Bald eagles thriving in Florida - America's National Emblem

Bald eagles 

By Wendy B. Dial of the Florida Wildlife Commission

Stretch your arms straight out for an instant idea of the bald eagle's wingspan. Then add a couple of feet. The U.S. Congress was so impressed by the large, fiercely majestic-looking bird of prey that they made it the national emblem in 1782. More than two centuries later, the eagle still is the symbol of U.S. government, freedom and democracy.

It is also the symbol of one of America's best environmental success stories. Due to outstanding conservation measures, the federal government removed the bald eagle from its endangered species list in 2007. Florida took the bird off its imperiled species list the following year.

"Just because it has been delisted does not mean that it's no longer protected," said Ulgonda Kirkpatrick, eagle plan coordinator for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). "You can't take down the tree with a bald eagle nest in it. Bald eagles are certainly still protected."

You might think a strong, high-flying bird with fearsome talons, a sharp beak and even sharper vision could fend for itself. "Haliaeetus leucocephalus" can see for a mile and a half. The second-largest North American bird of prey isn't a fussy eater, either. It scavenges for fish carcasses and carrion of other animals, swipes food from other animals and hunts live prey when needed.

The problem & the fix
Nevertheless, it was no match for habitat loss; the ravages of the pesticide DDT on the birds' eggshells; being shot, trapped and poisoned. What mankind wrought, mankind had to fix, so in 1972, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency banned DDT. Congress passed the Endangered Species Act in 1973 and added the bald eagle to its protective umbrella in 1978.

Juvenile birds are a mottled brown and white. Credit USFWS

These changes made a difference. Florida's population of bald eagle nesting territories went from 200 in the 1970s to 1,340 in 2009. "The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said that Florida is showing the rest of the nation how to protect and manage the species - by leaps and bounds," Kirkpatrick said. The state has more bald eagles than any state other than Alaska and Minnesota.

Relocated to Georgia, Alabama and Oklahoma
Even when the numbers were low, Florida was better off than other states because of its aquatic habitats and rich supply of fish - the eagles' favourite food. An FWC scientist coordinated a project to help Georgia, Alabama and Oklahoma jumpstart their eagle populations a quarter-century ago. Scientists gathered 18 bald eagle eggs and rushed them to Oklahoma to hatch. The hatchlings were fed by eagle puppets, so the chicks wouldn't imprint with humans. When the birds were strong enough, scientists took them to roosts in the three states.

Courtship ritual
The courtship ritual looks like warfare. Bald eagles are daredevils. They literally fall head-over-heels for each other. They fly to great altitude, lock talons, and tumble/cartwheel back toward earth, breaking off at the last minute to avoid crashing.

They're basically monogamous for life and good parents. Eagles walk carefully around the nest with clenched feet, apparently to prevent their talons from piercing the one to three eggs in a typical clutch. Breeding adults may be very territorial, but bald eagles are social at their communal roosts, chattering away the hours.

Recognition
America's national emblem is actually a bald eagle that is 5 or more years old. Young eagles start out completely dark brown and gradually become the easily recognizable dark brown bird with white head, neck and tail. In between, juvenile birds are a mottled brown and white.

Before leaving home, fledglings practice flying from one side of the nest rim to the other, then to nearby branches. Half of the first "flights" are unsuccessful, according to "The Birds of North America." Those that fall to earth may have to stay there a week or so to regain strength. In the meantime, if the parents can get to the young eagle, they'll feed it while it is on the ground. Once on wing, juveniles in Florida tend to disperse north.