Guide to Boreal Birds
Hawk-like Birds Overview
Bald Eagles are fish eaters, like Ospreys; when they pursue their prey they rarely enter the water as an Osprey does, but instead snatch the fish from the surface with their talons. Where Ospreys are common, the eagles obtain much of their food by stealing it from the smaller "fish hawk." The Bald Eagle is also the national bird of the United States.
Description
30-31" (76-79 cm). W. 6-7' 6" (1.8-2.3 m). A large blackish eagle with white head and tail and heavy yellow bill. Young birds lack the white head and tail, and resemble adult Golden Eagles, but are variably marked with white and have a black, more massive bill.
Voice
Squeaky cackling and thin squeals.
Nesting
2 or 3 white eggs in a massive nest of sticks in a tall tree or, less frequently, on top of a cliff.
Habitat
Lakes, rivers, marshes, and seacoasts.
Range/Migration
Breeds from Alaska east to Newfoundland and south locally to California, Great Lakes, and Virginia; also in Arizona, along Gulf Coast, and in Florida. Formerly more widespread. Winters along coasts and large rivers in much of United States.