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Wingspan of a bald eagle12/10/2023 The talon-grappling, cartwheeling fight they are known for is an aggressive territorial dispute, not a courtship behavior. The bald eagle's diet at the Smithsonian's National Zoo consists of rats, fish, chicken leg quarters and quail.īald eagles become territorial during breeding season. When hunting for fishes, it does not usually dive into the water like the osprey but instead searches for fish near the surface. Eagles wait on a favorite perch for an osprey to return to its nest with a fish in its talons for its own young, and then harass the smaller raptor until it is forced to drop its prey for the eagle to retrieve. Bald eagles eat carrion willingly and are notorious for robbing osprey of their catches. They also eat sea birds and ducks or hunt over grasslands and marshes for small mammals such as rabbits, squirrels, prairie dogs and muskrats. They have powerful legs and feet that are equipped with large talons used for killing their prey.īald eagles are opportunistic foragers but prefer fish as their primary food and are found in great densities where fish are abundant. They possess sharp, pointed beaks designed for ripping and tearing prey into bite-sized pieces. Eventually they will set out on their own and not return to the nest.Bald eagles are well adapted to their lifestyle. As they grow older, they will start to venture farther away from their nest. The nest becomes a battle ring as they learn to fight and are able to develop their muscles and exercise regularly. When the eaglets are 5 to 6 weeks old, they will start to grow their rich brown feathers. The adult bald eagles will spend most of the day guarding their young, the only interruptions being to gather food. The eggs will be incubated for about 35 days. This usually occurs in December and January for southern bald eagles and in spring for the birds in Alaska. Once their nest is made, the female begins to lay eggs. In some areas where trees aren’t available, bald eagles are known to build their sturdy nest on cliffs or pinnacles, the higher the better. When they start building a nest, they will choose the tallest tree available to them that offers good visibility on both sides. A few bald eagles can be spotted at Grand Lake, Fort Gibson, Texoma and Tenkiller lakes along with the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge.īald eagles mate for life and are known to return to the same nest every year. Usually 70 or more will spend the winter either on or near that refuge. The biggest congregation of bald eagles can be found at the Great Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge. In Oklahoma, bald eagles can be seen from October to April and spend winters at larger reservoirs. Most northern eagles will migrate south for the winter. Southern eagles migrate to the north at the end of summer and will return to the south when breeding season starts in early winter. Migratory movement of bald eagles varies in different areas of the country. The rest of a bald eagle’s diet is made up of small animals, reptiles and birds, and depends on what is available at various times of the year. They use their talons to snatch fresh fish out of the water, but they will eat dead fish that are accessible. Water plays a significant role in where bald eagles reside. Bald eagles mainly eat fish, so they are drawn to places where fish are easily accessible.
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