7 bald eagle fun facts

1. Bald eagles don't sound as tough as they look.

If you hear a bald eagle in a movie, it is usually dubbed over with a red-tailed hawk call. Producers think bald eagles sound too wimpy. Above is the bald eagle, below is the red-tailed hawk.

2. Bald eagles have huge nests.

Bald eagle nests are usually 5-6 feet wide and 2-4 feet deep. If a tree is strong enough, they will use the same nest again and again, so in adding to it each year, they can get as large as 9 feet across.

3. Males are smaller than females.

Like many birds, males are actually smaller than females. Male bald eagles weigh on average 25 percent less than females.

4. Bald eagles were once endangered.

Population declines started in the mid-1800s and continued for the next 100 years until there were only 487 nesting pairs in 1963. The banning of DDT in 1972 was the first step in eagle population recovery, and bald eagles were removed from the endangered species list in 2007.

5. Bald eagles can see really well.

Bald eagles can focus on two things at once due to their two centers of focus. They can see both forward and to the side at the same time.

6. Bald eagles look similar to golden eagles.

A simple way to tell apart juvenile bald and golden eagles is only the tops of bald eagles' legs have feathers. Golden eagles have feathers all the way down their legs.

7. Bald eagles are only found in North America.

It is the only eagle that is only found in North America.

Learn about the differences between osprey and bald eagles here.