Bald Eagle Questions

                                                                                 (1)  WHEN DO BABY EAGLES LEARN TO FLY?
Baby eagles will begin to learn to fly when they are two to three months old. This is called fledging….which usually takes a couple of months.  By four to six months, all young eagles should be flying unsupervised.  Once they have mastered the flying process, they will venture far and wide.  Most will not remain near the areas of their birth.

(2)  HOW DO THEY LEARN TO FLY?
Baby eagles learn to fly by observing and copying their parents.  To encourage the young eagles who don’t show an interest in fledging, the parents will tempt them.  They will fly around the nest with pieces of food in their claws or perch on a nearby limb out of reach of the baby eagles.  They are encouraging the young birds appetite and also it’s sense of curiousity.  The young eagles will begin to leave the nest of their own accord.

(3)  DO EAGLES MATE FOR LIFE?
Once paired, bald eagles remain together for life. If one dies, the survivor will accept a new mate.

 (4) WHEN DO THEIR HEADS AND TAIL TURN WHITE?
When they are about 4 TO 5 years old, their head and tail feathers will gradually turn white.

(5) HOW BIG IS A MATURE EAGLE?
A female bald eagle is larger than her male companion.  Her body length is from 35 to 37 inches with a wingspan of 79 to 90 inches.  The male is 30 to 34 inches with a 72 to 85 inch wingspan.  Their average weight is ten to 14 pounds.

(6)  HOW MUCH CAN THEY LIFT?
They can lift about 4 pounds.  

(7) HOW DO EAGLES KILL THEIR PREY?
By penetrating it’s body with their talons which can be opened and closed at will.    

(8) WHY DO THEY HAVE HOOKED BEAKS?
The hook at the tip is used for tearing.  The upper edge of the eagle beak is sharp enough to slice through tough skin.  It overlaps the lower edge creating a scissors effect

(9)  WHAT ARE THE BEAK AND TALONS MADE OF?
Both are made of keratin…the same substance that human fingernails and hair is made of.  

(10)  HOW LONG DO EAGLES LIVE?
Bald eagles in the wild can live longer than 30 years.  The average lifespan is 15 to 20 years.