Tag: Bald Eagle

Rescued bald eagle is huge, but why isn’t its head white?

The young raptor, found with a broken femur near a popular Tennessee lake, underwent surgery Friday.

An officer with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency helped rescue a bald eagle last week after receiving reports of an injured raptor near a popular reservoir.

“Justin Pinkston picked up this injured bald eagle from Douglas Lake and transported it to the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine, [which] is treating it for a fractured femur,” the TWRA stated Thursday via Facebook.

It’s not clear how the eagle became injured, but a vehicle strike is possible.

The image shared by the TWRA, showing a large eagle being held by Pinkston, might have some wondering why the eagle’s head is not white. (Some on social media misidentified the bird as a golden eagle.)

The TWRA explained that despite the eagle’s size, it’s still a juvenile, and added: “Bald eagles usually get their white heads when they are between four and five years old.”

Surgery goes well

According to Danielle Tarbert, assistant clinical professor of zoological medicine at the UTCVM, the eagle underwent what appears to have been a successful surgery on Friday.

The surgery, to repair the broken femur (thigh bone) with stabilizing pins, lasted 1.5 hours. The accompanying x-ray image, showing the pins, was provided by the UTCVM.

Sandra Harbison, spokeswoman for the UTCVM, told FTW Outdoors that the female eagle weighs 8.8 pounds. Harbison said it’s too early to tell if she’ll recover sufficiently to be released back into the wild.

In good hands

The UTCVM has vast experience treating birds of prey and recently performed cataract surgery on Challenger, billed as the country’s “most famous bald eagle educational ambassador.”

Challenger was blown from his nest as a chick in 1989 and cared for briefly by good samaritans. The male eagle was ultimately deemed “unreleasable” because he had become habituated to people.

Challenger is trained to free-fly, however, and as part of his ambassador duties he has conducted flyovers at several major spectator events.

They include the World Series, NFL Pro Bowls, NCAA football championships, the Daytona 500, and a presidential inauguration.

They grow so fast

A wingspan measurement of the newly rescued eagle was not provided to FTW Outdoors. But at 8.8 pounds the young raptor is hefty when you consider that adult bald eagles typically weigh between 6.5 and 14 pounds.

Bald eagle x-ray after surgery to repair broken femur.

In fact, juvenile bald eagles often appear larger than adults because they boast longer wing and tail feathers, according to the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey.

From the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: “Immature Bald Eagles spend the first four years of their lives in nomadic exploration of vast territories and can fly hundreds of miles per day. Some young birds from Florida have wandered north as far as Michigan, and birds from California have reached Alaska.”

Comeback story

Bald eagle numbers, once depleted to where sightings across North America were considered rare, rebounded impressively after the use of DDT was banned in 1972, and thanks to Endangered Species Act protections between 1978 and 2007.

However, bald eagles still face many human-related threats, which include vehicle strikes.

Behold the real source of ‘bald eagle’ cries in movies; video

Bald eagles are ferocious-looking, but their vocalizations are not the same sounds Hollywood uses in TV and movie soundtracks.

Last year we shared footage of bald eagles “showing off their vocalization skills” at the Alaska Raptor Center in Sitka.

The vocalizations, while impressive, were nothing like the shrill cries dubbed into movie and TV soundtracks to make eagles sound as ferocious as they look.

“Did you know, Hollywood sound editors often dub over a Bald Eagle’s call with another bird’s vocalization?” the Alaska Raptor Center asked followers via X. “The piercing, earthy screams of a Red-tailed Hawk.”

On Monday the Alaska Raptor Center shared the accompanying footage of a red-tailed hawk named Jake delivering the “powerful, raspy scream that Hollywood likes to use.”

The Center added: “Whenever you hear a shrill raptor cry in movies or TV shows, it’s often a red-tailed hawk.”

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology states on its website that red-tailed hawks are the most prevalent hawks in North America and provided confirmation of the Alaska Raptor Center’s declaration:

“The Red-tailed Hawk has a thrilling, raspy scream that sounds exactly like a raptor should sound. At least, that’s what Hollywood directors seem to think.

“Whenever a hawk or eagle appears onscreen, no matter what species, the shrill cry on the soundtrack is almost always a Red-tailed Hawk.”

–Red-tailed hawk image courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Angler helps save bald eagle after it had been ‘senselessly’ shot

The eagle, shot in eastern Tennessee, is recovering at the Memphis Zoo. A $10,000 reward is being offered as authorities seek to identify and prosecute the shooter.

A $10,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the conviction of the person who shot a federally protected bald eagle recently in eastern Tennessee.

The wounded eagle was discovered by a fisherman near Watts Bar Lake in Kingston. The angler contacted the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, which transported the raptor to the Memphis Zoo.

The eagle is recovering and a bullet retrieved from the bird has been sent to a lab for ballistics testing.

The Center for Biological Diversity issued a news release Monday, stating that it has added $7,500 to the $2,500 reward being offered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

“The senseless and illegal shooting of this majestic bird is outrageous, and we want the perpetrator brought to justice,” said Will Harlan, a senior scientist at the Center. “This cowardly act against America’s national bird can’t go unpunished. We hope someone steps forward with information.”

Anyone with potentially helpful information is asked to call the USFWS at (615) 736-5532 or the TWRA at (931) 484-9571.

–Generic bald eagle image courtesy of ©Pete Thomas

Bald eagle’s porch attack on Yorkie warrants another look

A recent owl attack on a man and his dog is reminiscent of a bald eagle attack on a Yorkie that was captured on video.

News item: Owl swoops toward dog and returns seconds later to attack the dog’s owner this week in Medfield, Mass. The dog is OK and its owner is nursing minor head wounds.

Reaction: Large birds of prey can be territorial, especially during fall/winter nesting seasons. They might also perceive small dogs as prey.

The incident, which was not captured on video, is reminiscent of a 2022 bald eagle attack on a Yorkie in broad daylight in British Columbia.

That extraordinary scene, which includes frantic yelps and a nearly successful porch theft of the Yorkie, was caught on video. The footage is posted below and might serve as a reminder to keep small pets close at all times.

Bald eagle nests are massive, and this beauty is a high-rise

Bald eagle nests come in various shapes and sizes, and it seems as though one nest in Vancouver is beginning to resemble a high rise.

Bald eagle nests come in various shapes and sizes, and one nest in Vancouver is beginning to resemble a high-rise.

“Look at mama bald eagle at the top of this nest – one of the biggest I’ve seen!” Pacificnorthwestkate tweeted on Tuesday. “Every year more sticks get added.”

To be sure, the eagle family Kate has observed is moving up. She told FTW Outdoors that the nest measures about 15 feet tall “and it’s getting bigger every year.”

According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the largest bald eagle nest on record, in St. Petersburg, Fla., was 20 feet tall and 10 feet in diameter.

The Lab’s All About Birds website states that a nest in Vermilion, Ohio, was famous for being shaped like a wine glass. It weighed nearly two metric tons and was used for 34 years “until the tree blew down.”

Replica of a typical bald eagle nest at Hueston Woods State Park

In 2021, the Forest Park Nature Center in Illinois shared an image showing a ranger sitting inside a scale-model of a typical nest, measuring 5 feet wide and 3 feet deep.

The image revealed how an ordinary bald eagle nest would look if it were not partially hidden by branches. (The replica nest is housed at Hueston Woods State Park in Ohio.)

Bald eagle guards nest from a treetop. Photo: ©Pete Thomas

A nest that I’ve been observing, in east San Diego County, is of the typical variety and has been used for years by the same bald eagle pair.

I’ve included two recent images – one showing an adult eagle guarding the nest from the treetop, and another showing a newly hatched chick next to a watchful parent.

Newly hatched chick stands under a parent’s watchful eye. Photo: ©Pete Thomas

The ungainly youngster revealed its fuzzy head Sunday as I was about to leave my observation point.

Bald eagle chicks fledge after 10-12 weeks. After they fledge, immature bald eagles can travel great distances in search of a preferred territory.

From All About Birds: “Immature bald eagles spend the first four years of their lives in nomadic exploration of vast territories and can fly hundreds of miles per day.

“Some young birds from Florida have wandered north as far as Michigan, and birds from California have reached Alaska.”

Bald eagle attain their classic regal appearance, with white crowns and tail feathers, after about five years.

–Follow Pacificnorthwestkate on Instagram

Poachers caught with bald eagle they had shot, intended to eat

Two men were cited Wednesday in Nebraska for unlawful possession of a bald eagle, which they had killed as a potential meal.

Two men were cited Wednesday in Nebraska for unlawful possession of a bald eagle, which they had killed as a potential meal.

Ramiro Hernandez-Tziquin and Domingo Zetino-Hernandez, 20-year-old Honduran Nationals, are said to have used a rifle to shoot the eagle on private property outside of Stanton.

The men were charged with misdemeanors but the Stanton County Sheriff’s Office stated in a news release that “more serious charges are possible as the investigation into the unlawful killing continues.”

ALSO: If it’s March, Yellowstone grizzly bears are stirring

Bald eagles, long the national emblem of the United States, have been a protected species since 1940.

The Stanton County Sheriff’s Office located the men late Tuesday while responding to a report of a suspicious vehicle outside the main Wood Duck Recreation Area.

The men, who are from Norfolk, were found to be in possession of a freshly killed bald eagle.

“Further investigation revealed that the two had shot and killed the protected national bird in that area and stated they planned on cooking and eating the bird,” the Sheriff’s Office explained.

Nebraska Game and Parks confiscated the eagle carcass and the rifle used to kill the raptor.

–Generic bald eagle image courtesy of ©Pete Thomas

How bald eagles really sound (it’s not like in the movies)

The Alaska Raptor Center has shared footage of bald eagles vocalizing, and their sounds are nothing like those you might be familiar with.

The Alaska Raptor Center on Saturday shared footage showing bald eagles vocalizing loudly while perched on a branch.

These are typical bald eagle sounds, almost chirpy, like laughter – not anything like the iconic screeches you hear from eagles portrayed in Hollywood.

The Alaska Raptor Center, a nonprofit hospital/rehabilitation facility for raptors, explained as much in the following video Tweet.

“Did you know, Hollywood sound editors often dub over a Bald Eagle’s call with another bird’s vocalization?” the Alaska Raptor Center informs. “The piercing, earthy screams of a Red-tailed Hawk.”

RELATED: It’s bald eagle nesting season, and those nests can be massive 

To hear more bald eagle vocalizations, open this link and click on the “listen” tab.

To hear red-tailed hawk vocalizations, click here and listen to their various calls.

The eagles in the video are named Sunset and Thor.

[listicle id=1999778]

Rare white bald eagle spotted ‘just in time for World Cup win’

A rare white bald eagle was spotted in Oklahoma “just in time for that World Cup win” by the U.S. soccer team over Iran, the state proudly announced.

The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation on Wednesday shared footage of a rare white bald eagle that was spotted “just in time for that World Cup win” by the U.S. national soccer team over Iran. (See footage below.)

Bald eagles, the national emblem of the United States since 1782, are majestic birds of prey identifiable by their white crowns and tail feathers. The white feathers are in stark contrast to their dark brown bodies and wings.

The Oklahoma sighting involved a leucistic bald eagle. Leucism is a genetic condition in which normal pigmentation does not develop in animals. Leucistic animals are mostly white, but not considered albino.

“Leucistic bald eagles are rare,” the ODWC emphasized in its tweet.

The footage was captured by Justin Bailey and the ODWC stated that “while there isn’t any way to confirm that this is the same one that pulled through repeatedly along the Illinois River last year, we’re still PUMPED to have this homie hanging around our neck of the woods.”

Bald eagles are large raptors found throughout North America. They prey mostly on fish, and will often steal fish captured by other predators.

A fun fact courtesy of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology:

“Had Benjamin Franklin prevailed, the U.S. emblem might have been the Wild Turkey. In 1784, Franklin disparaged the national bird’s thieving tendencies and its vulnerability to harassment by small birds.”

The U.S. national soccer team defeated Iran, 1-0, in a tense match Tuesday to advance to the knockout rounds of the World Cup.

[listicle id=1984596]

Watch: Bald eagle attempts to fly off with pet Yorkie

A Yorkshire terrier has survived a terrifying ordeal involving a bald eagle intent on making a meal of the pooch.

A Yorkshire terrier has survived a terrifying ordeal involving a bald eagle intent on making a meal of the pooch.

The accompanying footage, captured by a doorbell camera in Prince Rupert, British Columbia, shows the Yorkie, named Coco, crying out as a shadow appears overhead and the eagle swoops down to grab her from a porch.

Justin Dudoward, the dog owner, told FTW Outdoors that he did not witness the predation event, which occurred last Thursday. “I just heard her cries,” he said of Coco.

ALSO: Yellowstone bison rests head on public boardwalk and, yes, it’s a scene

The eagle bangs into a container as it attempts to take flight, as Coco bawls.

But the large raptor would leave empty-handed. Coco reappears in front of the camera at 12 seconds, running toward the house. Dudoward said she was uninjured.

The footage might serve as a reminder, however, that coyotes and mountain lions are not the only threats to small dogs left outside.

Although bald eagles prey mostly on fish, they’ll attack birds, reptiles, amphibians, rabbits, muskrats, and other small mammals.

[listicle id=1905857]

Nesting bald eagle swoops down for a bath in stunning footage

A photographer has captured extraordinary footage showing a female bald eagle swooping from its nest to a river to enjoy a bath while the male eagle watches over young ones.

A photographer has captured extraordinary footage showing a female bald eagle swooping from its nest to a river to enjoy a bath while the male eagle watches over young ones.

Mike Lemery’s footage, posted below, was captured recently on the Mohawk River in Cohoes, outside Albany, N.Y. It shows momma eagle leaving to “clean up” and immersing herself repeatedly while remaining on high alert and, at one point, calling to her mate.

Lemery, of Mike Lemery Films, told FTW Outdoors that the eagles are caring for three chicks, instead of the typical one or two, “so they have been working extra hard with the extra mouth to feed.”

The photographer added that minutes before momma left for her bath, papa eagle arrived at the nest with food.

RELATED: Bald eagles are raising young in nests the size of hot tubs

“They take turns watching over the nest, but the female does the majority of the feeding and protection of the nest,” Lemery said. “They tend to bathe after everyone has eaten.”

After her bath, momma eagle is shown drying off on a branch near the nest.

With bald eagle nesting season underway, and nest-cams providing closeup views of feeding and nurturing, Lemery’s footage provides a wonderful glimpse of eagle behavior beyond the nest.

[listicle id=1889699]