The bald eagle , also known as the white-headed eagle or the American eagle, is a bird that, as its name suggests, lives in North America . It is well known throughout the world as the national symbol of the United States, and is featured on the country’s national coat of arms. It should be noted that at the end of the 20th century it was on the verge of extinction, but its population has managed to stabilize, and it is almost on the verge of being removed from the list of endangered species.
Although it is a species native to North America, it is present in many places. There are small groups in Bermuda, Puerto and Belize , although they are isolated cases.
Physical
Regarding their physique, both males and females are brown when they are young, and little by little their head and tail turn white . Also, this eagle has a very large yellow beak. The eyes and legs are also yellow.
Feeding
This species of eagle feeds on fish, birds, and mammals . Fish are its main source of alienation: salmon, herring, carp … When fish are scarce, it can feed on ducks, hares, mice, crabs, turtles … It often feeds on carrion.
It is an opportunistic animal , which is sometimes a scavenger and other times a predator. It spends a good part of the day observing from an elevated position and, when it sees a prey, it swoops down to capture it with its talons. It also has a habit of flying low and slow above the sea or land to surprise its prey.
Young
The sexual maturity of the bald eagle reaches four or five years of age. It is a monogamous animal, which usually stays with the same partner for life. The nests are located in tall trees.
The incubation of the American eagle is carried out by both the male and the female and lasts around 35 days. At least one of the parents remains constantly with the young for the first two weeks. They are responsible for taking the prey to the nest and breaking them into small pieces to give them to the young. In periods when food is scarce, it is very likely that only the largest calf will survive. They usually fly between 10 and 12 weeks of age for the first time.
