Bald Eagle

Haliaeetus leucocephalusOrder: FALCONIFORMES Family: Kites, Eagles and Hawks (Accipitridae)

Codes: Common Name: BAEA Scientific Name: HALLEU ITIS Taxonomic No.: 175420

Breeding Location:

Lakes, Mudflats, Seashore, rocky or sandy

Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Solitary nester

Breeding Population:

Fairly common to common, Local outside FL & AK

Egg Color:

Dull white to light blue, nest stained

Number of Eggs:

Incubation Days:

31 - 46

Egg Incubator:

Both sexes

Nest Material:

Deeply lined with fine material.

Migration:

Migratory

General

Bald Eagle: Large, hawk-like bird with dark brown body and white head and tail. Heavy bill, legs, feet, and eyes are yellow. Sexes are similar. Juvenile is dark brown with variable white mottling on wings and tail for the first four years of life.

Range and Habitat

Bald Eagle: Formerly distributed across most of North America; now limited to breeding in Alaska, Canada, northern Great Lakes states, Gulf coast states, and the Pacific northwest. Move south from northern breeding grounds during winters. Preferred habitats include open water areas that support large numbers of waterfowl or fish.

Breeding and 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.

Foraging and 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.

Vocalization

Bald Eagle: Makes shrill, high- pitched, and twittering calls.

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.

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

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.

● Range & Habitat: Bald Eagle: Formerly distributed across most of North America; now limited to breeding in Alaska, Canada, northern Great Lakes states, Gulf coast states, and the Pacific northwest. Move south from northern breeding grounds during winters. Preferred habitats include open water areas that support large numbers of waterfowl or fish.

^BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester

^PopulationFairly common to common, Local outside FL & AK

^MigrationMigratory

^Weight145.6 Ounces

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America

Bald Eagle

Breeding Location:

Breeding Type:

Breeding Population:

Egg Color:

Number of Eggs:

Incubation Days:

Egg Incubator:

Nest Material:

Migration:

Recommended Products:

General

Range and Habitat

Breeding and Nesting

Foraging and Feeding

Vocalization

Similar Species

Bald Eagle

Flight Pattern