40 Facts About Bald Eagle

40 Facts About Bald Eagle 

Kingdom  Animalia 
Phylum  Chordata 
Class  Aves 
Order  Falconiformes 
Family  Accipitridae 
Genus  Haliaeetus 
Species  H. leucocephalus 

1. The bald eagle's  scientific name  signifies a  sea  (halo) eagle  (aeetos) with a white (leukos) head. At one time, the word "bald" meant "white," not hairless.

2. Eagles  are  a member  of  the Accipitridae  family, which  also  includes hawks,  kites, and oldworld vultures.
3. There  are  two  subspecies  of  bald  eagles.  The  "southern"  bald  eagle,  Haliaeetus leucocephalus and the "northern "bald eagle Haliaeetus  leucocephalus  alascanus.
4. The golden eagle is larger than the bald eagle in average height and wingspan, but there isn't much difference in their average weight.
5. Eagles do not sweat, so they need to use other cooling methods such as perching in the shade, panting, and holding their wings away from their body.
6. Tolerance to cold temperatures- A bald eagle's skin is protected by feathers lined with down. The feet are cold resistance because they are mostly tendon. The outside of the bill is mostly nonliving material, with little blood supply.
7. Largest member of the Hawk family.
8. About 90% of eagles do not survive their first year.
9. About 40% do not survive their first flight.
10. Eagles are capable of breeding from age 4
11. Some eagles do not breed every year. (Reason unknown).
12. Eggs are generally laid in late March or early May, depending on the area of the country. Incubation period is 35 days.
13. At 10 to 12 weeks of age, eagles are fully grown and capable of flight.
14. Nesting territory roughly 1 to 2 square miles.
 15. ½ of world eagle population lives in Alaska.
16. Bald eagleís skeleton weighs approximately ½ pound. (200-300 gram range)
17. There are some 7,200 feathers on an eagleís body.
18. Feathers weigh twice as much in total weight than the skeleton.
19. Beak, talons and feathers are all made of keratin; therefore they are in a constant state of growth.
20. Eagles can shift and fluff their feathers in order to protect themselves from harsh weather, wind and temperatures.
21. Eagles have color vision .An  eagle's  eye  is  almost  as  large  as  a human's, but its sharpness is at least four times that of a person with perfect vision. The eagle  can  probably  identify  a  rabbit moving  almost  a mile  away. That means  that  an eagle flying at an altitude of 1000 feet over open country could spot prey over an area of almost 3 square miles from a fixed position.
22. Body temperature is 102º Fahrenheit (38.8º C)
23. Eagles  do  not  have  vocal  cords;  sound  is  produced  in  the  Syrinx,, a  bony chamber located where the trachea divides to go to the lungs.
24. Bald eagles have two centers of focus or Foveae, which gives them the ability to see forward and to the sides simultaneously.
25. Eagles  do  have  hearing,  it  is  used  to  help  locate  and  lock in  on  prey  when necessary. It is not as strong or remarkable as their eyesight or an owls hearing.
26. Eagle' s ears are located just behind the eyes.
27. Bald eagle's  feet are  resistant  to cold, due  to being made up mostly of  tendon. This also aids in their incredible strength.
28. The eagle can produce up to 1000 p.s.i. of torque on either of its feet.
29. Hunting areas can cover from 1,700 to 10,000  acres.
30. Eagles can rotate their heads about the same distance as owls, 270º
31. Eagles  have  a  second  transparent  eyelid  (Nictitating Membrane)  to  protect  its eye while  eating,  hunting,  feeding  young,  etc.  It  also  cleans & moisturizes  the eye.
32. Spicules are the small, rough projections sticking out from  the undersides of  the eagleís fleshy toes which help the eagle grasp slippery prey.
33. Eagles have a Crop  that stores  food while  the stomach  is  full,  it also separates indigestible  foods that  become  coated  in  mucus,  which  is  then  expelled  or regurgitated much like an owl pellet.
34. At a height of 1000 feet, the bald eagle has a range of view for small prey (rabbit size) of about 3 square miles.
35. Average flight speed is 30-40mph. Dive speed can reach 100mph!
36. Bald Eagles can swim! They use their wings much like a butterfly's motion when in this situation.
37. Haliaeetus leucocephalus means white-headed sea eagle in Latin.
38. Juvenile  eagle  feathers  are  larger  than  an  adults;  these  are  nature's training wheels to aid in stabilizing flight in their early flying days.
39. Though not as fast as  falcons, bald eagles are  fast fliers. When diving, where  lift  is less important than reaching drag, the eagle pulls in its wings to minimize their surface area.
40. The eagle is a strong swimmer, but if the water is very cold, it may be overcome by hypothermia.