Did you know that the United States adopted the bald eagle as the national bird and symbol of the nation in 1782? Because the Sea Eagle was so common in Europe at the time, settlers in the 18th century gave the bald eagle its name, thinking it was the same bird. There were no bald eagles in Europe, as the bald eagle is found only in North America. The bald eagle is still called the sea eagle, as evidenced by its scientific name, Haliaetus leucocephalus, meaning 'sea eagle with a white head.'

The bald eagle remains the only North American 'sea eagle.' The bald eagle is immediately obvious by its smooth, white head and white tail, contrasted by the deep brown feathers of its body. Many items, such as U.S. coins, flags, seals, and even buildings, have used the bald eagle's image as a symbol of the nation.

The bald eagle is a fierce bird of prey, along with other raptors, such as hawks, vultures, owls, and falcons. The bald eagle lives on a diet of live prey, such as waterfowl and fish, as well as rodents, snakes, rabbits, and birds, but they will eat carrion when there is no live prey to be eaten.

Few animals dare stand in the way of the bald eagle, who can reach an adult size of 16 pounds, with wingspans of 7.5 feet and lengths of 32 inches.

Alaska is home to the larger eagles, while the smaller ones make their homes in Florida. The bald eagle is known to other animals as a fierce predator in whatever region it is found.

Bald eagles require a very large hunting ground, an area of 2 to 15 square miles per hunting pair. Each pair of bald eagles shares a nest, furiously guarding it from predators. Bald eagles living along the Indian River lagoon located on the Central Florida coast have been known to go after Ospreys who have themselves caught a meal. The eagle will then get to eat the Osprey's catch, as the Osprey drops its squirming prey to escape the eagle.

Bald eagles have a strong loyalty for their families, though they are actually birds of prey. Bald eagles keep the same mate for life, unlike most species of bird. Though most birds live a much shorter time, the bald eagle can live for as many as 25 years. The bald eagle lives all over the North American continent, from Alaska nd Canada, across the continental U.S., and into Mexico.

The birds are frequent long-distance travelers, flying long distances north in the summer, but will mate within a few hundred miles of the place they were hatched. In the springtime, the bald eagle can lay one to three eggs, each hatching in about 35 days. It takes about three months for the newly hatched baby eagles to begin flying, and another month before they fly away and live on their own. Almost 70% of young eagles will survive their first year of life, adapting to their environment despite the dangers of food shortages, bad weather, illnesses and toxic chemicals.

Did you know the government passed the Bald Eagle Protection Act to save the species in 1940? The law prohibits anyone from disturbing or bothering bald eagles. The law also prohibited taking the animals, their eggs, or their nests, for any reason unless they have a permit. Take includes not just capturing or trapping the bald eagle, but also bothering them, shooting at them, and wounding or killing them.

Toxic chemicals in the environment, including DDT and commercial and residential pesticides, led to a mass die-off of the bald eagle. New laws and reintroduction programs for the bald eagle have given the birds a chance to survive. It was believes at the time that the species might have no road back from extinction.

In 1973, Congress passed the Endangered Species Act, enabling low and very low population animals to have a legal classification of threatened or endangered. The bald eagle was on most state's endangered species lists until the early 1990s, when the increasing numbers of the bird enabled its removal from the lists.

The bald eagle was reclassified by Congress as threatened on August 11, 1995, after its numbers grew from 500 pairs in 1963 to 5,000 pairs in 1994. Because the number of bald eagles has increased, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has made pans for removing the bird from the list of endangered species.

Watching these magnificent birds is a pleasure. The long strides of the bald eagle as it launches leads into the soaring, slow motion movement of the bird in flight. The determined eagle keeps to its determined path, its prize kept in sight. The efforts made to revive the species have been successful, leaving a majestic presence in the skies. These beautiful animals should certainly be seen in person.