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The Bald Eagle is a large bird, with a body length of 28-40 inches, a wingspan of up to 96 inches, and a
mass of 5.5-20 pounds. Females are about 25 percent larger than males. The adult Bald Eagle has a
brown body with a white head and tail, with bright yellow eyes, taloned feet, and hooked beak. Juveniles
are completely brown except for the yellow feet. Males and females are identical in coloration. Its diet
consists mainly of fish, but it is an opportunistic feeder. It hunts fish by soaring high above the water,
followed by a steep dive, snatching the fish out of the water with its talons. It is sexually mature at four
years or five years of age. In the wild, Bald Eagles can live up to thirty years. The Bald Eagle builds the
largest nest of any North American bird, reaching up to 15 ft deep, 10 ft wide, and one tonne in weight.
The Bald Eagle prefers its habitat near sea coasts, rivers, large lakes, oceans, and other large bodies of
open water with an abundance of fish. The Bald Eagle requires old-growth and mature stands of coniferous
or hardwood trees for perching, roosting, and nesting. Selected trees must have good visibility, and within
close proximity to the water.

The Bald Eagle is a powerful flyer, and can reach speeds of 60-80 kilometres per hour when gliding and
flapping, and about 50 kilometres per hour while carrying fish. Its dive speed is between 120-160
kilometres per hour. The Bald Eagle's diet is opportunistic and varied, but most feed mainly on fish. They
also may sometimes feed on scavenged or stolen foods from campsites and picnics, as well as garbage
dumps. Other prey includes rabbits, house cats, small dogs, racoons, beavers, and deer fawns. Most live
prey are quite a bit smaller than the eagle, but predatory attacks on large birds such as the Great Blue
Heron, Sea Gulls and even swans have been recorded.

Bald Eagles are sexually mature at four or five years of age. When they are old enough to breed, they
often return to the area where they were born. It is thought that Bald Eagles mate for life. However, if one
member of a pair dies or disappears, the other will choose a new mate. The nest is the largest of any bird
in North America, and is used over many years with new material added each year. Eagles produce
between one and three eggs per year, but it is rare for all three chicks to successfully fly. Both the male
and female take turns incubating the eggs. The other parent will hunt for food or look for nesting material.
The eggs average about 7.5 centimetres long and have a breadth of 5.5 centimetres.