Eagles

By: Marissa Lynn McKinney

I lay three or two eggs and it takes about 35 days for them to hatch. Do you know what kind of bird I am yet?

The very first reason I chose this amazing bird is because of the body strength. This animal height is 3 feet head to tail. And the wingspan is 7 feet across. And what really amazed me is the weight because I thought that the weight would be way more then it was. 8 to 12 pounds is the weight of this animal. Now I ‘am going to talk about the wings on this animal’s body. They may go fast as 200 miles per hour. That fact really shocked me because when I see the eagles they are usually just flying around all slow. They look like they are just flying to fly or something. When a bald eagle flap it’s wings most of the power is when the wings stroke down. The wings that pull down are much larger then the ones that stroke up. The flight muscles are so important to eagles that the they often account for the half of the bird’s total body weight. Eagles can change the speed by changing the position of the wings. When an eagle trys to land on a tree it is very hard for them to land on top of a tree. They spread their wings up and then land. Then the feathers are very light. Did you know that if you take 30 feathers it would weight less then a penny? There is many feathers on the birds body almost all the feathers have a different job.

Green feather coverts

Making the wing thicker in front so that the air will flow faster over the wing

Grey feathers

Primary feathers can be spread out like the fingers on a hand to reduce drag

Blue feathers

Secondary feathers can be moved down to increase grag, or up to reduce it

The feather is made out of Keratin the same thing that your fingernail is made out of. That fact really shocked me because it looked nothing like the fingernail. And what you just read is the first reason I chose this bird.





The very second reason I chose this eagle is because of the habitat they live in. You may find them in North America, Canada, and another place is Alaska. But the best place to look for them is Alaska. This animal’s nest is about 2 feet in length and about 5 feet for the width. The eagles nest weights about 50 and up to 100 pounds. When they try to land on their nest it is very hard for them because they have to go in many positions in order for them to land in the tree. The bald eagle is often seen in areas of North America. If it prefers deciduous forest. This bird selects hardwood trees for roosting and also nesting. During breeding season, the bald eagle shifts it location words south from the northern areas of Canada or Alaska. This research of fish for food and this move usually occurs by late October.



The final reason I chose this bird is because struggle for survival. They are fighting for there life. The number of the eagles was rapid decline in the mid 20th century due to loss of habitat. Besides many of the magnificent birds are being shot illegally. These birds are also due to harmful pesticide and the use of DDT. This result in the bird being listed as one of the endangered species. Thus, came enforcement of the environmental laws, which also banned the use of DDT. The numbers of the bald eagles were restored and on the 12th of July 1995, this bird was taken off the list of the endangered species thanks to the conservation efforts.

That is why I chose this amazing bird is because it is strong it is just a amazing creature to be around and also see. This eagles fight for what they want and also for what they need.