Bald Eagles
By A.H.
Description
- The Bald Eagle is classified as a bird
- It's covered in brown or black feathers, except for its head and tail, which are white
- Female Bald Eagles are 35 to 37 inches long, with a wingspan of 79 to 90 inches
- Male Bald Eagles are 30 to 34 inches long, with a wingspan of 72 to 85 inches
- The Bald Eagle communicates through high-pitched chirping or whistling
- Bald Eagle skeletons weigh about half a pound, only 5 to 6 percent of the actual weight
Food Chain and Habitat
- Bald Eagle food sources are carrion, fish, small birds, rodents, and whatever they can catch
- Bald Eagles find food in and around rivers, lakes, and other bodies of water
- The Bald Eagle is a carnivore
- Bald Eagles are predators that hunt fish, small birds, and small mammals
- The Bald Eagle lives in United States of America and Canada on the continent of North America
- Bald Eagles like large lakes with surrounding forest and plenty of fish
- Bald Eagles are mostly found in a humid continental climate
- Bald Eagles live and raise their young in a nest
Adaptation
- Eyes: Bald Eagles have excellent daylight eyesight but pupil is too small for night vision they also a third eyelid or nictitating membrane which is a clear eyelid that lets the eagle moisten its eyes without closing them
- Bald Eagles eyesight is at least 4 times better than a human with perfect eyesight
- Bald Eagle claws are designed to catch fish
- The beak is used to rip prey into bite-size chunks
Reasons for Endangerment and Critical Information
- The main reason for the Bald Eagles endangerment is a pesticide called DDT, which went into the water and poisoned fish, which then poisoned Bald Eagles since fish is such a large part of the eagles diet
- Bald Eagles also suffer from loss of habitat to humans
- The death rate of eagles in their first year is 30%
- The Bald Eagle Protection Act of 1940 prohibits the owning of a Bald Eagle without consent from the Fish and Wildlife Service and outlaws the hunting and killing of Bald Eagles