Bald Eagles By Brendan Roso Bald Eagles Bald

Bald Eagles By: Brendan Roso

Bald Eagles • Bald Eagles are the national bird of the United States. • Even though they are called “Bald Eagles” they are not bald, they get their name from the white head. • Bald eagles were an endangered species at one point because of illegal hunting and chemical poisoning, but they have made a comeback and are no longer on the endangered or threatened species list. • They have one mate for life. • Bald Eagles swim well.

Chicks • Bald Eagles lay one to three eggs. • It takes about 35 days to hatch. • Chicks are grayish white, have very wobbly legs that can’t support their weight, and have partially closed eyes. • Parents are only form of protection so there is always one there. • They are fed by parents shredding pieces of meat for them. • Parents ball up their talons when they are in the nest with their chicks so they don’t accidently harm them.

Eaglets • Eaglets add one pound of weight every 4 -5 days; so they grow very quickly. • At two weeks, they can hold their head up for feeding. • At three weeks, they are a foot high and their feet and beaks are close to adult size. • Between four and five weeks, they can stand also begin tearing their own food. • At six weeks, they are almost as large as their parents. • Between to thirteen weeks, the eaglet takes flight. • About 40% of them do not survive their first flight.

Lifespan • Average lifespan for Bald Eagles in the wild is 28 years. • One bald eagle lived 48 years in captivity, longest living known eagle.

Size • Female body length: 35 -37 inches • Female Wingspan: 79 -90 inches • Male body length: 30 -34 inches • Male wingspan: 72 -85 inches • Average weight of a Bald Eagle is 10 -14 pounds.

Diet • Bald Eagles sit upon the top of the food chain. • They are carnivores and scavengers. • Bald Eagles eat mainly fish, especially salmon. • They also eat carrion, dead and decaying flesh.

Location • Bald Eagles are located in North America, from Alaska and Canada down to Northern Mexico. • They live near water, on the coast and near major lakes and rivers, so they can prey on fish.

Key features of a Bald eagle • Eyesight • Beak • Talons • feathers

Eyesight • Bald eagle’s eyes are almost as large as humans. • They have four times the sharpness of vision as humans do. • They can see both forward and to the side at the same time. • They can see fish in the water from several hundred feet in the air.

Beak • Bald Eagles have a hook at the end of the beak used for tearing. • Their upper mandible overlaps lower mandible creating a scissors effect. • The beak is made of keratin, same substance as human hair and nails, so beak continually grows. • Female’s beaks are deeper. • They use their beaks for

Talons • Talons are an important tool used for hunting and defense. • They kill their prey by penetrating the flesh with their talons. • Bald Eagles can lift about four pounds. • Their talons are very sharp and made up of keratin. • Eagle snags a fish

Feathers • Bald Eagles have 7, 000 feathers. • Their feathers are lightweight yet strong, hollow but flexible. • They help protect Bald Eagles from the cold but also the heat from the sun. • Feathers are important for flight. • They provide protection and waterproofing. • They help maintain body temperature. • Feathers are also made up of keratin.

SD Science and Language Arts Standards • Science: • 3. L. 1. 2. Students are able to identify characteristic features of animals and their related functions in relation to their environment. • 3. L. 1. 3. Students are able to describe life cycles, including growth and metamorphosis of familiar organisms. • Language Arts: • 3. RI. 2 Determine the main idea of a text. • 3. RI. 4 Determine the meaning of general academic and domain specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 3 topic or subject area.

Cites • "Bald Eagle. " National Geographic. N. p. , n. d. Web. 1 Nov. 2014. • "Bald Eagle Description. " American Bald Eagle Information. N. p. , n. d. Web. 01 Nov. 2014.

Reflection • As a teacher this would be a great assignment for students because it is a fun way of doing research on a certain project. It allows the students to have control about how they want to make it and be creative yet they are learning about something at the same time. It could also be useful as a teacher because we can make a Power. Point book as a great introduction to a certain topic we are starting. I feel like technology is a very effective way to develop literature because in today’s culture technology is so big and there are many different ways to use it which makes it interesting. This was a fun project and one that was not hard and didn’t take up too much time so it would be a perfect assignment for students but also something easy to do as