Bald Eagles

The bald eagle is the national bird and symbol of the United States. It has a white head, dark brown body, and a yellow beak. Bald eagles are powerful hunters that soar over lakes and rivers looking for fish. They are one of the largest birds in North America.

Skilled Fish Hunters

Bald eagles mainly eat fish, which they snatch from the water with their sharp talons. They can see fish swimming from over a mile away. Bald eagles can fly at speeds up to 100 miles per hour when diving. Their talons can grip with 400 pounds of force.

A Conservation Success

Bald eagles almost went extinct in the 1960s due to a pesticide called DDT. The chemical made their eggshells so thin they broke before the chicks could hatch. After DDT was banned, eagle numbers slowly recovered. Today there are over 300,000 bald eagles in the United States.

Fun Facts

• Bald eagles are not actually bald. Their name comes from an old word meaning 'white headed.'
• A bald eagle's wingspan can reach over 7 feet.
• Bald eagles mate for life and return to the same nest year after year.

Did You Know?

Bald eagles build the largest nests of any bird in North America. One nest in Florida was 9 feet wide, 20 feet deep, and weighed almost 3 tons!