Bald Eagle Photos
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General description
 To hunt fish, bald eagles swoop down over the water and snatch the fish out of the water with its talons. They eat by holding the fish in one claw and tearing the flesh with the other. © Patrick J. Endres
The Bald Eagle is so named for its conspicuous white
head and tail. The distinctive white adult plumage is not
attained until 5 or more years of age. Immature birds lack
this easily identifiable characteristic and can be confused
with the Golden Eagle. The immature Bald Eagle's un feathered
tarsi (lower legs) and whitish wing linings on the forward
part of the wings, can be helpful distinctions where the
two species coexist. The Bald Eagle is Alaska's largest
resident bird of prey (the Steller's Sea Eagle is larger)
with a wing span up to 7 1/2 feet (2.3 m) long and weights
of 8 to 14 pounds (3.6-6.4 kg). Like many raptors, females
are larger than males.
Life history
 Eagles that are old enough to breed often return to the area where they were born. An adult looking for a site is likely to select a spot that contains other breeding Bald Eagles. © Patrick J. Endres
Found only in North America, Bald Eagles are more abundant
in Alaska than anywhere else in the United States. The Alaska
population has been estimated to include 30,000 birds at
the time of fledging. Bald Eagles are often found along
Alaska's coast, offshore islands, and Interior lakes and
rivers. The highest nesting densities occur on the islands
of Southeast Alaska. Most Bald Eagles winter in southern
Alaska, but some leave the state during cold months. In
the Chilkat Valley, over 3,000 birds may congregate in late
fall and early winter to feed on spawned-out salmon.
Reproduction and nesting
 The Bald Eagle is so named for its conspicuous white
head and tail. The distinctive white adult plumage is not
attained until 5 or more years of age. © Patrick J. Endres
Bald Eagles often use and rebuild the same nest each year.
Nest trees are usually close to water, afford a clear view
of the surrounding area, and often provide sparse cover
above the nest. In Southeast Alaska, Bald Eagles usually
nest in old-growth timber along saltwater shorelines and
mainland rivers.
 Bald Eagles build huge nests out of branches, usually in large trees near water. The nest may stretch as large as eight feet across and weigh up to a ton. © Patrick J. Endres
Eagles in South central Alaska nest in
old cottonwood trees near water. Nest building begins in
April, and both the male and female gather nest material.
In late April, two (sometimes three) dull white or creamy
yellow eggs are laid several days apart. Incubation lasts
about 35 days. When the young hatch, sibling rivalry is
common and the weaker, usually the younger, chick is killed
or starved. The surviving young leave the nest after approximately
75 days. They do not attain adult plumage and breed until
4 or 5 years of age.
 Bald Eagle, Homer, Alaska © Patrick J. Endres Reproductive success can be affected by pesticides in the
eagles' prey. Alaska Bald Eagles seem to be reproductively
healthy, but contaminants have been recorded in Alaska fish
populations and in Bald Eagles.
A greater threat to Alaska's
Bald Eagle population is destruction of their nesting habitat
by logging and nest disturbances. Nest trees tend to be
the largest in the stand and are usually 400 years old.
In treeless areas on the Aleutians, nests are located on
rock pinnacles, or they may be on the ground.
Food habits
Fish are the
main diet of the Bald Eagle. Herring, flounder, pollock,
and salmon are taken along the coast, while the Interior
populations prey heavily upon salmon. Eagles also prey upon
waterfowl, small mammals, sea urchins, clams, crabs, and
carrion.
Management protection
 Bald Eagles have powerful talons. In one case, an eagle was able to fly off with the 6.8 kg (15 lb) carcass of a Mule Deer fawn. © Patrick J. Endres Claims by fox farmers and fishers of eagle depredations
caused the Alaska Territorial Legislature in 1917 to impose
a bounty system on eagles. These claims were later found
to be mainly false, but over 100,000 eagles were killed
before the bounty was removed in 1953. With statehood in
1959, the Bald Eagle in Alaska received federal protection
under the Bald Eagle Protection Act of 1940.
 Recoverd bald eagle is released back into the wild at the Alaska Raptor Rehabilitation center in Sitka, Alaska. © Patrick J. Endres This act made
it illegal to kill or possess an eagle, alive or dead, or
to possess any part of an eagle, including feathers. Bald
Eagles were endangered or eliminated throughout most of
the Lower 48 states as a result of habitat destruction,
illegal shooting, pesticides, and poisoning. Bald Eagle
populations are recovering in many states because of strong
support for endangered species wildlife habitat. Alaska's
populations | 
