What is the largest wingspan of a bald eagle?
The bald eagle's wingspan is the second-longest among the top 5 largest North American flying birds....The bald eagle wingspan compared to other birds of prey.Range and (average in inches)CentimetersBald Eagle71 – 91 (81)180 to 2305 more rows
What is the wingspan of a golden eagle?
1.8 – 2.3 mGolden eagle / Wingspan
Which bird has the biggest wingspan?
The wandering albatrossThe wandering albatross has the largest known wingspan of any living bird, at times reaching nearly 12 feet.20-Sept-2010
What is the wingspan of a hawk?
Red-tailed hawk: 1 – 1.5 mSharp-shinned hawk: 58 – 68 cmCommon buzzard: 1.1 – 1.4 mGrey goshawk: 70 – 110 cmHawk/Wingspan
Overview
Description
The plumage of an adult bald eagle is evenly dark brown with a white head and tail. The tail is moderately long and slightly wedge-shaped. Males and females are identical in plumage coloration, but sexual dimorphism is evident in the species, in that females are 25% larger than males. The beak, feet and irisesare bright yellow. The legs are feather-free, and the toes are short and powerful wi…
Taxonomy
The bald eagle is placed in the genus Haliaeetus (sea eagles), and gets both its common and specific scientific names from the distinctive appearance of the adult's head. Bald in the English name is from the older usage meaning "white" rather than "hairless", referring to the white head and tail feathers and their contrast with the darker body, as in piebald. The genus name is New Latin: Hali…
Range
The bald eagle's natural range covers most of North America, including most of Canada, all of the continental United States, and northern Mexico. It is the only sea eagle endemic to North America. Occupying varied habitats from the bayous of Louisiana to the Sonoran Desert and the eastern deciduous forests of Quebec and New England, northern birds are migratory, while southern birds are reside…
Habitat
The bald eagle occurs during its breeding season in virtually any kind of American wetland habitat such as seacoasts, rivers, large lakes or marshesor other large bodies of open water with an abundance of fish. Studies have shown a preference for bodies of water with a circumference greater than 11 km (7 mi), and lakes with an area greater than 10 km (4 sq mi) are optimal for breeding b…
Behavior
The bald eagle is a powerful flier, and soars on thermalconvection currents. It reaches speeds of 56–70 km/h (35–43 mph) when gliding and flapping, and about 48 km/h (30 mph) while carrying fish. Its dive speed is between 120–160 km/h (75–99 mph), though it seldom dives vertically. Regarding their flying abilities, despite being morphologically less well adapted to faster flight than golden eagles (especially during dives), the bald eagle is considered surprisingly maneuver…
Diet and feeding
The bald eagle is an opportunistic carnivore with the capacity to consume a great variety of prey. Throughout their range, fish often comprise the majority of the eagle's diet. In 20 food habit studies across the species' range, fish comprised 56% of the diet of nesting eagles, birds 28%, mammals 14% and other prey 2%. More than 400 species are known to be included in the bald eag…
Reproduction
Bald eagles are sexually mature at four or five years of age. When they are old enough to breed, they often return to the area where they were born. It is thought that bald eagles mate for life. However, if one member of a pair dies or disappears, the survivor will choose a new mate. A pair which has repeatedly failed in breeding attempts may split and look for new mates. Bald eagle court…
Description
Diet and Behavior
- When available, the bald eagle prefers to eat fish. However, it will also eat smaller birds, bird eggs, and other small animals (e.g., rabbits, crabs, lizards, frogs). Bald eagles choose prey that is unlikely to put up much of a fight. They'll readily drive off other predatorsto steal a kill and will eat carrion. They also take advantage of human habitation, scavenging from fish processing plants …
Eagle-Eye Vision
- Bald eagles truly have eagle-eye vision. Their vision is sharper than any human's, and their field of view is wider. In addition, eagles can see ultraviolet light. Like cats, the birds have an inner eyelid called a nictitating membrane. Eagles can close their main eyelids, yet still see through the translucent protective membrane.
Reproduction and Offspring
- Bald eagles become sexually mature at four to five years of age. Ordinarily, the birds mate for life, but they will seek new mates if one dies or if the pair repeatedly fails at breeding. The mating season occurs in the autumn or spring, depending on location. Courtship includes elaborate flight, which includes a display in which the pair flies high, locks talons, and falls, disengaging just prio…
Swimming Ability
- Eagles are known for soaring in the skies, but they fare well in water, too. Like other fish eagles, the bald eagle can swim. Eagles float well and flap their wings to use them as paddles. Bald eagles have been observed swimming at sea and also near shore. Near land, eagles elect to swim when carrying a heavy fish.
Conservation Status
- In 1967, the bald eagle was listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Preservation Act. In 1973, it was listed under the new Endangered Species Act. The dramatic population decline that led to near-extirpation included unintentional poisoning (mostly from DDT and lead shot), hunting, and habitat destruction. By 2004, however, bald eagle numbers had recovered enough that the bi…
Sources
- del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., & Sargatal, J., eds.. Handbook of the Birds of the WorldVol. 2. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, 1994. ISBN 84-87334-15-6.
- Ferguson-Lees, J. and D. Christie,.Raptors of the World. London: Christopher Helm. pp. 717–19, 2001. ISBN 0-7136-8026-1.
- Isaacson, Philip M. The American Eagle(1st ed.). Boston, MA: New York Graphic Society, 197…
- del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., & Sargatal, J., eds.. Handbook of the Birds of the WorldVol. 2. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, 1994. ISBN 84-87334-15-6.
- Ferguson-Lees, J. and D. Christie,.Raptors of the World. London: Christopher Helm. pp. 717–19, 2001. ISBN 0-7136-8026-1.
- Isaacson, Philip M. The American Eagle(1st ed.). Boston, MA: New York Graphic Society, 1975. ISBN 0-8212-0612-5.
