BALD EAGLE
SPECIES: Haliaeetus leucocephalus
STATUS: Least concern
HABITAT: Wetlands, rivers, lakes and other large bodies of water close to large trees for perching and nesting.
DIET: Being an opportunistic feeder will feed upon water birds, small mammals, reptiles, fish and carrion.
GENERAL: The Bald Eagle gained protection in 1940 but by 1973 only 417 breeding pairs remained. In 1973 President Nixon signed the Endangered Species Act into law and the Bald Eagle became one of the first species protected by the Act.
By 2007 there were over 9,700 breeding pairs of Bald Eagles and they were removed from the Threatened and Endangered list on August 9, 2007.
The Bald Eagle is the national bird of the United States and on June 20, 1782 Congress adopted the Great Seal of the United States showing a Bald Eagle grasping 13 arrows and an olive branch with thirteen leaves with its talons.
*Photo attributed to: Hollyshots
*Great Seal of the United States description attributed to: thefounding.net
