| Photo Information |
Copyright: Nel Diepstraten (NellyD)
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 237 W: 0 N: 445]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-n-g.gif) (1783) |
| Genre: Animals |
| Medium: Color |
| Date Taken: 2008-05-03 |
| Categories: Birds |
| Camera: Canon 350D |
| Photo Version: Original Version |
| Date Submitted: 2008-05-29 4:55 |
| Viewed: 905 |
| Favorites: 1 [view] |
| Points: 14 |
|
| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
This is another picture I took at the Wildlifepark Hellenthal in Germany.
About the bald eagle from the internet:
Name: Bald Eagle or American Eagle
(Haliaeetus leucocephalus)
The feathers of newly hatched Bald Eaglets are light grey, and turn dark brown before they leave the nest at about 12 weeks of age. During their third and fourth years, Bald Eagles have mottled brown and white feathers under their wings and on their head, tail and breast. The distinctive white head and tail feathers do not appear until Bald Eagles are about 4 to 5 years old. Their beak and eyes turn yellow during the fourth and fifth year, and are dark brown prior to that time. Bald Eagles are about 29 to 42 inches long, can weigh 7 to 15 pounds, and have a wing span of 6 to 8 feet. This makes them one of the largest birds in North America. Females are larger than males. Bald Eagles residing in the northern U. S. are larger than those that reside in the south. They have a life span of up to 40 years in the wild, and longer in captivity.
Bald Eagles live near large bodies of open water such as lakes, marshes, seacoasts and rivers, where there are plenty of fish to eat and tall trees for nesting and roosting. Bald Eagles have a presence in every U. S. state except Hawaii. Bald Eagles use a specific territory for nesting, winter feeding or a year-round residence. Its natural domain is from Alaska to Baja, California, and from Maine to Florida. Bald Eagles that reside in the northern U. S. and Canada migrate to the warmer southern climates of the U. S. during the winter to obtain easier access to food, especially fish. Some Bald Eagles that reside in the southern U. S. migrate slightly north during the hot summer months.
Bald Eagles feed primarily on fish, but also eat small animals (ducks, coots, muskrats, turtles, rabbits, snakes, etc.) and occasional carrion (dead animals). They swoop down to seize fish in their powerful, long and sharp talons (approximately 1,000 pounds of pressure per square inch in each foot). They can carry their food off in flight, but can only lift about half their weight. Bald Eagles have been recorded at 44 miles per hour in level flight. They seldom dive vertically on their prey, preferring to decend more gradually and snatch fish, rabbits, etc. with their feet. Their diving speed is estimated at 75 to 100 miles per hour. They can fly to altitudes of 10,000 feet or more, and can soar aloft for hours using natural wind currents and thermal updrafts. Bald Eagles can swim to shore with a heavy fish using their strong wings as paddles. However, it is also possible that they can drown if the fish weighs too much.
Bald Eagles are monogamous and mate for life. A Bald Eagle will only select another mate if its faithful companion should die. They build large nests, called eyries, at the top of sturdy tall trees. The nests become larger as the eagles return to breed and add new nesting materials year after year. Bald Eagles make their new nests an average of 2 feet deep and 5 feet across. Eventually, some nests reach sizes of more than 10 feet wide and can weigh several tons. When a nest is destroyed by natural causes it is often rebuilt nearby. Nests are lined with twigs, soft mosses, grasses and feathers. The female lays 1 to 3 eggs annually in the springtime, which hatch after about 35 days of incubation. Hunting, egg incubation, nest watch, eaglet feeding and eaglet brooding duties are shared by both parents until the young are strong enough to fly at about 12 weeks of age. Eaglets are full size at 12 weeks of age. Only about 50% of eaglets hatched survive the first year. |
goldyrs, Maite, writerscrawlz, Alex99 has marked this note useful
Only registered TrekNature members may rate photo notes. |
|
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1060 W: 57 N: 2419]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-g-g.gif)
(9269)![Gold Star Critiquer [C: 2486 W: 0 N: 0]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-n-n.gif)
(0)