Baldy
- 4 days ago
- 1 min read
Baldy, since we are in the USA.....of course I found a Bald Eagle...
The name doesn’t mean hairless.“Bald” comes from an old English word meaning white-headed.
Only adults (around 4–5 years old) develop the iconic white head and tail. Juveniles are mottled brown and can look surprisingly different.
Bald Eagles construct enormous stick nests called eyries.
Up to 2.5 metres wide
Can weigh over a tonne
Used and added to year after year
Some nests have been used for decades, becoming truly massive structures in tall trees.
By the 1960s, Bald Eagles were close to extinction in the lower 48 US states due to:
Hunting
Habitat loss
The pesticide DDT (which caused eggshell thinning)
After DDT was banned and legal protections were introduced, populations rebounded dramatically.
Today they are a major conservation success story.
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