Eagles are big, powerful birds. Some are more than 3 feet long from head to tail. Their
wingspread may be more than 3 feet long from head to tail. Their wingspread may be
more than 7 feet. An eagle’s beak is large and hooked. Its toes end in talons, which are
strong claws. Its eyes are many times keener than hose of a person.
The eagle is a bird of prey—that is, a hunter. It catches and eats small animals and
fish. The eagle swoops down, pick up the prey in its talons, and flies off. Eagles hunt
only in the daytime.
An eagle keeps the same mate for many years, perhaps for life—no one is sure. A
pair of eagles build their nest at the top of a very tall tree or on a rocky ledge. The nest,
called an aerie, is built on sticks. Many eagles use the same nests year after year.
Eagles are becoming rare in North America. The golden eagle has been thinned
out by hunting. The bald eagle is raising fewer and fewer young. No one knows why to
protect them people made law to prevent people from killing eagles or bothering their
nests.