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Bald Eagle
- New York status: Threatened
- Largest bird of prey found in Central New York
- Successfully restored to New York; seen fishing Oneida Lake in late fall & early spring
The bald eagle is a long-lived bird, with a life span of more than 30 years in the wild. Bald eagles are one of the largest birds of prey (raptors) found in North America, and can be 76cm (30 inches) tall, sport a wingspan up to 2.1m (84 inches), and weigh up to 6.4kg (14 pounds). Adult bald eagles are easily identified by their brown body and unmistakable white head and tail, and by a bright yellow bill. Immature bald eagles lack the white head and tail, and instead are chocolate brown with varying amounts of white scattered over the body. Male and female bald eagles look identical, though females are usually about one third larger and heavier than males.
Bald eagles live in undisturbed forests near lakes and reservoirs, marshes and swamps, and along rivers with abundant fish populations. An eagle’s diet consists primarily of fish, though eagles will take mammals, waterfowl, and carrion, especially during winter when open water is scarce. On Oneida Lake bald eagles eat fish, but also will eat dead deer and beaver carcasses they find.
Prior to breeding, bald eagles perform amazing courtship displays. Eagle pairs soar high in the sky, begin to dive, and then grab claws while descending in a series of somersaults. They mate for life and return to nest within 250 miles of where they fledged (were raised). Once a pair selects a nesting territory, they will use it for the rest of their lives. Nests are usually located in a tall, live white pine tree near water. The nest is reused and added to (decorated) each year, often becoming eight or more feet deep, six feet across, and weighing hundreds of pounds. Bald eagles produce only one or two offspring per year, and in New York the young fledge by mid to late summer at about 12 weeks of age. By 20 weeks, bald eagle juveniles are largely independent.
In 1976, the New York State Bald Eagle Restoration Project began in an attempt to reestablish breeding populations through hacking (hand rearing to independence). Over a 13 year period, 198 nestling bald eagles were collected (most from Alaska), and released in New York. The hacking project ended in 1989, when it accomplished its goal of establishing ten breeding pairs. The program's focus has now shifted to finding, protecting, and monitoring nesting pairs. In 2005, New York State had 92 breeding bald eagle pairs, which fledged 112 young. On Oneida Lake, a pair of bald eagles has built a nest in the Three Rivers area, and bald eagles are frequently spotted when the ice is starting to form, and when the ice is leaving the lake. Fourteen bald eagle pairs nest along the St Lawrence River, and several nests are spotted each year in the Adirondack Park.
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