Fun Facts

Bald Eagle

Recently a Bald Eagle was found in a cemetery sick and in bad condition. It was captured and taken to the Cape Wildlife Center in Barnstable where the doctors and staff worked their hardest to save the bird. It had ingested a rat that had eaten anticoagulant rodenticide which was a deadly recipe for the bird. The doctor said if the bird survived it would take 6-8 months for the poison to get out of the bird’s body. Unfortunately, the bird began to hemorrhage internally and although the medical crew was able to clear the airway of blood and administer CPR the bird died. Since eagles mate for life, a search is being made to try to find her mate for they are sure he is waiting for her near the cemetery (Boston Globe).

The Bald Eagle is the sacred national emblem of the United States with its magnificent 10’ wing span, white head and tail, with yellow beak, eyes, and feet. It was declared the national bird in 1782. It is really a sea Eagle which eats fish, snakes, turtles, carrion, and often steals food from Ospreys. They often follow sea birds in order to find fish. They lay 1-3 eggs yearly in a nest that can be up to 10’ wide. Both parents share in incubation and the white heads do not appear until the babies are 4-5 years old.

Although once endangered with less than 450 nesting pairs in the USA, conservation and legal protection action has succeeded with 6,300 pairs now. So, the eagle has been removed from the endangered list (Britannica).