Southern Bald Eagle

Scientific Name: Haliaeetus leucocephalus leucocephalus

Bald eagles are unique to North America, ranging from northern Alaska and Canada south to northern Mexico. Found near rivers, lakes, marshes and other wetland areas, bald eagles feed primarily upon fish, but also prey upon sick and injured waterfowl, rodents and snakes, as well as carrion. Male bald eagles measure 3 feet in length with an average 6 1/2 foot wingspan and weigh 7 -10 lbs. Females, as typically in most bird of prey species, are slightly larger, with a wingspan up to 8 feet and may weigh up 14 lb. The eagles can live up to 30 years in the wild, longer in captivity. Nests are often reused by a single pair, year after year, with additions made to the nest each breeding season. Over time, such nests can become enormous structures. One bald eagle nest in Vermillion, Ohio measured 8 ½ ft. across, 12 ft. deep and weighed approximately 2 tons. Another nest near St. Petersburg, FL had a 9 ½ ft diameter and was 20 feet in depth. No weight measurements were available for the second nest, but it almost certainly was at least 3-4 tons.

Clutches usually consist of 2 - 3 goose-sized eggs. Eagle chicks are able to fledge from the nest in 6-8 weeks. It takes 4-5 years before the young bald eagles head feathers are completely white. The bald eagle became the national bird of the United States in 1782, but not before considerable resistance from Benjamin Franklin who favored the wild turkey for that honor. In 1940, noting that the eagle was threatened with extinction, the U.S. Congress passed the Bald Eagle Protection Act, making it illegal to kill, harass, possess (without a permit), or sell bald eagles. In 1967, bald eagles were officially declared an endangered species (under a law that preceded the Endangered Species Act of 1973) in all areas of the United States south of the 40th parallel (the arbitrary delineation point between the two subspecies: the northern and southern bald eagle).

The greatest threat to the bald eagle was the widespread use of DDT following WWII. DDT was sprayed on croplands throughout the country and residue washed into lakes and streams where it was absorbed by aquatic plants and small animals. These, in turn were eaten by fish. The contaminated fish were eaten by eagles and other fish-eating birds such as osprey and pelicans. The chemicals found in DDT interfered with the egg shell development. Eggshells of birds whose tissues were contaminated with DDT were so thin that they would break under the adult nesting birds. As a result, bald eagle populations plummeted. In 1972, the use of DDT was banned in The U.S. Bald eagles also died from lead poisoning from feeding on hunter-killed or crippled waterfowl, or those that had ingested lead shot while feeding. In 1991, a 5-year program to phase out the use of lead shot for waterfowl was completed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. With the banning of DDT, the phasing out of lead shot, the protection of nesting sites, and several reintroduction programs across the country, the bald eagle is recovering, and these birds are again being seen in areas they had once inhabited but had been absent from for decades. Federal and state government agencies, along with private organizations, have successfully sought to alert the public about the bald eagle's plight and to protect its habitat from further destruction.

Due to improvement in their population trends, the bald eagle has recently been moved from the Endangered status to that of being listed as Threatened. Unfortunately, mishaps still cause losses of bald eagles. Every year a number of birds are collected that have been permanently injured due to collisions with high power lines or from being illegally shot. Of the pair of bald eagles being cared for at White Oak Conservation Center, the female was received from the South Carolina Center for Birds of Prey in September of 1998. She had lost the tip of one wing due to an unspecified injury. In February of 2001, a male, similarly injured was received from The Brevard Zoo, Melbourne, FL. In January of 2004, a chick was produced by the pair. Per requirement of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the eaglet was removed from the nest at 8 weeks of age and transferred to the South Carolina Center for Birds of Prey. There the eaglet was conditioned for release and has since taken its place in the skies of South Carolina and was last reported as doing well.