Species of the Month

Celebrate America with July’s Species of the Month. An American icon, the bald eagle is synonymous with freedom and power. Looking at them through a naturalist's eyes, they are also a symbol graceful elegance, keen vision, and superb scavenging skills.

Eagle in flight over Puget Sound

Scientific name: Haliaeetus leucocephalus

Kingdom: Animalia (animals)

Class: Aves (birds)

Order: Falconiformae (daytime birds of prey)

Range: Subarctic North America south to Mexico

Habitat: Large trees typically near water (freshwater or saltwater)

Lifespan: 15-19 years

Diet: fish (freshwater or saltwater), water birds (murres, herons, geese, etc), squirrels, voles, otter pups, rats, carrion, human garbage          

Predators: Adults not subject to predation; eggs and young are preyed upon by bears, raccoons, wolverines, bobcats, foxes, gulls, and corvids

Conservation Status: Species of least concern

Bath time (Photo by Ken Sutliff)

The intense gaze (Photo by Ken Sutliff)

Other Information: The bald eagle has been the US national symbol since 1782, despite objections from Ben Franklin. Listed as endangered in 1978, populations have rebounded dramatically and it was delisted in 2007, an Endangered Species Act success story. Some eagles are migratory, others are year-round residents, depending on location. In addition to hunting and scavenging, some will steal food from other species, particularly osprey. Bald eagles have a long lifespan. Eggs have a low success rate but one-year mortality rates are low. They mate for life but may take a new mate after one dies. Mating rituals include death-defying aerobatics. Bald eagles go through several color morphs before maturing into baldness at age five. Immature bald eagles are frequently confused with golden eagles. Bald eagles are extremely shy and will avoid humans as much as possible. I have a hard time sneaking up on them to get close enough for a good picture.

A whole pile of bald eagles over Mashel River in Eatonville, WA

This week’s information comes from University of Michigan’s Animal Diversity Web: http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Haliaeetus_leucocephalus/ and special thanks to Ken Sutliff for the bald eagle photos.