SmithLifeScience
Eagle Information
    Last Updated      3/2/2008      7/24/2005

                   
Facts          Web Sites          Coloring Pages          Educators Resources

Facts

1. The bald eagle is not really bald; it actually has white feathers on its head, neck, and tail. Bald is a derivation of balde, an Old English word meaning white. The eagle was named for its white feathers instead for a lack of feathers.

2. Bald eagles may use the same nest year after year, adding more twigs and branches each time. One nest was found that had been used for 34 years and weighed over two tons!

3. The bald eagle can fly 20 to 40 mph in normal flight and can dive at speeds over 100 mph.

4. Bald eagles can actually swim! They use an overhand movement of the wings that is very much like the butterfly stroke.

5. More than 80% of the bald eagle population in the southeastern United States is concentrated within the state of Florida.

More Facts About Eagles

• Eagles leave the "roost," or place they stayed over night, to go hunting for their breakfast.
• Eagles are very cautious birds.
• They very rarely land right on the bait and start eating. They land a ways away and walk to it.
• Attracting crows helps to lure eagles to bait.
• Eagles will still come to bait even if other eagles are occupying it, they will try to fight the others off.
• When adult eagles are at about 5 years of age they are at a stage of maturity that they start nesting.
• Sky-blue leg band they wear, signify them as "New Yorkers."
• Purple-banded birds from Michigan.
• Black-banded birds from Connecticut.
• Gold-banded birds from Massachusetts.
• Adults visit and fight over the carcass, jumping, flapping and flying at each other, talons outstretched, in an attempt to dominate the food.

EAGLE WEB SITES

All About Eagles  The world's 59 species of eagles are found on every continent except Antarctica. There are four major groups of eagles: fish eagles, booted eagles, snake eagles and giant forest eagles.

American Bald Eagle   From the Critter Corner.   We all know the bald eagle as a national symbol with its distinctive "bald" white head, tail, and dark brown body. These are adult bald eagles. They get their distinctive "bald" head and white tail when they are 4 or 5 years old.

American Bald Eagle Information   The bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), our national bird, is the only eagle unique to North America.

Bald Eagle: Journey North   Background Information about Bald Eagles  Anatomy Reproduction and Young,   Diet and Feeding Behaviors,  Migration and Flight,   Habitat and Range,  Conservation, and  Other

Bald Eagle   The story of the American eagle's near extinction and celebrated comeback symbolizes the human potential to either disrupt the balance of nature or forge a stronger link in the chain of life. To fully understand the importance of the story of the bald eagle, its brush with death and its return to health, explore the materials at this site.

Bald Eagle    From the Naturalist.  Bald eagles are large, beautiful birds of prey, with wingspans of up to 7 1/2 feet across. Despite their name, bald eagles are not really bald. It is the snowy-white feathers on their heads that give them that appearance.

Bald Eagle   From Sea World.  Adults at 4 to 5 yrs. are identified by their white head and tail, solid brown body, and large, curved, yellow bill. Juveniles have blotchy patches of white on their underside and tail.

Bald Eagle: Keep the Wild Alive   These pages offer information about the eagle's decline toward extinction and its recent dramatic recovery. They also suggest ways in which you can get involved to make sure that eagles grace our skies for generations to come.

Bald Eagle Web Quest    Bald Eagles - Learn all about Bald Eagles. Includes information about Eagle Facts, Ecology (the decline and increase of Bald Eagle population), Migration, the Bald Eagle and U.S. history and Folklore(tradition and original stories). There are many quizzes and one big Save the Bald Eagle Game quiz.

Bald Eagles: Build a Nest    Even though a Bald Eagle in Florida is the same as a Bald Eagle in Alaska, trees found in Florida are not like those found in Alaska.  The Bald Eagle, therefore, has to adapt and build a nest that is suitable to its surroundings.

EagleCam Picture Gallery    From Wahington Department of Fish and Wildlife

Eagles at a Glance    Eagles—which are essentially large hawks—are among the largest birds-of-prey. (Some vultures are larger, but they’re generally scavengers rather than active predators.) They are native to all continents but Antarctica (Australia boasts just one eagle), and are also found on many oceanic islands.

Eagles to the Nest   Where do eagles live? What do eagles eat? How do eagles fly? What are some Native American stories about eagles? What can I do to make sure there are Bald Eagles around when I'm 50, or even 100? These are just a few of the questions answered in this guided-study of Bald Eagles . So come on ….ALL EAGLES TO THE NEST!! Start your discovery of Bald Eagles with Lesson 1.



EAGLE COLORING SITES

Bald Eagle Coloring page   From Indiana University  

Bald Eagle Coloring page   From the Pelotes Island Nature Preserve website

Bald Eagle Coloring Page   Page from the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection

Bald Eagle Page   From the Sonoran Desert website (includes eagle information)

Bald Eagle Printout  From Enchanted Learning

Eagle Wand Pattern   Use the pattern provided to make an eagle your kids can "fly".

Educators Resources

Bald Eagle Basics   Test your eagle knowledge with T. Trimpe's Bald Eagle Basics games at Quia! Play the games to help you complete the worksheet!

Bald Eagle Trivia Challenge   Test your students eagle IQ with these trivia questions

Bald Eagle Word Search   Help your students identify terms associated with bald eagles with this puzzle.

Build a Nest Challenge   Challenge your students to build a nest out of paper strips, toothpicks, thread, and pipe cleaners. Teams are provided with $1.00 (or a Bird Buck) to buy nest-building materials from the Nest Store. After they are done building, we place the nests on "branches" and determine the best nest or the one that holds the most pennies.

Eagle Days Web   Students use their knowledge of lessons from previous years to create a concept web using eagle-related terms.

Eagle Quest   Internet scavenger hunt related to eagles!

Eagles 101   Explore the Bald Eagle 101 area of the "Eagles to the Nest"

The Bald Eagle Free Again
    Free Again Crossword

Search for National Symbols   Explores the symbols of our nation.

Three Rivers Junction
     Three Rivers Junction Word Search
     Web of Life
     Wing It, Game