Haliaeetus – from the Greek for sea eagle
leucocephalus – white heading
The Bald Eagle is a lot more than good the symbol of America : it personifies strength, stateliness and independence. Yet, its identical universe is dependent upon how world manage the environment that is shared with all wildlife species. When chosen as a national symbol in 1782, it was found abundantly throughout the adjacent United States. historically, it has been listed as a federally endangered species ascribable largely to human ignorance and persecution by pesticides, careless shootings, car and powerline collisions and passing of habitat for nesting and foraging. Since DDT was banned in 1972, Florida ’ s eagle population has increased more than 300 %. In 2007, bald eagles were removed from the Endangered Species list, having been declared officially “ recovered ”. nowadays, bald eagles are still protected by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission ( FWC ) and the US Fish and Wildlife Service ( USFWS ) under express ( F.A.C. 68A-16.002 ) and federal laws ( Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act ) .
The bald eagle is native to our continent and is one of the largest birds in North America. The Latin name “ Haliaeetus leucocephalus ” means “ white-headed sea eagle ”, referencing its genus classification. The news “ bald ” refers to an erstwhile english habit of the news entail “ ashen ” since the head is distinctly feathered. Birds normally confused with bald eagles include Ospreys, Turkey Vultures, and Golden Eagles, the latter only occasionally sighted in northerly Florida during the winter migratory months .
Sexual dimorphism in eagles.
Female (left), Male (right)
Like other birds of prey, bald eagles exhibit “ reversed intimate size dimorphism ”, and females are larger than males. female eagles in Florida weigh from 8-12 pounds and have a wingspread up to eight feet. Males are smaller, weighing 6-10 pounds, with a wingspan of six feet. Both sexes have the feature white head and tail, chicken peck and eyes upon maturity, a gradual process of four to six years. Young eagles, called juveniles, are uniformly brown and larger in size than adults due to longer wing and tail feathers. immature and subadult refer to plumage sequences after the first class and before adulthood.
Reading: The Bald Eagle
Adaptations for survival include exquisite eyesight that can identify objects three to four times far away than humans, operating much like a telescope for focusing ; knock-down feet and claws called “ talons ” to capture and kill prey ; an elongate beak with a sharp tip adept at tearing food ; and well-developed muscles in the branch and supporting the beak that aid in prey destruction. Eagles bust and swallow their food in large pieces, temporarily storing it in an area below the throat called the “ crop ” before actual digestion. The crop is a detectable bulge when full that can store over two pounds of prey when food is plentiful.
Juvenile eagle, 1 year old.
Vocalizations : An eagle ’ s call is quite classifiable, ranging from a short circuit staccato note, a whining call, and a high pitched yell of descending notes. Vocalizations serve several purposes including greet, solicitation, territorial defense, terror, and begging calls for food ( juveniles ).
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longevity : Eagles can live in the violent from 15-25 years and up to 38 years in capitivity. Eagles follow a form typical of raptors, with lower juvenile survival followed by increasing survival into adulthood .
Intermediate eagle, 3 years old.
diet : Eagles are opportunist scavengers with a raven base that includes fish, squirrels, wading birds, ducks and road-killed animals called carrion. fish is besides pirated from Ospreys in spectacular antenna acrobatics .
nest : Bald Eagles in Florida tend to nest on pine ( Pinus palustris and P. elliottii ), cypress ( Taxodium spp. ) and increasingly on man-made structures including celltowers and might transmission lines. Most cuddle sites are within 1.8 miles from a consistency of water including rivers, lakes, marshes, ponds and coastlines. The nest is built using large sticks and the nest cup lined with supergrass or spanish moss. Most breeding pairs use the same nest class after year .
Adult Bald Eagle, 5 years old.
I am broadly interested in how human activities influence the ability of wildlife to persist in the modified environments that we create.
Specifically, my research investigates how the configuration and composition of landscapes influence the movement and population dynamics of forest birds. Both natural and human-derived fragmenting of habitat can influence where birds settle, how they access the resources they need to survive and reproduce, and these factors in turn affect population demographics. Most recently, I have been studying the ability of individuals to move through and utilize forested areas which have been modified through timber harvest as they seek out resources for the breeding and postfledging phases. As well I am working in collaboration with Parks Canada scientists to examine in the influence of high density moose populations on forest bird communities in Gros Morne National Park. Many of my projects are conducted in collaboration or consultation with representatives of industry and government agencies, seeking to improve the management and sustainability of natural resource extraction.