Female Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

            Fiddler’s Creek 
Wetlands
Southern Florida
USA

A visit back to the nest from last year revealed a new male with the female. Fiddler's Creek is a gated community with wetlands behind it. 

The bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla). Its range includes most of Canada and Alaska, all of the contiguous United States, and northern Mexico. It is found near large bodies of open water with an abundant food supply and old-growth trees for nesting. 

The bald eagle is an opportunistic feeder which subsists mainly on fish, which it swoops down and snatches from the water with its talons. It builds the largest nest of any North American bird and the largest tree nests ever recorded for any animal species, up to 4 m (13 ft) deep, 2.5 m (8.2 ft) wide, and 1 metric ton (1.1 short tons) in weight. Sexual maturity is attained at the age of four to five years. 

Bald eagles are not actually bald; the name derives from an older meaning of the word, "white headed". The adult is mainly brown with a white head and tail. The sexes are identical in plumage, but females are about 25 percent larger than males. The beak is large and hooked. The plumage of the immature is brown. 

The bald eagle is the national bird of the United States of America. The bald eagle appears on its seal. In the late 20th century it was on the brink of extirpation in the contiguous United States. Populations have since recovered and the species was removed from the U.S. government's list of endangered species on July 12, 1995 and transferred to the list of threatened species. It was removed from the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife in the Lower 48 States on June 28, 2007.

Taken in: United States / Florida / Pelican Lake Motorcoach Resort (show map)

Taken on: February 25, 2020

Tags:

Near My Home

Fiddler’s Creek

USA

Bald Eagles

Wetlands

Haliaeetus leucocephalus

Bird Of Prey

North America

Sea Eagle

Two Subspecies

Canada

Alaska

United States

Northern Mexico

Large Bodies of Water

Abundant Food supply

Old Growth Trees

Opportunistic Feeder

Mainly Fish

Largest Nest In North America

Not Really Bald

Has White Head

Sexes are Identical in Plumage

Females Larger

Beak Large And Hooked

National Bird Of United States

Sue Roehl

Panasonic

Lumix DMC GH4

100 - 400 mm Lens

Hand held

Cropped

coth5

NGC

NPC « less

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