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Bald Eagle
Haliaeetus leucocephalus
45.5264, -93.712
Field Notes
Description:
The adult bald eagle has dark brown plumage with white head and tail. Its sharply hooked bill and powerful talons are yellow. Sexes are similar, but the female may be as much as a third larger. The wingspan is 2.4 meters (7.9 feet), but the size of these birds varies with the largest birds being in Alaska and northern Canada and the smallest being in the southern U.S. and Mexico. Immatures are brown with varying degrees of white splotchind, depending upon their age.
Habitat:
Bald eagles are a member of the sea eagles, so, as their name implies, are usually found near water, such as rivers and lakes. I've found them hunting rodents, such as rabbits, in upland areas and they will feed on carrion and roadkilled animals as well.
Notes:
This particular pair of birds nests just off the wildlife loop road at the Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge in central Minnesota. One day there was a storm moving in and I thought it might coincide with the sun setting behind the nest, so I drove up there to set up and take some photos. It turned out pretty nice! Fortunately, one of the eagles decided to perch beside the nest resulting in this composition.
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