Bald Eagle - BirdForum Opus

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:

• Locally in Aleutian Islands, Alaska, Canada and northern US

• 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

• 

  Second year
  Photo © by bobsofpa
  Conowingo Dam, Maryland, USA, December 2014

• 

  Third year
  Photo © by bobsofpa
  Conowingo Dam, Maryland, USA, December 2014

• 

  Fourth year
  Photo © by bobsofpa
  Conowingo Dam, Maryland, USA, December 2014

• 

  Courtship display
  Photo © by ducbucln
  Kelseyville, California, March 2018

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

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Bald Eagle. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 18 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Bald_Eagle

External Links

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