Bald Eagle  - Haliaeetus leucocephalus

Location/Trail:  Woods Canyon Lake TrailDate sighted:  7/24/2011Season:  SummerOur national bird and symbol of the United States of America. This sea eagle has two known sub-species and forms a species pair with the White-tailed Eagle. Its range includes most of Canada and Alaska, all of the contiguous United States, and northern Mexico. It is found near large bodies of open water with an abundant food supply and old-growth trees for nesting.

In the late 20th century the Bald Eagle was on the brink of extirpation in the continental United States, while flourishing in much of Alaska and Canada. Populations recovered and stabilized, so the species was removed from the U.S. federal government's list of endangered species and transferred to the list of threatened species on July 12, 1995, and it was removed from the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife in the Lower 48 States on June 28, 2007.

Bald Eagles are not actually bald. The name derives from the older meaning of the word, "white headed".

The Bald Eagle's diet is opportunistic and varied, but most feed mainly on fish.