Bird of Prey: Bald Eagle

The photograph is taken from Wikipedia.

It is considered majestic, symbol of freedom and representative of integrity and strength, that's why the Americans considered the Bald Eagle as their National bird. But they are not distributed just in the US, they actually spread through out North America. With it wings all spread out, soaring as big as 30 in. (76 cm) long, it is also the largest bird of prey in the world.

The Bald Eagle, or scientifically known as the Haliaeetus Leucocephalus, live near rivers, lakes and coasts, which explains why many photographers take pictures of them catching fish, which happened to be their main food source, although they do eat other birds as well. There were about 50,000 Bald Eagles back in the 1970's but the numbers were decreased to mere 2,000 because of a pesticide called DDT. Don't worry though, DDT has already been banned and the Bald Eagles are coming back in their numbers.

A Bald Eagles takes five years to develop its black and white adult plumage. It does not always hunt live preys, like all other predators, the dead or dying animals, especially the salmon, make up a large part of its diet. Unlike the owls, all eagles, including the Bald Eagles, tend to hunt during the day instead of night.

Eagles are different from many other birds of prey mainly by their larger size, more powerful build, and heavier head and beak. Even the smallest eagles, like the Booted Eagle (which is comparable in size to a Common Buzzard or Red-tailed Hawk), have relatively longer and more evenly broad wings, and more direct, faster flight.

Like all birds of prey, eagles have very large powerful hooked beaks for tearing flesh from their prey, strong muscular legs, and powerful talons. They also have extremely keen eyesight which enables them to spot potential prey from a very long distance. This keen eyesight is primarily contributed by their extremely large pupils which ensure minimal diffraction (scattering) of the incoming light.

Eagles build their nests, called eyries, in tall trees or on high cliffs. Many species lay two eggs, but the older, larger chick frequently kills its younger sibling once it has hatched. The dominant chick tends to be the female, as they are bigger than the male. The parents take no action to stop the killing.