Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus (Linnaeus, 1766))
Scientific name: Haliaeetus leucocephalus (Linnaeus, 1766)
Common name: Bald Eagle
French name: Pygargue à tête blanche
Order: Accipitriformes
Family: Accipitridae
Size: Sexual dimorphism only concerns size, females are 25% larger than males. Size also varies by region, northern birds are larger than those in the southern range. Body size: 70 to 100 cm; Weight: 3 to 7 kg; Wingspan: 180 to 240 cm.
Habitat: Shores of oceans, banks of rivers and shores of large bodies of water with proximity to old trees providing perches with good visibility and nesting possibilities.
Food: Mainly fishes but also aquatic birds and mammals.
Nesting: Bald Eagles generally return to their birthplace to breed. The nest, made of branches, is very bulky and is reused from year to year. There are 1 to 3 eggs per clutch.
Migration: Northern birds move southwards in winter.
Geographic area: North America, from southern Mexico to northern Alaska.
The Bald Eagle has a white head and neck. The underside of the wings and the tail are creamy white. The rest of the plumage is dark brown to blackish.
The bill and tarsi are yellow. The claws are black.
Juveniles are brown with a few white spots until they are 4 or 5 years old.
The flight is slow with wings wide open.

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) - Bonaventure, Chaleur Bay, Gaspésie, Québec, Canada - September 6th 2017
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Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)
The walk by the sea to see the waders was enhanced by a nice sighting of a Bald Eagle.


Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) - Bonaventure, Chaleur Bay, Gaspésie, Québec, Canada - September 6th 2017
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Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)
Who are these intruders who come to disturb me?


Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) - Bonaventure, Chaleur Bay, Gaspésie, Québec, Canada - September 6th 2017
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Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)
When taking off, we can see that the Bald Eagle is carrying a prey in its claws.


Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) - Bonaventure, Chaleur Bay, Gaspésie, Québec, Canada - September 6th 2017
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Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)
It is likely that the prey is a Common Merganser. I remember having seen a large number of them a little further on.


Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) - Forillon National Park, Gaspésie, Québec, Canada - September 3rd 2017
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Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)
This juvenile Bald Eagle passed several times over our head while we visited the "bout du monde".

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