- The bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) is a member of the sea and fish eagle group.
- Juvenile bald eagles are a mixture of brown and white.
- An eagle reaches sexual maturity at around four or five years of age. This is when they get their white heads.
- Size - The female bald eagle is 35 to 37 inches, slightly larger than the male.
- Wingspan ranges from 72 to 90 inches.
- Bald eagles can fly to an altitude of 10,000 feet. During level flight, they can achieve speeds of about 30 to 35 mph.
- Adult Bald eagles weigh from eight (Southern male) to fourteen (Northern female) pounds, but were 10 ounces at birth.
- Eagle bones are light ( ~1/2 pound), because they are hollow.
- The beak, talons, and feathers are made of keratin.
- Bald eagles have just over 7,000 feathers, which weigh less than 21 oz.
- Longevity - Wild bald eagles may live as long as 30 years, but as much as 45 in captivity
- Diet - Mainly fish, but they will take advantage of carrion (dead and decaying flesh).
- The eagle is a strong swimmer, but if the water is very cold, it may be overcome by hypothermia.
- Fidelity - Once paired, bald eagles remain together until one dies.
- Eagles lay from one to three eggs.
- The 35 days of incubation duties are shared by both male and female.
- Today, there are an estimated 7,066 nesting pairs of bald eagles.
- Eagles molt in patches, taking almost half a year to replace feathers, starting with the head and working downward.
- The Eagle became the National emblem in 1782 when the great seal of the United States was adopted.
- All eagles are renowned for their remarkable eyesight. An Eagles vision is about five times sharper than our own. An eagle can spot a target as small as a rabbit up to a mile away. In addition, an eagle has excellent depth perception due to the overlap, of the right and left fields of vision.
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