Bald Eagle

Even though it was high up, I knew this was a Bald Eagle when I saw it. 

I've had moments before where I've thought "Is that a bald eagle?" upon seeing a white-capped bird's head from far away, only to look closer and realize it was an Osprey (which are still cool). But this bird was so large, when I saw it perched, isolated, surveying the world from near the top of an electric tower, it might as well have introduced itself: Hi, I'm a Bald Eagle.

Bald Eagles aren't born looking bald. For most of the first four years of their life, they're brown with white flecks.^[1] Even their eye color changes, turning yellow only when they're three. Check out the pictures on the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's identification page.^[2]

I'm not sure I'd immediately recognize a Bald Eagle without its trademark white head, but who knows? I was immediately struck by this eagle's size; maybe that would give it away. Bald Eagles can grow to around 2.5 feet tall.^[3] That's roughly the size of three stacked gallons of milk. Their wingspans can reach almost triple that: up to 7 feet for males, and a whopping 8 feet for females.^[4]

Bald Eagles mate for life, and when they court, they do a dramatic dance in which they lock talons and spin together in the air.^[3] Male and female Bald Eagles build their nest together and use it for years.^[5]

This Bald Eagle was impressive just sitting there, checking out the land below it. Its mouth was open; the American Eagle Foundation says eagles sometimes open their mouths to pant.^[6] To me, this made it look like it was sticking out its tongue out or smiling. I'd like to think that whatever its plans were for the day—hunting fish, getting ready for nesting season, or simply enjoying its status as America's national bird—it was happy.

The Details:

Common Name: Bald Eagle

Scientific Name: Haliaeetus leucocephalus

Order: Accipitriformes

Family: Accipitridae

Seen: Perched high up on a tower

Month: September

Range: The Bald Eagle can be found in some form (breeding, non-breeding, or year round) in every state in America, with the exception of Hawaii.^[7] Its range also extends into Mexico and Canada. The Cornell Lab's website has a very helpful range map.

 

Learn More About Bald Eagles:

1. Alderfer, J., & Dunn, J. L. (Eds.). (2021). Complete birds of North America (3rd ed.). National Geographic Partners.
2. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. (n.d.). Bald Eagle: Identification. All About Birds.
3. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. (n.d.). Bald Eagle.
4. Texas Parks & Wildlife. (n.d.). Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus).
5. Sun, A. (2022). Birds: An illustrated field guide. Whalen Book Works.
6. American Eagle Foundation. Bald Eagle biology.
7. Cornell lab of Ornithology. (n.d.). Bald Eagle: Range map. All About Birds.