Moonring Nature Photography :: Bald Eagle - Species Haliaeetus leucocephalus

Blackish-brown back and breast; a white head, neck, and tail; and yellow feet and beak. Juvenile bald eagles are a mixture of brown and white; with a black bill in young birds. The adult plumage develops when they're sexually mature. It takes about 5 years for their head and tail feathers to gradually turn white. The bald eagle is the only eagle confined to North America, and there are no other large black birds in North America with white heads and tails.

The female bald eagle is 35 to 37 inches, slightly larger than the male. With a wingspan which varies from 79 to 90 inches. The male bald eagle has a body length from 30 to 34 inches. The wingspan ranges from 72 to 85 inches. Bald eagles weigh from ten to fourteen pounds. Northern birds are significantly larger than their southern relatives.

The golden eagle is larger than the bald eagle in average height and wingspan, but there isn't much difference in their average weight.

Habitat and Range

The Bald Eagle prefers habitats near seacoasts, rivers, large lakes, and other large bodies of open water with an abundance of warm-water fishes. Studies have shown a preference for bodies of water with a circumference greater than 11 km (7 mi), and lakes with an area greater than 10 sq km (3.8 square miles) are optimal for breeding bald eagles, although longer and narrower bodies of water can support breeding pairs.

The Bald Eagle's natural range covers most of North America, including most of Canada, all of the continental United States, and northern Mexico. The bird itself is able to live in most of North America's varied habitats from the bayous of Louisiana to the Sonoran desert and the eastern deciduous forests of Quebec and New England. It can be a migratory bird but it also is not unheard of for a nesting pair to overwinter in its breeding area.

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

General Information

Habitat and Range




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	Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) General Information Blackish-brown back and breast; a white head, neck, and tail; and yellow feet and beak. Juvenile bald eagles are a mixture of brown and white; with a black bill in young birds. The adult plumage develops when they're sexually mature. It takes about 5 years for their head and tail feathers to gradually turn white. The bald eagle is the only eagle confined to North America, and there are no other large black birds in North America with white heads and tails. The female bald eagle is 35 to 37 inches, slightly larger than the male. With a wingspan which varies from 79 to 90 inches. The male bald eagle has a body length from 30 to 34 inches. The wingspan ranges from 72 to 85 inches. Bald eagles weigh from ten to fourteen pounds. Northern birds are significantly larger than their southern relatives. The golden eagle is larger than the bald eagle in average height and wingspan, but there isn't much difference in their average weight. Habitat and Range The Bald Eagle prefers habitats near seacoasts, rivers, large lakes, and other large bodies of open water with an abundance of warm-water fishes. Studies have shown a preference for bodies of water with a circumference greater than 11 km (7 mi), and lakes with an area greater than 10 sq km (3.8 square miles) are optimal for breeding bald eagles, although longer and narrower bodies of water can support breeding pairs. The Bald Eagle's natural range covers most of North America, including most of Canada, all of the continental United States, and northern Mexico. The bird itself is able to live in most of North America's varied habitats from the bayous of Louisiana to the Sonoran desert and the eastern deciduous forests of Quebec and New England. It can be a migratory bird but it also is not unheard of for a nesting pair to overwinter in its breeding area.