Species Spotlight : Bald Eagle
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Although many of the eagles that nest in Florida venture northward during warm months, they return year after year to their traditional nests to begin to repair and enlarge the structures and begin the annual process of reproduction. They gather Spanish moss, grass and leaves to line the nests, which are built of sticks up to five feet long. The nests are sometimes as high as 100 feet above the ground in dominant trees, but in extreme southern Florida, eagles nest in mangroves. Biologists have recorded bald eagle nests as large as nine feet across with weights up to two tons, but most are four or five feet wide.
Once bald eagles mate, they form long-term pair bonds that can persist for many years. If one member of the pair dies the surviving partner will select a new mate. In Florida, eagles mate in the winter, laying their eggs between late November and early February. Hatching takes 35 days. Most pairs produce two eggs per season, with the offspring leaving the nest 10 to 12 weeks after hatching. The statewide average for chicks surviving to that point is 1.5 per nest.
As predators, bald eagles are at the top of their food chain; therefore, any pollution or other poison that contaminates links in the food chain will eventually work its way up to the eagles. That vulnerability is the largest single factor in causing the decline of the bald eagle population during the past half-century. Agricultural pesticides such as DDT have taken a heavy toll on the birds, but fortunately, most such persistent poisons now are banned. That is why scientists believe the time is right for the birds to recover from the population losses they have suffered since the 1930s.
Southern bald eagles are considerably smaller than their northern counterparts. Juvenile eagles are chocolate brown, but with varying degrees of mottled white on their tails, bellies and wing linings. It is not until their fourth year that the birds acquire the white head and tail feathers identifying them as adults. Even so, not until their sixth year do the birds lose all their immature plumage. Adult bald eagles are distinctive - look for a large dark brown bird with a white head and tail, and yellow eyes, bill and feet. Female eagles are larger than males. Wingspans range from 6 1/2 to 8 feet. Eagles are usually seen perched in the open or soaring on very long broad wings.
The principal food for bald eagles is fish, which the birds seize by using their strong talons to take their prey from the water. Also, eagles are not above stealing food from other raptors such as ospreys. Scientists have observed eagles "harassing" ospreys to force them to drop freshly caught fish that the eagles then snatch in mid-air. Ducks, coots and other water birds also are major food sources for eagles. The birds also eat small animals, reptiles and other prey, and carrion.
Bald eagles are no longer protected under the Endangered Species Act, although the level of protection has not changed. The bald eagle will continue to be federally protected under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. In Florida, the bald eagle is no longer a listed species, though it continues to be protected under the state’s newly enacted bald eagle rule, F.A.C. 68A-16.002 Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). The Florida bald eagle rule is very similar to the federal Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. It will help ensure that Florida’s eagle population either remains stable or increases throughout the state.
Where you can find bald eagles
More information
about bald eagles
http://www.myfwc.com/eagle/
http://fws.gov/migratorybirds/eagle.htm
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