• The Bald Eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, can be found year-round in Colorado, usually near water. They range throughout North America and are the largest raptor on the continent.
  

• Known for the white feathers on their heads, adult Bald Eagles are otherwise brown with white tails visible in flight. Juveniles are all brown with splotches of white which disappear as they reach sexual maturity in their fifth year. Although males and females have the same coloring, the females can be as much as 25% larger than the males. With an average wingspan of 80”, males average 9 lbs., while females weigh around 12 lbs.
  



• As powerful fliers, Bald Eagles can be seen soaring on thermal convections, diving after prey, or energetically flapping with a fish in their talons.
  

• Bald Eagles require habitats near open water and will not migrate from areas where the waters don’t freeze. Areas with large trees are preferred for perching, roosting, and nesting.
  

• Although most of their diet is made up of fish, Bald Eagles will also hunt smaller birds and mammals. With their strong talons and powerful wings, they have been known to fly with fish equal to their own weight. They are also known to feast on carrion and steal prey from other predators.
  

• Bald Eagles usually mate for life and return to the same nest every year. Their large nests are constructed of sticks high in tall trees (typically cottonwoods in Colorado) near a water source. Usually, two eggs are laid and the chicks fledge at 8-14 weeks of age and stay near the nest and their parents.
  

• Birds in northern latitudes will migrate south. In our area it is common to see large congregations of wintering birds near open water.
  

• The call of the Bald Eagle is an unimpressive weak chirp. In movies, the stronger call of the Red-tailed Hawk is often dubbed in for the eagles.
  

• Not just the national symbol for the United States (adopted in 1782), the Bald Eagle is also sacred to many Native Americans. Some cultures believe that eagles are the messenger between the Creator and the people.

Sources: volunteer Leslie Dixon, Sibley's Field Guide to Western Birds of North America, Wikipedia