The Bald Eagle

Description * Very large raptor. * Adults unmistakable with brown body and white head and tail. * Bill large and hooked. * Long broad wings held flat while soaring. * Size: 71-96 cm (28-38 in) * Wingspan: 204 cm (80 in) * Weight: 3000-6300 g (105.9-222.39 ounces) Sex Differences Sexes alike in plumage, female larger. Sound Call high-pitched whistling or piping. Other Names Pygargue à tête blanche (French) Águila cabeza blanca (Spanish) Some Facts * Humans are the most important source of mortality for this threatened species. * The Bald Eagle isn't bald. The use of "bald" in its name is actually a shortening of the word "piebald," which describes something that is spotted or patchy, especially in black and white. Because the Bald Eagle has a dark brown body and a white head and tail, piebald is an apt description. * Bald Eagles occasionally hunt cooperatively, with one individual flushing prey towards another. * The immature Bald Eagle has a prolonged period of exploration lasting for four years. Some young from Florida have wandered north to Michigan, and birds from California have reached Alaska.