Bald Eagle

About the Bald Eagle

The national bird of the United States and instantly recognizable, the adult Bald Eagle gleams with a snow-white head and tail set against a dark brown body and a massive hooked yellow bill. Young birds are mottled brown and white and take about five years to gain the clean adult plumage. Broad-winged and powerful, it soars on flat wings high over the water.

Bald Eagles are chiefly fish-eaters, snatching prey from at or near the surface, but they also take waterfowl and carrion and will pirate food from other birds. They build enormous stick nests, reused and added to year after year.

In Texas the Bald Eagle is most numerous in winter, when northern birds move south to the lakes and rivers, though a growing number nest in the state - a real conservation success after the species' recovery.

A note from behind the lens: winter around Central Texas lakes and reservoirs is prime time. Watch for a bird perched sentinel over the water or soaring on a thermal, keep your distance with a long lens, and be ready for the drama of a dive to the surface.