Eagle Day

The Corps of Engineers at Truman Lake will host the Annual Eagle Day event in January on the Saturday before Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday. The event will be held at the Harry S. Truman Visitor Center, which overlooks Truman Dam a few miles north Warsaw, Missouri.

Springfield’s Dickerson Park Zoo will bring a live eagle for presentations throughout the day. Other fun and interesting programs and activities will run all day: there will be a children’s activity station, a wildlife art presentation by the Warsaw High School Art Department, and other wildlife related exhibits. Complete your eagle day by visiting the Lost Valley Fish Hatchery. Their facility hours are 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.

The Eagle Day Event is free, and all programs and exhibits will be within the comfort and warmth of the visitor center. Inclement weather (excessive snow/ice) will force cancellation of the event. Contact Erin Cordrey at 660-438-7317 ext. 3810 for more information.

Truman Lake Eagle Day
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Harry S. Truman Visitor Center
Saturday prior to Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday
Visitor Center Opens at 8:30 a.m. – Closes 4:00 p.m.

GENERAL INFORMATION

NAME: Haliaeetus leucocephalus (Latin or Greek for "white-headed sea eagle") -- The Bald Eagle received its common name from North American colonists when bald or "balled" meant white, not hairless.

Bald Eagles are only found in North America. They are considered raptors or birds of prey, and primarily eat fish, waterfowl, small mammals and carrion.

Experts believe there were as many as 50,000 Bald Eagles in the lower 48 states when it was adopted as our national symbol in 1782. But habitat destruction, illegal shooting and contamination of its food source, mostly due to the pesticide DDT, caused a significant reduction in the Bald Eagle population. By the early 1970s, their numbers had decreased to approximately 2,000 with less than 420 nesting pairs.

The number of Bald Eagles has rebounded significantly since it was placed on the original federal endangered species list on March 11, 1967. Today, biologists estimate there are over 20,000 Bald Eagles in the lower 48 states with more than 5,800 nesting pairs. This increase can be attributed to improved habitat quality, a reduction in the use of toxic pesticides, and the enactment of federal legislation to protect the species. In response, the Bald Eagle was reclassified from endangered to threatened on July 12, 1995.

The Bald Eagle population in Alaska remains healthy with over 40,000 eagles and 10,000 nesting pairs.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

The male and female have identical plumage. The adults have a uniform dark brown body (appearing almost black) with a contrasting white head and tail. Immature birds have brownish plumage with irregular, white mottling. They do not develop their characteristic white head and tail until they are 5 years of age.

In addition, juveniles have brown beaks and eyes. As they mature, their beaks turn yellow and their eyes change to a golden color. Juvenile Bald Eagles are often confused with Golden Eagles, the only other eagle found in North America.

The female is larger than the male. Females weigh 10 to 14 pounds and have a wingspan of 6.5 to 7.5 feet. Males weigh 8 to 10 pounds and have wingspans of 6 to 7 feet.

Eagles have excellent vision with eyes that are 5 to 8 times more powerful than human eyes. Biologists believe they can see small mammals up to two miles away. They have sharp claws called talons for catching and killing their prey. Their hooked beaks are used for tearing food into small, bite sized pieces.

Eagles have over 7,000 feathers. Their feathers are light weight, 30 weigh less than a penny. All 7,000 weigh less than 21 ounces. Feathers are made of keratin, the same material that forms human fingernails.

LIFE HISTORY

Bald Eagles have been documented to live up to 50 years old in captivity and up to 30 years old in the wild. Average life expectancy in the wild is approximately 20 years. They usually mate for life, but if one dies, the other will accept a new mate.

Their average flight speed is between 35 and 45 miles per hour, but they can reach speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour when diving for prey.

Bald Eagles build the largest nest in the avian world, called an aerie. A pair will return to the same nesting territory, often refurbishing and adding to the same nest. The average nest in Alaska is 5 to 6 feet in diameter, 8 to 10 feet deep and weighs approximately one ton. According to the Guiness Book of World Records, a pair of Bald Eagles in St. Petersburg, FL built the largest bird nest in the world (measuring 9.5 feet across and 20 feet deep). It weighed over 2 tons. In Alaska the life expectancy of an eagle nest is 20 years. The tree may eventually topple over from the weight of the nest, usually during a storm.

Eagles lay from 1 to 3 eggs, usually 2. They are about the size of a large chicken egg, 2" x 3". The eggs are a dull white color and are laid 2 to 4 days apart. It takes approximately 35 days of incubation before the eggs hatch. The young fledge (fly) from the nest when they are 70 to 80 days old.

Hatching is a difficult task. It takes approximately 15 hours for a chick to peck a hole in the egg. It uses a special egg tooth on the end of its beak. It may take an additional 35 to 40 hours to break out of its shell completely.

Adult eagles have few natural enemies, but 60 to 70 percent of the juveniles die within their first year. Most young birds die from starvation, diseases, bad weather or human interference. Electrocution is the number one killer of adults.

WINTERING EAGLES IN MISSOURI

Bald Eagles have historically migrated to Missouri during the winter months. Today about 2000 eagles spend their winters in or adjacent to the state. They nest in the Northern States and Canada and migrate south when the weather becomes severe and food becomes scarce. Eagles follow migrating waterfowl, feeding on injured and weak birds. Most migrants arrive in December and generally return north from late February through March.

Wintering birds concentrate around aquatic environments in search of food. They perch in large trees along the shorelines of rivers, lakes and wetland areas and often can be observed plucking fish from the edge of the ice. At night, during the winter, eagles frequently assemble in a communal roost.

NESTING EAGLES IN MISSOURI

Early settlers have recorded frequent sightings of nesting eagles in early 19^th century Missouri. However, nesting eagles were basically non-existent in the state by 1890. Missouri remained free of nesting eagles until 1982 with the success of a nest near Bucksaw on Truman Reservoir. Unfortunately, the eaglet that hatched in this nest was abandoned at 9 weeks of age; but the good news is that the eaglet was raised and later released by the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Corps of Engineers personnel learned of another eagle release success story in 2000 with the discovery of a purple-banded nesting eagle in Hogle’s Creek on Truman Lake. Data confirmed that this female eagle hatched in March of 1996, was banded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in May, and fledged in June at Clinton Lake, Kansas. Coincidentally, the parents of this eagle established the first documented eagle nesting territory in the state of Kansas.

EAGLES ON TRUMAN LAKE AND ITS TRIBUTARIES

Missouri leads all other states in the lower 48 in numbers of reported eagles. The birds are attracted to the state because of its big streams, large wildlife refuges, and numerous lakes, which provide critical nesting habitat. Since 1982, 91 known eaglets have been fledged on Truman Lake alone. In general, the number of nests, as well as the number of eaglets fledged, increases each year. In 2000, 15 eaglets were produced from 7 nests on Truman, and an additional 5 nests were either abandoned prior to completion of egg incubation or inactive.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Missouri Department of Conservation work together to monitor and protect Truman’s nesting eagles. However, our monitoring program is largely dependent upon information provided by the public. If you observe an eagle nest on Truman or elsewhere in Missouri, please do not assume that it has already been reported. Nest sightings can be reported to the Corps of Engineers at (660) 438-7317 ext. 1223 or to the Missouri Department of Conservation at (660) 885-6981.

CONSERVATION ETHICS

When viewing and photographing Bald Eagles be careful not to get too close. Repeated disturbances could drive the birds from desirable feeding, perching or roosting areas. Not only is this unethical, it is illegal. Bald Eagles are protected by several federal laws including the Endangered Species Act (which also protects threatened species) and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. Anyone who disturbs or harms a Bald Eagle may be assessed a maximum penalty of a $100,000 fine and/or given a one-year jail sentence.