Although this is the national bird of the Americans, many of them do not know how the white-headed eagle breeds in its natural habitat, I recommend our article where the Mexican golden eagle lives and how it breeds to complement this reading.
You no longer need to rent a documentary to learn how the white-headed eagle breeds.
This is one of the best known birds in the world, given the publicity it gets.
Being the national bird of the United States of America, it is normal to see it in movies and documentaries.
It is also present on the fifty-cent coin, which so many people want.
It is on billboards, and on everything that exalts the nationalism of this country.
However, there are many people who do not know how the white-headed eagle reproduces.
Although this beautiful bird has an inspiring legend, which is used in various self-improvement speeches.
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Contents
Legend of the white-headed eagle
The bald eagle, or white-headed eagle, is the longest-lived bird of its species.
It lives for about seventy (70) years.
When the bald eagle reaches about forty years of age, she must make a very important decision.
At this age, the curved, flexible nails of its talons no longer have the strength to capture prey.
Its once long, pointed beak becomes curved, pointing to its chest.
And its majestic wings, carry heavy, old feathers that do not allow it to fly well.
This animal has only two options left: surrender and wait for death, or face a painful and long process of 150 days to renew itself.
When the bald eagle is wise and chooses the second option, it must fly to the top of a mountain.
There it takes refuge in a nest made near a very strong wall.
Every day it begins to beat its beak against the wall, until it tears it off.
Since this process will help him so that a new beak regenerates in its place.
When his new beak is ready, he tears off his old nails, from which new nails grow back.
And then it plucks out its old feathers, so that new ones can grow.
After five months, the bald eagle flies majestically through the air, reigning for thirty more years.
This is a story they use in motivational and personal growth talks.
For people to follow the example of the bald eagle, when a similar situation arises in their lives.
Because only with a good disposition and tenacity, they can overcome.
It is also an incentive for companies or businesses that are in decline.
For them to look for ways not only to reinvent themselves, but also to change their attitude and thinking.
How the white-headed eagle reproduces
The bald eagle is by nature monogamous, as it “marries” the mate it chooses.
They form a mate with whom they live for the rest of their lives.
They only have one other partner, if one of them were to die, or disappear.
The male bald eagle uses his majestic flight to woo the chosen female.
He performs acrobatic flips, chases and other maneuvers to impress his beloved.
Building the nest
When it is time to lay their eggs, they both build a nest on a cliff, or high up in a tree.
These are usually the tallest in the surrounding forest.
These nests are like their apartment, since they can measure four meters high, and two and a half meters wide.
And they are made of thousands of sticks, covered with other thinner materials.
Most of the time, they are near a body of water, which is their natural habitat.
The female can lay from one to three eggs.
And the incubation period lasts approximately thirty-five days.
If you want to know what is the scientific name of the bald eagle national bird of the United States, click on this link.
This is how the white-headed eagle breeds.
After hatching, one parent remains with the young almost constantly for the first two weeks.
At first, both parents bring the prey to the nest, to tear them apart and feed them to the hatchlings.
After six weeks have passed, the hatchlings begin to peck at the food.
If the fishing season is poor, probably only the older hatchling survives.
But there have been cases, however, where bald eagles raise up to three eaglets.
They usually fly for the first time between ten and twelve weeks of age.
And they stay with their parents until they are six months old.
At first, eaglets have an ugly appearance, and they are brown.
Only when they reach maturity do their tails and heads whiten.
For this they must wait three to five years, so that they can finally have the beautiful appearance of their parents.
Food and Diet
The bald eagle is opportunistic, predatory, and scavenging.
To hunt, it spends much of its time observing from a strategic position.
It also usually flies slowly, at a constant speed over water and land.
In this way, it surprises the prey, swooping down, and capturing the prey with its talons.
In times of abundant fish, it usually wades in shallow water to catch them.
And it is an expert thief, stealing fish from other fishing birds.
If times are hard for the bald eagle, it lands on land and feeds on carrion.
Its main diet is fish, but it also feeds on other birds, and small mammals.
Its favorites are herring, salmon, carp, catfish, among others.
But it can also eat coots, ducks, hares, muskrats, turtles, shellfish, and some mammals such as monkeys.
I recommend our article bald eagle vs golden eagle or United States vs Mexico.
God bless you.