Eagles 2
The bald eagle is truly an all-American bird -- it is the only eagle unique to North America. It ranges over most of the continent, from the northern reaches of Alaska and Canada down to northern Mexico. The bald eagle, our national symbol, is listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act in 43 of the lower 48 states and listed as threatened in Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon, Washington, and Wisconsin. (There are about 40,000 bald eagles in Alaska and none in Hawaii.) However, bald eagles have improved greatly in numbers, productivity, and security in recent years.
Male bald eagles generally measure 3 feet from head to tail, weigh 7 to 10 pounds, and have a wingspan of about 6 1/2 ...
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reused year after year. With additions to the nests made annually, some may reach 10 feet across and weigh as much as 2,000 pounds. Although bald eagles may range over great distances, they usually return to nest within 100 miles of where they were raised.
Bald eagles normally lay two to three eggs once a year and the eggs hatch after about 35 days. The young eagles are flying within 3 months and are on their own about a month later. However, disease, lack of food, bad weather, or human interference can kill many eaglets; sometimes only about half will survive their first year.
The staple of most bald eagle diets is fish, but they will feed on almost anything they can catch, including ducks, rodents, snakes, and carrion. In winter, northern birds migrate south and gather in large numbers near open water areas where fish or other prey are plentiful.
Wildlife experts believe there may have been 25,000 to as many as 75,000 nesting bald eagles in the lower 48 states when the bird ...
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Eagles 2. (2008, June 11). Retrieved November 23, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Eagles-2/85062
"Eagles 2." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 11 Jun. 2008. Web. 23 Nov. 2024. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Eagles-2/85062>
"Eagles 2." Essayworld.com. June 11, 2008. Accessed November 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Eagles-2/85062.
"Eagles 2." Essayworld.com. June 11, 2008. Accessed November 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Eagles-2/85062.
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