{"id":1194,"date":"2017-11-16T18:30:55","date_gmt":"2017-11-16T18:30:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress.viu.ca\/biol325\/?p=1194"},"modified":"2017-11-17T02:27:08","modified_gmt":"2017-11-17T02:27:08","slug":"the-bald-and-the-beautiful-the-bald-eagle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.viu.ca\/biol325\/2017\/11\/16\/the-bald-and-the-beautiful-the-bald-eagle\/","title":{"rendered":"The Bald and the Beautiful: The Bald Eagle"},"content":{"rendered":"

Whether they be soaring at high altitudes or swooping down to the river in hopes of catching their next meal, it\u2019s nearly impossible not to stop and admire these sizeable creatures. These raptors are instantly recognizable by their dark brown plumage, broad wings, hooked yellow beak and characteristic white or \u201cbald\u201d head (The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 2015<\/a>). Its no wonder the Bald Eagle is a renowned symbol of grace, power and pure magnificence.<\/p>\n

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Manwe, a majestic male Bald Eagle at The Raptors <\/a>(Photo by Chanelle Clement)<\/p><\/div>\n

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The Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus<\/em>) is one of the largest birds of prey in North America with a typical wingspan between 6 to 7 feet and weighing in around 9.5 pounds (Sibley, 2016). Their weight however, depends on the sex of the bird, with females being slightly larger on average than males.<\/p>\n

These talented birds of prey are known for their long, sharp talons as well as their exquisite eyesight, making them exceptional predators. It is estimated that an eagle\u2019s vision is four to eight times better than that of a human, capable of seeing small objects that are over three kilometers away (Grambo, 1999<\/a>)!<\/p>\n

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Luckily for these guys, their “baldness” refers to being white-headed rather than hairless! (Comic by Mike Bannon<\/a>)<\/p><\/div>\n

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FUN FACT:<\/em> <\/strong>The Bald Eagle is not actually bald! Their name is a misnomer which comes from the shortening of the term piebald. This term describes the contrast between the birds dark body and snowy white head (Reeb et al.<\/em> 2007<\/a>), creating the illusion of baldness from afar.<\/p>\n

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Although male and female Bald Eagles look identical, juveniles are almost completely covered in dark plumage, including their head and tail, and do not attain their adult plumage until they reach five years of age (The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 2015<\/a>). A surefire way to identify a juvenile Bald Eagle as it soars overhead is to search for distinctive white armpits.<\/p>\n

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An adult Bald Eagle (left) vs. a juvenile Bald Eagle (right) perching on a log in Alaska (Photo by Rolf Hicker<\/a>)<\/p><\/div>\n

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Bald Eagle (left) with almost complete adult plumage and a juvenile Bald Eagle (right) with characteristic white armpits (Photo by National Audubon Society<\/a>)<\/p><\/div>\n

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One curious element to the strong and powerful Bald Eagle is their call. You may be surprised when you hear the not-so-impressive, high-pitched shrill emitted by this enormous bird.<\/p>\n\nhttps:\/\/wordpress.viu.ca\/biol325\/files\/2017\/11\/baea.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

Sound clip of Bald Eagle Call (Sound clip from VIU LEARN: BIOLOGY 325<\/a>)<\/p>\n

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Bald Eagles are common across all of North America (Photo by The Cornell Lab of Ornithology<\/a>)<\/p><\/div>\n

The Bald Eagle is common across all of North America\u00a0(Barry, 2015<\/a>) as can be seen in the figure to the left. However, these raptors are\u00a0most abundant in Alaska and Canada (National Geographic, 2017<\/a>), especially along the coast of British Columbia. Most Bald Eagles spend their summers anywhere from Alaska to Newfoundland where they breed, while only some migrate south during the winter months in search of food and more favourable climates (Reeb et al.<\/em> 2007<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Bald Eagles are often found anywhere near water including lakes, rivers, marshes and along coastlines (Cornell University, 2015<\/a>). They are known to nest in forested areas close of water, and you can typically find them perching in tall mature tress, keeping an eye on any suspicious activity occurring down below (The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 2015<\/a>)!<\/p>\n

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The largest recorded Bald Eagle nest can be found in St. Petersburg, Florida and weighs nearly 3 tons (National Eagle Centre, 2017<\/a>)! (Photo by Edd S.<\/a>)<\/p><\/div>\n

Bald Eagles are also phenomenal builders! They are responsible for building the largest nest of any bird in North America (Journey North, 2017<\/a>). Their nests typically span 5 to 6 feet in diameter and 2 to 4 feet tall, taking upwards of three months to build (The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 2015<\/a>)!<\/p>\n

Both males and females work together in collecting the materials needed for the nest; however, it is the female who straps on her tool belt, in charge of nest construction and placement of branches, mosses and other plant stocks (The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 2015<\/a>). The nest is then lined with lichen and down feathers (The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 2015<\/a>), making it soft and suitable for young. When nesting sites in trees become scarce, \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Bald Eagles will build their nests on the ground \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 or on cliff tops (Journey North, 2017<\/a>).<\/p>\n

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These adorable baby Bald Eagles are referred to as eaglets, relying completely on their parents for protection and care until they leave the nest (Photo by Peter Nye<\/a>)<\/p><\/div>\n

Bald Eagles are monogamous and mate for life, demonstrating site fidelity (returning to the same nest each year) after their first breeding season, occurring between the ages of four and five (National Audubon Society, 2017<\/a>; Journey North, 2017<\/a>). A female will lay 1 to 3 eggs per clutch, which hatch after approximately 35 days, with the eaglets remaining in the nest for 10 to 12 weeks after hatching (The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 2015<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Bald Eagles can live anywhere from 20 to 30 years in the wild (Journey North, 2017<\/a>) with the oldest recorded individual being 38 years of age when it died in 2015 (The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 2015<\/a>).<\/p>\n

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A feathered phenomenon! This incredible video highlights a recent and local adoption story of a Bald Eagle family raising a Red-tailed-Hawk chick as one of their own! Biologists believe the baby hawk was brought to the nest intended as a meal for the eaglets but instead started begging for food, causing the eagles parental instincts to kick in.<\/p>\n

Check out the full news story here: http:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/canada\/british-columbia\/bald-eagles-raise-red-tailed-hawk-1.4151033\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n