Bald Eagles
• Bald Eagles were once common sights in the skies throughout North America – including the Great Lakes shoreline.
• In the 1950s Bald Eagles all but disappeared due to the effects of the pesticide DDT, or dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane.
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Exposure to DDT interfered with the eagles’ ability to reproduce.
• The Bald Eagle is a large bird, with a body length of 28–38 in (71–96 centimeters), a wingspan of 66–88 in (168–244 centimeters), and a mass of 3–6.3 kilograms (6.6–14 lb);
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Females are about 25 percent larger than males.
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The adult Bald Eagle has a brown body with a white head and tail, and bright yellow irises, taloned feet, and a hooked beak; juveniles are completely brown except for the yellow feet. Males and females are identical in plumage coloration.
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Its diet consists mainly of fish, but it is an opportunistic feeder. It hunts fish by swooping down and snatching the fish out of the water with its talons. It is sexually mature at four years or five years of age.
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The Bald Eagle builds the largest nest of any North American bird, up to 13 ft (4 meters) deep, 8 ft (2.5 meters) wide, and 1.1 tons (1 tonne) in weight.
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