The Bald Eagle

The Bald Eagle is the national bird and symbol of the United States of America. Because it is protected, people who shoot or harm this national bird will be put in jail. The Bald Eagle is not really bald; it has very white feathers on its head, making it look like it has no hair/feathers at all! The term "bald" may have come from the Old English word, balde, which meant white.

The favorite food of the Bald Eagle is fish. And this bird is an expert fisher. A Bald Eagle has spiny scales and sharp talons on their toes for gripping the slippery fish straight from the water. A powerful beak, in the shape of a hook, helps the eagle eat its food. When there are few fish, the Bald Eagle will hunt rabbits, squirrels, other birds and young deer.

Bald Eagles have very sharp eyes and can see four to seven times better than humans! But the eagle's eyes can't move from side to side like we do; it has to turn turn its head to be able to look around. When a Bald Eagle loses a feather on one wing, it will also lose a feather on the other wing. Why? So that it won't lose its balance!

The Bald Eagle was put on the Endangered Species list a few years ago. But because of the effort put in by the US Government, the population of this bird has increased, putting its classification status as a VULNERABLE SPECIES. This doesn't mean that we have to stop our efforts in helping this bird survive. There are still things that can further endanger the Bald Eagle.

1. Hunting - The Bald Eagle was hunted for "fun", and to put their heads and bodies on display as trophies. With government protecting these birds, hunting has almost stopped, giving the Bald Eagles the chance to have more babies.

2. Pesticides - These chemicals, used by farmers to protect their crops from insects, pollute the air and the water. The fish in the water would eat the pesticide, and the eagle would eat the fish. Although the pesticide doesn't harm the adult eagle, it makes them unable to lay healthy eggs, or would produce very soft eggs, that the eagle couldn't sit on it to make it hatch.

3. Habitat destruction - Bald Eagles need lots of trees in their environment. When more and more people use more and more paper and cut down trees to make houses and other buildings, they are destroying the places where the Bald Eagle lives.

Bald Eagle Fast Facts
Scientific Name: Haliaeetus Leucocephalus
Type: Bird
Diet: Carnivore
Height: 34 to 43 inches
Wingspan: 6 to 8 feet
Weight: 6.5 to 14 pounds
Range: North America
Diet: Fish, rabbits, dead animals

To solve a scrambler puzzle of the Bald Eagle, click on the image or here.