Hey cool, here are some facts about
me and my friends.
Bald Eagles are not really bald. Their head
is actually covered with white feathers. The white feathers on their
head comes when they are 5 or 6 years old. Baby eagles are partially
covered with down, but when they leave the nest, they have dark feathers
all over. The female can be one third larger than the male.
They have wide long wings that help them stay in the air. A Bald
Eagles wing span is normally 8 feet.
Usually they live near the sea. They only live
in trees 75 feet or higher. Bald Eagles add to their nest over and
over. Sometimes it can take a pair of eagles as long as six weeks
to build their nest for the first time. The eyrie is the large nest made
of sticks and lined with twigs and green grass. The heaviest nest
ever found is 1 ton. (That's 2000 pounds!)
They mate for life. The female may lay from
one to three eggs and raises one brood (group) a year. If these eggs
are destroyed the female may lay more eggs. It takes four weeks for
an eagle egg to hatch. Eaglets grow slowly and need a large amount
of food.
Bald Eagles normally eat fish. Sometimes
they will eat snakes and smaller birds. They have long sharp
beaks and curved talons to help hold prey. They can fly with 8 pounds
of food. Bald Eagles help man by catching rodents and rabbits
that destroy grain fields.
Eagles have great eyesight that helps them
see for one to one and a half miles away. (Thus the term eagles
eye) They can dive at 100 miles per hour. Their eyesight and
diving ability help them catch food.
