Habits and Habitat of the American Bald Eagle

It has come to stand for nobility and freedom to many people. The American Bald Eagle is a member of Accipitridae family which includes hawks, kites and old world vultures. The American Bald Eagle can only found in North America. More than half live in Canada and not the United States. There are two subspecies, the Southern and Northern Bald Eagles.

They are not really bald, the word used to mean white. American Bald Eagles have the distinctive white coloring on their heads. Their size is usually 28 to 38 inches tall with a wingspan of 66 to 88 inches and weigh between 6 and 14 pounds. The females are ¼ bigger in size than the males. When an adult, they have a white head and tail, yellow feet and a hook beak. Young ones are brown except for the feet.

Habits of the American Bald Eagle

The American Bald Eagle is a strong and fast flyer, sometimes reaching speeds of 44 miles per hour. They sometimes migrate but sometimes don’t, depending on where they live. They use thermal wind currents to fly, which are created The American Bald Eagle is well knows as being the national bird of the United States of America by the sun.

The American Bald Eagle isn’t a picky eater in most respects. They will eat whatever is available to them, whether carrion or live prey. They have been know to feed on dead whales but seem to prefer large fish, when eating carrion. They will also raid a garbage dump or campsites.

When they take live prey it’s usually fish, which they snatch from the water with their talons. They will take other birds such as ducks, gulls, egrets and others. They will also hunt rabbits, coons, muskrats, otters and even deer fawns!

Mating occurs when they are 4 to 5 years old, they tend to mate for life. If a mate dies the survivor will take a new one. And if they mate several times without producing offspring they will sometimes look for new mates. They have the largest nests of any bird on the continent. Males and females both incubate the eggs, and 3 per year are usually hatches. The American Bald Eagles will fight to defend the young, from other birds and even bears.

Habitat of the American Bald Eagle

The American Bald Eagle likes to live near a seacoast or at least some body of water. They need hardwood trees, for nesting and brooding. They also need a clear view from the trees so they can hunt from them.

Their natural habitat includes most of Canada, North America and Northern Mexico. The Southern Bald Eagle is found around the Gulf Coast and in California and over to South Carolina. The Northern Bald Eagle is usually found North of the 40^th parallel, however both will move into the other’s range.

Reference:

• www.eagles.org/moreabout.html