Introduction
The United States population is 320.09 million. But what is its national bird? If you guessed “bald eagle”, you’re right! Its scientific name is “Haliaeetus leucophalus”. It is the only eagle that lives in just the U.S. Human activities, such as hunting, threatened the eagle’s population. But in the 1900’s, the U.S. government passed the Eagle Protection Act. This banned eagle hunting throughout the country. Soon, the bald eagle was removed from the U.S. Endangered Species list. In this report, you will learn about the bald eagle, it’s behavior and how it escaped the brink of extinction.
Description
The bald eagle has many amazing features. The eagle is divided into four groups: snake eagles, buzzard-like eagles, booted eagles, and bald eagles. Eagles are raptors, meaning they eat each other to survive. There are two main orders of raptors: Strigiformes and Falconiformes. Bald eagles are Falconiformes, so they hunt mostly during the day.
Their size depends on their habitat, gender, and age. Female bald eagles tend to be bigger than the male bald eagles. Their most important sense is their vision. They can see three times better than humans. They can spot prey as much as three kilometers away!
They have very strong feet for capturing and killing prey. Their feet are also rough, so they can catch slippery prey, like snakes. Each foot alone grows to about 6 inches long, and has four toes (three in the front and one behind). They each have sharp talons. The talons are the eagle’s most important tool, and also it’s secret weapon, since they’re even stronger than the beak. The hind toe and talon are the strongest of the toes. When the eagle gasps its prey, the talons dig into the victim, often piercing a vital organ. These are some of the eagle’s amazing features.
Habitat
Bald eagles live in North America, in the U.S.A and some of Canada and Mexico. They mostly like to live near water. No wonder they’re nickname is “sea eagle”! They also live along seacoasts, beside lakes, rivers and even in swamplands. For a bald eagle to live somewhere, the habitat must include open spaces where prey can be killed and eaten, a foraging area where food is consistent and plentiful, and a good perching area.
Migration is regular for these national wonders, but it will only migrate if the food supply is low. Now that’s what you call a relentless hunter! These are some facts about the bald eagles habitat.
Diet/Food
Bald eagles are both scavengers and hunters. They have the ability to eat many things, a trick especially useful when food is low. They’re usual diet consists of fish, birds, and mammals. Fish is its favorite dish. But, it will still eat almost anything. Talk about a big appetite!!!
Adaptations
The Bald Eagle has many awesome adaptations. It uses its thick layers of feathers to keep it warm during the below-0 temperatures of winter. It uses its agile vision to spot prey, especially when taking flight. Once the prey is spotted, the eagle uses its talons to dig into the victim’s vital organ, killing it. Once the prey is killed, the eagle uses it’s talons to break up its meal it pieces so the eagle’s toothless beak can swallow it. The eagle uses its vision to spot predators that are far away or nearby. These are the Bald Eagle’s adaptations.
Fun Facts
There are many fun facts about the bald eagle. First of all, they are some of the most powerful and strongest birds today. Next, it has been the national symbol of the U.S.A since 1782!!! Then, in the wild, they can live to be 35 years or older. Finally( and worst of them all!), they’re worst enemies are humans, and have lost much of their traditional habitat due to human activity. These are some fun( and not fun) facts about the bald eagle.
Conclusion
In my opinion, the bald eagle is the greatest animal in the world. Their hunting style is amazing. They use their talons to pierce and kill their prey, and rip it apart and swallow it with their beak. I chose the bald eagle because of its dominance in the forest. Through this report, I learnt all about the Bald Eagle. So remember, next time you see a bald eagle, salute to it!!!
Read my earlier research reports on Crocodiles and King Cobras.
So, what do you think ?