Hey Kids! Do you want to learn all about America’s national bird? Eagles are large birds with distinct features. To learn more about our national bird, check out these interesting bald eagle facts for kids!
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What is a Bald Eagle?
Scientific name: Haliaeetus Ieucocephalus. They are bird species. Bald Eagles are the national bird of the United States.
Where do Bald Eagles Live?
Bald Eagles live in North America, mainly in Canada and Alaska.
They live in the forest near large bodies of water.
What do Bald Eagles Eat?
Bald Eagles are birds of prey, meaning they hunt for food.
They are carnivores meaning they eat meat.
Their primary food source is fish; however, eagles will also eat carrion (dead or decaying animal flesh), smaller birds, rodents, squirrels, and rabbits.
What do Bald Eagles Look Like?
Females are slightly bigger than males.
Females can be up to 3 feet and males 2.8 feet.
Their wingspan can be 7 feet wide.
A Bald Eagle isn’t bald at all. They are called bald because of their whiteheads.
Bald Eagles are dark brown with yellow beaks and large talons (hooked claws). They have whiteheads and tails.
Bald Eagles have 7,000 feathers.
When they lose one feather from one wing, they lose one from the other wing.
Interesting Bald Eagle Facts for kids
Bald Eagles can fly up to 10,000 feet from the ground in the sky.
They can fly up to 40 miles per hour!
The mating season occurs September-April. During this time, male and female Bald Eagles in September-April will work together to build large nests with sticks. Their nests can be 8 feet wide.
During courtship, Bald Eagles perform cartwheels in the sky. They hook their talons (claws) and spin down from the sky towards the ground. They let go of each other before hitting the ground and then soaring back into the sky.
When a Bald Eagle finds a mate, they stay together until one dies then they find a new mate.
Bald Eagle eggs hatch after 35 days.
A Baby Bald Eagle is called an eaglet.
They are light brown and fluffy when they are born. Eagle’s white feathers on their head and tail appear when they are 4 -5 years old.
A Bald Eagle can live 20-30 in the wild and over 30 years in captivity.
Bald Eagles were put on the endangered species list in 1967.
DDT pesticides and being hunted by humans were the main reasons that Bald Eagle populations declined.
Due to conservation efforts, Bald Eagles were taken off the endangered species list in 2007.
Today around 70,000 Bald Eagles are living in the wild.
