Peter Nye's answers to all your great questions are provided below. He'll respond to another round of questions in April. Please send them by April 18th to:
From NEBRASKA:
Hello, These questions come from some of the students at Henderson Community School in Henderson Nebraska. Our questions are:
Q. How high does the Bald Eagle fly in the air?
A. During migration they can be up 1 to 1/2 miles high, but usually less, around 2-3,000 feet or so.
Q. How fast can the bald eagle fly?
A. Hard to say, but they have been "clocked" well over 60 mph and probably hit 90-100 mph in glides and stoops.
Q. How long does the bald eagle usually live?
A. 30-40 years.
Q. In what states is the bald eagle found?
A. All but Hawaii.
Q. How big can a bald eagle get?
A. The farther north they are from, the bigger they are. The largest Alaskan eagles can weigh 16 pounds and have a wingspan of nearly 7 feet.
Q. What is the maximum number of flaps an eagle flaps in a minute?
A. Good question. Eagles are not fast-flappers as birds go, due to their size mainly. They are constructed for gliding/soaring flight and therefore use air currents much more than muscle mass. During migration, an eagle can soar to a great height, begin a gradual glide, and not have to flap for many minutes, repeating this process over and over while covering hundreds of miles.
Q. We have heard that there are bald eagles in Nebraska and a few of us have seen bald eagles flying over and around our fields. Is this common?
A. Bald eagles mainly use Nebraska for wintering rather than breeding. Only a couple of nesting paire were known last I knew, but a healthy 1163 bald eagles were counted wintering in Nebraska; 888 adults and 275 immatures.
From NEW YORK: Mrs. Berger's class, Roslyn, New York K12ROBZJ@vaxd.hofstra.edu We have researched the bald eagle but still have these few questions unanswered:
Q. Posed not as a question, but more as a concern, we are concerned that the baby eagles are taken away from their mothers during "hacking". Don't the mothers know their young are gone? Don't you think they feel a loss? How can you take so many babies away from their parents? We understand the importance of repopulating certain areas, but it seems so unfeeling.
A. Good question. As wildlife biologists we also were very concerned about the result of our taking nestings, but not because of the feelings of the parent birds, but to make sure there was no negative effect on the population as a whole. To address this question we set up a scientific experiment where we looked at our "removal" nests each year versus a "control" area where we also monitored productivity but did not remove any young. To make a long story short, we found no impact to the breeders we took young from, and as a matter of fact, as a group, the pairs who had nestlings removed actually produced at a higher rate in subsequent years than did the control pairs. Where eagles are abundant, such as in Alaska where we collected the young, it is safe to remove a small percentage of the annual reproduction without harming the population, just as hunting does not hurt populations of many numerous animals.
From MISSSOURI:
Hi, my name is Andrew Bartlett and i am doing a report on bald eagles for school.
Q. I wanted to know if you have actually came in contact with one. A. Many!
I need to have an interview on one to bring my grade up. I also need to have some interesting facts about them. I am In the fifth grade. My favorite animal is the eagle. I live in Florrisant Missouri. My favorite sport is football. Please write back. K-6 Student at Robinwood, Florrisant, Missouri, 38.47.21N, 90.19.21W abartlett@flomo.cerf.fred.org A. ANDREW, YOU SHOULD GET PLENTY OF INFO FROM READING THESE ANSWERS.
From MINNESOTA:
Q. Why do the eagles go to the same nest year after year? Do they have a good memory to know were it is?
A. Sure. Also, if a particular nesting area "works" for them it makes sense to keep using it. Why fight success?
Q. When they migrate south, do they have a nest down south too?
A. No, because they don't breed on the wintering grounds.
From MARYLAND:
Hello, We are students from Bel Air Elementary School. We live in Cumberland, Maryland. We have enjoyed hearing about the eagle. We want to name the eagle Destiny. Kimberlee Whited belairel@fre.fsu.umd.edu
Q. What color is it?
A. All brown with a pure white head and tail and yellow beak and legs.
Q. Are all eagles fierce or friendly?
A. Probably neither. Animals generally don't show emotions as humans do.
Q. Does this eagle have an egg? A. Not yet, but hopefully within a month.
From MISSOURI: Ryan Buis, 4th Grade, Hallsville Elementary School judith_r@mail.hallsville.k12.mo.us Here is my question for Mr. Nye on the bald eagle:
Q. If the eagle`s nails get too big, how do they cut them?
A. Great thinking Ryan, keep it up. Eagles rely on their talons to survive. They remain naturally sharp and "trimmed" with regular use and especially while perching on limbs. Same with their beaks which are just like nails and continuously grow. Feeding keeps it under control and sharp.
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