Bald Eagles

by Emily J. Dolbear

With exciting full-color photos, Nature's Children brings you face-to-face with some of the world's most intriguing animals-from chimpanzees to pandas to tarantulas. Each title reveals how these creatures survive in the wild, how they raise their young, what's being done to protect them, and more wild facts.

Genres: Birds, Animals

48 pages, Library Binding

First published March 1, 2012

Reviews

[Candace · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Fact File provides the classification for the Bald Eagle at the front of the book. We learn the bald eagle was officially selected by North America as its symbol in 1782. This bird of prey is considered sacred by many Native Americans. These raptors are included with other birds of prey such as "hawks, falcons, vultures and owls." Bald eagles "can fly as fast as 60 miles an hour." They can dive even faster. They feed on mainly fish, but can also feed on waterbirds, "squirrels, raccoons, prairie dogs, and even foxes are other food sources." A hunger eagle will even feed on carrion. "One of the largest bald eagles nest was recorded in St. Petersburg, Florida." Usually the female eagle lays two eggs, but it can be one or three eggs. These eggs are normally laid a few days apart and they hatch a few days apart. Eaglets grow their feathers at about one month. They grow their flight feathers at about three months. "Bald eagles do not look like their parents until they are four or five years old. . . . The bald eagle is now able to find a mate, build a nest, and raise its own young." At the end of the book is a glossary, Find Out More page listing additional books and website locations, an index and an About the Author paragraph. There are glossy photographs which correspond to the text. This book is part of the Nature's Children series by Scholastic.

[Hilary · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the "Fact File" that summarizes facts about the bald eagle at the very beginning of the book.

Page six: "Bald eagles got their name from early settlers in North America. These settlers described them with a word similar to bald that meant "white."" ---Errr. What was the word that means "white," instead of "bald" -- the term is never provided...

Bald eagles are North America's only breed of sea eagles. Sea eagles also occur in Africa.

There are not about 10,000 bald eagles in North America. At one point in the last century, there were only 500 mated pairs.