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MARCH 2008
VOL. 22 NO. 17
Did You Know
- The world's 59 species of eagles are found on every continent except Antarctica. There are four major groups of eagles: fish eagles, booted eagles, snake eagles and giant forest eagles. America's eagles are the Bald Eagle, which is a fish eagle, and the Golden Eagle, which is a booted eagle. Golden and Bald Eagles both reside in the United States.
- The Bald Eagle is the only eagle species living strictly in North America. It is a fish eagle that has a presence in every state in the U.S. except Hawaii. The Bald Eagle can have a wing span of up to eight feet and can weigh up to 15 pounds. It inhabits areas near large bodies of water where there are plenty of fish to eat and tall trees in which to nest and roost. Bald Eagles are monogamous and remain faithful to their male until death. Females lay one to three eggs annually in the spring time, and the incubation period is approximately 35 days.
- Young (immature) Bald Eagles are dark brown in color when they fledge the nest at about 12 weeks of age, and the head and tail feathers turn predominantly white in their fourth or fifth year. Bald Eagles can live up to 40 years in the wild and longer in captivity. They are primarily fish eaters. Other fish eagles that can be found outside the United States around the world include: White-bellied Sea Eagle (White-breasted Sea Eagle), Solomon Sea Eagle (Sanford's Sea Eagle), African Fish Eagle, Madagascar Fish Eagle, Pallas' Fish Eagle (Band-tailed Fish Eagle), White-tailed (Sea) Eagle (Gray Sea Eagle), Lesser Fishing Eagle, Greater Fishing Eagle (Gray headed Fishing Eagle) and Steller's Sea Eagle.
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