Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle — page 3 — the eagle swoops down His knifelike claws called talons snatch at the fish But the fish is too heavy for the eagle to carry away The eagle drops it at a slippery log nearby In the distance the eagle hears the cries of its chicks Quickly he rips off a small piece of the salmon and flies back to feed his young As the fog lifts sunlight pours into the valley The wind begins to rise The eagle’s mate leaves the nest to soar on currents of air over the land Her shadow falls on the mountains Their caps sparkle under the 6 National Symbol In 1776 the United States was a new nation The US Congress wanted a seal design it could use on important papers The design would represent the country’s new government Over the next six years there were many different ideas In 1782 the bald eagle became the national bird of the United States That year Congress also agreed to the design for the nation’s seal that is still used today The seal shows a bald eagle with its wings stretched wide On its breast is the American flag An olive branch in one claw represents peace Arrows in the other claw represent war

Bald Eagle — page 4 — new snow By midmorning eagles are everywhere They fill the air Most are eager to feed on the salmon They cry and shriek as they fight over the fish When they leave every bone will be picked clean The bald eagle is found almost entirely in North America Many native people saw the eagle as a symbol of peace and strength They admired its hunting skills Tribes such as the Sioux used eagle feathers as part of their religion The Tlingit of Alaska used its image on totem poles In 1782 when Americans needed a symbol for their new nation they chose the bald eagle It stood for freedom and liberty At this time there may have been as many as half a million eagles They lived in almost every state Eagles at Risk Not everyone felt the eagle was a special bird Many early settlers believed it ate their livestock They began killing eagles in large numbers Over the next 200 years the eagle faced more threats from humans Humans shot and trapped eagles and 7

Bald Eagle — page 5 — nests were destroyed The US Congress passed legislation to protect the bald eagle in 1940 But the shooting continued Chemicals such as lead also poisoned eagles By the 1960s there were fewer than 500 pairs of eagles in the lower 48 states In 1967 the bald eagle was named an endangered species There was only a slim hope the bald eagle population would survive The government passed new laws These laws further protected bald eagles and their nests 8 Eagle Species There are more than 60 kinds of eagles in the world North America is home to two species They are the golden eagle and the bald eagle They are similar in size and appearance but their color and markings are different The body of the golden eagle is light brown or dark brown Adults do not have any white markings This eagle also has golden-colored feathers on its crown and neck The bald eagle lives near water But the golden eagle doesn’t need to live near water Golden eagles live in drier areas such as plains and mountains Golden eagles are also found in Europe Asia and parts of Africa

Bald Eagle — page 6 — A bald eagle's sharp talons help it catch fish swimming beneath the surface of the water 9

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