The Bald Eagle

The American Bald Eagle was unofficially chosen as a National Symbol in 1872, when the Constitution of the United States was ratified. It was not officially nominated as such until 1788. There was a heated debate, led by the great statesman Benjamin Franklin, about this bird becoming the National Bird. Mr. Franklin wanted the turkey which he thought better symbolized the clean, honest, and more straightforward ideals of the American people. His bid was lost, however, in 1789 when George Washington became the first President of the USA, and the Bald Eagle was officially adopted as the "First Bird".

The American Bald Eagle is the only eagle which is native to North America and it's only on its native continent that one may find it. Alaska, the 49th State admitted to the Union, is home to about 35,000 of the 70,000 total population. British Columbia boasts about 20,000, and the rest predominantly inhabit the Pacific coastline, with a few scattered throughout the rest of the United States. Population is heaviest in the Pacific Northwest due, in part, to the large amount of salmon found there. Eagles depend greatly on fish as a main part of their diets. They will eat small animals such as mice, rabbits, muskrats, duck and snakes and they will resort to eating carrion (dead animals), if necessary. However, they prefer that their food be of a fresh source and they are partial to fish.

While Bald Eagle are capable of carrying their food in flight, they can actually only lift about half of their body weight. Although they can dive, catch fish in the water, and swim to shore with them, they have also been known to drown if the fish is too big and they don't let go of it.

The body length, for both males and females, ranges between 29 and 42 inches (73.66 to 106.68 centimeters). The male is usually between 7 and 9 pounds (.497 to .639 stone) and has a wingspan which can exceed 6 feet (1.83 meters). The female is larger and can weigh up to 14 pounds (.99 stone). She can have a wingspan of up to 8 feet (2.44 meters).