Happy National American Eagle Day! Each year on June 20, this day honors our national symbol, raising awareness for protecting the bald eagle.
The day also encourages the recovery of their natural environments while providing educational outreach.
The bald eagle is both the national bird and the national animal of The United States of America and appears on its Seal.
In the latter 20th century, the bald eagle hovered on the brink of extinction in the continental United States.
Eventually, populations recovered and on July 12, 1995, the species was removed from the U.S. Federal Government’s List of Endangered Species and transferred to the List of Threatened Species.
In June of 2007, as the species continued to thrive, the American eagle was withdrawn from the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife in the Lower 48 States.
Eagle Habitat and Facts
The bald eagle’s range includes most of Canada, Alaska, all of the contiguous United States, and northern Mexico. They nest near large bodies of open water where abundant food supplies and old-growth trees abound.
Opportunistic feeders, bald eagles survive mainly on fish, swooping down and snatching them from the water. Their nests are the largest nests of any North American bird and the largest tree nests ever recorded for any animal species.
The largest recorded eagle’s nest was found in St. Petersburg, Florida. It measured 9.5 feet in diameter and twenty feet deep and weighed in at nearly three tons.
These majestic raptors tally up quite a list of facts. A fully grown female bald eagle has a wingspan of two meters (seven feet) and weighs three to seven kilograms (seven to fifteen pounds). Male eagles are slightly smaller.
They also mate for life and live between twenty to thirty years. As a power bird of prey, an eagle’s sharp sense of sight joins powerful muscles, piercing talons, and beak, making them primed for the hunt.
Although the raptor is also known as the bald eagle, the name derives from an older meaning of “white-headed.” The bird isn’t bald at all. The adult eagle is mainly brown with a white head and tail.
HOW TO OBSERVE
Join the celebration by learning more about the American eagle. Whether you visit a nature preserve or learn about conservation, be sure to invite someone to join you. You can also learn about the American eagle in other ways as well:
• Reading books about the Bald Eagle such as Bald Eagles: Their Life and Behavior in North America (1997) by Art Wolfe or The Eagles Are Back (2013) by Jean Craighead George
• Watching documentaries about this majestic raptor, like Bald Eagle – Nature’s Largest Raptors on National Geographic®.
• Listening to a podcast about the American Eagle.
• Going birdwatching and bring your camera – you may be able to capture some spectacular images of the eagle soaring above you.
• Learning about conservation efforts.
While you’re exploring, share your experiences by using #NationalAmericanEagleDay and post on social media.
HISTORY
The American Eagle Foundation sponsors National American Eagle Day to raise awareness about the American eagle, its habitats, and conservation efforts. For more information, visit the website below:
#NationalAmericanEagleDay
@AmericanEagleFoundation
@natgeo
@philadelphiaeagles
@nichecinema
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