White-tailed Eagle
Scientific name: Haliaeetus albicilla
Family name: Accipitridae

Are they endangered? No, these birds are not endangered worldwide.  They were threatened in 1988, then moved up to near threatened, and now are of Least concern.  (IUCN Red list: Least concern)

What are their past/present problems?  They are losing their habitat because people are logging.  The total amount of birds is increasing in the world, but in some areas is still declining.  Other reasons for decline are because they are flying into windmills, eating prey that had been poisoned, and pollution.  There are more White-tailed Eagles around now because of new laws against hunting the birds and the places where they build their nests are now protected.

What do they look like?  These birds are mostly brown.  They have a white tail and their eyes are white.  They have bright orangish-yellow beaks and legs.
How big are they?  They are about 3 feet long.  If their wings are stretched out, they would be about 7 feet wide.  They are large birds.
How many eggs do they lay?  Females lay between 1 and 3 white eggs once a year.  The eggs hatch in about 5 weeks.
How long do the fledglings stay in the nest?  They make their nests out of sticks, grass and things they find.  They like to build their nests in pine trees or on shelves of rock that stick out of mountains.  The young birds (fledglings) start to fly in 10 weeks.
When do they hunt?  They hunt during the day. (diurnal)
What do they eat?  They like to eat fish, birds, rabbits, MICE and sometimes dead animals.  White-tailed Eagles will also steal other animals’ food.
Where do they live?  They live in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, the Netherlands, the United States, and in Egypt.
What kind of place do they like to live in?  They like to live in pine forests, wetlands, and by bodies of water.
Interesting facts:
They don’t stay in an area where people bother them.
They won’t migrate unless they are in really cold places.
Their nests might have MOUSE bones in them!
There might be a day or two in between the laying of each egg. 

Works Cited:

Alsop, Fred.  Birds of North America.  New York:  DK Publishing, 2001.

De Volder, Linda.  “Re: Picture Donation.”    E-Mail to Club Web.   8 Feb. 2008.

Haliaeetus albicilla.  23 Jan. 2008.  <http://www.iucnredlist.org/search/details.php/9646/all>.

O’Brien, Tim.  “White-tailed eagles return to Ireland after 80-year absence.”  Irish Times.  17 Aug 2007.