American Eagles for Kids | Learn all about the national symbol of the USA

American Eagles Hi, friends! Today, we are going to learn all about American Eagles. You can read along with us by downloading the lesson plan from our website, learnbright.org. What is an American Eagle? An American Eagle has a dark brown body, wings, and a white head and tail. It has bright yellow feet and a large hooked bill. While people like to call it an American Eagle because it is the national bird of the United States of America, it is most often called a Bald Eagle. You may wonder why it is called a Bald Eagle since it has white feathers on its head. In this case, the word bald does not mean without any hair or feathers on the head. In Old English, bald meant white and referred to feathers. Over time, the E was dropped from the word. American Eagles fly high above the sky or perch in tall trees near rivers or lakes. They live near large inland lakes and rivers that have abundant fish. They generally choose the tops of trees to build their nests. Each year, they enlarge their nests. Some nests are 10 feet across and weigh up to a thousand pounds. American Eagles can have a single nest or they can have several in their territory. Female American Eagles are larger than the males and weigh around 10 to 14 pounds with a 7-foot wingspan. Males weigh approximately 8 to 10 pounds and have up to a 6-foot wingspan. Once a female meets her mate, they often remain paired for life. Typically, American Eagles will lay one to three eggs once a year. It takes the eggs about 35 days to hatch. Baby Eagles or Eaglets learn to fly within the first three months of their life. A month after that, they go out to live on their own. What do Eagles eat? Using their sharp talons, American Eagles snatch fish out of the water to feed on. The undersides of their feet are coarse or rough so the fish will not slip out of their grasp. Fish is their staple food, so they live near lakes, rivers, and marshes. They also feed on ducks, waterfowl, turtles, rabbits, snakes, and other small animals. American Eagles will also eat carrion, the decaying flesh of dead animals. American Eagles are predators and scavengers, which means they are opportunistic feeders. Other interesting facts American Eagles glide around 20 to 40 miles per hour when hunting prey. When an American Eagle dives into the water to grab a fish, it can travel up to 100 miles per hour. And they can swim if they need to by using an overhand movement of their wings, which looks a lot like the butterfly stroke. Imagine seeing a swimming eagle! And did you know that the largest population of American Eagles live in Alaska? Only Hawaii does not have a species of Bald Eagles living in the state. Year after year, American Eagles return to their nest. And just like people, they like to make additions and improvements to the place they live. Many American Eagles will add twigs and branches each year. One found nest had been used for over 34 years and weighed over 2 tons! Almost 4,000 pounds! Why are Eagles essential to the environment? American Eagles require a perching area, a nesting site, and a good food base. And they are an essential part of the environment. For example, they eat carrion, which helps to clean up the land. And since they are great hunters, they also help to keep animal populations strong. They kill off the old, slow, weak animals so only the healthy and strong survive. Even though it is the national symbol of the United States of America, it became threatened with extinction in the 1960s. The increased use of pesticides, habitat loss, and other problems created by humans caused them to be officially listed as an endangered species in 1976. However, thanks to many conservation efforts, the American Eagle was downgraded from the endangered to the threatened list in 1995. The recovery of the American Eagle is one of the best and most well-known conservation stories. We have learned some interesting facts about American Eagles. Are you ready to review? Why is the American Eagle endangered? Where did you find the information? Sadly, the American Eagle became endangered because of the increased use of pesticides, habitat loss, and other problems humans created for them. Luckily, they're no longer considered endangered and have been moved to the threatened list. Choose the word the author would say best describes the American Eagle. A. Defenseless B. Venomous C. Unique D. Noisy E. Predator If you chose E. Predator, you're right! True or false? An American Eagle is sometimes called a bald eagle. The answer is true. I hope you got that right. Looks like you answered those questions with an eagle eye. Excellent work! And remember, you can find this lesson and other great lesson plans on our website, learnbright.org. Hope you had fun learning with us. Visit us at learnbright.org for thousands of free resources and turnkey solutions for teachers and homeschoolers.