(Hallaeetus leucocephalus)

Worldwide there are 59 specie of Eagles that are classified into four groups - sea or fish eagles such as the Bald Eagle, booted eagles like the Golden Eagle, snake eagles found mostly in Africa like the Bateleur, and giant forest eagles like the Harpy Eagle of Central America. Eagles inhabit every continent except Antarctica.

Two eagles are widely found in the United States. The Golden Eagle is located mostly in the western parts of America, but is native to the mountains of Virginia. They are occasionally seen during the winter months in the coastal areas of the Eastern Shore. It ranges throughout the Western Hemisphere, Europe and Asia. Two species of sea eagles, the White-tailed and Steller's are rare visitors to Alaska's coasts and islands.

The Bald Eagle is found only in North America. Its name is derived from the old English word "balde" which means white. The scientific name Haliaeetus leucocephalus means "fish eagle with white head". Bald Eagles generally take five years to mature and achieve the familiar white head and tail. Young (immature) Bald Eagles are dark brown with some white speckling. As they age during their second and third years, they have a varied amount of white feathers, especially on their underside (referred to as white-bellied).

Golden Eagles and Bald Eagles are approximately the same size and are the largest raptors (birds of prey) in North America. The female is larger than the male, a characteristic common in raptors. They have, a wingspan of 7 to 8 feet. The female usually weighs 10 to 12 pounds and the male about 8 to 10 pounds.

Bald Eagles that live in our northern regions are usually larger than those in the southern parts of the U.S. like Florida. In the wild they can live up to 30 years and in captivity up to 40 years.

Bald Eagles are thought to have the best eyesight of any animal, having up to eight times the resolving power of the human eye. The retina has two focusing foveae (human eyes have only one) which allows them to use both eyes together (binocular vision like humans) for telescopic viewing, or each eye independently (monocular vision) for up close viewing. They see in color.

Bald Eagles mate for life and can produce young for over 20 years. In Virginia they usually lay one to three off white eggs in January and incubate them for about 35 days. The young usually fledge (fly) in 10 to 13 weeks, then spend another 4 to 6 weeks near the nest, where the adults continue to feed them. The nest is usually in a tall loblolly pine, but they use a wide variety of tall trees. The nest may be used by the same pair for many years, can be up to 8 feet wide and 12 feet deep, and weigh over 1000 pounds.

The diet of Bald Eagles varies, but consists largely of fish that they locate from a perch in a tree along the edge of a lake or riverbank. They are scavengers rather than hunters, and feed mostly on sick or injured prey. They will eat carrion and take advantage of any opportunity.

Like many other species, the Bald Eagle population was severely diminished by our use of persistent pesticides like DOT. In 1972 there were 32 pairs in Virginia who produced 18 young. As a result of federal and Virginia 466 young. In 1994 its federal and Virginia status was changed from endangered to threatened.

There are currently 20 active nests on the Eastern Shore of Virginia based on an annual Bald Eagle survey conducted by The Center for Conservation Biology at The College of William and Mary. The results by county are:

Reese F. Lukei, Jr.

(Reese has been a U.S. Fish arid Wildlife Service volunteer since 1974, and a volunteer research associate at The Center for Conservation Biology at The College of William and Mary since it was founded in 1991. He is licensed by Virginia, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Geological Survey to trap and band raptors, and has banded 15,000 hawks, falcons, eagles and owls. )