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Difference between revisions of "Bald Eagle" - BirdForum Opus

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[[File:Bald_Eagle_Perched_STF.jpg|thumb|550px|right|Photo &copy; by {{user|STEFFRO1|Robert Steffens}}<br />[[Huntington Beach State Park]], [[South Carolina]], [[USA]], 29 December 2015]]
 
;[[:Category:Haliaeetus|Haliaeetus]] leucocephalus
 
;[[:Category:Haliaeetus|Haliaeetus]] leucocephalus
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[[Image:Bald_Eagle.jpg|thumb|550px|right|Photo by ixodid<br/>Photographed in Topeka, Kansas, USA.]]
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==Identification==
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[[Image:IMG 6622 57-1bf.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Immature<br />Photo &copy; by {{user|Jim+Crosswell|Jim Crosswell }}<br />Windsor, [[Ontario]], July 2008 ]]
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==Description==
 
 
L. 30-31" (76-79 cm)<br/>
 
L. 30-31" (76-79 cm)<br/>
 
W. 6-7' 6" (1.8-2.3 m)<br/>
 
W. 6-7' 6" (1.8-2.3 m)<br/>
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*Heavy yellow bill<br/>
 
*Heavy yellow bill<br/>
  
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Young birds lack the white head and tail, and resemble adult Golden Eagles, but are variably marked with white and have a black, more massive bill.
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'''Immature''' birds lack the white head and tail (resembling adult [[Golden Eagle]]). The have a black bill and a varying amount of white plumage.
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==Distribution==
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[[File:Bald_Eagle_2ndYear_FRCRK.jpg|thumb|350px|right|2nd Year<br />Photo &copy; by {{user|Forcreeks|Forcreeks}}<br />Jennings Lodge, [[Oregon]], [[USA]], 29 March 2021]]
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Breeds from [[Alaska]] east to [[Newfoundland]] and south locally to [[California]], [[Great Lakes]], and [[Virginia]]; also in [[Arizona]], along [[Gulf Coast]], and in [[Florida]]. Formerly more widespread. Winters along coasts and large rivers in much of [[United States]].
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====Endangered Status====
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The Bald Eagle was delisted (removed from) the Endangered Species List by the Department of Interior of the federal government of the USA on June 28th, 2007.
  
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==Endangered Status: ==
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==Taxonomy==
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The Bald Eagle is on the U.S. Endangered Species List. It is classified as threatened in all of the continental United States except Alaska. Our national bird suffered a dramatic decline caused by ingestion of pesticides and of lead-contaminated waterfowl. The main culprit was DDT, which was sprayed on crops to control pest damage. It leached into rivers, lakes, and streams, where it entered the food chain, absorbed by plants and small animals that were consumed by fish. Eagles and other large birds of prey in turn ate the contaminated fish. The main effect of DDT poisoning on birds was that it interfered with eggshell production, and the resulting shells were not strong enough to sustain incubation. Populations of many bird species, including the Bald Eagle, Peregrine Falcon, and Brown Pelican, plummeted. DDT use was outlawed in the U.S. in 1972, and conservation efforts on behalf of the Bald Eagle, begun in 1940 when Congress passed the Bald Eagle Protection Act, finally began to have an effect. The majestic eagle is now making a steady comeback, and once again nests in areas where it was wiped out during the 1960s. However, it is still not as numerous as it was in colonial times, when it was a familiar sight along almost every coastline. Until 1995 the Bald Eagle was listed as threatened in Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon, Washington, and Wisconsin, and as endangered elsewhere in the lower 48 states; in 1995 its status was changed to threatened throughout the lower 48.
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[[File:Bald_Eagle_Flight_KC.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Photo &copy; by {{user|KC+Foggin| KC Foggin}}<br />Myrtle Beach, [[South Carolina]], [[USA]], April 2021]]
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====Subspecies====
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There are 2 subspecies<sup>[[#References|[1]]]</sup>:
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*''H. l. washingtoniensis'':
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:*Locally in [[Aleutian Islands]], [[Alaska]], [[Canada]] and northern [[US]]
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*''H. l. leucocephalus'':
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:*Locally from southern [[US]] to north-western [[Mexico]]
  
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==Habitat: ==
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A third subspecies ''alascanus''<sup>[[#References|[2]]]</sup> is not recognised by all authorities.
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Lakes, rivers, marshes, and seacoasts.
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==Habitat==
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Lakes, rivers, marshes, and seacoasts Goes into residential areas, especially in winter.
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==Behaviour==
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====Breeding====
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They build a large nest of sticks on top of a cliff or in a tall tree. Two to three white eggs are laid.
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====Diet====
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Their main diet is fish, which is snatched from the surface of water. Alternatively they will rob an [[Osprey]] of its catch
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====Vocalisation====
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Squeaky cackling and thin gull-like squeals.
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{{ Audio|BaldEagleMVI_7743.mp3 }}
  
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==Nesting: ==
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[[Media:BaldEagleMVI_7743.mp3|Bald Eagle sound clip]]<br />
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2 or 3 white eggs in a massive nest of sticks in a tall tree or, less frequently, on top of a cliff.
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Recording &copy; by {{user|jmorlan|Joseph Morlan}}<br />
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San Jose, [[California]], [[USA]]. 05 August 2020
  
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==Range: ==
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==Gallery==
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Breeds from Alaska east to Newfoundland and south locally to California, Great Lakes, and Virginia; also in Arizona, along Gulf Coast, and in Florida. Formerly more widespread. Winters along coasts and large rivers in much of United States.
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Click on photo for larger image
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<gallery>
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==Voice: ==
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Image:614 15948fg Second Year Bald Eagle in Flight-1.jpg|Second year<br />Photo &copy; by {{user|bobsofpa|bobsofpa}}<br />Conowingo Dam, [[Maryland]], [[USA]], December 2014
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Squeaky cackling and thin squeals.
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Image:614 15905fg Third Year Bald Eagle in Flight-1.jpg|Third year<br />Photo &copy; by {{user|bobsofpa|bobsofpa}}<br />Conowingo Dam, [[Maryland]], [[USA]], December 2014
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Image:614 15910fg Fourth Year Bald Eagle in Flight-1.jpg|Fourth year<br />Photo &copy; by {{user|bobsofpa|bobsofpa}}<br />Conowingo Dam, [[Maryland]], [[USA]], December 2014
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==Taxonomy==
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Image:Eagle Bald 2018-03-14 176.jpg|Courtship display<br />Photo &copy; by {{user|ducbucln|ducbucln}}<br />Kelseyville, [[California]], March 2018
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</gallery>
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==Discussion: ==
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==References==
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Bald Eagles are fish eaters, like Ospreys; when they pursue their prey they rarely enter the water as an Osprey does, but instead snatch the fish from the surface with their talons. Where Ospreys are common, the eagles obtain much of their food by stealing it from the smaller "fish hawk."
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#{{Ref-Clements6thAug19}}#Lepage D. (2021) [Avibase - https://avibase.ca/E3E9FEB9]. Retrieved 1 March 2021
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{{ref}}
  
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==External Links==
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{{GSearch|"Haliaeetus leucocephalus" {{!}} "Bald Eagle"}}
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<br />
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{{VSearch|"Haliaeetus leucocephalus" {{!}} "Bald Eagle", video}}
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{{GS-checked}}1
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<br />
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<br />
  
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==External Links==
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[[Category:Birds]] [[Category:Haliaeetus]] [[Category:Videos]]
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{{GSearch|Haliaeetus+leucocephalus}}
 
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[[Category:Birds]] [[Category:Haliaeetus]]
 

Latest revision as of 20:07, 10 April 2023

Photo © by Robert Steffens
Huntington Beach State Park, South Carolina, USA, 29 December 2015
Haliaeetus leucocephalus

Identification

Immature
Photo © by Jim Crosswell
Windsor, Ontario, July 2008

L. 30-31" (76-79 cm)
W. 6-7' 6" (1.8-2.3 m)

  • Large blackish eagle
  • White head and tail
  • Heavy yellow bill

Immature birds lack the white head and tail (resembling adult Golden Eagle). The have a black bill and a varying amount of white plumage.

Distribution

2nd Year
Photo © by Forcreeks
Jennings Lodge, Oregon, USA, 29 March 2021

Breeds from Alaska east to Newfoundland and south locally to California, Great Lakes, and Virginia; also in Arizona, along Gulf Coast, and in Florida. Formerly more widespread. Winters along coasts and large rivers in much of United States.

Endangered Status

The Bald Eagle was delisted (removed from) the Endangered Species List by the Department of Interior of the federal government of the USA on June 28th, 2007.

Taxonomy

Photo © by KC Foggin
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, USA, April 2021

Subspecies

There are 2 subspecies[1]:

  • H. l. washingtoniensis:
  • H. l. leucocephalus:
  • Locally from southern US to north-western Mexico

A third subspecies alascanus[2] is not recognised by all authorities.

Habitat

Lakes, rivers, marshes, and seacoasts Goes into residential areas, especially in winter.

Behaviour

Breeding

They build a large nest of sticks on top of a cliff or in a tall tree. Two to three white eggs are laid.

Diet

Their main diet is fish, which is snatched from the surface of water. Alternatively they will rob an Osprey of its catch

Vocalisation

Squeaky cackling and thin gull-like squeals.

Bald Eagle sound clip
Recording © by Joseph Morlan
San Jose, California, USA. 05 August 2020

Gallery

Click on photo for larger image

References

  1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
  2. Lepage D. (2021) [Avibase - https://avibase.ca/E3E9FEB9]. Retrieved 1 March 2021

Recommended Citation

External Links


GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1

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