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Did you know that the bald eagle has symbolized America, as well as being its national bird, since 1782? There were no bald eagles in Europe, as the bald eagle is found only in North America. No European has ever seen a bald eagle, as they were native only to North America. The sea eagle name lingers, and the scientific name, Haliaetus leucocephalus, actually means "sea eagle with a white head" in Greek and Latin.

North America is the home of only one variety of 'sea eagle'- the bald eagle. The bald eagle has a striking appearance, with its dark brown feathers set off by the stark white feathers of its tail and head. Coins, flags, buildings, and seals in the United States have used the image of the bald eagle to symbolize the country.

These birds of prey are raptors, along with owls, hawks, vultures, and falcons. The bald eagle will eat carrion when there is no live prey, but mainly prefer to eat live animals such as rabbits, rodents, snakes, smaller birds, and especially fish and waterfowl. The adult bald eagle has few natural enemies, especially considering their size of up to 16 pounds, wingspans of 7 feet, and a length of up to 32 inches. The largest eagles live in Alaska, and the smaller eagles can be found in Florida. Wherever they are, when animals see the bald eagle descending, they know to scatter.

Each hunting pair of bald eagles requires an area of 2 to 15 square miles in which to hunt. The fiercely guarded nest of the bald eagle is often the home for a pair of eagles. Bald eagles living along the Indian River lagoon located on the Central Florida coast have been known to go after Ospreys who have themselves caught a meal. The Osprey usually drops its hard-won catch in order to escape the powerful eagle, and the eagle, not at all fussy about its meals, will then eat it.

Bald eagles are social animals, staying loyal to family even as they remain fierce birds of prey. The bald eagle stays with its mate for life, though few other birds follow this behavior. Though most birds live a much shorter time, the bald eagle can live for as many as 25 years. From Northern Mexico, all over the continental United States, and up into Alaska and Canada, the bald eagle resides in much of the continent.

Bald eagles travel far each year in search of cooler weather in the hot summer months, then go back to the area where they hatched, usually mating within a few hundred miles of the area. Breeding bald eagles lay one to three eggs in the spring, which hatch about 35 days later. The baby eagles live in the nest during the first three months, and then learn to fly for a month before leaving and beginning their own lives. The dangers of hunger, disease, harsh weather, and toxic chemicals can all make life hard for baby eagles, but almost 70% manage to adapt and survive for at least a year.

Did you know the government passed the Bald Eagle Protection Act to save the species in 1940? The Act protected bald eagles by making it illegal for anyone to bother or disturb these birds. It also protected them by making it illegal to take the birds or their nests or eggs, in order to buy, sell, trade, own, import or export them. To take the bald eagle means shooting at them, wounding or killing them, capturing or trapping them, or even disturbing them.

Large numbers of bald eagles died because of DTT, the overuse of pesticides, and other toxic chemicals. Reintroduction programs, some federally funded and some private, as well as new laws have given the bald eagle a chance to return in numbers. It seemed nearly impossible to save the species from extinction at the time.

The Endangered Species Act of 1973 allowed species that were small in numbers to be classified as threatened, and species with very low populations to be classified as endangered. The dramatic return of the bald eagle population removed it from most endangered species lists in the early 1990s.

The 500 pairs of bald eagles that existed in 1963 rose 10 fold to almost 5,000 pairs in 1994, resulting in Congress declaring the species threatened, not endangered, on August 11, 1995. The bald eagle will soon by removed from the endangered species list by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, due to the increasing population of these birds.

Watching these magnificent birds is a pleasure. The soaring eagle's flight appears to be in slow motion. It begins with the powerful bird's long and deliberate strides. The eagle stays fixed on its path, the prize kept firmly in sight. The skies of North America are increasingly filled with the majestic bald eagle. Take any opportunity to see these magnificent animals.

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