---
title: "What the sources say about the Bald Eagle | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "53 claims from the Bald Eagle profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
image: "https://animaltracks.wiki/images/animals/bald-eagle-1.webp"
canonical: "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/bald-eagle/sources/"
---

# What the sources say about the Bald Eagle (*Haliaeetus leucocephalus*)

> 53 claims from the Bald Eagle profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Bald Eagle](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/bald-eagle/)

## Bald Eagle. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/bald-eagle

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| a talon grip ten times as strong as an average human's | its grip strength is 10 times that of the average human |
| a wingspan of up to eight feet | Wingspan: 5.5 to 8 feet (1.7 to 2.4 meters) (note: San Diego Zoo, the source of the height and weight, over Smithsonian's "up to 8.5 feet": ADW's range (178 to 229 cm) also tops out below 8 feet, so 8.5 is the one outlier) |
| spiny toe scales and rough foot pads that help it hold slippery fish | bald eagles come equipped with spiny scales and sharp talons on their toes for grabbing fish. Rough pads on the bottom of each foot also help grip this slippery food |
| A Grip Ten Times an Average Human's | its grip strength is 10 times that of the average human (note: heading) |
| waits on a favorite perch until it spots one near the surface, then swoops down and snatches it in its talons | A hungry eagle waits on its favorite perch until it spies a fish near the surface. It can swoop down on the water and snatch a fish with those special feet |
| Rough foot pads and spiny scales help it grip the slippery catch | bald eagles come equipped with spiny scales and sharp talons on their toes for grabbing fish. Rough pads on the bottom of each foot also help grip this slippery food |
| that grip is about ten times as strong as an average human's | its grip strength is 10 times that of the average human (note: also what stats.dangerLevel: Medium rests on (settled in #178): 'Can injure, but rarely seriously'. The 'rarely' is ADW's 'Bald eagles do not directly have a negative impact on humans.', which has no sentence on the page and is quoted in the PR) |
| Adults stand 28 to 38 inches tall | Height: 28 to 38 inches (71 to 96 centimeters) |
| a wingspan of 5.5 to 8 feet (1.7 to 2.4 meters) | Wingspan: 5.5 to 8 feet (1.7 to 2.4 meters) |
| Females weigh 10 to 15 pounds against a male's 6 to 9 | Weight: Females, 10 to 15 pounds (4.5 to 6.8 kilograms); males, 6 to 9 pounds (2.7 to 4 kilograms) |
| A bald eagle lives 16.5 years on average | LIFE SPAN 16.5 years on average (note: replaces ADW's 2013 "Typical lifespan Status: wild 15 to 20 years"; San Diego Zoo states no wild or captive scope, so the page states none) |
| About ten times as strong as an average human's | its grip strength is 10 times that of the average human |
| Spiny scales and sharp talons on its toes grab fish, and rough pads on the bottom of each foot help grip the slippery catch | bald eagles come equipped with spiny scales and sharp talons on their toes for grabbing fish. Rough pads on the bottom of each foot also help grip this slippery food |
| The largest known bald eagle nest, found in Florida, was about 9 feet across and 20 feet deep, and weighed more than two tons | The largest known eagle nest was found in Florida. It was 9 feet (2.7 meters) across, 20 feet (6 meters) deep, and weighed over two tons (2 tonnes) |
| each with a grip 10 times as strong as an average human's | its grip strength is 10 times that of the average human (note: vibe.reason, settled in #178) |

## Bald eagle. Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.

https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/bald-eagle

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Fish, waterfowl, small mammals, carrion, and fish stolen from ospreys | prefer fish as their primary food ... They also eat sea birds and ducks or hunt over grasslands and marshes for small mammals ... Bald eagles eat carrion willingly and are notorious for robbing osprey of their catches (note: waterfowl is the ducks in "sea birds and ducks") |
| usually hunts fish without diving in | When hunting for fishes, it does not usually dive into the water like the osprey but instead searches for fish near the surface |
| can live up to 50 | Bald eagles can live up to 50 years (note: Smithsonian states no wild or captive scope, so the page states none) |
| An Opportunist at the Top of the Food Chain | Bald eagles are opportunistic foragers (note: heading; the top of the food chain is ADW's "As a top predator, bald eagles impact all members of their trophic community") |
| Fish are the preferred catch, but a hungry bald eagle is not picky | Bald eagles are opportunistic foragers but prefer fish as their primary food |
| It also feeds on seabirds and ducks, hunts small mammals such as rabbits and squirrels | They also eat sea birds and ducks or hunt over grasslands and marshes for small mammals such as rabbits, squirrels, prairie dogs and muskrats |
| eats carrion willingly | Bald eagles eat carrion willingly |
| notorious for robbing ospreys of fish they have already caught | are notorious for robbing osprey of their catches (note: the already-caught fish is the Smithsonian's next sentence: eagles wait for an osprey "to return to its nest with a fish in its talons" and harass it "until it is forced to drop its prey for the eagle to retrieve") |
| Cartwheeling Rivals | The talon-grappling, cartwheeling fight they are known for is an aggressive territorial dispute (note: heading) |
| The midair move they are known for is something else | The talon-grappling, cartwheeling fight they are known for is an aggressive territorial dispute, not a courtship behavior (note: something else: not courtship, in the same sentence) |
| Territorial fight | The talon-grappling, cartwheeling fight they are known for is an aggressive territorial dispute (note: blockquote lead) |
| That talon-grappling cartwheel is an aggressive territorial dispute, not a courtship behavior | The talon-grappling, cartwheeling fight they are known for is an aggressive territorial dispute, not a courtship behavior |
| From 417 Pairs to a New Threat | reduced eagle numbers to only 417 pairs by 1963 (note: heading; the new threat is H5N1 (Nemeth et al. 2023)) |
| Illegal shooting, habitat destruction, lead poisoning and the pesticide DDT | Illegal shooting, habitat destruction, lead poisoning and the catastrophic effects of the pesticide DDT in their prey base reduced eagle numbers to only 417 pairs by 1963 (note: final pass: the draft dropped lead poisoning from the source's list) |
| the United States banned most uses of it in 1972 | the banning of DDT for most uses in the United States in 1972 |
| The bald eagle was listed under the Endangered Species Act in 1978 | the 1978 listing under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 |
| it came off the endangered species list in 2007 | The USFWS delisted the bald eagle from the Endangered Species List on August 9, 2007 |
| Bald eagles have a rather wimpy voice for such large birds | Bald eagles have a rather wimpy voice for such large, majestic birds |
| including a squeaky alarm call used near the nest | They have a squeaky alarm call used near the nest |
| The screaming call often associated with the bald eagle is actually a red-tailed hawk's | The "screaming" vocalization often associated with the bald eagle is actually a red-tailed hawk call |
| two rival eagles | The talon-grappling, cartwheeling fight they are known for is an aggressive territorial dispute (note: vibe.reason, settled in #178: replaces 'open-highway freedom, and classic American majesty', which argued from mood and culture) |

## Haliaeetus leucocephalus (bald eagle). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Haliaeetus_leucocephalus/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| An apex fish hunter | As a top predator, bald eagles impact all members of their trophic community (note: fish hunter is Smithsonian's "prefer fish as their primary food") |
| Typically coastal estuaries, lakes and rivers across North America | are found throughout North America, near large water sources ... typically prefer areas near large water bodies such as sea coasts, coastal estuaries and inland lakes and rivers |
| in many areas within a few kilometers of water | in many areas, these birds are found within 3 km of a water source |
| Across North America it usually lives near coasts, lakes and rivers | are found throughout North America, near large water sources ... typically prefer areas near large water bodies such as sea coasts, coastal estuaries and inland lakes and rivers |
| in many areas it is found within 3 kilometers of water | in many areas, these birds are found within 3 km of a water source |
| Bald eagles are believed to mate for life | These birds are believed to mate for life, or until a pair member dies |
| two eagles lock talons and cartwheel toward the ground, letting go before impact | During their cart-wheel display, the birds clasp their feet in the air and spin as they plummet towards the ground, letting go before impact (note: mechanics only: ADW files the cartwheel under courtship (2013), and the page follows the current Smithsonian page that it is a territorial dispute) |
| reduced the bald eagle to an estimated 417 pairs in the continental United States by 1963 | In 1963, there were an estimated 417 pairs of bald eagles remaining in the continental US |
| DDT caused brittle eggshells and eggs that failed to hatch | DDT impacts all animals, with impacts such as deformities, neurological damage and in the case of birds, brittle egg shells and unhatching eggs |
| lock talons and spin toward the ground, letting go before impact | During their cart-wheel display, the birds clasp their feet in the air and spin as they plummet towards the ground, letting go before impact (note: vibe.reason, settled in #178; mechanics only, as in the body: the Smithsonian's current page, not ADW's courtship reading, says what the fight is for) |

## Buehler (2022). Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). Birds of the World.

https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.baleag.02

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| it was removed from United States Endangered Species Act protection in 2007 | The Bald Eagle was removed from U.S. Endangered Species Act protection in 2007 |
| its recovery is among the most successful conservation stories in North America | its population recovery is among the most successful conservation stories in North America |
| Birds of the World's 2022 account puts the population of the contiguous United States at about 316,700 birds | Recent models have estimated the population at 316,700 individuals and 71,400 occupied nests in the contiguous United States ... Recommended Citation Buehler, D. A. (2022) |

## Nemeth et al. (2023). Bald eagle mortality and nest failure due to clade 2.3.4.4 highly pathogenic H5N1 influenza a virus. Scientific Reports.

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-27446-1

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A highly pathogenic strain of H5N1 bird flu reached North America in late 2021 and caused high rates of mortality among bald eagles | The introduction of A/goose/Guangdong/1/1996 lineage highly pathogenic (HP) clade 2.3.4.4b H5N1 influenza A virus (IAV) in North America in late 2021 resulted in high rates of mortality among bald eagles |
| A 2022 survey found nest success on Georgia's coast had dropped to 47%, about 30% below the region's average | In Georgia, a 2022 aerial statewide survey revealed 47% nest success for bald eagles in the coastal region, which is about 30% below the average for the region |
| In Brevard and Hillsborough counties, Florida, 2022 nest success fell to 41.0% and 66.7%, down from averages of 86.5% and 78.3% over the previous six years | When contrasted with the mean metrics reported from the preceding 6-year observational period, 2022 nest success in these two counties, dropped from 86.5 to 41.0% and 78.3 to 66.7%, respectively |

## Haliaeetus leucocephalus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2024: e.T22695144A264598530.

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2024-2.rlts.t22695144a264598530.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Least Concern | IUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC) |