American Bald Eagle

BALD EAGLE

My grown kids went to Charleston, North Carolina last summer for their vacation and sent me a couple of photos. I already posted the Braided Horse Mane which you can see here: https://steemit.com/animal/@whatisnew/braided-horse-mane

And this is the final photo that I wanted to share. An up-close meeting with an American Bald Eagle.

The Bald Eagle is our national bird and in 1940, congress passed "The Bald Eagle Protection Act" because these birds were in danger of extinction. In 2007, the bald eagle was removed from the endangered species list, but there are laws in place to protect them. It is against the law to kill or harm bald eagles, their nests or their eggs. Selling is also against the law. These birds are massive with the females being the largest, weighing in at approximately 14 pounds and their wingspan is approximately 8 feet. The males are approximately 10 pounds with a wingspan of approximately 6 feet.

They mate for life and usually lay 1-3 eggs once a year. The baby eaglets hatch in approximately 35 days and are able to fly by the time they are 3 months old. Bad weather, lack of food, diseases, and human interference can kill eaglets, so only approximately 70% live through their first year of life. During their first 5 years, their beaks slowly turn yellow and by the time they are 5 years old, their head and tail feathers are solid white. Their main food is fish, but they also feed on rabbits, snakes, and turtles. They can live approximately 15-25 years in the wild.

Thanks for looking!

Information Source: baldeagleinfo.com, fws.gov

Image Source: 100% own work.