Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle. Haliaeetus leucocephalus. , Characteristics: The Bald Eagle is a large North American raptor that is the national bird and a symbol of the United States of America. The body is colored brown and has a distinctive white head and yellow eyes. Both males and females are identical in plumage coloration and differ only in size as the females are up to 25% larger than males. Bald eagles sexually mature at 4-5 years of age and they nest in tall mature trees. The build the largest nests of any other North American bird and will generally use the same nest annually, adding to it each year. These nests can be up to 13 ft deep and 9 ft. wide and can weigh over a ton!, Habitat: They prefer habitat near open bodies of water and mature forests., Diet: Mainly piscivorous (fish eating) they are known to also prey on small mammals and carrion, Conservation: The Bald Eagle was taken off the US Government's Endangered Species list in 2007. Still considered vulnerable this species can currently be found in all of the continental United States, Canada, Mexico and Alaska., New Jersey: As of 2007 in New Jersey, there are 219 Bald Eagles and 64 breeding pairs. This is a record high! Most of the Bald Eagle population (over 90%) exist in the southern part of the State and more than half of the breeding pairs exist in counties that border the Delaware Bay., Stats:

Life Span: 20 years in the wild, up to 50 years in captivity , Size: Wingspan up to 7½ feet , Weight: 5-6 kg (11-13 lbs) , Incubation: 35 days (1-3 eggs) , Range: U.S. and Canada

, Did You Know? , While most of the prey for Bald Eagles consist of fish, carrion and small mammals it has been documented that Bald Eagles have taken mature swans and White-tail Deer fawns as prey!