How to Spot a Bald Eagle

By eHow Hobbies, Games & Toys Editor

Instructions

Step 1:
Learn where you'll find a Bald Eagle. During the summer months, Bald Eagles live and breed throughout Canada and Alaska, as well as in scattered areas throughout the lower 48 United States. They live near bodies of water in forested areas in the summer. In the winter, Bald Eagles nest throughout the lower 48 United States and in coastal parts of Canada and Alaska. You can spot Bald Eagles in the winter near rivers, unfrozen lakes and coastlines
Step 2:
Observe the Bald Eagle's distinctive appearance. The white head and brown body is characteristic of the Bald Eagle. Bald Eagles also have white fan to wedge shaped tails that are fairly long. Their bills are yellow, thick and hooked, and their brown wings are long and broad. Bald Eagles also have yellow feet and legs that have no feathers. Juvenile Bald Eagles have white and brown splotchy colored bodies. Adult males and females look similar.
Step 3:
Marvel at the size of this large raptor. Bald Eagles range in size from 71 to 96 cm in length and from 3000 to 6300 g in weight. They have wingspans ranging from 183 to 244 cm. Adult female Bald Eagles are larger than adult males.
Step 4:
Listen for the sounds of the Bald Eagle. These sounds resemble those of a gull with very high-pitched cackles, whistles and squeals.
Step 5:
Watch the Bald Eagle's flight pattern. During flight, the Bald Eagles hold their wings flat and out to the sides. Bald Eagles fly with deep wing beats that alternate with glides. Often, Bald Eagles are seen soaring high overhead. During mating in the summer months, Bald Eagles have been known to do elaborate stunts during flight such as cartwheels.

Tips & Warnings

Bald Eagles are also strong swimmers.
The Bald Eagle is a threatened species on the Endangered Species list.
Don't confuse the Bald Eagle with the Golden Eagle. Unlike Bald Eagles, Golden Eagles have feathered legs and gold colored feathers on their heads.
Bald Eagles return to the same nest every year.

More Puppy Pages

How to Identify Birds of Prey by Sight

Hello! Welcome to Expert Village. My name is Wayne Peterson and I'm the director of the Important Bird Areas Program for the Massachusetts Audubon Society. Today we're here at the Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary in Marshfield, Massachusetts where we'll...

Instructions Step 1: Learn about the habitat of the Sandhill Cranes. These birds live throughout much of Canada and the northern and western United States. They winter on the Gulf Coast and the coast of Florida, and make their home in prairies, marshes...

Instructions Step 1: Look for the Golden-Crowned Kinglet in its preferred habitats. This tiny bird lives in both coniferous forests and mixed coniferous-deciduous forests. In the summer months, this bird breeds from southern Alaska across Canada and into...

Instructions Step 1: Find the Red Phalarope wintering at sea throughout the oceans of the Southern Hemisphere and along the Pacific coast of Mexico. During migration, look for this bird along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of North America. In the...

Instructions Step 1: Learn about the habitat of the Northern Goshawk, that is found in much of North America, including the northern and western continental United States, Canada and Alaska. It usually lives in dense forests that are either coniferous or...