delicate enough to brush the wings of the pair or feed the newly hatched chicks.

The beak of the female is sharper (the distance from the tip to the chin is greater) than the beak of the male. The beak and claws grow continuously, because they are made of keratin, as happens with our nails. The beak of a captive eagle does not blunt naturally, so it must be cut annually.

They are important tools for hunting and defense. Vultures kill their prey before sticking their claws into the flesh. These birds can loosen and squeeze their claws when they want. If an eagle is pulled into the water by a fish too big to pick up, that's because the Bird won't let go – in some cases, because it's hungry.

The Eagle may drown during a fight with a fish or if the shore is too far away and it cannot swim there.

Breeding Bald Eagle

Once they mate, bald eagles stay together for life.

If one of them dies, the surviving bird looks for another mate.

The bald eagle produces between 1 and 3 eggs per year.Hatching is done by both birds in turn while the partner searches for food.

They can live more than 30 years, the average life span is 15-20 years. A captive eagle from West Stephentown, New York, has lived for 48 years.