Living: the ultimate team sport

My nation’s symbol

Posted on July 1, 2015 Updated on July 1, 2015

How much do you know about the Bald Eagle? Here are some facts to add to your knowledge:

• Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson served on the committee that picked the eagle for the national seal. (Franklin wanted the turkey);
• Bald eagles have few natural enemies and only live in North America;
• They get their white head and tail feathers between the age of 4 and 5 years old;
• Bald eagles are not, and never were, bald. The term comes from when “bald” meant “white-headed”;
• Their maximum speed: 40 mph or over 100 mph while in a dive;
• They can lift roughly half their body weight;
• The bald eagle is no longer considered endangered, only threatened;
• The only other kind of eagle in North America is the golden eagle;
• Bald eagles mate for life, but if one dies, the survivor will accept a new mate;
• It is a felony to shoot an eagle.

Happy Birthday United States of America!

July 4, 2015