Alex Mahoney
Mrs. Pavelec
English 4
American Patriotic Symbol Almost Perished
Bald eagles have been the American symbol for centuries. They have been an emblem of strength and courage for growing and prospering country; they were becoming extinct and Americans needed to do something to help them because they are very important to the United States Americans. The bald eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, is the national bird. It is referred to by many as the American eagle; it is dictated as a strong independent figure.
The Bald eagle’s scientific name is Haliaeetus leucocephalus; “Hali” means sea, “aeetos” means eagle, and “leukos” means white head (http://www.baldeagleinfo.com). Bald does not mean it has no hair, it means white. Bald eagles are found over almost all of North America. Almost half of the world’s bald eagles live in Alaska; mostly because of the large quantities of salmon that live in that area.
They are a member of the Accipitridae family; along with Hawks, Kites, and one-world vultures. Bald eagles are a symbol of freedom, and it was chosen in 1782 as the national bird for America. It is also the figure of the national seal. It was originally the golden eagle, but the gold eagle lives in Europe and America; the, bald eagle was used instead because of its uniqueness to America. The seal has an eagle that is wide-spread, faced frontward, and on, its chest, it has a shield with thirteen red and white stripes. Above it there is a blue field with the same number of stars. (http://library.thinkquest.org/J002383/)
In the early 1700’s there were about 300,000 to 500,000 bald eagles.
In the early 1950’s, they started to thin out and become endangered (http://www.eagles.org/moreabout.html). The main cause of this was poison and pollution. Some of the biggest causes of their deaths are caused by fatal shots by hunters, and people that want to sell their feathers and talons in the black market. Another cause of death is when they land and take off from power lines they sometimes bridge two lines and get electrocuted. Some die due to the lead from eating animals that have been shot by hunters but got away and later died. A majority die their first winter because they do not have enough experience hunting and die of starvation. They also misjudge their altitude while trying to snag a large fish, and they may drown. However some have been know to swim to shore using their wings. Bald eagles were declared an endangered species in 1967 in the United States every where south of the 40th parallel (http://www.baldeagleinfo.com/). On June 28, 2007, (History of bald eagles) The Interior Department took the American Bald eagle off the endangered species list. Yet, it is still protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. The bald eagle act does not allow the possession of eagles. In addition it bans also the transport, barter, sale, trade, and importation of eagles.
The following chart shows the increase in the eagle population in about the last 61 years. It shows how low their population was around the time that they were going extinct and after changes were made to help this great bird regain its population.
(http://www.endangered.fws.gov/i/b/msaboh.html)
Eagles have many important features including the eagle adults which about 32 inches in length and a wingspan of about 80 inches (http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Bald_Eagle.html ). They have a white upper neck and head, a white tail, and a yellow bill. The young eagles are referred to as immature. The immature have a dark bill and “cere”; body plumage is dark brown as is their head and tail (http://www.mbr-%09pwrc.usgs.gov/id/framlst/i3520id.html ). The body temperature of the bald eagle is 102 degrees Fahrenheit. Eagles do not sweat so they need to cool down in different ways such as panting, perching in shady area, and by holding their wings away from their body. They are very tolerant to cold weather because their skin is protected by feathers lined with down. Their feet are resistant to the cold weather because they are made mostly of tendon, and the bill is mostly nonliving material with almost no blood flow. The eagle’s feathers weigh twice as much as their skeleton, which is one way they manage to stay warm. The young or immature do not get their dark underwings for about four years. The adult males weigh in at about 9, pounds, and the adult females weigh generally about 16 to 13 pounds. In the wild, they live on average of 30 to 35 years, but in captivity they have been known to live up to 50 years.
(http://www.baldeagles.org/ )
Eagles eat a variety of animals but, mostly eat fish; they also eat water fowl, small mammals, and carrion. Eagles fly, almost 30 M.P.H. and can dive at speeds up to 100 M.P.H. Their eyesight allows them to spot fish and other prey at distances of up to about one mile. They are outstanding fisherman. (http://www.eagles.org/moreabout.html)
Eagles mate for life. They mate in early April, and they dive and lock talons throughout the air. They lay about 1 to 3 eggs that hatch around late May and early June. By the end of the summer, when the young are starting to go off on their own, the parents start to suffer from empty nest syndrome. During the winter, eagles tend to migrate and roost or nest along water ways that have a large quantities of food. (http://www.eagles.org/moreabout.html)
One of the most popular places for eagles is the Chilkat Valley Alaska, which is a year round home for about 200 and 400 eagles due to its year round warm weather. During the fall, at a little over 3,000 eagles were accounted for because the eggs had hatched, and the young were growing older; one out of every two bald eagles in America are located in Alaska. (http://library.thinkquest.org/J002383/ )
The following is a short story called The Old Eagle Tree written by The Old Eagle Tree source - “The Junior Instructor Book 2 - by Beecher (Editor) United Educators (1943). This story shows how even though this bird has been put through great deals of pain, it does not give up. It works twice as hard and learns from what has been done to it. The great bird loses its young’s fish because of the people throwing stones. She still knows she has to feed her young so she goes back; despite the fact that she is completely worn out and gets another for her young.
In a remote field stood a large tulip tree apparently of century’s growth, and one of the most gigantic of that splendid species. It looked like the father of the surrounding forest. A single tree of huge dimensions, standing all alone, is a sublime object.
On top of this tree an old eagle, commonly called “Fishing Eagle,” built her nest every year for many years, and unmolested raised her young. What is remarkable, as she procured her food from the ocean, this tree stood fully ten miles from the sea shore. It has long been known as the “Old Eagle Tree.”
On a warm sunny day, the workmen were hoeing corn in an adjoining field. At a certain hour of the day, the old eagle was known to set off for the seashore to gather food for her young. She returned with a large fish in her claws; the workmen surrounded the tree, and by yelling, hooting, and throwing stones, scared the poor bird so that she dropped her fish. They carried it off in triumph.
The men soon dispersed; but Joseph sat down under a bush nearby to watch, and to bestow unavailing pity. The bird soon returned to her nest without food. The eaglets at once set up a cry for food so shrill, so clear, and so clamorous that the boy was greatly moved.
The parent bird seemed to try to soothe them; but their appetites were to keen, and it was all in vain. She then perched herself on a limb near them, and looked down into the nest with a look that seemed to say, “I do not know what to do next.”
Her indecision was but momentary; again she poised herself, uttered one or two sharp notes, as if telling them “lie still,” balanced her body, spread her wings, and was away again for the sea!
Joseph was determined to see the result. His eye followed her till she grew small, smaller, a mere speck in the sky, and then disappeared.
She was gone nearly two hours, about double her usual time for a voyage, when she again returned on a slow, weary wing, flying uncommonly low in order to have a heavier atmosphere to sustain her, with another fish in her talons.
On nearing the field she made a circuit around it, to see if her enemies were again there. Finding the coast clear, she once more reached her tree, drooping, faint and weary, and evidently nearly exhausted. Again, the eaglets set their cry, which was soon hushed by the distribution of the dinner. (http://www.baldeagleinfo.com/eagle/eagletree.html)
This story shows how one small animal doesn’t give up when it has been beaten down it just gets right back up and heads out on its way again to reaccomplish its goals it set out for to begin with.
Bald eagles have been our symbol for centuries thy have been an emblem of strength and couragefor growing and prospering country, they were becomming extinct and we needed to do something to helps them and we did,and they are very important to us the United States Americans. Eagles are a strong figure of Americans and has been for hundreds of years, it will most likely stay that way for a very long time. As long as Americans keep doing what they have been doing for the last 30 years, The eagles will not die out any time soon, and they will be around for future generations to see.
“All about Bald Eagles.” Cornell Lab of Ornthology. 3 Mar 2008 .
“American Bald Eagle Information.” The U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service. 3 Mar 2008 .
“Bald Eagle Information.” American Bald Eagle Foundation. 3 Mar 2008 .
“Bald Eagle.” United States Geology Survey. 3 Mar 2008 .
“Bald Eagle.” Wisconsin Department of Natural Recourses. 3 Mar 2008 .
“Endangered species program.” U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services. 17 Mar 2008
Morrison, Kay. “Bald Eagle Fact and Information.” 3 Mar 2008 .
Nick, Natassia, Forrest, Zach, Stephen, Courtney. “Eagle Facts.” 3 Mar 2008 .
Streufert, Duane. “American Bald Eagle.” 3 Mar 2008 .
