American Bald Eagle essays

American Bald Eagle essays The Haliaeetus leucocephalus is commonly know as the Southern Bald Eagle. The Southern Bald Eagle is a member of the Accipitradae family that also includes hawks and vultures. Eagles are divided into four groups depending on their characteristics; in which the bald eagle is a sea or fish eagle. Bald eagles are found throughout North America in the Tiaga and Deciduous Forest Biomes. The Southern Bald Eagle is found in the Gulf States from Texas to Baja California across to South Carolina and Florida. Bald eagle usually nest on coasts near bodies of water where they feed. They build their nests in tall trees with a clear view of the surrounding area. Eagles nests are very strong and on an average are twenty feet thick and about ten feet across and are the largest of any bird in North America. A nest cite can be occupied for more decades as long as it is claimed. Fish are the preferred diet of eagles, but they also eat small mammals , water turtles, reptiles, and dead animals such as stranded fish and road kill. An eagle can expertly catch waterfowl and fish from the water with its talons. When catching prey in flight they turn upside down and grab the prey by the breast. An eagle can fly at speeds up to sixty-five miles per hour at level flight and reach speeds of one hundred-fifty miles per hour in a dive. By eating dead animal matter, they help with natures clean-up process. Since they are hunters they also keep the animal population strong. They do this by killing weak, old, and slower animals; leaving only the healthiest to survive. When Europeans first came to North America eagles were unwanted and considered vermin by farmers. They were shot for the fear of poultry and livestock loss. By the nineteen fortys their destruction prompted the passage of protective laws and public attitudes began to change. Since the bald eagle is our national symbol, in the nineteen sixtys people began to take e...