Bald eagle
Haliaeetus leucocephalus
The bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) is a bird of prey found in North America.
About the Bald eagle
The bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla), which occupies the same niche as the bald eagle in the Palearctic. Its range includes most of Canada and Alaska, all of the contiguous United States, and northern Mexico. It is found near large bodies of open water with an abundant food supply and old-growth trees for nesting. The bald eagle is an opportunistic feeder that subsists mainly on fish, upon which it swoops down and snatches from the water with its talons. It builds the largest nest of any North American bird and the largest tree nests ever recorded for any animal species, up to 4 m (13 ft) deep, 2.5 m (8.2 ft) wide, and 1 metric
Fun Facts About Bald eagle
- It builds the largest nest of any North American bird and the largest tree nests ever recorded for any animal species, up to 4 m (13 ft) deep, 2.5 m (8.2 ft) wide, and 1 metric ton (1.1 short tons) in weight.
- The sexes are identical in plumage, but females are about 25% larger than males.
- Populations have since recovered, and the species' status was downgraded from "endangered" to "threatened" in 1995 and removed from the list altogether in 2007.
- It is found near large bodies of open water with an abundant food supply and old-growth trees for nesting.
- In the late 20th century it was on the brink of extirpation in the contiguous United States, but measures such as banning the practice of hunting bald eagles and banning the use of the harmful pesticide DDT slowed the decline of their population.
Conservation Status
The Bald eagle is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. This species is currently stable and not at significant risk of population decline.
Taxonomy & Classification
| Order | Accipitriformes |
| Family | Accipitridae |
| Genus | Haliaeetus |
| Species | Haliaeetus leucocephalus |
Range & Habitat
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