Bald eagle: Difference between revisions

This is currently a proposed good article.
From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Earlier diffNewer diff →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
m removing deprecated template parameter
Line 46: Line 46:


[[File:Haliaeetus leucocephalus-ad-flight-USFWS.jpg|thumb|left|A Bald Eagle flying, in [[Alaska]]]]
[[File:Haliaeetus leucocephalus-ad-flight-USFWS.jpg|thumb|left|A Bald Eagle flying, in [[Alaska]]]]
This sea eagle gets both its common and [[science|scientific]] names from its head. ''Bald'' in the [[English language|English]] name is from the word ''piebald'', which means, "one with a white head".<ref>{{cite book|last=Dudley|first=Karen |title=Bald Eagles|publisher=Raintree Steck-Vaughn Publishers|year=1998|page=7|isbn=0817245715}}</ref> The scientific name is from ''Haliaeetus'', which is [[Latin]] for "sea eagle".<ref name="Georgia">{{cite web|url=http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/Whats_in_a_name/default.cfm?id=19|author=Joshua Dietz|title=What's in a Name|publisher=Smithsonian National Zoological Park|dateformat=mdy|accessdate=August 19, 2007}}</ref><ref name="Liddell 1980">{{cite book | author = Henry George Liddell and Robert Scott | year = 1980 | title = A Greek-English Lexicon] (Abridged Edition) | publisher = Oxford University Press | location = United Kingdom | isbn = 0-19-910207-4}}</ref>
This sea eagle gets both its common and [[science|scientific]] names from its head. ''Bald'' in the [[English language|English]] name is from the word ''piebald'', which means, "one with a white head".<ref>{{cite book|last=Dudley|first=Karen |title=Bald Eagles|publisher=Raintree Steck-Vaughn Publishers|year=1998|page=7|isbn=0817245715}}</ref> The scientific name is from ''Haliaeetus'', which is [[Latin]] for "sea eagle".<ref name="Georgia">{{cite web|url=http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/Whats_in_a_name/default.cfm?id=19|author=Joshua Dietz|title=What's in a Name|publisher=Smithsonian National Zoological Park|accessdate=August 19, 2007}}</ref><ref name="Liddell 1980">{{cite book | author = Henry George Liddell and Robert Scott | year = 1980 | title = A Greek-English Lexicon] (Abridged Edition) | publisher = Oxford University Press | location = United Kingdom | isbn = 0-19-910207-4}}</ref>


The Bald Eagle was one of the many species written in [[Carolus Linnaeus|Linnaeus]]’s 18th century book ''Systema Naturae''.<ref>{{cite book | last=Linnaeus | first=Carolus | authorlink=Carolus Linnaeus | title=Systema naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. Editio duodecima, reformata. | publisher=Holmiae. (Laurentii Salvii). | year=1766| pages=}}</ref>
The Bald Eagle was one of the many species written in [[Carolus Linnaeus|Linnaeus]]’s 18th century book ''Systema Naturae''.<ref>{{cite book | last=Linnaeus | first=Carolus | authorlink=Carolus Linnaeus | title=Systema naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. Editio duodecima, reformata. | publisher=Holmiae. (Laurentii Salvii). | year=1766| pages=}}</ref>

Revision as of 03:27, 27 October 2010

Bald Eagle
In Skagit Valley, United States
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Aves
Order:
Accipitriformes
Family:
Accipitridae
Genus:
Haliaeetus
Species:
H. leucocephalus
Binomial name
Haliaeetus leucocephalus
Linnaeus, 1766
Subspecies

Also see text

  • H. l. leucocephalus – Southern Bald Eagle
  • H. l. washingtoniensis – Northern Bald Eagle
Bald Eagle range.
  Breeding
  Breeding, eagles during summer only
  Eagles during winter
  On migration only
Star: Single eagles spotted
Synonyms

Falco leucocephalus

The Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) is a bird of prey that lives in North America. It is the national bird of the United States of America. The Bald Eagle is a kind of sea eagle (it is sometimes called by this name). It is in most of Canada and Alaska, all of the United States, and the northern part of Mexico. It lives near big areas of water where there is a lot of food and old trees to nest in.

The species almost died out in the United States (while they were growing more in Alaska and Canada) late in the 20th century, but now has a more stable population.

Description

The Bald Eagle is a large bird. Its body is as big as about 70–102 centimeters (28–40 inches) and its wingspans are 2.44 m (96 in). Female eagles are about 25 percent larger than males.[1][2] Adult females weigh exactly 5.8 kilograms (13 lb), while males weigh 4.1 kilograms (9.0 lb).[3] The adult Bald Eagle has a brown body, and its head and tail are white. It also has golden feet with large talons, and a hooked beak. The males and the females do not have different colors on their wings.

Before Bald Eagles become adults, their wing color is brown, and they are usually speckled with white dots until the fifth year.[1][4] The difference between Bald Eagles and Golden Eagles is that Bald Eagles have a larger head with a bigger beak, and their legs do not have feathers.[4][5]

Bald Eagle on sand.

The size of the bird depends on where it lives. The smallest birds are in Florida, where an adult male is only about 2.3 kilograms (5.1 lb). The largest Bald Eagles are in Alaska, where large females may be as much as 7.5 kilograms (17 lb).[6]

When Bald Eagles call, they chirp weakly and whistle. The young birds whistle more shrilly than adults.[5]

Bald Eagles in the wild usually live around 20 years, with the oldest living to be about 30. When they are taken captive, they live much longer.

Name

A Bald Eagle flying, in Alaska

This sea eagle gets both its common and scientific names from its head. Bald in the English name is from the word piebald, which means, "one with a white head".[7] The scientific name is from Haliaeetus, which is Latin for "sea eagle".[8][9]

The Bald Eagle was one of the many species written in Linnaeus’s 18th century book Systema Naturae.[10]

There are two other main subspecies of the Bald Eagle.[1][11]

  • H. l. leucocephalus (Linnaeus, 1766) is one of the subspecies. It is found in the southern United States and Baja California.[12]
  • H. l. washingtoniensis (Audubon, 1827) is the northern subspecies. It is larger than southern kind, leucocephalus. It is found in the northern United States, Canada, and Alaska.[1][12] This type of Bald Eagle lives more south than north.[13]

The Bald Eagle looks a lot like the Eurasian White-tailed Eagle. These species both have white heads of the same size, although the White-tailed Eagle has a more pale feather color. The pair probably parted into two at the North Pacific.[14] The White-tailed Eagle is in Eurasia, and the Bald Eagle is in the eastern parts of North America.[15]

Habitat

Bald Eagle with a salmon.

The Bald Eagle lives mostly near seas, rivers, large lakes, oceans, and other large places with open water and a lot of fish.[16]

The Bald Eagle needs old trees with hard wood to live, sleep, and make a nest on. They usually pick a tree for these things. The picked tree must be open, and safe from prey. However, the height or kind of tree is not as important as having other trees surrounding it with a very near place full of water.[16]

The Bald Eagle does not like to be near humans, and so they are found mostly in places free of human disturbance. Usually, Bald Eagles will go to large places with trees that are inside big cities, such as in Oregon.[17] Even though they are very sensitive to humans, a family of Bald Eagles recently moved into Harlem, NY.[18]

The Bald Eagle's natural home is in most of North America, including most of Canada, all of the United States, and northern Mexico. In the 1950s, the eagles were largely living in Alaska, the northern and eastern parts of Canada, and Florida.[19]

Behavior

Eating whale carrion

The Bald Eagle is very fast when it flies. It reaches the speeds of 56–70 kilometers per hour (35–43 mph) when gliding and flapping. However, when it is carrying fish, it flies at about 48 kilometers each hour.[20] Its dive speed is 120–160 kilometers per hour (75–99 miles per hour), though it does not dive a lot.[21] It migrates usually, depending on the place it is living in. If its territory has water near by, it will remain there all year, but if the water freezes in the winter, it must migrate to the south or to the coast, to find something to eat.

Diet

The Bald Eagle eats mostly fish. In the Pacific Northwest, spawning trout and salmon are the main food of the Bald Eagle.[22]

Sometimes, eagles may eat a lot of carrion, especially in winter. They will also scavenge dead bodies up to the size of whales. However, eagles eat more large dead fish than whales. They also sometimes eat the leftover food from campsites or garbage dumps. The mammals they eat include rabbits, hares, raccoons, muskrats, beavers, and deer fawns. Some of the birds they eat include grebes, ducks, gulls, and geese. Reptiles, amphibians and crustaceans (especially crabs) are also eaten when able.

To hunt fish the eagle swoops down over the water and snatches the fish out of the water with its talons.[20] They eat by holding the fish in one claw and tearing the flesh with the other. Eagles have special things on their toes called spiricules that help them hold the fish more easily.[20] Bald Eagles have powerful talons. They have been recorded flying with a 15-pound fawn.[23] Sometimes, when the fish is too heavy, the eagle will be dragged into the water with it. Sometimes, eagles swim back to the shore and live, but sometimes they may drown or die because of hypothermia (a condition when one’s body gets so cold the body temperature drops below normal). Other times, Bald Eagles will steal fish and other kinds of food away from other animals.[24] Healthy adult Bald Eagles are not eaten anywhere in the wild. This makes them thought as one of the top animals of the food chain.[25]

Reproduction

Two chicks (eaglets).

Bald Eagles become adults when they are four or five years old. When they are old enough to mate, they usually come back to the place where they were born. It is thought that Bald Eagles mate for life. However, if one of the pair dies or disappears, the other will choose a new mate. A pair which can not get a chick after trying for a long time, may split up and look for new mates.[26] When Bald Eagles court, they call and show their flying skills. When they do so, two mates may fly high, and then lock their talons together, and fall, parting again right before hitting the ground.[27] The nest of the Bald Eagle is larger than any other nest in North America.[1] This is because, it is used again and again, and every year more is added to the nest until it may soon become as large as 4 meters (13 feet) deep, 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) across and weigh 1 tonne (1.1 short tons).[1] One nest in Florida was found to be 6.1 meters (20 ft) deep, 2.9 meters (9.5 ft) across, and to weigh 3 short tons (2.7 metric tons).[28] The nest is built out of branches, usually in large trees near water. If there are no trees, the Bald Eagle will make its nest on the ground. Eagles have between one and three eggs per year. Both the male and female take turns incubating the eggs. The other parent will hunt for food or look for more to add onto the nest. The eggs are about 73 millimeters (2.9 inches) long.[20]

Relationship with humans

Fall and rise of population

Once easily seen on the continent, the Bald Eagle was close to becoming extinct because of the use of the pesticide DDT.[29] The DDT made an adult bird's calcium become destroyed, and it would become unable to lay more healthy eggs. Female eagles laid eggs that were too weak to withstand the weight of its parents.[19] In the early 1700s, the number of bald eagles were 300,000–500,000,[30] but by the 1950s there were only 412 nesting pairs in the United States. Other things that stopped Bald Eagles from producing well was the loss of habitat and illegal hunting of Bald Eagles. Also, oil and lead were other big reasons why Bald Eagles began to die out.[31]

First-year

The species was first protected in the United States and Canada by the 1918 Migratory Bird Treaty. The 1940 Bald Eagle Protection Act in the United States also tried to stop the killing of the Bald Eagle and the Golden Eagle. The Bald Eagle was an endangered species in 1967, and the penalties for people who killed the species grew more and more. Also, in 1972, DDT was banned in the United States.[32] DDT was completely banned in Canada in 1989.[33]

Because of all this hard work, the Bald Eagle's population began to rise again. It was officially taken out from the United States list of endangered species on July 12, 1995.[34]

To keep Bald Eagles in captivity, the workers had to be experienced in caring for eagles. The Bald Eagle can live a long time in captivity if well cared for, but does not mate well, even under the best care.[35]

The national bird of the United States

The Bald Eagle is the national bird of the United States. It appears on most of its seals, including the Seal of the President of the United States.[36] The Continental Congress made the design for the Great Seal of the United States with a Bald Eagle holding thirteen arrows and an olive branch with thirteen leaves in its talons on June 20, 1782.[37][38]

Seal of the President of the United States.

The Bald Eagle can be found on both national seals and on the back of several coins (including the quarter dollar coin until 1999). Between 1916 and 1945, the Flag of the President of the United States showed an eagle facing to its left.[39]

There is a popular legend that Benjamin Franklin once supported the Wild Turkey as a symbol of the United States instead of the Bald Eagle. However, there is no evidence that this is true. The legend comes from the letter Franklin wrote to his daughter in 1784 from Paris. However, this letter was about the Society of the Cincinnati, and it did not say anything about the Bald Eagle or the Wild Turkey.[40]

In Native American culture

The Bald Eagle is a holy bird in some North American cultures. Its feathers are thought to be special. They are used very much in spiritual customs among the Native Americans. Eagles are thought as messengers between gods and humans.[41] Eagle feathers are often used in traditional things, especially in fans. The Lakota people, for instance, give an eagle feather as a symbol of honor to a person who achieves a task. In modern times, it may be given on an event such as a graduation from college.[42] The Pawnee people thought eagles as symbols of nature and fertility. This is because their nests are built high off the ground, and because they protect their young very bravely.[43] The Choctaw explained that the Bald Eagle, who can see the sun more directly, is a symbol of peace.[44]

During the Sun Dance, which is danced by a lot of Native American tribes, the eagle is included in many different ways. A whistle made from the wing bone of an eagle is used during the dance. Also during the dance, a medicine man may direct his fan, which is made of eagle feathers, to people who need healing. The fan is then held up toward the sky, so that the eagle may send all the sick prayers to the god.[45]

Presently, the eagle feather law says that the Native American tribes cannot use Bald or Golden Eagle feathers for their religious or spiritual use. This was questioned by the Native American groups because they insisted that it was stopping their ability to use their religion freely.[46][47]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., & Sargatal, J., eds. (1994). Handbook of the Birds of the World Vol. 2. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona ISBN 84-87334-15-6.
  2. ↑ "Bald Eagle Facts and Information". Eagles.org. Retrieved 2008-11-03.
  3. ↑ Bird, D.M. (2004). The Bird Almanac: A Guide to Essential Facts and Figures of the World's Birds. Ontario: Firefly Books. ISBN 1552979253. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Harris. "Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus". University of Michigan Museum of Geology. Retrieved 2007-06-21.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 David Allen Sibley (2000). The Sibley Guide to Birds. National Audubon Society ISBN 0-679-45122-6 p.127
  6. ↑ "Bald Eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus". Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved 2007-06-21.
  7. ↑ Dudley, Karen (1998). Bald Eagles. Raintree Steck-Vaughn Publishers. p. 7. ISBN 0817245715.
  8. ↑ Joshua Dietz. "What's in a Name". Smithsonian National Zoological Park. Retrieved August 19, 2007.
  9. ↑ Henry George Liddell and Robert Scott (1980). A Greek-English Lexicon] (Abridged Edition). United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-910207-4.
  10. ↑ Linnaeus, Carolus (1766). Systema naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. Editio duodecima, reformata. Holmiae. (Laurentii Salvii).
  11. ↑ "Haliaeetus leucocephalus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 2007-06-21.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Brown, N. L. "Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus". Endangered Species Recovery Program. Retrieved 2007-08-20.
  13. ↑ "Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus". The Pacific Wildlife Foundation. Retrieved 2007-06-27.
  14. ↑ Wink, M (1996). "A mtDNA phylogeny of sea eagles (genus Haliaeetus) based on nucleotide sequences of the cytochrome b gene" (PDF). Biochemical Systematics and Ecology. 24: 783–791. doi:10.1016/S0305-1978(97)81217-3. Retrieved 2008-11-07.
  15. ↑ "Bald Eagle Habitat". Bald-Eagles.info. Retrieved 2007-06-21.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 "Wildlife Species: Haliaeetus leucocephalus". USDA Forest Service. Retrieved 2007-06-21.
  17. ↑ "Ross Island FAQ" (PDF). Willamette Riverkeeper website. Willamette Riverkeeper. 2009. Retrieved 2009-11-07.
  18. ↑ Carlson, Jen. "Bald Eagle Spotted Near Fairway". Gothamist. Retrieved 2010-03-20.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Bull J, Farrand, J Jr (1987). Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds: Eastern Region. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. pp. 468–9. ISBN 0-394-41405-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 Terres, J. K. (1980). The Audubon Society Encyclopedia of North American Birds. New York, NY: Knopf. pp. 644–647. ISBN 0394466519. {{cite book}}: More than one of |author= and |last= specified (help)
  21. ↑ "Bald Eagle Facts and Information". Eagles.org. Retrieved 2009-03-03.
  22. ↑ Daum, David W. "Bald Eagle". Alaska Department of Fish & Game. Retrieved 2007-08-15.
  23. ↑ "BIRDS OF PREY — Diet & Eating Habits". Seaworld.org. Retrieved 2009-03-03.
  24. ↑ Jorde, D.G. (1998). "Kleptoparasitism by Bald Eagles wintering in South-Central Nebraska" (PDF). Journal of Field Ornithology. 59 (2): 183–188. Retrieved 2007-08-21.
  25. ↑ "San Diego Zoo's Animal Bytes: Bald Eagle". Sandiegozoo.org. Retrieved 2009-03-03.
  26. ↑ R.F. Stocek. "Bald Eagle". Canadian Wildlife Service. Retrieved 2007-08-19.
  27. ↑ "Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)". Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved 2007-04-24.
  28. ↑ Erickson, L. (2007). Bald Eagle Journey North About Bald Eagle Nests
  29. ↑ Brown, Leslie (1976). Birds of Prey: Their biology and ecology. Hamlyn. p. 226. ISBN 0-600-31306-9.
  30. ↑ "Bald Eagle Facts and Information". American eagle foundation. Retrieved 2008-01-03.
  31. ↑ Milloy, Steven (2006-07-06). "Bald Eagle". Fox News. Retrieved 2008-01-03.
  32. ↑ EPA press release. "DDT Ban Takes Effect". United States Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved 2007-08-22.
  33. ↑ Barrera, Jorge. "Agent Orange has left deadly legacy Fight continues to ban pesticides and herbicides across Canada". Retrieved 2007-08-22.
  34. ↑ "Bald Eagle Soars Off Endangered Species List". U.S. Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2007-08-27.
  35. ↑ Maestrelli, John R. (1975). "Breeding Bald Eagles in Captivity". The Wilson Bulletin. 87 (I). Retrieved 2007-08-19. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  36. ↑ 4 U.S.C. § 41; The Bald Eagle on the Great Seal.
  37. ↑ "Original Design of the Great Seal of the United States (1782)". National Archives. Retrieved 2007-08-19.
  38. ↑ The official description was in text only; no diagram was included. Text of the Act.
  39. ↑ Mikkelson, Barbara & Mikkelson, David P. "A Turn of the Head". snopes.com. Retrieved 2007-08-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  40. ↑ "American Heraldry Society | MMM / The Arms of the United States: Benjamin Franklin and the Turkey". Americanheraldry.org. Retrieved 2010-03-20.
  41. ↑ Julie Collier. "The Sacred Messengers". Mashantucket Pequot Museum. Retrieved 2007-05-20.
  42. ↑ Melmer, David. "Bald eagles may come off threatened list". Indian Country Today. Retrieved 2007-08-23.
  43. ↑ Brown, Steven C.; Averill, Lloyd J. "Sun Dogs and Eagle Down". University of Washington Press. Retrieved 2007-08-23.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  44. ↑ O'Brien, Greg (2005). "Power Derived from the Outside World". Choctaws in a Revolutionary Age, 1750-1830. University of Nebraska Press. p. 58. ISBN 0803286228. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |origdate= ignored (|orig-date= suggested) (help)
  45. ↑ Lawrence, Elizabeth Atwood. "The Symbolic Role of Animals in the Plains Indian Sun Dance". University of Washington Press. Retrieved 2007-08-23.
  46. ↑ DeMeo, Antonia M. (1995). "Access to Eagles and Eagle Parts: Environmental Protection v. Native American Free Exercise of Religion". Hastings Constitutional Law Quarterly. 22 (3): 771–813. Retrieved 2007-08-22.
  47. ↑ Boradiansky, Tina S. (1990). "Conflicting Values: The Religious Killing of Federally Protected Wildlife". University of New Mexico School of Law. Retrieved 2007-08-23.

Further reading

  • Beans, Bruce E. (1996). Eagle's Plume: The Struggle to Preserve the Life and Haunts of America's Bald Eagle. New York, NY: Scribner. ISBN 0684806967. OCLC 35029744.
  • Gerrard, Jonathan M. (1988). The Bald Eagle: Haunts and Habits of a Wilderness Monarch. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press. ISBN 0874744512. OCLC 16801779. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  • Isaacson, Philip M. (1975). The American Eagle (1st ed.). Boston, MA: New York Graphic Society. ISBN 0821206125. OCLC 1366058.
  • Knight, Richard L. (1995). Wildlife and Recreationists: Coexistence through Management and Research. Washington, DC: Island Press. ISBN 1559632577. OCLC 30893485. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  • Laycock, George (1973). Autumn of the Eagle. New York. NY: Scribner. ISBN 0684134136. OCLC 754345.
  • Petersen, Shannon (2002). Acting for Endangered Species: The Statutory Ark. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas. ISBN 070061172X. OCLC 48477567.
  • Spencer, Donald A. (1976). Wintering of the Migrant Bald Eagle in the Lower 48 States. Washington, DC: National Agricultural Chemicals Association. OCLC 2985418.
  • Stalmaster, Mark V. (1987). The Bald Eagle. New York, NY: Universe Books. ISBN 0876634919. OCLC 15014825.
  • Temple, Stanley A. (1978). Endangered Birds: Management Techniques for Preserving Threatened Species. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press. ISBN 0299075206. OCLC 3750666.

Identification

  • Grant, Peter J. (1988) The Co. Kerry Bald Eagle Twitching 1(12): 379-80 - describes plumage differences between Bald Eagle and White-tailed Eagle in juveniles

Other websites

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Haliaeetus leucocephalus.
Wikispecies has information on: Bald Eagle.


Template:Link FA Template:Link FA Template:Link FA Template:Link FA

Retrieved from "https://simple.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bald_eagle&oldid=2482366"