Bald eagle

The bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus, from Greek hali "sea", aiētos "eagle", leuco "white", cephalos "head") 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 "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.

Bald Eagle (disambiguation)

Bald Eagle may refer to:

Animals

People

Places in the United States

In Pennsylvania (all named, directly or indirectly, for Woapalanne):

Elsewhere:

Bald Eagle (horse)

Bald Eagle (1955–1977) was an American-bred Thoroughbred Eclipse Award-winning racehorse who competed successfully in both the United Kingdom and the United States. He won the Washington, D.C. International Stakes twice, in 1959 and 1960.

Pedigree

He was the son of the champion sire Nasrullah; his grandsire was Nearco. His dam was a Group One (G1) winner – Siama, sired by Tiger. Siama also produced a G1-winning brother to Bald Eagle in One-Eyed King, foaled in 1954 (a year before Bald Eagle's birth).

Racing career

Racing at age two and three in England, Bald Eagle won several conditions races including the Craven Stakes at Newmarket and the Dante Stakes at York. He started favorite to win the 2000 Guineas in 1958 but finished unplaced behind his unfancied stable companion Pall Mall. His owner brought him to the United States in 1959. In 1960, at age five, Bald Eagle set new track records winning the Metropolitan and Widener Handicaps. That year, he also became the first horse to win the Washington, D.C. International twice. His performances in 1960 earned Bald Eagle the title of Champion Older Male. In 23 starts he won nine races, finished second five times and third three times with lifetime earnings of US $676,442.