American Eagles

American Eagles

NORTH AMERICAN WILDLIFE
AMERICAN BALD EAGLE
(Haliaeetus Leucocephalus)
By George Constantourakis, October 1997

The Bald Eagle belong to the family of "Eagles and Hawks" (Accipitridae) which comprises 225 species world-wide, and is one of the 27 species that lives in North America. The family of Accipitridaebelong to the order of "Diurnal Birds of Prey" (Falconiformes), one out of 27 orders of the class "Birds" (Aves).

The Bald Eagle is found exclusively in North America. Their population once bred throughout North America, but it has been badly reduced by pesticides. It is still very common along the Pacific Coast of Alaska and British Columbia. Recently, the species are making a moderate comeback. The bulk of their northern population winters from southern Canada, south, along major river systems. In the summer their southeastern populations move north as far as New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

The Bald Eagle is a fish-eating bird of impressive size, 30-43" (76-109 cm), with white head and tail. Thus its name "bald", which in Middle English meant "shining white".

The immature birds closely resemble the golden eagle. Their plummages are highly variable, ranging from brownish-black to light mottled tan. The typical adult plumage is attained at age 4 to 5. Their voice is a series of harsh, squeaky, metallic chitters and screams, at times interspersed with guttural grunting sounds. Bald Eagles usually hunt from perches adjacent to water, but arealso known to pursue their prey in flight.

The Bald Eagle has on each of its eyes two centers of focus,enabling it to see forward and sideways at once. It soars exceedingly high anddives at speeds of 70 feet per second. When attacking, it rides back on itstail and strikes with its claws. The prey is snagged by the eagle’s longtalons.

Figure 1 shows a Bald Eagle on the attack, riding on its tail. The stamp of June 13, 1987, for the protection of American Wildlife, shows a Bald Eagle perched on a tree branch. The superb cancellation of Nov.15, 1996, from Haines, Alaska also shows a Bald Eagle perched on a treebranch. This cancellation, though realized nine years after the stamp’s issue,is a very good one, as the place cancel of Haines, AK, is one of the Bald Eagles' major habitat areas, plus the pictorial cancel, make it 100% concordant.

Attacking Eagle

Fig. 1. Attacking Eagle. Color Postcard: Pub. by Impact, Nr. 11686 (Commercial). Cancel: Haines, AK, Nov. 15, 1996. Created by George Constantourakis.

Bald Eagles, during the breeding season, stay near large bodies of water, which provide an abundant source of food. Their nests are built with large sticks in the supercanopy of trees. They start to breed only after the age of five. Chicks require three months of constant care before they "fledge". At night, adult birds tuck the eaglets beneath their breaststo keep them warm. See Figure 2.

The stamp clearly shows an eagle’s nest of large sticks. This stamp was issued in May 6, ’70 to commemorate the centenary of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. The beautiful pictorial cancellation is a close up of an eagle’s head and neck. This maximum card, even with this late cancellation, could be considered as a good one, as it is 100% concordant.

For Native Americans, the Bald Eagle represented the dignity of freedom, and only the bravest warriors had the honor of wearing itsfeathers. American colonists adopted it as their symbol. As early as 1776 the eagle appeared on an American coin. The Bald Eagle was considered a symbol of strength and courage, and as such, it appeared on a drum of the 9th Regiment, Vermont Volunteers, U.S. A. Infantry, ca. 1860. See Figure 3: The card shows a drum, using the stamp of an eagle issued to commemorate the Bicentennial of the Bill of Rights.

Nesting Eagle

Fig. 2. Nesting Eagle. Color Postcard: Pub. by Crane Creek Graphics,WY, NR. PC-6350 (Commercial). Cancel: Haines, AK, Nov. 10, 1995. Created by Terry Watson.

Drum

Fig. 3. Drum. Color Postcard: Pub. by National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. (Commercial). Cancel: Philadelphia, PA, FDOI, September 25, 1989. Created by Donald Brenke.

The Bald Eagle became the symbol of the new American nation. It is portrayed with outstretched wings, bearing on its breast the shield of the Republic., clutching an olive branch in one talon and a sheath of arrows in the other. See Figure 4: The stamp, along with the specialcancellation, displays the symbol of the Republic, while the card shows a flying Bald Eagle clutching a fish.

Eagle with Fish

Fig. 4. Eagle with Fish. Color Postcard: Pub. by Impact, CA, Nr. 8544, (Commercial). Cancel: Columbia Falls, ME, April 29, 1996. Created by Terry Watson.

However, the choice of this symbol for the new country was not unanimous. Benjamin Franklin opposed the idea, stating, "I wish the bald eagle had not been chosen as the representative symbol of our country... He is a bird of bad moral character". In reality, the Bald Eagle is a cautious, calculating bird. As a scavenger it is also performing an important task in nature.

Through the plight of this majestic bird, we are learning to appreciate the importance of the environment. In that sense, the Bald Eagle, our foremost wildlife symbol, has also come to represent an evenmore important cause.

Editor: Jesse F. Knight .| Webmaster: Itzhak Shdemati
Last Updating: Feb-06-2000