Eagle Facts

Wingspan
A male Bald Eagle's wingspan averages about 6 feet, and the female averages 6 to 7 feet.

Weight
Males weigh 8-9 pounds and females weigh 10-14 pounds.

Food
Fish are the main diet of the Bald Eagle. Herring, flounder, and salmon are taken along the coast, while the interior populations prey heavily upon salmon. Eagles also prey upon waterfowl, small mammals, sea urchins, clams, crabs, and carrion.

Life Span
The average is 60 years.

Reproduction
Bald Eagles usually start to breed at four to nine years of age. In late April, two (sometimes three) dull white or creamy yellow eggs are laid several days apart. Incubation lasts about 35 days. When the young hatch, sibling rivalry is common and the weaker, usually the younger, chick is killed or starved. The surviving young leave the nest after approximately 75 days. They do not attain adult plumage and breed until 4 or 5 years of age.

Colors
The adult bald eagle is a striking dark brown- black bird with a white head and tail. Juvenile birds are a mottled brown with white blotches.

Habitat
Eagles live and nest near coastlines, rivers, lakes, wet prairies, and coastal pine lands in North America from Alaska and Canada south into Florida and Baja, California.

Interesting Facts
Eagles have been clocked at speeds of over 100 miles per hour while diving on their prey.

Eagles mate for life, returning to the same nest territory year after year.

They can fly while carrying 8 pounds of food.

Eagles have telescopic sight and eyes bigger than humans.

Eagles have excellent eyesight and are able to see up 7 times better than humans.

First flights usually occur at 9 or 10 weeks of age and are preceded by vigorous exercising and flapping. When a male and female are in the same nest, the male may fledge first. The chick will typically lift off of the nest by facing into the prevailing winds and flapping. Sometimes the adults will force the eaglets to fly.

Bald eagles are not bald. The term bald comes from the Old English word "balde" which means "white."

The bald eagle is a symbol of strength, independence and dignity, becoming the national bird of the United States in 1782.

The Latin word "raptare" means to grab or seize. Eagles are called raptors because they use their feet to catch and kill their food.

Sub Species
There are two subspecies of the bald eagle: the southern bald eagle and the northern bald eagle.