CK-12 Understanding Biodiversity

12.9. Haliaeetus leucocephalus: Bald Eagle http://www.ck12.org

as a humans. Its wings are not designed for low flying, as the bald eagle is normally a high-flying eagle. The bald
eagle reaches sexual maturity at age four to five. A bald eagle lays 1-3 eggs a time. The eggs are then incubated
by both parents for 34-36 days before they hatch. For about 5 weeks after it has hatched, a baby bald eagle cannot
walk. When it first takes to the skies, interestingly, is a dark black all over! Even more interesting, it is a little
larger than its parents. In over the next few years, its plumage changes, the top looks like it is from a bird in the
process of shedding feathers, the bottom appears to have white wings and black feathers coming out from them.
This can be very confusing to birdwatchers. It is believed by many that Washington’s eagle, “discovered” by John
James Audubon, was an immature bald eagle. Interestingly, Audubon knew what an immature bald eagle looked
like, and he had made paintings of them.Haliaeetus leucocephaluslives for about 20-25 years in the wild, but has
been known to live longer in captivity, as one was recorded to have lived about twice as long as the life expectancy
in the wild.

Behavior

TheHaliaeetus leucocephalusis can be an aggressive species, and it mates for life. The bald eagle is known to steal
food from other animals. Because of this, scientist, American founding father and revolutionary, Benjamin Franklin,
was appalled, and said precisely in a letter “he is a bird of bad moral character”. Instead, he suggested thatMeleagris
gallopavo(the wild turkey) become the national bird.Haliaeetus leucocephaluslacks a gizzard, so it must catch and
kill everything it eats.

References

http://baldeagleinfo.com/

http://eol.org/pages/1049121/overview

http://www.ck12.org/biology/Bird-Evolution/lesson/Bird-Evolution/

http://www.naturebytesvideo.com

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/american-eagle/bald-eagles-evolutionary-ancestors/4274/

Readers Digest Association. Book of North American Birds. Readers Digest Association, 1990. Print.

Ryden, Hope. America’s Bald Eagle. Putnam, 1985. Print.

Sibley, David Allen. The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western North America. Knopf, 2003. Print.

"What Is a Bird?" San Diego: Mission Trails Regional Park Trail Guide Training Program, 2008. Print.

Attribution

Authors