Bald Eagle
Bald Eagle: Large, hawk-like bird, dark brown body and white head, tail. Heavy bill, legs, feet, eyes are yellow. Hunts for fish, which it sometimes steals from ospreys. Eats carrion and crippled or injured squirrels, rabbits, muskrats and waterfowl. Flap-and-glide flight, also soars on thermals.
● Song:
"kleek-kik-ik-ik", "kak-kak-kak"
● Foraging & Feeding:
Bald Eagle: Feeds primarily on fish, which they catch themselves, find dead, or steal from other birds such as ospreys; also feeds on carrion or live prey including waterfowl, other birds, turtles, and rabbits. Road-killed deer are a favorite and leads to many eagles being hit by cars.
● Breeding & nesting:
Bald Eagle: Builds a huge stick nest (sometimes weighing over 1 ton), usually about 6 feet in diameter and more than 6 feet tall, near the top of large tree near a river or lake. Female lays two dull white to light blue eggs. Both parents incubate eggs for 35 days. Young grow quickly and leave the nest between 10 and 12 weeks of age.
● Similar species:
Bald Eagle: Golden Eagle has less massive bill, less blotchy white on underwings and underparts, and has golden feathers on head. Steller's Eagle has a long, wedge-shaped white tail and white thighs and shoulders.
Flight Pattern
Several deep wing beats alternate with long glides., Direct flight with deep steady wing beats., Soars on thermals.