Bald Eagle Facts
Q:
How tall is a bald eagle? Q.
Do eagles molt annually, or how frequently do they shed their feathers? A. Believe it or not, this is not an easy question to answer; even with all the years and people studying eagles, the molting process is still not precisely understood. Prior to reaching sexual maturity at about age 5, we need to think of molts in terms of different plumages. Young eagles
go through four different plumages until they reach their sexually mature, adult plumage, which would be the fifth plumage
type. These are (as described by Clark and Wheeler in Hawks of North America): So, you might think, ok, 5 years to sexual maturity, 5 plumages, one molt per year, right? Not exactly. Molt can be affected by a variety of biological and welfare factors (such as food supply, density of other eagles, and others), and not all molts are always complete molts. Once they
achieve their final “adult” plumage, it is likely that bald
eagles molt their flight feathers just about every year, primarily in
New York from summer through fall. However, some evidence of molting
can be seen at almost any time of the year. Life Cycle Q: Do eagles carry their young under any circumstances? A: I have heard of this legend many times, and have been told there is some citation in this regard in the bible. However, I have never heard of this, and firmly doubt it. The reality of the biology is, eaglets indeed spend 10-12 weeks on their nest, do all of their own flight training, and fledge from the nest on their own, gradually gaining strength and honing their flight skills over the next month or two. Ecology Q:
Where do bald eagles mostly live? Q: Could there be a family of bald eagles living
here in Sauquoit? A: I’m not sure what you mean by “your website and it mentions no bald eagles have been raising families in the wild;" we have well over 100 bald eagles nesting throughout New York State. There are none that we know of in your immediate area, but it is very possible we don’t know of every single eagle nest out there either! All I can say is, if you or any of your neighbors see adult eagles carrying sticks or food repeatedly into a certain area over the next few months, or if you happen to spot a huge nest, bigger than any nest you’ve ever seen, give us a call right away and we’ll check it out. Other Q: Are there artificial nest boxes? What
is the success rate of the boxes? Q: Is there a bird watching organization I should let know if I have seen a pair of mating bald eagles? I know someone tries to keep track of how many mating pairs there are, and I would like to know if I can help in any way. A: Contact the New Hampshire Audubon Society or New Hampshire Fish and Wildlife. Q. Whom should I call if I find an injured bird? A. You should call your state Wildlife or Conservation Department. Some states list their licensed
wildlife rehabilitators on their web sites, as well as their contact numbers.
Your local phone book should also list your local Conservation Dept. or
Conservation Officer numbers. Peter
E. Nye
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